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Nimevunja kamera yangu nyumbani.

Nimevunja kamera yangu nyumbani.
I have broken my camera at home.
FromLesson 37inHardcore Swahili
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Breakdown of Nimevunja kamera yangu nyumbani.

mimi
I
yangu
my
nyumbani
at home
kamera
the camera
kuvunja
to break

Questions & Answers about Nimevunja kamera yangu nyumbani.

What does nimevunja mean and how is it constructed?

nimevunja breaks down into three parts:
• ni- (subject marker “I”)
• -me- (perfect aspect marker “have/has”)
• vunja (verb root “break”)
Together, nimevunja means I have broken (often used like simple past I broke).

What’s the difference between nimevunja and nilivunja?

• nilivunja uses -li-, the simple past/perfective marker, so it means I broke (completed action with no present relevance).
• nimevunja uses -me-, the present perfect marker, highlighting a past action that has present consequences (the camera is now broken).

Why isn’t there an article before kamera?
Swahili doesn’t have separate words for “a” or “the.” Definiteness is understood from context. Thus kamera can mean a camera or the camera depending on the situation.
What noun class is kamera, and why is its possessive form yangu?

kamera is a borrowed word treated as noun class 9 (with its plural in class 10). Possessive pronouns for class 9/10 are:
• yangu (my)
• yako (your)
• yake (his/her)
…etc.
So kamera yangu means my camera.

Why does yangu follow kamera instead of coming first?
In Swahili noun phrases, possessive pronouns always follow the noun they modify. You say kamera yangu, not yangu kamera.
Why is nyumbani used without a preposition, and what form is it?
nyumbani is the locative form of nyumba (house). By adding the locative suffix -ni, you get nyumbani meaning at/in home. Swahili marks location by suffixing -ni rather than using a separate preposition.
How would you say “We broke our camera at home” in Swahili?

Use the subject marker tu- (we), the perfect marker -me-, and the class 9 possessive yetu (our):
Tumemvunja kamera yetu nyumbani.

How do you express “The camera broke” in Swahili (i.e., it got broken)?

You can use either:
• Passive: Kamera imenavunjwa (“The camera has been broken”)
• Middle/inchoative: Kamera imevunjika (“The camera broke/has broken”).

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