Mimi ninatumia programu mpya ya kujifunza Kiswahili.

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Breakdown of Mimi ninatumia programu mpya ya kujifunza Kiswahili.

• kujifunza: to learn
• mpya: new
• ya: of

Questions & Answers about Mimi ninatumia programu mpya ya kujifunza Kiswahili.

Why is Mimi included at the beginning when ninatumia already indicates the subject?

In Swahili the subject prefix ni- on ninatumia already means “I.” Adding Mimi is optional and is used for:

• Emphasis (to stress “I” did this)
• Clarity (especially in a longer conversation)
  You can drop it and still be correct: Ninatumia programu mpya ya kujifunza Kiswahili.

What does the -na- in ninatumia mean, and how is this verb formed?

ninatumia = ni- (1 sg subject) + -na- (present tense marker) + tumia (verb root “use”).

• ni- shows “I”
• -na- places the action in present / habitual / continuous time
• tumia is the root meaning “use”

How would I say “I used a new app to learn Swahili” (past tense)?

Replace the present marker -na- with the past marker -li-.
So it becomes nilitumia programu mpya ya kujifunza Kiswahili.

• ni- (I)
• -li- (past)
• tumia (use)

What noun class does belong to, and how can I tell?