Breakdown of Mnara mrefu uko katikati ya mji wetu.
kuwa
to be
mji
the town
ya
of
wetu
our
mnara
the tower
mrefu
tall
katikati
in the middle
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Questions & Answers about Mnara mrefu uko katikati ya mji wetu.
Why is the adjective mrefu placed after the noun mnara?
In Swahili, descriptive adjectives normally follow the noun they modify. So mnara (“tower”) comes first, then mrefu (“tall”), giving mnara mrefu = “the tall tower.”
What does uko mean in this sentence?
uko is the locative form of the copula for noun class 3 (the u- subject prefix + -ko). It means “it is located at/in.” Here it tells us where the tower stands.
Why use uko instead of kuna?
kuna expresses existence or presence (often “there is/are”), usually introducing new information, e.g. kuna mnara = “there is a tower.” By contrast, uko indicates the location of a known, specific thing (our tower).
What is the difference between katika and katikati?
- katika means “in” or “inside.”
- katikati means “middle” or “centre.”
To say “in the middle of,” you use katikati plus a genitive/linking particle and the noun: katikati ya….
Why is it katikati ya mji wetu and not katika ya mji wetu?
Because you need katikati for “middle,” not katika. Then you add the linking particle ya (which agrees with the noun class of mji) before mji wetu.
How do I know to use ya after katikati?
The linking particle must match the noun class of the following noun. mji is class 3, whose genitive/link is ya. Other noun classes use wa, la, cha, etc.
Why mji wetu and not mji yetu?
Possessive pronouns in Swahili agree with the noun class. mji (class 3) takes etu for “our.” The form yetu would be for class 9/10 or other classes, not class 3.