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Questions & Answers about Mshirika huyo ataweka bidhaa zetu katika maduka madogo ya mtaa.
What does Mshirika mean and why is huyo used here?
Mshirika means “partner.” It’s a class-1 noun, so to say “that partner” you use the class-1 demonstrative huyo. Together Mshirika huyo = “that partner.”
What’s the difference between huyu and huyo?
huyu means “this (one)” (close to the speaker), while huyo means “that (one)” (further away). Both agree with class-1 nouns.
How is the verb ataweka constructed? What do the parts a-, -ta-, and weka represent?
ataweka breaks down as:
a- = subject prefix for class 1 (he/she/it)
-ta- = future tense marker (“will”)
weka = verb root “put”
So ataweka = “he/she/it will put.”
How would you express the same idea in present tense instead of future?
Replace the future marker -ta- with the present progressive marker -na-.
Mshirika huyo anaweka bidhaa zetu katika maduka madogo ya mtaa.
= “That partner is putting our goods in the neighborhood’s small shops.”
Why is it bidhaa zetu and not bidhaa yetu?
bidhaa is a class 10 noun. Its possessive uses -etu with the class-10 linking consonant z, giving z+etu = zetu. Hence bidhaa zetu = “our goods.”
What does katika mean, and could it be replaced by another preposition?
katika means “in” or “inside.” You could sometimes use ndani ya for more emphasis on “inside of,” but katika is the most neutral way to say “in/at” when talking about placing something in a location.
Why is the adjective madogo placed after maduka, and why does it have ma-?
In Swahili, adjectives follow the noun they describe. madogo is “small” for class 5/6 nouns. Class 5 plural has the prefix ma-, so dogo (“small”) becomes madogo to agree with maduka (class 5 plural of “shop”).
Why do we say ya mtaa instead of ya mitaa or something else?
mtaa (“street”/“neighborhood”) here is singular, so the genitive linker for class 5 is ya, giving ya mtaa = “of the street.” If you said mitaa, you’d be talking about “streets,” and you’d still use ya, but the meaning would shift to “of streets.”