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Je, unasikia ngoma sasa?

Je, unasikia ngoma sasa?
Do you hear the drum now?
FromLesson 25inHardcore Swahili
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Breakdown of Je, unasikia ngoma sasa?

wewe
you
je
do
sasa
now
kusikia
to hear
ngoma
the drum
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Questions & Answers about Je, unasikia ngoma sasa?

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

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?

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

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”).

Why don’t we see an explicit pronoun like “you” before the verb?
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.
Why isn’t there an object marker on the verb before ngoma?

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).

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

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

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

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.

What exactly does ngoma mean here—drum, music, or dance?
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.
How would you answer Je, unasikia ngoma sasa? with “yes” or “no,” and how do you form the negative?

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.”)

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

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?