Dada zako wanapika samaki?

to cook

Breakdown of Dada zako wanapika samaki?

• samaki: the fish
• dada: the sister
• zako: your

Questions & Answers about Dada zako wanapika samaki?

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

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.

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

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).

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

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.

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