Bega langu lina maumivu baada ya kukimbia asubuhi.

My shoulder hurts after running in the morning.

Breakdown of Bega langu lina maumivu baada ya kukimbia asubuhi.

• kuwa na: to have
• asubuhi: in the morning
• baada ya: after
• kukimbia: to run
• langu: my
• maumivu: the pain
• bega: the shoulder

Questions & Answers about Bega langu lina maumivu baada ya kukimbia asubuhi.

What does bega langu mean and how is langu formed?

bega means shoulder. Swahili nouns belong to different classes, and to say “my X” you attach a class-specific possessive suffix. bega is in noun class 5, so its possessive suffix is -angu, giving bega langu (“my shoulder”).

Why is the verb lina used in bega langu lina maumivu?

In Swahili “to have” is expressed with kuwa na. In the present tense you drop ku- on kuwa, use the subject concord + na. For class 5 the subject concord is li-, so li + na = lina. Hence bega langu lina maumivu literally “my shoulder has pain.”

What noun class is maumivu and why is it always plural?

maumivu belongs to noun class 6 (m-/wa or ma-/ma). Many abstract nouns for pains or ailments occur only in this plural class. Even if you mean a single pain, you still use the plural form maumivu.

Why is the verb after baada ya in the infinitive form kukimbia?

In Swahili, when a verb follows a preposition (like baada ya “after”), it must be in the infinitive with the ku- prefix. The root kimbia (“run”) becomes kukimbia (“to run”).

What does the phrase baada ya kukimbia asubuhi mean, and can asubuhi move elsewhere in the sentence?

It means “after running in the morning.” baada ya is “after,” kukimbia “to run,” asubuhi “morning.” You typically keep asubuhi after kukimbia, but you could front it for emphasis: asubuhi, baada ya kukimbia my shoulder hurts.

Could I say Nina maumivu ya bega langu instead?

Yes. Nina maumivu ya bega langu literally “I have pain of my shoulder,” which also means “my shoulder hurts.” Another common variant is Nina maumivu begani (“I have pain at the shoulder”).

Can you break down the entire sentence word by word?

bega – shoulder
langu – my (class 5 possessive)
li-na – has (class 5 subject concord li- + present tense marker -na for “to have”)
maumivu – pain(s)
baada ya – after
ku-kimbia – to run
asubuhi – morning

How would you express the same idea in the past tense?

Replace the present with the past of kuwa na. For example:
Bega langu lilikuwa na maumivu baada ya kukimbia asubuhi.
This means “my shoulder had pain after running in the morning.”