Mlinzi alinipa kitambulisho kipya cha shule ambacho nilipoteza juzi.

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Questions & Answers about Mlinzi alinipa kitambulisho kipya cha shule ambacho nilipoteza juzi.

What does alinipa mean and how is it constructed?

alinipa breaks down as a-li-ni-pa

  • a = 3rd person singular subject prefix (“he/she”)
  • li = past tense marker
  • ni = object prefix for “me”
  • pa = verb root “give”
    So alinipa literally means “he/she gave me.”
Why is the adjective kipya used instead of something like mpya?

Swahili adjectives must agree with the noun class of the noun they modify.

  • kitambulisho (“identification”) is in noun class 7 (ki-/vi-).
  • Adjectives in class 7 take the prefix ki-, so “new” becomes kipya (not mpya, which would be class 3).
What role does cha play in kitambulisho kipya cha shule?
cha is the genitive (of) connector for class 7 nouns. It links kitambulisho kipya (“new ID”) to shule (“school”), so kitambulisho kipya cha shule = “new school ID.”
Why is the word ambacho used before nilipoteza?
ambacho is the relative pronoun for class 7 (non-human) nouns. It replaces “that/which” and agrees with kitambulisho (class 7), so you get ambacho nilipoteza = “that I lost.”
In the relative clause, why is the verb nilipoteza and not alipoteza?

Because the subject of the relative clause is different from the main clause.

  • Main clause subject: mlinzi (“the guard”) → 3rd person → ali-…
  • Relative clause subject: “I” → 1st person → ni-…
    Thus “I lost” (past) is ni-li-poteza, giving nilipoteza.
What does juzi mean, and where does it go in the sentence?

juzi means “the day before yesterday.”
It functions as a time adverb and typically appears at the end of a clause in Swahili, as here: …nilipoteza juzi.

Can you show the full morphological breakdown of nilipoteza?

nilipoteza = ni-li-poteza

  • ni- = 1st person singular subject prefix (“I”)
  • li- = past tense marker
  • poteza = verb root “lose” (transitive)
    Together they form “I lost.”
How does word order work in Swahili relative clauses?

In Swahili, the relative clause follows the noun it modifies. Structure:

  1. Noun + (adjective) + (genitive phrase) + relative pronoun + verb clause.
    Example: kitambulisho kipya cha shule (noun phrase) + ambacho nilipoteza juzi (relative clause).