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Wao walifanya ununuzi wa vitabu vipya, kisha wakavisoma usiku kucha.

Wao walifanya ununuzi wa vitabu vipya, kisha wakavisoma usiku kucha.
They did some shopping for new books, then read them all night long.
FromLesson 36inHardcore Swahili
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Breakdown of Wao walifanya ununuzi wa vitabu vipya, kisha wakavisoma usiku kucha.

wao
they
kitabu
the book
kusoma
to read
kufanya
to do
mpya
new
wa
of
kisha
then
ununuzi
the shopping
usiku kucha
all night long
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Questions & Answers about Wao walifanya ununuzi wa vitabu vipya, kisha wakavisoma usiku kucha.

What does walifanya mean, and how is it built?

walifanya is the past‐tense form of kufanya (to do/make). It breaks down into:
• wa-: 3rd person plural subject prefix (they)
• li: past tense marker
• fanya: verb root
→ wa-li-fanya → walifanya (they did/made).

Why is the phrase ununuzi wa vitabu vipya arranged in that order?

In Swahili the head noun comes first, then the genitive connector, then the item possessed.
• ununuzi (purchase)
• wa (linking particle)
• vitabu vipya (new books)
Together: ununuzi wa vitabu vipya = purchase of new books.

What role does wa play in ununuzi wa vitabu vipya?
wa is the genitive/linking particle that connects ununuzi (purchase) with vitabu vipya (new books), indicating possession or association.
Why is vipya placed after vitabu, and why is it vipya?
Adjectives follow the noun they modify: vitabu vipya literally means books new. The adjective pya (new) takes the class-8 adjective prefix vi- to agree with vitabu, yielding vipya.
What does kisha mean in this sentence?
kisha means then or after that, signaling the next action in a sequence.
Can you break down wakavisoma for me?

wakavisoma is composed of:
• wa-: they (3rd person plural subject)
• ka-: simple past/narrative connector (then)
• vi-: object prefix for class 8 (them, i.e. the books)
• soma: verb root (read)
→ wa-ka-vi-soma → wakavisoma (they then read them).

Why is the object prefix vi used in wakavisoma?
Because vitabu (books) belongs to noun class 8, whose object concord is vi-. This prefix stands in for the books as the direct object of soma.
What does usiku kucha mean, and is there a literal translation?
usiku kucha literally joins usiku (night) and kucha (dawn/morning). Idiomatically it means all night long or throughout the night.
Could I use a different phrase to say all night long in Swahili?
Yes. A common alternative is usiku mzima (literally whole night). Another option is juu ya usiku wote (literally throughout the entire night), though usiku kucha and usiku mzima are the most frequent.