Learn Hardcore Swahili: Duka la nguo linatoa punguzo kubwa leo. - The clothing shop is giving a big discount today.

duka means “shop” or “store,” nguo means “clothes,” and la is the genitive/linker that connects them. Literally duka la nguo is “shop of clothes,” i.e. “clothing store.” The la agrees with duka (a noun in class 5) and shows possession or association.

How is the verb linatoa formed, and what do its parts li, -na-, and toa each indicate?

linatoa breaks down as:

li- = subject concord for class 5 (matching duka)
-na- = present-tense marker (general/habitual or continuous)
toa = verb root “give/offer”
So linatoa literally means “it (the store) is offering” or simply “it offers.”

How does Swahili indicate the subject in a sentence when there’s no separate pronoun for “it”?

Swahili incorporates the subject into the verb via a subject-agreement prefix (the “subject concord”). In linatoa, the li- prefix tells you that the subject is a class 5 noun (in our case, duka). You don’t need an extra word for “it.”

What does punguzo mean, and how is it formed from the verb pungua?

punguzo is a noun meaning “discount” or “reduction.” It comes from the verb pungua (“to decrease”). You take the stem pungu- and add the nominalizing suffix -zo, giving punguzo (“the act or result of decreasing”).

What kind of word is kubwa, and why doesn’t it change to agree with punguzo?

kubwa is a descriptive adjective meaning “big.” In Swahili, many common adjectives (e.g. kubwa, ndogo “small,” nzuri “good”) are invariable—they don’t take noun-class prefixes. You just place them after the noun they modify: punguzo kubwa = “big discount.”

How can I turn this statement into a yes/no question?

Add Je at the beginning (or simply use rising intonation in speech). For example:
Je, duka la nguo linatoa punguzo kubwa leo?
Literally “Is the clothing store offering a big discount today?”

Can leo (“today”) be placed in other positions, or must it come at the end?

Time words like leo are flexible in Swahili. All of these are correct:
• Leo duka la nguo linatoa punguzo kubwa.
• Duka la nguo leo linatoa punguzo kubwa.
• Duka la nguo linatoa leo punguzo kubwa.
• Duka la nguo linatoa punguzo kubwa leo.

How would you say “clothing stores are offering a big discount today” (plural)?

Use the plural maduka (class 6) for “stores,” the genitive linker ya (agrees with class 6), and adjust the verb prefix to ya-. You get:
Maduka ya nguo yanatoa punguzo kubwa leo.

How do I change linatoa to past tense so it means “offered” instead of “offers”?

In simple past, Swahili drops the present marker -na- and uses the prefix li- (now marking past). So linatoa becomes litoa.
Duka la nguo litoa punguzo kubwa leo.
= “The clothing store offered a big discount today.”