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Questions & Answers about Ukiwaleta magunia hayo mapema, fundi ataweza kuchanganya saruji bila kuchelewa.
What is the breakdown of Ukiwaleta in terms of Swahili verb morphology?
Ukiwaleta = u- (2nd person singular subject “you”) + -ki- (conditional “if”) + -wa- (object marker “them,” referring to magunia) + leta (verb root “bring”).
So it literally means “if you bring them.”
Why is there an -wa- inside the verb instead of a separate word for “them”?
Swahili uses object‐marker infixes to incorporate direct objects into the verb. Here -wa- agrees with noun class 6 (plural things like magunia) and means “them.” Instead of saying uleta magunia, you say Ukiwaleta magunia... when you want “if you bring them (the bags)...”
Why is it magunia hayo and not magunia haya or magunia hayo?
Demonstratives in Swahili must agree in noun class and number.
- gunia (bag) is class 5 singular → baggingu but plural it becomes magunia (class 6).
- The class 6 plural demonstrative is hayo (“those”).
Hence magunia hayo = “those bags.”
What does mapema mean and why is it placed after magunia hayo?
mapema is an adverb meaning “early.” In Swahili you can place adverbs after the noun phrase they modify, so magunia hayo mapema literally reads “those bags early.” In English we’d say “if you bring those bags early.”
How is ataweza formed, and why is it used here?
ataweza = a- (3rd person singular subject “he/she/it”) + ta- (future tense marker) + weza (root “be able”).
It means “he/she will be able.” Here it refers to fundi, so fundi ataweza = “the worker will be able.”
Why is the infinitive kuchanganya used instead of another form of “mix”?
ku- is the infinitive prefix in Swahili, and changanya is the verb root “mix.” So kuchanganya = “to mix.” After a modal-like verb such as weza you use the infinitive: ataweza kuchanganya = “will be able to mix.”
How do you say “without” in Swahili, and why does it take kuchelewa after it?
You use bila for “without.” It is followed by an infinitive (ku- form) of the verb you’re negating.
Here kuchelewa = “to be late”/“delay” (from the root chelewa).
So bila kuchelewa = “without being late” or “without delay.”
What do the words fundi and saruji mean?
- fundi = “skilled worker,” “technician,” in construction often “the mason/worker.”
- saruji = “cement.”