Breakdown of Nitakuandikia barua pepe kesho ikiwa hautanijibu leo.
mimi
I
leo
today
kesho
tomorrow
ikiwa
if
ni
me
kujibu
to answer
barua pepe
the e-mail
kuandikia
to write to
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Swahili grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Nitakuandikia barua pepe kesho ikiwa hautanijibu leo.
What are the component parts of nitakuandikia and what does each part mean?
Breakdown of nitakuandikia:
- ni- = subject prefix “I”
- -ta- = future tense marker “will”
- -ku- = object prefix “you”
- andika = verb root “write”
- -ia = applicative suffix “to/for someone”
Putting it together literally gives “I–will–you–write–to,” i.e. “I will write to you.”
Why doesn’t this verb start with the infinitive prefix ku- (as in kuandika)?
In Swahili the infinitive marker ku- appears only when a verb is uninflected (no subject or tense). Here the verb already has ni- (I) and -ta- (future), so the ku- you see is not the infinitive but the object prefix “you.” An infinitive would look like kuandika (“to write”), with no ni- or ‑ta-.
Why is the negative of utanijibu written as hautanijibu, and how is the future negative formed?
The negative future in Swahili uses ha- plus the subject prefix, then -ta-, any object prefix, and finally the verb root. Here:
- ha- = negative marker
- u- = you (subject)
- -ta- = future tense
- ni- = me (object)
- jibu = root “answer”
So ha-u-ta-ni-jibu contracts to hautanijibu, meaning “you will not answer me.”
What is the function of the suffix -ia in andikia, and why do we use it?
The suffix -ia is the applicative extension. It turns the basic verb andika (“write”) into andikia, meaning “write to/for someone.” Without -ia, you could say “I write something,” but you’d need another construction to indicate the recipient. With the applicative, the recipient becomes the object prefix (e.g. -ku- for “you”).
Why is ikiwa used here instead of kama, both meaning “if”?
Both ikiwa and kama can introduce conditional clauses, but ikiwa is literally “if it is that…” and is commonly used before a full verb phrase. Kama is more colloquial and also means “like/as,” and can be used with nouns or verbs. Using ikiwa hautanijibu… feels more natural when leading directly into a verb clause.
Why is barua pepe not preceded by any preposition before the verbs kuandikia or utanijibu?
In Swahili direct objects follow the verb with no preposition. Barua pepe (“email”) is the direct object of nitakuandikia. The “to you” meaning comes from the object prefix -ku-, so no extra preposition or word is needed.
Why are the time words kesho (“tomorrow”) and leo (“today”) placed where they are in the sentence?
Swahili word order for time adverbs is flexible. A common neutral pattern is Subject-Verb-Object-Time-Condition. Hence kesho appears after the object and leo at the end. For emphasis you could also start with kesho or move leo, but this placement is perfectly normal.
Why is ni- (me) used as an object prefix in hautanijibu instead of the independent pronoun mimi?
Swahili attaches object pronouns to the verb as prefixes (e.g. ni- for “me,” ku- for “you”). Independent pronouns like mimi are used only when standing alone or for emphasis, not as bound object markers.