Nilipokea kifurushi maalum kutoka nje ya nchi jana.

I received a special package from abroad yesterday.

Breakdown of Nilipokea kifurushi maalum kutoka nje ya nchi jana.

• mimi: I
• jana: yesterday
• kutoka: from
• kupokea: to receive
• maalum: special
• nchi: the country
• nje ya: outside of
• kifurushi: the package

Questions & Answers about Nilipokea kifurushi maalum kutoka nje ya nchi jana.

What does nilipokea consist of and how does it translate to “I received”?

Swahili verbs typically follow the template Subject-Prefix + Tense/Aspect-Marker + Verb-Root. In nilipokea:
• ni- = first person singular subject (“I”)
• -li- = simple past tense marker
• pokea = verb root “receive”
Putting them together:
ni + li + pokea → nilipokea = I received.

What’s the difference between nilipokea and nimepokea?

• nilipokea (ni-li-pokea) uses -li- (simple past) and means “I received” at a specific time in the past.
• nimepokea (ni-me-pokea) uses -me- (present perfect) and means “I have received,” emphasizing the current relevance or result.

Why does the adjective maalum appear after kifurushi, and why doesn’t it change form like kikubwa would?

1) Word order: Most Swahili adjectives follow the noun they modify.
2) Agreement:
– Concordial adjectives take noun-class prefixes (e.g. kifurushi kikubwa, vitabu vikubwa).
– Invariable adjectives never change their form; maalum belongs to this group.
Hence kifurushi maalum = “special package.”

How would I form the plural of kifurushi maalum, i.e. “special packages”?

• kifurushi is class 7 (singular) → change to class 8 plural prefix vi- → vifurushi (“packages”)
• maalum is invariable, so it stays the same
Result: vifurushi maalum = “special packages.”

How is the phrase kutoka nje ya nchi constructed?

• kutoka = infinitive (“ku-” + root “toka” = “exit/from”) used as the preposition “from”
• nje = noun “outside”
• ya = genitive connector for class 9/10 nouns
• nchi = “country” (class 9/10)
Altogether kutoka nje ya nchi = “from outside of the country,” i.e. “from abroad.”

Where can the time word jana (“yesterday”) go in a Swahili sentence?

Time adverbs are flexible. You can place jana:
– At the beginning:
Jana nilipokea kifurushi maalum kutoka nje ya nchi.
– Before the verb:
Nilipokea jana kifurushi maalum kutoka nje ya nchi.
– At the end (neutral):
Nilipokea kifurushi maalum kutoka nje ya nchi jana.

How can I say “I received it” without repeating kifurushi?

Use a class 7 object-marker ki- inside the verb:
ni- + li- + ki- + pokea → nilikipokea = “I received it.”

Instead of “from abroad,” how would I say “from Kenya”?

When the origin is a proper noun you drop ya and use kutoka + the name:
Nilipokea kifurushi maalum kutoka Kenya jana.
(Or start with Jana for “Yesterday I received….”)