Breakdown of Dalili ya kwanza ya homa ilikuwa maumivu ya kichwa na tumbo.
kuwa
to be
na
and
ya
of
kwanza
first
homa
the fever
kichwa
the head
dalili
the symptom
maumivu
the pain
tumbo
the stomach
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Questions & Answers about Dalili ya kwanza ya homa ilikuwa maumivu ya kichwa na tumbo.
What does Dalili ya kwanza ya homa literally mean in English?
It literally translates as “the first symptom of fever.”
- Dalili = symptom(s)
- ya = of (genitive link)
- kwanza = first
- homa = fever
Why is ya used twice in Dalili ya kwanza ya homa ilikuwa maumivu ya kichwa na tumbo?
ya is the genitive (possessive) particle.
- The first ya links dalili (symptoms) to homa (fever).
- The second ya links maumivu (pains) to kichwa (head).
You can think of it as the equivalent of English “of” in both connections.
Why does kwanza come after dalili, and why is it preceded by ya?
In Swahili ordinals (first, second, etc.) follow the noun they modify. They take the same linking particle as adjectives:
- dalili (noun) + ya (link) + kwanza (first).
How do you express “headache” and “stomachache” in Swahili?
You break them into “pains of (the) head” and “pains of (the) stomach.”
- maumivu ya kichwa = headache (lit. pains of head)
- maumivu ya tumbo = stomachache (lit. pains of stomach)
In the sentence both are joined as maumivu ya kichwa na tumbo.
Why is there only one ya before tumbo instead of one before each noun?
Because the genitive particle ya placed before kichwa applies to both kichwa and tumbo when connected by na (and). You could repeat it (maumivu ya kichwa na ya tumbo) but it’s not required.
What is the role of ilikuwa here?
ilikuwa is the past tense form of kuwa (to be) for third person singular. It links the subject Dalili ya kwanza ya homa to its complement maumivu ya kichwa na tumbo:
- i- = class 9/10 subject prefix (dalili)
- li = past tense marker
- kuwa = be
Why are there no words like “the” or “a” before the nouns?
Swahili does not have separate articles. Definiteness or indefiniteness is shown by context or by adding demonstratives (e.g. hiyo homa = that fever) or numerals (homa moja = a certain fever).
How would you ask “What were the first symptoms of the fever?” in Swahili?
You’d say:
Dalili za kwanza za homa ni zipi?
- za = genitive link for class 8/10 (dalili)
- zipi = which ones (plural question word for class 8/10)
Why doesn’t maumivu change form to show that there are two pains (head and stomach)?
maumivu is inherently plural (class 6) because of the ma- prefix. You don’t add another plural marker; its form already tells you it’s plural.
Could you invert the sentence to start with the pains and then mention the fever? How would that look?
Yes, you can flip subject and predicate:
Maumivu ya kichwa na ya tumbo yalikuwa dalili ya kwanza ya homa.
Here yalikuwa agrees with maumivu (class 6), and you repeat ya before tumbo for clarity.