Question 1

Why does the verb uliwafanya start with u?

Accepted Answer

Because the subject of the sentence is ushindani, an abstract noun in noun class 14. Class 14 verbs take the subject marker u-, so any verb whose subject is ushindani begins with u-.

Question 2

Can you break down uliwafanya into its grammatical parts?

Accepted Answer

Yes. uliwafanya =  
· u- (subject marker for class 14, “ushindani”)  
· li- (past-tense marker)  
· wa- (object marker for class 2, “wanafunzi”)  
· fanya (verb root “to make/do”)  
Altogether it literally means “it made them.”

Question 3

Why is the following verb in the infinitive form kujitahidi instead of a conjugated form?

Accepted Answer

After causative verbs like fanya (“to make/cause”), the action you cause is expressed as an infinitive (the ku- form). Here kujitahidi = ku- (infinitive) + ji- (reflexive) + tahidi (“strive”), so “to strive.” Thus uliwafanya wanafunzi kujitahidi = “it made the students strive.”

Question 4

What does kati ya shule mbili mean, and why do we use ya instead of wa?

Accepted Answer

kati ya means “between/among.” It is not the same as katika (“in/at”). The connector ya is the genitive agreement for noun class 9/10 shule, so kati ya shule mbili = “between two schools.”

Question 5

Why does mbili (“two”) come after shule instead of before?

Accepted Answer

In most Swahili noun classes (especially 1–10), descriptive words like numbers and adjectives follow the noun. Hence shule mbili = “two schools.”

Question 6

What role does sana play here, and why is it placed at the end?

Accepted Answer

sana is an adverb of degree meaning “very” or “very much.” In Swahili it usually follows the verb or infinitive it modifies. So kujitahidi sana = “strive very hard.”

Question 7

How would you rephrase the idea as “The students tried very hard because of the competition between two schools”?

Accepted Answer

You could say:  
Wanafunzi walijitahidi sana kwa sababu ya ushindani kati ya shule mbili.  
Here wanafunzi is the grammatical subject of walijitahidi, and kwa sababu ya introduces the reason “because of the competition between two schools.”

Ushindani kati ya shule mbili uliwafanya wanafunzi kujitahidi sana.

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Master Swahili — from Ushindani kati ya shule mbili uliwafanya wanafunzi kujitahidi sana to fluency