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Msichana mdogo anasoma kitabu chini ya mti kila jioni.

Msichana mdogo anasoma kitabu chini ya mti kila jioni.
The young girl reads a book under the tree every evening.
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Questions & Answers about Msichana mdogo anasoma kitabu chini ya mti kila jioni.

Why is mdogo used rather than kidogo for “little”?
Because adjectives in Swahili must match the noun class of the noun they describe. msichana is class 1 (singular human), so the adjective root dogo takes the class 1 prefix m-, giving mdogo. kidogo would be class 7/8, which doesn’t agree with msichana.
What does anasoma consist of?

It breaks down into three parts:

  1. a- = subject prefix for class 1 singular (“she”/“he” when added to verbs)
  2. -na- = present tense marker
  3. soma = verb root “read”
    So a
    • na
      • soma = anasoma, “she reads” or “she is reading.”
Why is there no word for “the” before kitabu?
Swahili does not use definite or indefinite articles like English “the” or “a.” You simply say kitabu for “book,” and context clarifies whether it’s “a book” or “the book.”
What does chini ya mti literally mean and how is it formed?
  • chini means “bottom” or “under.”
  • ya is the genitive (possessive/linking) connector used after a preposition ending in a vowel.
  • mti means “tree.”
    Put together: chini
    • ya
      • mti = “under the tree.”
Why is ya used before mti? Couldn’t we use wa or cha?

The linking word agrees with the noun class of the noun that follows:

  • Class 1/2 (m-/wa-): wa
  • Class 3/4 (m-/mi-): ya
  • Class 7/8 (ki-/vi-): cha
    Since mti is class 3 (prefix m-), it takes ya.
What does kila jioni mean, and why not kila usiku?
  • jioni means “evening.”
  • usiku means “night.”
    kila = “every.”
    So kila jioni = “every evening.” If you wanted “every night,” you would say kila usiku.
Where do time expressions like kila jioni normally go in a Swahili sentence?

Time expressions usually appear at the end of the sentence, after the object and any location phrase.
Example: Msichana mdogo anasoma kitabu chini ya mti kila jioni.

How do you make msichana mdogo plural (“little girls”)?

Switch both noun and adjective to class 2 (plural human):

  • msichana → wasichana
  • mdogo → wadogo
    Result: wasichana wadogo.
How would you ask “What does the little girl read under the tree every evening?” in Swahili?

Replace kitabu with nini (“what”) for the object: Msichana mdogo anasoma nini chini ya mti kila jioni?