Breakdown of Mimi ninataka chai ila sina pesa.
Questions & Answers about Mimi ninataka chai ila sina pesa.
Ninataka breaks down into:
• ni- = 1st person singular subject (“I”)
• -na- = present tense marker
• -tak- = verb root “want”
• -a = final vowel
Put together: ni-na-tak-a = “I want.”
Ila is a conjunction meaning “but” or “except.” You can also use lakini, which is slightly more formal or literary. For example:
• Ninataka chai ila sina pesa.
• Ninataka chai, lakini sina pesa.
Possession in Swahili uses kuwa na (“to have”), and its negative is formed irregularly. For 1st person singular:
• kuwa na → ni-na- (“I have”) → nina pesa
• Negative: si- + -na → sina pesa (“I don’t have money”)
You don’t say si-kuwa na, you simply use sina.
Yes. Both the comma and Mimi are optional in everyday speech. The most natural spoken form is:
Ninataka chai ila sina pesa.
You’d switch ila for kwa sababu (“because”):
Ninataka chai, lakini sina pesa.
→ “I want tea, but I have no money.”
Ninataka chai kwa sababu sina pesa.
→ “I want tea because I have no money.”