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Ndoto yangu imekutimia.

Ndoto yangu imekutimia.
My dream has come true.
FromLesson 38inHardcore Swahili
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Breakdown of Ndoto yangu imekutimia.

yangu
my
ndoto
the dream
kutimia
to come true

Questions & Answers about Ndoto yangu imekutimia.

What does Ndoto yangu literally mean, and how is yangu formed?
Ndoto means dream, and yangu means my. Swahili shows possession by adding a possessive concord that agrees with the noun’s class. Ndoto is in noun class 9/10, whose 1st person singular concord is ya-, which fuses with angu to give yangu (my).
Which part of Ndoto yangu imekutimia is the verb, and how can you identify its pieces?

The verb is imekutimia. It breaks down into three parts:
• i- = 3rd person singular subject prefix for class 9/10
• me- = perfect aspect marker (“has”)
• kutimia = verb stem “to be fulfilled/come true”

Together, i-me-kutimia literally means “it has come true.”

Why is the stem kutimia instead of just timia?
Although most verbs drop the ku- of the infinitive in conjugation, kutimia retains ku- as part of its stem. In other words, you must treat kutimia as the base. You will also encounter the more “regular” form imetimia, but imekutimia is very common in everyday speech.
How would you say “my dreams have come true” (plural)?
  1. ndoto (dream) remains ndoto in plural (class 9/10).
  2. Change the possessive yangu → zangu (1st person plural concord for class 9/10).
  3. Change the subject prefix i- → zi- (3rd person plural for class 9/10).

So you get: Ndoto zangu zimekutimia (or zimetimia).

What’s the difference between Ndoto yangu imekutimia and Nimetimia ndoto yangu?

• Ndoto yangu imekutimia = “My dream has come true.” The dream (subject) is fulfilled.
• Nimetimia ndoto yangu = “I have fulfilled my dream.” You (I) are the subject doing the fulfilling.

The first is an intransitive perfect; the second is a transitive perfect with you as the actor.

How can you emphasize that the dream has already come true?

Insert tayari (already) before or after the verb:
• Ndoto yangu tayari imekutimia.
• Ndoto yangu imekutimia tayari.

Both mean “My dream has already come true.”

Why is imekutimia in the perfect tense, and how would you express the present tense “is coming true”?

me marks the perfect aspect (“has come true”). To switch to present tense, use the present marker na:
Ndoto yangu inaku­timia = “My dream is coming true.”

What noun class does ndoto belong to, and how does that affect agreement?

Ndoto is in class 9 (with class 10 for plural, but the noun form doesn’t change). Class 9/10 nouns take:
• Subject prefix i- (singular) / zi- (plural)
• Possessive concord ya- (singular) / za- (plural)

That is why we see Ndoto yangu imekutimia (singular) and Ndoto zangu zimekutimia (plural).

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