Kitabu hiki kinazungumzia uzalishaji wa mahindi.

This book discusses maize production.

Breakdown of Kitabu hiki kinazungumzia uzalishaji wa mahindi.

• kitabu: the book
• wa: of
• hiki: this
• mahindi: the maize
• kuzungumzia: to talk about
• uzalishaji: the production

Questions & Answers about Kitabu hiki kinazungumzia uzalishaji wa mahindi.

Why does the demonstrative hiki come after kitabu rather than before, and how do demonstratives agree with nouns in Swahili?

In Swahili the demonstrative always follows the noun it modifies and must agree in class and number.

• Kitabu is a class-7 (ki-/vi-) singular noun.
• The class-7 proximal (“this, near me”) demonstrative is hiki.
  So you say Kitabu hiki (“this book”), not hiki kitabu.

Break down kinazungumzia into its parts. What does each segment mean?

kinazungumzia =
– ki- : subject prefix for class-7 nouns (“it,” referring to kitabu)
– -na- : present-habitual tense marker (“is/does …”)
– zungumz- : verb root “talk/speak”
– -ia : extension “about” (turns “talk” into “talk about/discuss”)
– -a : final vowel
Literally: “it (the book) present-habitual talk-about.”

What does the extension -ia (or -zia) in zungumzia do? How is it different from zungumza?

• zungumza = “to talk/speak” (general speaking)
• zungumzia = “to talk about/discuss”
  The -ia extension on the root zungumz- adds the sense “about” or “concerning.” Without -ia, you can speak, but with -ia you speak specifically about something.

Why is the tense marker na used here, and what other TMA markers could we use in its place?

-na- signals present habitual or ongoing action (“is/does …”). Other common markers:
• -li- : simple past → kitabu hiki kilizungumzia… (“this book discussed…”)
• -ta- : future → kitabu hiki kitatatazungumzia… (would normally be kitatunga but following the same pattern)
• -me- : present perfect → kitabu hiki kimezungumzia… (“this book has discussed…”)

What is uzalishaji, and how is this noun formed from a verb?

uzalishaji means “production.” It’s derived from the verb zalisha (“to produce”) by adding:

• nominal prefix u- (for abstract nouns)
• noun-forming suffix -aji
  So: u- + zalish- + ‑aji → uzalishaji. This pattern creates action/abstract nouns (e.g. ujenzi “construction” from jenga).

Why is wa used between uzalishaji and mahindi, and not ya or another connector?

wa is the genitive connector meaning “of.” In a noun-of-noun construction, the connector agrees with the possessor noun’s class. mahindi is a class-6 (ma-) plural noun, which takes wa in the genitive. Thus uzalishaji wa mahindi = “production of maize.”

Which noun classes appear in this sentence, and how do they affect agreement?

• kitabu = class 7 (singular ki-/vi-) → subject prefix ki in kinazungumzia, demonstrative hiki
• uzalishaji = class 11 (u-) → takes genitive connector wa before a class-6 possessor
• mahindi = class 6 (plural ma-/m-) → triggers wa as the genitive marker

Could I rephrase the sentence in another tense or use a different demonstrative? Give examples.

Yes. For example:

• Past tense + same demonstrative:
  Kitabu hiki kilizungumzia uzalishaji wa mahindi.
  (“This book discussed maize production.”)
• Future tense + same demonstrative:
  Kitabu hiki kitatunga uzalishaji wa mahindi.
  (“This book will discuss maize production.”)
• Distal demonstrative (that book):
  Kitabu hicho kinazungumzia uzalishaji wa mahindi.
  (“That book discusses maize production.”)

Can you give similar examples using the pattern uzalishaji wa + another noun?

Sure:
• uzalishaji wa ngano – wheat production
• uzalishaji wa chai – tea production
• uzalishaji wa umeme – electricity generation