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Questions & Answers about Mwanga wa jua ukiwa mkali sana, kivuli cha hema hutupatia baridi nzuri.
What does the -ki- in ukiwa mkali sana do, and how is it formed?
The -ki- is the temporal/conditional marker meaning “when” or “if.” You form it by taking the subject concord for mwanga (class 3), which is u-, add -ki-, and then the copula -wa (be). So u + ki + wa → ukiwa, literally “when it is.”
Why is it ukiwa and not ikiwa?
Swahili subject-concords vary by noun class. mwanga is class 3, so its relative/conditional prefix is u-. Class 9/10 nouns (like ndizi “banana” or kiti “chair”) use i-, giving ikiwa in the same construction.
Why is the adjective mkali used instead of just kali?
Adjectives must agree with the noun class of the thing they describe. mwanga is class 3, so kali takes the class-3 prefix m-, forming mkali. Without that agreement you’d break the noun-class rule.
How does the “of” relationship work in mwanga wa jua and kivuli cha hema?
Swahili uses a genitive connector that agrees with the head noun’s class:
- mwanga (class 3) uses wa → mwanga wa jua (“light of the sun”).
- kivuli (class 7) uses cha → kivuli cha hema (“shade of the tent”).
What noun class is hema, and does it change in the plural?
Hema is a class 9 noun (no prefix in singular), and its plural is identical: hema. Context or numerals clarify number (e.g. hema moja vs. hema tatu).
How is hutupatia built, and what does each piece mean?
Break it down as:
• hu- = present-tense subject prefix for class 7 (kivuli)
• tu- = object prefix for “us” (1st person plural)
• patia = verb root “give to”
So kivuli hu-tu-patia = “the shade gives us...”
What aspect or tense does hutupatia express?
It’s the simple/habitual present (“it gives us” as a general truth whenever the condition holds), marked by the class 7 prefix hu- rather than a separate tense particle.
Why is the phrase baridi nzuri ordered with the noun first and the adjective second?
Standard Swahili word order places the noun before its adjective. baridi (“coolness/cold”) is the noun and nzuri (“good/nice”) follows it, yielding “nice coolness.”