Learn Hardcore Swahili: Uchumi wetu unategemea watu wengi sokoni. - Our economy depends on many people at the market.

Uchumi means economy. The u- at the beginning is a noun class prefix (often called class 14) used for many abstract or mass‐concept nouns in Swahili (e.g. ushairi “poetry,” usafi “cleanliness”).

Is the u- in uchumi the same as the u- in unategemea?

No. In uchumi, u- is part of the noun’s prefix. In unategemea, the first u- is the verb’s subject prefix that agrees with the noun class of uchumi (so the verb knows its subject is class 14).

How is unategemea constructed, and what does each part do?

Breakdown of unategemea:
• u- = subject prefix for class 14 (“it”)
• na- = present‐tense marker (“is …ing”)
• -tegemea = root meaning “depend on”
Together, unategemea means “it depends on.”

What’s the verb root in unategemea? Why isn’t it tegema?

The root is -tegemea, including the final -a. In Swahili most verb stems end in -a as an integral part of the root; dropping it would change the verb’s identity.

How would you say “it depended on” and “it will depend on” instead of “it depends on”?

• Past tense: ulitegemea (u- + -li- + tegemea) = “it depended on”
• Future tense: utategemea (u- + -ta- + tegemea) = “it will depend on”

Why is it uchumi wetu and not uchumi yetu or etetu?

Possessive pronouns in Swahili agree with the noun class. For 1st person plural the form is wetu, and it always follows the noun. Thus uchumi wetu = “our economy.”

Why do we say watu wengi instead of wengi watu?

In Swahili the noun comes first, then its adjective or quantifier. watu = “people,” wengi = “many,” so watu wengi = “many people.” The quantifier also agrees with noun class 2 by having the form wengi.

What does sokoni mean, and how does the -ni suffix work?

sokoni means “at/to the market.” The suffix -ni marks the locative case on a noun:
• nyumba → nyumbani (“house → at home”)
• shule → shuleni (“school → at school”)
• soko → sokoni (“market → at the market”)

Could you say katika soko instead of sokoni?

Yes. katika soko literally means “in the market,” using the preposition katika + noun. However, sokoni (with -ni) is more idiomatic for place expressions.

How would you express “in the markets” (plural)?

Use the plural masoko + -ni: masokoni = “in/at the markets.”