Mwalimu anasambaza mbegu mpya kwa wanafunzi shambani.

The teacher distributes new seeds to the students on the farm.

Breakdown of Mwalimu anasambaza mbegu mpya kwa wanafunzi shambani.

• mwanafunzi: the student
• mwalimu: the teacher
• mpya: new
• kwa: to
• kusambaza: to distribute
• mbegu: the seed
• shambani: at the farm

Questions & Answers about Mwalimu anasambaza mbegu mpya kwa wanafunzi shambani.

Can you break down the verb anasambaza into its grammatical parts?

Yes. anasambaza is composed of three pieces:

• a- : the class 1 subject prefix (he/she)
• na : the present-tense marker
• sambaza : the verb root meaning “distribute” or “spread”

Why is there no object prefix before sambaza to mark mbegu?

In Swahili, when the object noun follows the verb, the object concord (prefix) is usually omitted to avoid redundancy. You could technically insert the correct object prefix (for mbegu, class 3, it would be u- → anausambaza), but most speakers simply leave it out and state the noun after the verb.

Why does the adjective mpya come after the noun mbegu?

Adjectives in Swahili normally follow the noun they modify. After the noun:

• the adjective takes the prefix agreeing with the noun’s class
• here mbegu is class 3 (prefix m-), so mpya carries that m- prefix and appears after mbegu

What noun classes are mbegu and wanafunzi, and how can you tell?

• mbegu belongs to class 3 (plants/mass nouns). You see the prefix m- on the noun and on its adjective (mpya).
• wanafunzi is class 2 (people, plural). The prefix wa- marks both the noun and any agreeing words.

What role does kwa play in kwa wanafunzi?

Here kwa marks the beneficiary or recipient of the action. It translates as “to” or “for,” so kwa wanafunzi means “to the students.”

How is the location “in the field” expressed as shambani, and could you say it another way?

• Swahili often uses the locative suffix -ni attached to a noun.
• shamba (“field”) + -ni → shambani (“in/at the field”).
  You could also say katika shamba (“in the field”) using the preposition katika, but shambani is more concise.

How would you turn the sentence into a yes/no question?

You can either:

1. Add Je at the start:
   Je, mwalimu anasambaza mbegu mpya kwa wanafunzi shambani?
2. Rely on rising intonation alone:
   Mwalimu anasambaza mbegu mpya kwa wanafunzi shambani?

How do you ask “Who is distributing the new seeds to the students in the field?”

Replace the subject with Nani (“who”):
Nani anasambaza mbegu mpya kwa wanafunzi shambani?

How do you ask “To whom is the teacher distributing the new seeds?”

Use Kwa nani (“to whom”):
Mwalimu anasambaza mbegu mpya kwa nani shambani?
(You can also say Kwa nani mwalimu anasambaza mbegu mpya shambani?; word order is flexible around question words.)

How would you ask “What seeds is the teacher distributing to the students?”

Use mbegu gani (“which/what kind of seeds”):
Mwalimu anasambaza mbegu gani kwa wanafunzi shambani?

How would you ask “Where is the teacher distributing the new seeds to the students?”

Use wapi (“where”):
Mwalimu anasambaza mbegu mpya kwa wanafunzi wapi?
Or front it with wapi: Wapi mwalimu anasambaza mbegu mpya kwa wanafunzi?