Question 1

What does dada zako mean? Why is it zako rather than yako?

Accepted Answer

dada means “sister.” zako is the 2nd-person singular possessive for plural nouns (“your”). Since you’re talking about your sisters (plural), you say dada zako. If it were one sister, you’d say dada yako.

Question 2

How is the verb wanapika built up and what does it mean?

Accepted Answer

Break wanapika into three pieces:
- wa- = 3rd-person plural subject prefix (“they” – agreeing with dada zako)  
- -na- = present-tense marker (often “are …ing” or general present)  
- pika = verb root “cook”  
Together wanapika can be translated “they are cooking” (or “they cook” in a habitual sense).

Question 3

How do I know who is doing the cooking in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

The noun phrase dada zako tells you “your sisters.” Swahili also repeats that information on the verb with the subject prefix wa- in wanapika. You don’t need a separate pronoun like “they” in English.

Question 4

Is wanapika present continuous (“are cooking right now”) or simple present (“cook” regularly)?

Accepted Answer

The -na- marker covers both the simple present (habitual) and the present continuous. Often context decides. If you want to stress “right now,” you can add sasa (“now”):  
“Dada zako wanapika samaki sasa?” → “Are your sisters cooking fish right now?”

Question 5

What does samaki mean? How do I say “one fish” vs. “many fish”?

Accepted Answer

samaki means “fish.” It’s one of the nouns that stays the same for singular and plural.  
- To say “one fish,” add a numeral or moja: samaki moja.  
- To say “two fish,” samaki wawili.  
- If context implies plural, you can leave it as samaki.

Question 6

Why isn’t there a word for “the” or “a” before samaki?

Accepted Answer

Swahili has no articles like “a” or “the.” Definiteness or indefiniteness is understood from context. If you need “that fish,” you can add a demonstrative: samaki huo (“that fish”).

Question 7

Why isn’t je used at the beginning to mark this as a yes/no question?

Accepted Answer

The question particle je is optional in yes/no questions. You can either say:  
- Je, dada zako wanapika samaki?  
or simply rely on intonation:  
- Dada zako wanapika samaki?  
Both are correct.

Question 8

How would I answer “Yes, my sisters are cooking fish” or “No, they aren’t”?

Accepted Answer

Yes:  
Ndiyo, dada zangu wanapika samaki.  
(“Yes, my sisters are cooking fish.” Note zangu = “my” for plural.)  
No:  
Hapana, hawapiki samaki.  
(“No, they aren’t cooking fish.” Here ha- in hawapiki negates the present tense.)

Dada zako wanapika samaki?

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Master Swahili — from Dada zako wanapika samaki to fluency