Log inSign up

Nimemtumia kaka barua pepe kuhusu mkutano wa familia.

Nimemtumia kaka barua pepe kuhusu mkutano wa familia.
I have sent my brother an e-mail about the family meeting.
FromLesson 33inHardcore Swahili
……

Questions & Answers about Nimemtumia kaka barua pepe kuhusu mkutano wa familia.

What is the morpheme-by-morpheme breakdown of Nimemtumia?

Nimemtumia =
• Ni- (1st person singular subject marker: “I”)
• me- (perfect aspect marker: “have”)
• m- (3rd person singular class 1 object marker: “him,” referring to kaka)
• tumia- (applicative stem “send to”)
• -a (final vowel)
Literally: I have him sent → “I have sent him.”

Why is the verb tumia used here instead of tuma?
The suffix -ia is the applicative extension, which turns tuma (“send”) into tumia (“send to/for”). Swahili uses the applicative when you want to mark the recipient directly on the verb with an object marker.
What role does the m- in nimemtumia play?
This m- is the object marker for a class 1 (3rd person singular) noun—in this case kaka (“brother”). Instead of saying “to brother” with a separate word, Swahili attaches m- to the verb to show “to him/the brother.”
Why isn’t there a separate preposition like kwa kaka (“to brother”)?
In Swahili, indirect objects (the “to someone” part) can be encoded by an object marker on the verb. The m- in nimemtumia already carries the meaning “to him,” so you don’t need kwa kaka.
How would you say “my brother” if you want to specify possession?

Add the possessive adjective yangu after kaka:
Nimemtumia kaka yangu barua pepe kuhusu mkutano wa familia.
Here kaka yangu literally means my brother (class 1 possessive).

Why is it mkutano wa familia and not mkutano ya familia?
Mkutano (“meeting”) is a class 3 noun. Its genitive/linking concord is wa (not ya, which is for class 9/10). So mkutano wa familia = “meeting of family.”
How would the object marker change if I were sending to dada (“sister”) instead of kaka?

Dada is a class 9 noun, whose object marker is i-. You’d say:
Nimeimtumia dada barua pepe kuhusu mkutano wa familia.
Here i- marks “to her/the sister.”

How do I express “we have sent my brother an email” instead of “I have sent”?

Replace the 1st person singular subject marker ni- with the 1st person plural tu-:
Tumemtumia kaka barua pepe kuhusu mkutano wa familia.

What’s the future tense form for “I will send my brother an email”?

Use the future marker ta- in place of me-:
Nitamtumia kaka barua pepe kuhusu mkutano wa familia.
Here ni- = I, ta- = will, m- = him, tumia- = send to, -a = final vowel.

More from this lesson

msichanaMsichana anapenda kucheka.Msichana mdogo anasoma kitabu chini ya mti kila jioni.duka la vitabubinamuBinamu yangu atakuja nyumbani kesho mchana.Kesho, msichana huyo atatembelea duka la vitabu pamoja na binamu wake.binamu
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“What's the best way to learn Swahili grammar?”
Swahili grammar becomes intuitive with practice. Focus on understanding the core patterns first — how sentences are structured, how verbs change form, and how words relate to each other. Our course breaks these concepts into small lessons so you can build understanding step by step.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Swahili

Master Swahili — from Nimemtumia kaka barua pepe kuhusu mkutano wa familia to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.

  • ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions
Start learning Swahili freeBrowse the full course