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Questions & Answers about Wakazi wakilinda eneo lao, taka hazitasambaa barabarani.
What does the -ki- in wakilinda indicate, and why isn’t it walinda?
The -ki- is a relative/conditional marker attached to the subject prefix (wa-, class 2) and the verb root (linda “guard”). wakilinda literally means “when/if/while they guard…”. In contrast, walinda is the simple past (“they guarded”) and does not carry that “when/if” nuance.
Could we use wanapolinda instead of wakilinda, and what changes?
Yes. wanapolinda uses -na-, the habitual-present marker, so it means “while they are guarding…” focusing on an ongoing action. wakilinda with -ki- adds a conditional sense (“if/when they guard…”). Both are grammatical but differ in nuance.
How does eneo lao form “their area”? Why lao?
Eneo (“area”) is a class 5 noun. Possessive pronouns attach to the noun via a class prefix plus an ending. For class 5:
• genitive prefix = la-
• third-person plural ending = -o
So la- + -o = lao, giving eneo lao “their area”.
Why is taka singular, and which noun class does it belong to?
Taka means “trash/garbage” and is an uncountable (mass) noun. It belongs to the class 9/10 pair: it looks like class 9 singular but, as a collective/mass concept, it often takes class 10 agreement in verbs.
Can you break down hazitasambaa into its prefixes and root?
Certainly:
ha- (negative)
+ zi- (class 10 subject prefix for taka)
+ -ta- (future tense marker)
+ sambaa (verb root “spread”)
All together: “(the trash) will not spread.”
Why is the subject prefix zi- for taka instead of i-?
Even though taka ends in -a (class 9), as an uncountable/mass noun it’s treated like a plural concept and takes the class 10 prefix zi- rather than the class 9 i-.
What does barabarani mean, and how is it formed?
Barabarani = barabara (“road”) + -ni (locative suffix “in/on/at”). When a noun ends in -a, you often insert an -r- before -ni for euphony: barabara → barabarani (“on the road”).
Why are hyphens shown in ha-zi-ta-sambaa? Should I write them that way?
Hyphens are used in grammatical explanations or dictionaries to separate the negative marker, subject prefix, tense marker, and root. In everyday writing you merge them into one word: hazitasambaa.