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Questions & Answers about Wakulima wamepanda miche mipya katika kitalu cha shule.
What noun class does wakulima belong to, and how is it formed?
wakulima is a class 2 (plural) noun. It’s the plural of mkulima (“a farmer,” class 1). You form it by replacing the singular prefix m- with the plural prefix wa-, giving wakulima = “farmers.”
How is the verb wamepanda constructed?
It breaks down as:
- wa-: subject prefix for class 2 (“they”)
- -me-: perfect tense/aspect marker (“have done”)
- panda: verb stem (“to plant”) Together wa + me + panda = wamepanda, “they have planted.”
What’s the difference between wamepanda and walipanda?
- walipanda uses -li-, the simple past marker: wa + li + panda = “they planted” (a completed action in the past).
- wamepanda uses -me-, the present perfect: “they have planted” (the action is complete but has current relevance).
Why is mche singular and miche plural, and why do we use miche here?
- mche is class 3 (singular) for “seedling.”
- miche is class 4 (plural).
In this sentence, the farmers planted multiple seedlings, so we use the plural miche.
Why is the adjective mipya used, and why does it start with “mi-”?
Adjectives in Swahili agree with the noun class and follow the noun. Miche is class 4, so the adjective takes the class 4 agreement prefix mi- + root pya (“new”) = mipya, “new (plural).”
What does katika mean, and why is it used instead of “in” or another preposition?
katika is the Swahili preposition for “in,” “inside,” or “within.” Swahili uses katika to indicate location, so katika kitalu = “in the plot/garden.”
What is kitalu, and which noun class is it?
kitalu = “plot,” “garden” (a piece of land for cultivation). It’s a class 7 noun (singular) with the prefix ki-. Its plural would be vitalu (class 8).
Why is it kitalu cha shule and not kitalu ya shule?
Possessive/genitive concord must match the class of kitalu (class 7). The class 7 concord is cha. So kitalu cha shule = “the school’s plot.” ya is used for class 9/10 nouns, not class 7.