Question 1

What is the role of Je, at the beginning of the sentence? Is it mandatory?

Accepted Answer

Je, is a general yes/no question marker. It doesn’t add any lexical meaning but tells the listener you’re asking a question. It’s optional—if you drop it, the rising intonation alone makes it a question:  
Unasikia ngoma sasa?

Question 2

How is the verb unasikia formed? Can you break it down?

Accepted Answer

Yes. unasikia = u- (2nd-person singular subject) + -na- (present tense/aspect marker) + sikia (verb root “hear”).  
So u + na + sikia → unasikia (“you are hearing” / “you hear”).

Question 3

Why don’t we see an explicit pronoun like “you” before the verb?

Accepted Answer

Swahili verbs include a subject prefix (here u-) that replaces separate subject pronouns. You only add an explicit pronoun (e.g. Wewe unasikia…) for emphasis or contrast.

Question 4

Why isn’t there an object marker on the verb before ngoma?

Accepted Answer

Object markers are used when the object is a pronoun. With a noun (like ngoma) you simply leave it in full after the verb:  
Unasikia ngoma.  
If you wanted “hear it,” you’d use the 3rd-person class-9 object marker -i-:  
Ninaisikia (I hear it).

Question 5

What’s the infinitive form of unasikia, and how would I look it up?

Accepted Answer

Drop the subject prefix (u-) and the tense marker (-na-), then add ku-:  
ku + sikia = kusikia (“to hear”).

Question 6

Where does the adverb sasa normally appear? Can it move?

Accepted Answer

By default it goes after the verb or at sentence end:  
Unasikia ngoma sasa?  
For emphasis it can come first:  
Sasa, unasikia ngoma?  
But it rarely appears in the middle of the verb.

Question 7

What exactly does ngoma mean here—drum, music, or dance?

Accepted Answer

Ngoma primarily means “drum,” but culturally it can refer to drumming music or a dance performance. Context tells you which. If you’re beside a drummer it’s literally the drum; if at a party it might mean the music/dance.

Question 8

How would you answer Je, unasikia ngoma sasa? with “yes” or “no,” and how do you form the negative?

Accepted Answer

Yes:  
Ndiyo, naisikia.  
(“Yes, I hear it,” using the class-9 object marker -i-.)  
No:  
Hapana, husikii.  
(Replace u-na- with hu-, change final -a to -i → husikii, “you don’t hear.”)

Question 9

How do you change the subject if you want to ask “does she hear the drum now?” or “do we hear the drum now?”

Accepted Answer

Swap the subject prefix on -na-sikia:  
I hear → nasikia (n-na-sikia)  
You hear → unasikia (u-na-sikia)  
He/She hears → anasikia (a-na-sikia)  
We hear → tunasikia (tu-na-sikia)  
They hear → wanasikia (wa-na-sikia)  
So “Does she hear the drum now?” →  
Je, anasikia ngoma sasa?

Je, unasikia ngoma sasa?

Breakdown of Je, unasikia ngoma sasa?

Questions & Answers about Je, unasikia ngoma sasa?

More from this lesson

Master Swahili — from Je, unasikia ngoma sasa to fluency