Breakdown of Uwekezaji mdogo sokoni ni muhimu kwa familia nyingi.
ni
to be
kwenye
at
soko
the market
kwa
for
muhimu
important
familia
the family
mdogo
small
nyingi
many
uwekezaji
the investment
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Questions & Answers about Uwekezaji mdogo sokoni ni muhimu kwa familia nyingi.
What does the noun uwekezaji come from, and what does it literally mean?
The noun uwekezaji is formed from the verb wekeza (“to invest”). Swahili turns verbs into nouns with the prefix u- plus the suffix -aji, so uwekezaji literally means “investment” or “the act of investing.”
Why is the adjective mdogo placed after uwekezaji instead of before it?
In Swahili, descriptive adjectives typically follow the noun they modify. So you say uwekezaji mdogo (“small investment”) rather than mdogo uwekezaji.
What’s the difference between mdogo and kidogo, since both can mean “small” or “little”?
mdogo is an adjective meaning “small” in a qualitative sense (e.g., a small investment). kidogo functions more as a quantifier or adverb meaning “a little” or “slightly.” To say “a little investment,” you’d still say uwekezaji kidogo, but for “a small investment,” use uwekezaji mdogo.
Why is it sokoni and not just soko?
soko is the noun “market.” Adding the locative suffix -ni gives sokoni, meaning “in the market” or “at the market.” The suffix -ni indicates location.
What role does ni play in the sentence?
ni is the Swahili copula that links the subject to a predicate when stating facts or definitions. Here it links Uwekezaji mdogo sokoni (“small investment in the market”) to muhimu (“important”), yielding “is important.”
How does kwa function in kwa familia nyingi?
kwa means “for” in this context. It indicates the beneficiary of the importance. So kwa familia nyingi means “for many families.”
Why is familia the same in both singular and plural, and why is it followed by nyingi?
Swahili class 9/10 nouns like familia (a borrowed word) have identical singular and plural forms. To express “many,” you add the class 9/10 adjective nyingi, giving familia nyingi (“many families”).
Is there any nuance to sokoni ni muhimu kwa familia nyingi beyond “important for many families”?
No hidden idiom here. It simply states that small-scale investments in the market are important for many families, with a focus on location (sokoni), evaluation (ni muhimu), and beneficiaries (kwa familia nyingi).