Breakdown of Jana, shirika letu lilitangaza faida kubwa kutokana na mauzo ya mtandaoni.
jana
yesterday
ya
of
kubwa
big
letu
our
kutangaza
to announce
mtandaoni
online
shirika
the organisation
faida
the profit
kutokana na
due to
mauzo
the sale
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Questions & Answers about Jana, shirika letu lilitangaza faida kubwa kutokana na mauzo ya mtandaoni.
Why is there a comma after Jana and can it be omitted?
Jana is an adverb of time ("yesterday"). When placed at the beginning of a sentence, a comma marks a slight pause for clarity in writing. It’s not mandatory—you can write Jana shirika letu… without the comma and the meaning stays the same.
How is the past tense formed in lilitangaza?
Breakdown of lilitangaza:
- li- (past tense marker)
- li- (3rd person singular subject prefix for noun class 5, e.g. shirika)
- tangaza (verb root “announce”)
- -a (final vowel)
Often the two li- sequences merge into lili- in speech and writing.
Why does shirika take the prefix li-?
Shirika (“organization”) is in noun class 5 (singular). In the past tense, class 5 singular subjects always use the prefix li- before the verb.
What does kutokana na mean and how is it formed?
Kutokana is the infinitive form of tokana (“to originate, result”). The word na here is a preposition meaning “from” or “with.” Combined, kutokana na literally means “to originate from” and idiomatically “as a result of” or “due to.”
Can kutokana na be replaced with kwa sababu ya, and what’s the difference?
Yes. Kwa sababu ya also means “because of” or “due to.” The subtle difference is:
- kutokana na emphasizes the source or origin (“stemming from”).
- kwa sababu ya focuses more on stating a direct reason or cause.
Why is mauzo ya mtandaoni used instead of mauzo mtandaoni?
Swahili uses genitive concords to link nouns based on noun class. Mauzo (“sales”) is class 6 plural, so its genitive concord is ya. Hence mauzo ya mtandaoni = “sales of online” (i.e. “online sales”).
What does the -ni suffix in mtandaoni indicate?
The suffix -ni is the locative marker in Swahili, meaning “in,” “at,” or “on.” So mtandaoni literally means “on the network,” i.e. “online.”
Which noun class is faida in, and why doesn’t kubwa change form?
Faida (“profit”) belongs to noun class 9. Adjectives for class 9/10 take a null (zero) prefix, so kubwa remains unchanged. That gives you faida kubwa (“large profit”).
Is there a singular form of mauzo like “zuo”?
No. Mauzo functions as a plural or mass noun meaning “sales.” If you want to specify a single sale, you’d say mauzo moja (“one sale”), rather than looking for a singular stem.