Breakdown of Kesho, mimi nitapima umbali kutoka nyumbani hadi shule.
mimi
I
nyumba
the home
kesho
tomorrow
shule
the school
kutoka
from
hadi
to
kupima
to measure
umbali
the distance
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Questions & Answers about Kesho, mimi nitapima umbali kutoka nyumbani hadi shule.
Where does kesho go in a Swahili sentence? Do I need the comma?
Time words like kesho (tomorrow) normally come at the beginning or immediately before the verb. The comma after kesho is optional, used only to create a pause or slight emphasis in writing.
Why include mimi when nitapima already has ni- showing I? Is mimi necessary?
In Swahili each finite verb includes a subject marker (ni- for I). Adding mimi (I) before the verb is optional and only adds emphasis or contrast. You can just say nitapima umbali… if you don’t need extra stress.
How is the future tense formed in nitapima?
Swahili uses: subject prefix + tense marker + verb root. So ni- (I) + ta (future tense) + pima (measure) = nitapima (“I will measure”).
What does umbali mean, and what noun class is it?
umbali means distance. It is a class 11 noun, which typically has no explicit prefix in its singular form, so you just use umbali as is.
How does kutoka nyumbani hadi shule convey “from home to school”? Are there alternative expressions?
kutoka = from, hadi = until/to. Together kutoka … hadi … means “from … to …”. You can also say umbali kati ya nyumbani na shule or umbali baina ya nyumbani na shule (“the distance between home and school”).
Why is it nyumbani and not simply nyumba?
Adding -ni creates the locative form: nyumba = house, nyumbani = at/in the house (home). Since you’re specifying the starting location (from home), you need the locative suffix -ni.
Should shule have the locative suffix -ni (making shuleni)? Why or why not?
Both hadi shule and hadi shuleni are heard. After hadi indicating an endpoint, Swahili often leaves the noun in its base form (shule). Using shuleni makes it explicit “to school,” but hadi shule is a common idiomatic structure for “to school.”
Do I need an object marker for umbali in nitapima umbali?
No. When you explicitly state the noun object (umbali), you omit the object prefix. If you drop the noun and refer to it as “it,” you’d use the class 11 object marker u-: ni-ta-u-pima → nitaupima.
Can I rearrange the sentence, for example Mimi kesho nitapima umbali…?
Yes. Swahili word order is flexible. You could say Mimi kesho nitapima umbali…, but placing the time word kesho first is more common. Also you can drop mimi unless you need emphasis.