Watoto walicheza mpira usiku kucha.

The children played soccer all night long.

Breakdown of Watoto walicheza mpira usiku kucha.

• kucheza: to play
• mtoto: the child
• mpira: the ball
• usiku kucha: all night long

Questions & Answers about Watoto walicheza mpira usiku kucha.

What is the breakdown of walicheza?

walicheza = wa- (subject prefix for “they”) + -li- (past tense marker) + cheza (verb root “play”). So it literally is “they-past-play” = “they played.”

Why aren’t there words for the or a/an before watoto and mpira?

Swahili does not use articles like English. Nouns are identified by class prefixes and context.
• mtoto = “child” → watoto = “children”
• mpira = “ball” (in context “soccer”)

What does usiku kucha mean, and why are there two words?

• usiku = “night”
• kucha = “until dawn” or “morning’s coming”
Together usiku kucha forms an idiomatic time expression meaning “all night long.”

Why is usiku kucha placed at the end, without a preposition like “at”?

In Swahili, time expressions normally follow the verb (or object) directly, with no preposition needed. It’s common and grammatically correct to place usiku kucha at the end of the sentence.

Can I move usiku kucha to the front for emphasis?

Yes. Swahili word order is flexible. Putting the time phrase first emphasizes it:
Usiku kucha watoto walicheza mpira.

How would you negate this sentence: “The children did not play soccer all night”?

Use the negative subject prefix ha-, the negative past marker -ku-, then the verb root. For class 2 (watoto) you get:
Watoto hawakucheza mpira usiku kucha.