Shule ilipokea vitabu vipya kupitia hisani ya balozi.

The school received new books through the ambassador’s donation.

Breakdown of Shule ilipokea vitabu vipya kupitia hisani ya balozi.

• kitabu: the book
• mpya: new
• shule: the school
• ya: of
• kupokea: to receive
• balozi: the ambassador
• kupitia: through
• hisani: the donation

Questions & Answers about Shule ilipokea vitabu vipya kupitia hisani ya balozi.

What does ilipokea mean, and how is it constructed?

ilipokea is the past‐tense form of the verb -pokea (to receive).
• i- is the subject prefix for noun class 9 (which includes shule).
• -li- is the past‐tense tense‐marker.
• -pokea is the verb stem “receive.”
Together, i-li-pokea means “it (the school) received.”

Why is it vitabu vipya and not vitabu vipi or vitabu mpya?

• vitabu is noun class 8 (plural of kitabu “book”).
• Adjectives and adjective‐like words must agree in class.
• vipya is the correct class-8 form of the adjective “new.”
• vipi means “how?” or “which?” (interrogative), so it doesn’t work as “new.”

What is the role of kupitia here?

kupitia means “through” or “by means of.” It introduces the channel or method by which something happens. In this sentence, the books arrived through the ambassador’s donation.

Why is it kupitia hisani ya balozi instead of kwa hisani ya balozi?

Both kupitia and kwa can translate as “through/by,” but:

• kupitia emphasizes the channel or medium (“through the mechanism of”).
• kwa is more general (“by/with”).
  Here, kupitia highlights that the ambassador’s gift was the specific channel.

How does hisani ya balozi work grammatically?

This is a possessive (genitive) construction:
• hisani means “donation” or “charity.”
• ya is the genitive connector for noun class 9/10.
• balozi means “ambassador.”
Literally it’s “donation of (the) ambassador.”

Why doesn’t Swahili use articles like “the” or “a” in this sentence?

Swahili does not have separate words for “the” or “a.” Definiteness and indefiniteness are usually inferred from context. Here, shule can mean “(the) school” or “a school” depending on what you already know.

Can shule ever take a different tense marker or subject prefix?

Yes. Shule is class 9, so it always takes the i- subject prefix. The tense-marker can change:
• Present: shule inapokea (the school is receiving)
• Future: shule itapokea (the school will receive)
• Perfect: shule imepokea (the school has received)