Breakdown of Samani hizo zitapelekwa ofisini baada ya maandalizi kukamilika.
baada ya
after
hizo
those
ofisi
the office
kukamilika
to be completed
samani
the furniture
kupelekwa
to be taken
maandalizi
the preparation
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Questions & Answers about Samani hizo zitapelekwa ofisini baada ya maandalizi kukamilika.
Why is samani unchanged when referring to more than one item?
Samani belongs to the so-called “N-class” in Swahili, which often has the same form for singular and plural. You distinguish number either by context or by adding a numeral, e.g. samani moja (“one piece of furniture”) or samani nyingi (“many pieces of furniture”).
What does hizo mean, and why not hizi?
Hizo is the distal plural demonstrative for N-class nouns, meaning “those (over there).” Hizi would be the proximal form, meaning “these (near me).” So samani hizo = “those pieces of furniture.”
In zitapelekwa, why start with zi- and then -ta-?
Swahili verbs carry subject-class and tense/aspect prefixes.
• zi- is the subject concord for class 9/10 (objects like samani).
• -ta- marks the simple future tense.
Together, zi-ta-… = “they will ….”
What does the ending -wa in zitapelekwa do?
-wa is the passive voice suffix. The active verb is (ku)peleka (“to take/transport”), so zitapelekwa = “they will be taken/transported.”
Could I use another verb, like fika, in the passive?
Yes. For instance, zitafikishwa uses fikisha (“cause to arrive”) in passive. You must still adjust subject and tense: zi-ta-fikish-wa = “they will be delivered/arrived (by someone).”
What is ofisini exactly?
Ofisini = ofisi (“office”) + locative suffix -ni. It means “at/to the office,” depending on context.
Why baada ya maandalizi kukamilika instead of just baada maandalizi kukamilika?
Baada (“after”) is a noun, so to link it to another noun (maandalizi) you need the genitive connector ya. Hence baada ya maandalizi = “after the preparations.”
Why is kukamilika in the infinitive form here?
After baada ya you use a noun or verbal noun (infinitive) to express the action. Kukamilika is the infinitive of kamilika (“to be completed”), so it functions like “completion” in English.
Could I say baada ya maandalizi yatakapokamilika instead?
Yes, that’s a relative-clause structure:
• maandalizi (preparations)
• yatakapokamilika = “when they will be completed”
It makes the sentence more specific (“when the preparations will be completed”), but both versions are correct.