Learn Hardcore Swahili: Ghala letu sasa lipo wazi, kwa hiyo tunaweza kuhifadhi mahindi mapya. - Our warehouse is now empty, so we can store the new maize.

Ghala means “warehouse” or “storehouse.” It belongs to noun class 5 (with class 6 as its plural). This matters because all agreement—verbs, adjectives, possessive pronouns—must match the noun’s class.

Why is the phrase ghala letu and not ghala yetu?

The possessive pronoun “our” is etu, but it must take the linking vowel that corresponds to the noun’s class. For class 5 nouns the linking vowel is e, so e + etu contracts to le tu, giving ghala letu.

What role does sasa play in this sentence and why is it placed where it is?

Sasa means “now.” It’s an adverb of time modifying the verb lipo (“it is located/it sits”). In Swahili you can place a time adverb directly before the verb, hence sasa lipo = “is now.”

What does lipo mean and how is it formed?

Lipo = li- (class 5 subject prefix) + po (present-tense marker of existence or location). Together, lipo means “it is (situated/located).” You use it to state that something exists or is in a certain state.

How is lipo different from lina or liko?

-po, ‑ko and ‑mo are three different markers of “existence/location” with subtle nuance: • li-na (no locative suffix) simply states presence in general: “it has/it is (doing something).”
• li-ko often implies a more general or abstract location (“it is somewhere”).
• li-po tends to focus on a specific, known location or state (“it is right there/exists right now”).
Here, lipo wazi stresses that the warehouse is currently open/clear.

Why do we use kwa hiyo instead of just hivyo to mean “so” or “therefore”?

Hivyo itself means “in that way” or “thus,” and can sometimes work like “so.”
Kwa hiyo literally means “because of that,” and it’s the standard conjunction for “therefore/so” when drawing a conclusion from what precedes.

What is the structure of tunaweza?

Tunaweza breaks down as: • tu- = 1st person plural subject (“we”)
• na- = present-tense marker
• weza = root “be able/can”
Together: tunaweza = “we can.”

What kind of verb form is kuhifadhi, and why do we use it here?

Kuhifadhi is the infinitive form (the “to…” form) of the verb -hifadhi (“store/keep”). After a modal verb like tunaweza, you always follow with the infinitive: tunaweza kuhifadhi = “we can store.”

Why is mahindi plural, and why is the adjective mapya used instead of mpya?

Mahindi means “maize/corn” and is always treated as a plural noun in Swahili (class 6). Adjectives must agree with noun class, so class-6 adjectives take the prefix ma-. The adjective “new” is -pya, so for class 6 it becomes mapya, matching mahindi.