Learn Hardcore Swahili: Daktari analeta dawa kwa mgonjwa nyumbani jioni. - The doctor brings medicine to the patient at home in the evening.

Swahili does not have definite or indefinite articles like English “the” or “a/an.” A noun such as daktari can be understood as “doctor,” “a doctor,” or “the doctor” purely from context. If you need to specify “that doctor,” you can add a demonstrative: daktari huyo (“that doctor”).

How is analeta formed, and what tense does it express?

Analeta is the present (simple or progressive) tense “he/she brings” or “is bringing.” It breaks down as:

a- : subject prefix for 3rd person singular (“he/she”)
-na- : present tense marker
leta : verb root meaning “bring”

What role does kwa mgonjwa play in the sentence?

Kwa is a preposition meaning “to” or “for,” and mgonjwa means “patient.” Together kwa mgonjwa is the indirect object or beneficiary: “to the patient.” It shows who receives the medicine.

Why is dawa not marked with any prefix or article?

Dawa (“medicine”) is the direct object here and belongs to noun class 9/10. In Swahili, direct objects don’t require extra articles or prefixes unless you want to emphasize or demonstrate them (e.g., dawa hiyo “that medicine”). Context alone tells you it’s “medicine” or “the medicine.”

What are nyumbani and jioni, and what do they mean?

Both are adverbial nouns:

nyumbani = locative of nyumba (“house”) + -ni → “at/in the home,” i.e., “at home.”
jioni = “in the evening.”

Why does nyumbani (place) come before jioni (time)? Is that order fixed?

Typical Swahili word order is Subject–Verb–Object–Place–Time. Hence place adverbials like nyumbani usually precede time adverbials like jioni. While you can occasionally swap them for emphasis, the default pattern is Place then Time.

How would you change the sentence to future tense (“will bring”)?

Replace the present tense marker -na- with the future marker -ta-:
Daktari ataleta dawa kwa mgonjwa nyumbani jioni.
= “The doctor will bring medicine to the patient at home in the evening.”

How can you say “some medicine” to indicate an indefinite amount?

You can insert a quantifier or use fulani (“some/any”):

Daktari analeta dawa kidogo kwa mgonjwa nyumbani jioni.
(“The doctor brings a little medicine to the patient at home in the evening.”)
Daktari analeta dawa fulani kwa mgonjwa nyumbani jioni.
(“The doctor brings some medicine to the patient at home in the evening.”)

How do you turn this into a yes/no question?

Add je at the start (or after the verb) to form a yes/no question:
Je, daktari analeta dawa kwa mgonjwa nyumbani jioni?
= “Does the doctor bring medicine to the patient at home in the evening?”