Tawi lina majani na maua nyekundu.

The branch has leaves and red flowers.

Breakdown of Tawi lina majani na maua nyekundu.

• kuwa na: to have
• na: and
• ua: the flower
• jani: the leaf
• nyekundu: red
• tawi: the branch

Questions & Answers about Tawi lina majani na maua nyekundu.

Why is the verb lina used here instead of ina?

In Swahili the verb takes a subject‐concord prefix that matches the noun class of its subject.

• tawi (‘branch’) belongs to noun class 5.
• Class 5’s third‐person singular present‐tense prefix is li- plus the tense marker -na, giving li-na → lina.
• ina would be the prefix for class 9/10 nouns (i-
  • -na) but doesn’t match tawi.

What noun class is tawi in, and how can I recognize it?

tawi is in noun class 5. Clues to class 5:

• Singular class 5 often starts with ta-, ki-, u-, or n- (e.g. tawi, kiti, umoja, ndizi).
• Its plural counterpart is class 6, which takes the ma- prefix (e.g. matawi for “branches”).
• The agreement patterns (like the li- subject prefix) follow class 5 rules.

Why are majani and maua in their plural forms here? What are their singular forms?

• majani (‘leaves’) is class 6 plural; the singular is jani (“leaf”).
• maua (‘flowers’) is class 6 plural; the singular is ua (“flower”).
  We use plurals because a branch normally has more than one leaf/flower. If you wanted to mention just one, you’d say tawi lina jani or tawi lina ua.

How does the conjunction na work in majani na maua nyekundu? Is it “and” or “with”?

Context tells you which function na has:

1. As a coordinate conjunction (“and”): here it links two objects of lina – leaves and flowers.
2. As a preposition (“with”): it would mean accompaniment with someone/something (e.g. Niliona mtoto na dogo “I saw the child with the baby”).
   Since lina already means “has,” na here is the connector “and,” not “with.”

Why is the adjective nyekundu placed after maua, and does it change to agree with the noun?

• In Swahili, most adjectives follow the noun they describe, so maua nyekundu = “red flowers.”
• Many adjectives do take agreement prefixes (e.g. kitabu kikubwa, vitabu vikubwa), but color words like nyekundu, nyeusi, nyeupe, njano, etc., are indeclinable—they do not change form to match noun class.

Can I reverse the order and say Tawi lina maua nyekundu na majani? Would it still sound natural?

Technically it’s grammatical: you’re just listing “flowers” before “leaves.” However, in Swahili style it’s more common to put majani (leaves) before maua nyekundu when describing a branch because you naturally list foliage then flowers. Reversing won’t break the grammar but may feel stylistically odd.

How would I say “Branches have leaves and red flowers” (plural “branch”)?

You pluralize tawi to matawi (class 6) and use its present‐tense prefix ya- + -na:
“Matawi yana majani na maua nyekundu.”