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Questions & Answers about Alama ambazo tutapata zitatueleza kama tumefikia lengo letu au la.
What does alama mean in this sentence?
Alama is the plural noun meaning signs or indicators.
Why is ambazo used after alama?
Ambazo is the relative pronoun for plural class 9/10 nouns like alama. It links alama to the rest of the clause, meaning which or that.
How do we break down tutapata?
Tutapata = tu- (we) + -ta- (future tense) + pata (get/obtain). It means we will get.
How is zitatueleza constructed?
Zitatueleza =
• zi- (class 9/10 subject concord “they,” referring to alama)
• -ta- (future tense)
• -tu- (object pronoun “us”)
• eleza (explain/tell)
Altogether: they will tell us.
What is the role of kama and au la here?
kama means whether or if. When paired with au la (or not), the phrase kama … au la translates as whether … or not.
What does tumefikia mean, and how is it formed?
Tumefikia = tu- (we) + -me- (perfect aspect marker) + fikia (reach). It means we have reached.
Why is it lengo letu instead of lengo yetu?
Swahili possessives agree with noun class. Lengo (goal) is a class 5 noun, so its possessive pronoun is -etu, giving lengo letu (our goal).
Can we omit ambazo and start with alama tutapata?
Not without changing the structure. Swahili needs a relative pronoun or concord to link alama with the verb. You could rephrase using a different relative form (e.g. alama tunazotapata), but you still need that concord.
Are there alternative ways to express “the signs we will get”?
Yes. For example:
• Alama tunazopata (present relative: the signs that we receive)
• Alama zitakazopatikana (the signs that will be found)
But alama ambazo tutapata is clear and perfectly natural.
Could we replace au la with ama … ama?
Ama … ama expresses either … or, which is slightly different. To say whether or not, you need au la after kama. If you use ama, you’d restructure the sentence (e.g. ama tumefikia lengo letu ama tumeshindwa – either we have reached our goal or we have failed).