Breakdown of Wakati wa mchana, kondoo na punda hulala juu ya nyasi kavu.
wakati
the time
wa
of
na
and
mchana
the afternoon
kulala
to sleep
juu ya
on
nyasi
the grass
kondoo
the sheep
punda
the donkey
kavu
dry
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Questions & Answers about Wakati wa mchana, kondoo na punda hulala juu ya nyasi kavu.
Why do we say Wakati wa mchana instead of just mchana?
Wakati wa mchana literally means “the time of midday.”
- wakati = “time”
- wa = genitive/linking marker
- mchana = “midday/afternoon”
Putting them together gives “at the time of midday.”
You can drop wakati wa in casual speech and simply say Mchana, kondoo na punda…, but wakati wa is the standard way to introduce a time clause.
What role does wa play in Wakati wa mchana?
wa is the genitive (possessive/linking) marker that agrees with the noun class of mchana (class 3, prefix m-/wa-). It connects wakati (“time”) to mchana (“midday”) and shows that one belongs to the other: “time of midday.”
Why are there no words equivalent to “the” or “a” before kondoo and punda?
Swahili does not use definite or indefinite articles like the or a. Instead, definiteness or indefiniteness is understood from context or made explicit with demonstratives (e.g., kondoo huo = “that sheep”) or numerals (e.g., kondoo moja = “one sheep”).
How can I tell if kondoo and punda are singular or plural?
Both kondoo (“sheep”) and punda (“donkey”) belong to noun classes (9/10) that have identical singular and plural forms. You rely on context or add words like:
- moja = “one” (e.g., kondoo moja)
- wengi or nyingi = “many” (e.g., punda wengi)
Why is the verb hulala used instead of just lala?
Swahili verbs always carry subject and tense/aspect markers. Here:
- hu- = present habitual marker (“they habitually…”)
- lala = verb root “sleep”
So hu + lala = hulala, meaning “they sleep” as a general or repeated action. The bare lala is just the root or infinitive.
When two nouns (kondoo and punda) are joined by na, why does the verb still have only one marker (hu-)?
In Swahili, the verb agrees with the first noun in a subject phrase. Even if you join multiple nouns with na, you use a single subject/tense marker based on the class of the first noun. Since kondoo is class 9, the verb takes the class 9 habitual marker hu-.
What is the difference between the habitual hu- and the progressive na- in verbs like lala?
- hu- (present habitual) expresses general truths or repeated actions: “they (regularly) sleep.”
- na- (present progressive) shows an action happening right now: “they are sleeping.”
If you want “the sheep and donkey are sleeping right now,” you could say:
Kondoo na punda wanalala juu ya nyasi kavu sasa hivi.
What does juu ya nyasi kavu mean, and why is there ya after juu?
- juu = “above/on top”
- ya = genitive/linking marker agreeing with nyasi (class 9)
So juu ya nyasi kavu = “on top of dry grass.”
Why is the adjective kavu not prefixed to agree with nyasi?
Adjectives must agree with their noun class by taking a prefix. nyasi is class 9, whose prefix is n-. When n- meets k, it assimilates and disappears, so you only see kavu. Under the hood it’s n- + kavu, but we write/say simply kavu.
Is the word order in this sentence fixed? Can I move wakati wa mchana or juu ya nyasi kavu around?
Swahili allows some flexibility, but the default pattern is:
(Time) – (Subject) – (Verb) – (Location/Other complements)
So Wakati wa mchana, kondoo na punda hulala juu ya nyasi kavu.
You can swap time or location to the end for emphasis, but sticking to this order keeps your sentence clear.