Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Swahili grammar and vocabulary.
Start learning Swahili now
Questions & Answers about Barabara kuu imejaa magari, lakini pindi trafiki itakapopungua tutasafirisha saruji.
What does imejaa mean, and how is it formed?
imejaa comes from the verb -jaa (to fill; to be full). It's built as:
• i-: subject prefix for noun class 9 (barabara)
• -me-: perfective aspect marker (completed action/resultant state)
• -jaa: verb root ('to fill')
Together, imejaa means "it is full of" or "it has become full."
Why is it imejaa and not inajaa in this sentence?
imejaa uses the perfect aspect (-me-) to highlight that the road is already in a state of being full (a completed action). inajaa (present habitual/continuous) would mean "it keeps filling up," which doesn’t convey the completed/state meaning here.
What does barabara kuu mean, and what's the role of kuu?
barabara means "road" and kuu means "main" or "major." Together, barabara kuu literally means "main road" or "highway," with kuu functioning as an adjectival modifier.
Why is it imejaa magari instead of imejaa na magari?
The verb -jaa can take a direct object without na ("to fill with …"), so imejaa magari literally means "it is full of cars." You can optionally say imejaa na magari, but linking na is not required when the object directly follows -jaa.
What noun class is barabara, and how does that affect the verb form imejaa?
barabara is a class 9 noun (singular). Noun class 9 uses the subject prefix i- on verbs. Hence i- + -me- + -jaa → imejaa.
What is trafiki in Swahili, what noun class does it belong to, and does it get pluralized?
trafiki is a loanword (traffic). It's treated as an uncountable/class 9 noun in Swahili and always takes the singular form trafiki, with subject prefix i- (as in itakapopungua). There is no separate plural for trafiki.
What does pindi mean here, and how is it used with a relative clause?
pindi (class 9) means "time" or "once." In this context, pindi trafiki itakapopungua = "once/when traffic decreases." It introduces a time clause that pairs with a verb in the relative form (itakapopungua).
How is itakapopungua constructed, and why does it include -ka-?
Breakdown of itakapopungua:
• i-: subject prefix for class 9 (trafiki)
• -ta-: future tense marker
• -ka-: relative/subjunctive connector used in time clauses (after pindi, wakati, etc.)
• -pungua: root ("to decrease" or "to reduce")
Together, it means "when it will decrease."
Why does the first clause use the perfect tense (imejaa) while the second clause uses the future tense (tutasafirisha)?
The two clauses describe different time frames:
• imejaa (perfect) shows the road is currently full (a completed/resultant state).
• tutasafirisha (future) indicates an action planned for later ("we will transport").
What's the difference between safiri and safirisha, and how do you form tutasafirisha saruji?
• safiri (intransitive) = "to travel."
• safirisha (causative) = "to transport" or "to cause to travel."
Forming tutasafirisha saruji:
• tu-: subject prefix for "we" (class 1/2)
• -ta-: future tense marker
• -safir-: root "travel"
• -isha: causative suffix ("cause to travel")
→ tutasafirisha + saruji ("cement") = "we will transport cement."
