Breakdown of Baada ya tamasha, takataka zote zitaondolewa na vijana wa shirikisho.
wa
of
baada ya
after
kuondoa
to remove
na
by
zote
all
takataka
the trash
shirikisho
the federation
kijana
the youth
tamasha
the event
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Swahili grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Baada ya tamasha, takataka zote zitaondolewa na vijana wa shirikisho.
Why is ya used after Baada in Baada ya tamasha?
Baada is a noun meaning “after” that belongs to noun class 5. In Swahili, when you link two nouns in a time or possession phrase, the first noun takes a connector (genitive concord) matching its class. For class 5 that connector is ya. So baada ya tamasha literally means “the after of the festival,” i.e. “after the festival.”
What is takataka, and why is it formed by reduplication?
Takataka means “garbage” or “trash.” It comes from the root taka (“to want”), which is reduplicated to create a new noun meaning “waste” or “refuse.” Reduplication in Swahili often turns verbs or roots into nouns with an intensified or derived meaning.
Why do we use zote with takataka instead of yote?
Swahili nouns fall into classes that govern agreement for adjectives and quantifiers. Takataka is treated as a plural noun in class 10, and the enumerative “all” for class 10 is zote. (In contrast, yote is used for class 9.) Hence takataka zote = “all the trash.”
How is the future passive zitaondolewa formed?
Break it down into three parts:
• zi-: subject concord for class 10 (plural)
• -ta-: future tense marker
• ondolewa: passive form of ondoa (“to remove”)
Put together: zi-ta-ondolewa = “they will be removed.”
Why is na used before vijana wa shirikisho to mean “by”?
In Swahili passive constructions, the agent (the doer of the action) is introduced with na, equivalent to English “by.” You do not use kwa here. Thus zitaondolewa na vijana wa shirikisho = “will be removed by the youths of the association.”
How is vijana wa shirikisho constructed, and what does shirikisho mean?
- vijana is the plural of kijana (“youth”).
- To say “youths of the association,” we use the genitive connector wa before shirikisho.
- shirikisho means “union,” “association,” or “federation.”
So vijana wa shirikisho = “the association’s youths.”
Can this sentence be expressed in the active voice?
Yes. Swap the passive around:
Baada ya tamasha, vijana wa shirikisho wataondoa takataka zote.
Here wataondoa = wa- (class 2 subject for vijana) + -ta- (future) + ondoa (remove).
Is it possible to move the time phrase Baada ya tamasha to the end?
Yes. Time phrases in Swahili are flexible. You could say:
Takataka zote zitaondolewa na vijana wa shirikisho baada ya tamasha.
The meaning stays the same, though placing Baada ya tamasha at the front is more neutral in tone.