Breakdown of Kuna sikukuu kubwa leo, na hamasa ya watu ni kubwa sana.
ni
to be
kuwa
to be
leo
today
na
and
ya
of
kubwa
big
sana
very
sikukuu
the holiday
hamasa
the motivation
watu
the people
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Questions & Answers about Kuna sikukuu kubwa leo, na hamasa ya watu ni kubwa sana.
What does kuna mean here and how is it used?
- Kuna expresses existence and translates as “there is” or “there are.”
- It’s uninflected for number, so the same kuna can introduce a singular or plural noun.
- Structure: Kuna
- noun (e.g. Kuna kitabu “There is a book”) or Kuna
- plural noun (e.g. Kuna vitabu “There are books”).
- noun (e.g. Kuna kitabu “There is a book”) or Kuna
Why is the word sikukuu written as one word instead of two?
- Sikukuu is a lexicalized compound meaning “holiday” or “festival.”
- Historically derived from siku “day” + kuu “big/important,” but Swahili treats it as a single noun.
- You wouldn’t split it into siku kuu in modern usage—always sikukuu.
What does hamasa mean, and how is it used here?
- Hamasa means “excitement,” “enthusiasm,” or “zeal.”
- It’s a noun, so you can combine it with other nouns using the genitive connector ya (e.g. hamasa ya wanafunzi “the students’ enthusiasm”).
- In the sentence, hamasa ya watu means “the excitement of people.”
What role does ya play in hamasa ya watu?
- Ya is a genitive (possessive) link used with nouns in classes 9/10 (like hamasa) to connect to another noun (watu, people).
- Pattern: noun1 + ya
- noun2 = “noun1 of noun2.”
- If noun1 were in another class, you’d use a different connector (e.g. class 1 uses wa, class 7 uses ya/cha, etc.).
Why do we see kubwa twice—once after sikukuu and once before sana?
- The first kubwa modifies sikukuu: sikukuu kubwa = “a big/major holiday.”
- In the second clause, kubwa sana intensifies the adjective:
• kubwa = “big/strong”
• sana = “very” or “a lot” - So kubwa sana means “very great.”
What is the function of na in this sentence?
- Na here is the coordinating conjunction “and.”
- It links two independent ideas:
1) There is a big holiday today.
2) The excitement of people is very great. - Note: if you wanted “with” instead of “and,” you’d use na as well, but context and noun classes can shift meaning.
Could I start the sentence with leo, as in Leo kuna sikukuu kubwa?
- Yes. Swahili allows flexible word order, especially with time adverbs.
- Leo can appear at the beginning, middle, or end:
• Leo kuna sikukuu kubwa.
• Kuna sikukuu kubwa leo.
• Kuna leo sikukuu kubwa. - All variants remain grammatically correct; placing leo first emphasizes “today.”