Questions & Answers about Nimeandika anwani yako kwenye barua.
What does nimeandika mean, and how is it constructed?
nimeandika is the perfect form of kuandika (to write). It breaks down as:
• ni- (1st-person singular subject “I”)
• -me- (perfect aspect “have”)
• andika (write)
Together, nimeandika means “I have written.”
How would I say “I wrote your address on the letter” instead of “I have written…”?
Replace the perfect marker -me- with the simple-past marker -li-:
• Ni- + -li- + andika = niliandika
So you get:
Niliandika anwani yako kwenye barua.
(“I wrote your address on the letter.”)
Why is there no word for “the” or “a” before anwani yako?
Swahili does not use definite or indefinite articles. Context tells you whether a noun is specific or general. Thus you simply say anwani yako for either “your address” or “the address of yours.”
How is possession shown in anwani yako, and why does yako follow the noun?