Breakdown of Seremala anarekebisha mlango uliovunjika nyumbani.
nyumba
the home
mlango
the door
kuvunjika
to break
seremala
the carpenter
kurekebisha
to repair
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Questions & Answers about Seremala anarekebisha mlango uliovunjika nyumbani.
What does Seremala mean and is it a proper name?
Seremala means carpenter. It is a common noun in Swahili referring to someone skilled in woodworking, not a personal name.
How is the verb anarekebisha constructed?
It breaks down as:
- a-: 3 sg subject prefix (he/she)
- -na-: present tense/aspect marker (ongoing action)
- rekebisha: verb root meaning repair or fix
Put together, anarekebisha means he/she is repairing.
Why isn’t there an object marker in anarekebisha mlango?
When the object (mlango) follows the verb immediately, Swahili usually omits the object marker. So anarekebisha mlango is correct. If you wanted to attach the object as a pronoun, you could add the class 3 marker -u- and say anamurekebisha, which means he/she is repairing it, and then drop mlango.
How is uliovunjika formed and what does each part mean?
In uliovunjika:
- u-: relative pronoun for noun class 3
- -li-: past tense marker (completed action)
- -o-: relative extension linking tense to the verb root
- vunjika: verb root meaning break
So uliovunjika translates as that broke or which was broken.
Why is the past tense marker -li- used in uliovunjika?
We are describing an event that happened in the past (the door broke). Using the perfect aspect -me- would shift the nuance to the door that has now broken or the door is broken, which is not the focus here.
Why does the relative clause use u- instead of m- in uliovunjika, even though mlango starts with m-?
The u- in uliovunjika is the relative pronoun prefix for noun class 3, not the noun prefix. Relative clauses always begin with a pronoun that agrees with the noun class of the head noun. For mlango (class 3), that pronoun is u-.
What does nyumbani mean, and why is there no preposition like katika?
Nyumbani is the locative form of nyumba meaning at home. Locative nouns such as nyumbani, shuleni (at school) or sokoni (at the market) don’t require a separate preposition. If you want to say more literally inside the house, you could use katika nyumba or ndani ya nyumba.
What noun class is mlango, and what is its plural form?
Mlango belongs to noun class 3 (with singular prefix m- and plural prefix mi-). Its plural form is milango. This classification determines agreement patterns, including the u- relative pronoun in uliovunjika.