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Questions & Answers about Bara letu lina lugha nyingi ambazo zinavutia watalii kutoka duniani kote.
Why is lina used after Bara, and what does it mean in this sentence?
lina is the present-tense form of kuwa na (to have) used with a noun in the same class as Bara. It literally means “it has.” So Bara letu lina lugha nyingi translates to “Our continent has many languages.”
What does leto do in Bara letu, and why is it attached to Bara?
-etu is the first-person plural possessive suffix for class-5 nouns like Bara. Attaching it gives Bara letu, meaning “our continent.”
What is ambazo, and how do I know when to use it?
ambazo is a plural relative pronoun meaning “which/that.” It links lugha nyingi to the clause zinavutia… Since lugha here is plural (many languages), we use ambazo rather than the singular ambayo.
Why does zinavutia begin with zi-, and what does the rest of the word mean?
zinavutia breaks down as zi- (third-person plural subject prefix for lugha), -na- (present-tense marker), plus the root vutia (to attract). Altogether it means “they attract.”
What’s the purpose of kutoka and duniani kote at the end?
kutoka means “from.” duniani is dunia (world) plus the locative suffix -ni (in/on/at), giving “in the world.” kote means “everywhere/throughout.” So kutoka duniani kote literally is “from throughout the world,” i.e. “from all over the world.”
Why doesn’t lugha take a normal plural ending like English does?
Some Swahili nouns (class-10) use the same form for singular and plural. You show plurality with words like nyingi (many) or numerals. Hence lugha nyingi = “many languages.”