Nilijikata kidole nilipokuwa nikikata mkate.

I cut my finger when I was cutting bread.

Breakdown of Nilijikata kidole nilipokuwa nikikata mkate.

• mimi: I
• kuwa: to be
• mkate: the bread
• kukata: to cut
• kidole: the finger
• kujikata: to cut oneself

Questions & Answers about Nilijikata kidole nilipokuwa nikikata mkate.

What does nilijikata mean and how is it formed?

Nilijikata breaks down as:

• ni- (1st person singular subject “I”)
• li- (past tense marker)
• ji- (reflexive prefix “self”)
• kata (verb stem “cut”)

So nilijikata literally means “I cut myself.”

Why do we use the reflexive prefix ji- in nilijikata?

The prefix ji- indicates that the subject performs the action on itself. Here, the speaker is both the cutter and the one being cut, so ji- makes kata reflexive: “cut oneself.” Without ji-, nilikata would simply mean “I cut (something else).”

Why don't we say nilikatwa kidole to mean “I cut my finger”?

Nilikatwa is the passive form (“I was cut” by someone else). It suggests an external agent. To express that you accidentally cut your own finger, you need the active reflexive nilijikata. Using the passive would imply someone else did the cutting.

Why is there no -changu after kidole? Shouldn't you say “my finger”?

When you use a reflexive verb, it’s already clear the body part belongs to you, so adding changu (“my”) is redundant. In Swahili, objects of reflexive verbs normally omit possessive adjectives.

What does nilipokuwa nikikata mkate mean and how is it structured?

Nilipokuwa nikikata mkate means “when I was cutting bread.” The breakdown is:

• ni- (1st person subject)
• li- (past tense)
• po- (relativizer “when”)
• -kuwa (to be)
• followed by ni- (1st person) + -ki- (continuous aspect) + kata (cut)
• mkate = bread

Why is nikikata (with -ki-) used in the subordinate clause instead of nilikata?

The -ki- aspect marker shows an ongoing or simultaneous action (“cutting”). After nilipokuwa (“when I was…”), you need nikikata to indicate the cutting was in progress. Nilikata would be simple past (“I cut”), which doesn’t fit the “while I was cutting” meaning.

Can I replace nilipokuwa with wakati? How else can I say “when I was cutting bread”?

Yes. Alternatives include:

• Nilijikata kidole wakati nikikata mkate.
• Nilijikata kidole wakati nilikuwa nikikata mkate.
  Using wakati (“when”) is fine, but if you keep it in a past context, you often add nilikuwa
  • continuous nikikata. Nilipokuwa is just a more compact narrative form.

Why are kidole and mkate singular here? When do we use singular vs. plural?

They’re singular because the speaker cut one finger (kidole) and was cutting a piece/loaf of bread (mkate). To talk about multiple fingers or loaves, you’d use the plural classes: vidole (fingers) and mikate (loaves), or more naturally vipande vya mkate (slices).

What are the subject prefixes in nilijikata and nikikata, and why are they different?

• In nilijikata: ni- = “I,” li- = past, then ji- = reflexive, plus kata.
• In nikikata: ni- = “I,” -ki- = continuous aspect, plus kata.

They differ because nilijikata is a past-tense reflexive form (“I cut myself”), while nikikata is a present/ongoing action (“I am cutting”) used in the subordinate clause.