Kalamu ya shaba iko mezani.

The copper pen is on the table.

Breakdown of Kalamu ya shaba iko mezani.

• kuwa: to be
• ya: of
• meza: the table
• kalamu: the pen

Questions & Answers about Kalamu ya shaba iko mezani.

Why is ya used instead of wa between kalamu and shaba?

In Swahili, genitive connectors agree with the noun class of the first noun. Kalamu belongs to noun class 9, which takes the genitive prefix ya. The form wa is for class 2 (plural of class 1) nouns, so it wouldn’t match kalamu. Thus we say kalamu ya shaba (“pen of copper”).

Does ya here mean of, or can it also mean made of?

Ya is a general genitive marker in Swahili. It links nouns to show relationships like possession, material, origin, etc. In kalamu ya shaba, it indicates material (the pen is made of copper). If you wanted a more explicit “made of” you could say kalamu imetengenezwa kwa shaba or kalamu ni ya shaba.

Why is the verb iko used instead of yuko or niko?