Tunahitaji uvumilivu tunapojifunza Kiswahili darasani.

Breakdown of Tunahitaji uvumilivu tunapojifunza Kiswahili darasani.

katika
in
kujifunza
to learn
darasa
the classroom
kuhitaji
to need
Kiswahili
Swahili
uvumilivu
the patience
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Questions & Answers about Tunahitaji uvumilivu tunapojifunza Kiswahili darasani.

How is the verb tunahitaji formed in this sentence?

tunahitaji breaks down as follows:

  • tu-: subject prefix for “we”
  • -na-: present tense marker
  • hitaji: verb root meaning “need”
    Putting them together gives “we need.”
What is uvumilivu and how is it derived?

uvumilivu is an abstract noun meaning “patience.” It comes from the verb vumilia (“to persevere/endure”) with the nominal prefix-suffix pattern:

  • u-: class 14 noun prefix for abstract qualities
  • vumili-: root from vumilia
  • -vu: suffix often used to form abstract nouns in class 14
Swahili has no articles like “a” or “the.” How do we tell if we mean “a patience” or “the patience”?
Swahili simply uses the noun without an article. Context usually makes it clear if you mean something general (“need patience”) or something specific (“need the patience you showed”).
Why does the sentence use tunapojifunza instead of just tunajifunza?
  • tunajifunza = “we are learning.”
  • tunapojifunza = “when we learn.”
    This is because -po- is the relative time marker “when,” inserted between the tense marker -na- and the verb stem, so tu-na-po-ji-funza = “when we learn.”
What role does the ji- in jifunza play?
The ji- is a reflexive prefix on the root funza (“to teach”). jifunza literally means “to teach oneself,” i.e. “to learn.”
Why is Kiswahili capitalized and why does it start with Ki-?
  • It’s a proper noun (the name of a language), so it’s capitalized.
  • Ki- is the noun class 7 prefix used for most languages in Swahili (compare Kiingereza for English, Kifaransa for French).
What does the -ni suffix on darasani signify?
The -ni locative suffix means “in/at/on.” With darasa (“class/lesson”), darasani = “in the classroom.”
Is a comma needed between uvumilivu and tunapojifunza?

In Swahili punctuation, a comma can separate clauses for clarity but isn’t strictly required. You may write:
Tunahitaji uvumilivu, tunapojifunza Kiswahili darasani.
or omit the comma without changing the meaning.