Breakdown of Ikiwa kodi haitalipwa tena, barua ya onyo itaandikwa na mlinzi wa jengo.
kuandika
to write
wa
of
barua
the letter
ya
of
ikiwa
if
tena
again
na
by
kulipa
to pay
onyo
the warning
mlinzi
the guard
kodi
the rent
jengo
the building
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Questions & Answers about Ikiwa kodi haitalipwa tena, barua ya onyo itaandikwa na mlinzi wa jengo.
What does ikiwa mean here, and can I use another word for “if”?
ikiwa is the conjunction for “if” in Swahili, used to introduce a conditional clause. You can often swap it with kama (“if/when”) in everyday speech, e.g. Kama kodi haitalipwa tena…, though ikiwa is slightly more formal.
How is haitalipwa formed? I see it means “will not be paid.”
haitalipwa is the negative future passive of lipa (“to pay”). It breaks down as:
- ha-: negative marker
- i-: class-9 subject prefix (merged into ha- as hai-)
- -ta-: future-tense marker
- -lipw-: passive extension of the root lipa
- -a: final vowel
Altogether it literally means “it will not be paid.”
What about itaandikwa? How does that form work?
itaandikwa is the future passive of andika (“to write”). The pieces are:
- i-: class-9 subject prefix (“it”)
- -ta-: future tense
- -andikw-: passive extension of andika
- -a: final vowel
So itaandikwa = “it will be written.”
Why is it barua ya onyo instead of barua wa onyo?
barua (“letter”) belongs to noun class 9, and the genitive/possessive concord for class 9 is ya (not wa). Hence barua ya onyo = “letter of warning.”
Then why is it mlinzi wa jengo and not mlinzi ya jengo?
mlinzi (“guard”) is a class 1 noun (singular human). The possessive/genitive concord for class 1 is wa. Therefore mlinzi wa jengo = “guard of the building.”
What does kodi mean here? Tax or rent?
kodi can mean both “tax” and “rent,” but in the context of a building it means rent.
Why is tena used in haitalipwa tena?
tena means “again” (or in negatives, “no longer/anymore”). Placed after the verb, haitalipwa tena conveys “will not be paid again.”
In the passive clause itaandikwa na mlinzi, why use na for “by” instead of kwa?
The standard agent marker in Swahili passives is na (especially with people). Kwa can mark instruments or sometimes agents in formal registers, but na is the default for “by.”