Breakdown of Nataka utoe wazo jipya la kuboresha tangazo letu kabla ya mkutano wa asubuhi.
mimi
I
kutaka
to want
asubuhi
the morning
mpya
new
wa
of
kabla ya
before
wazo
the idea
mkutano
the meeting
la
of
kuboresha
to improve
kutoa
to provide
letu
our
tangazo
the advertisement
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Questions & Answers about Nataka utoe wazo jipya la kuboresha tangazo letu kabla ya mkutano wa asubuhi.
What does Nataka mean and how is it constructed?
Nataka means “I want” or “I would like.” It’s built from the subject prefix ni- (I) + the verb root -tak(a) (want) + the simple present ending -a. Here it introduces your desire for someone else to perform the action that follows.
Why is the verb written as utoe instead of just toa?
After nataka, Swahili requires the next verb to be in the subjunctive mood and to include a subject prefix. The subjunctive changes the final -a of toa to -e, giving toe, then you add the second-person singular prefix u-, resulting in utoe (“that you give/suggest”).
Why is wazo followed by jipya and why doesn’t jipya change form?
In Swahili adjectives and modifiers normally come after the noun, so wazo (idea) is followed by jipya (new). Jipya is an invariable adjective—it never takes noun-class prefixes—so it remains jipya regardless of the noun’s class or number.
What does la in la kuboresha do?
La is the class 5 relative (or possessive) concord that links the noun wazo (class 5) to the infinitive kuboresha (“to improve”). Together wazo la kuboresha… literally means “an idea of/to improve….” If wazo were in another class, you’d use its matching concord (e.g. ya for class 9).
Why is kuboresha used instead of boresha?
The prefix ku- turns boresha (“improve”) into the infinitive form kuboresha (“to improve”). Swahili uses the infinitive in purpose or descriptive clauses like la kuboresha to express “the act of improving.”
How is tangazo letu formed and what does -letu represent?
Tangazo (“advertisement”) is a class 5 noun. Possessives attach a pronoun suffix to the noun-class concord: class 5 concord is la- and the 1st-person-plural suffix is -etu, so la-etu contracts to letu. Hence tangazo letu means “our advertisement.”
Why is it kabla ya mkutano wa asubuhi and how do ya and wa function there?
Kabla (“before”) behaves like a noun (class 9/14) and takes its concord ya- when linking to mkutano (“meeting”), giving kabla ya mkutano (“before the meeting”). Then mkutano (class 3) takes its own concord wa- to link with asubuhi (“morning”), yielding mkutano wa asubuhi (“morning meeting”). Altogether: “before the morning meeting.”
Is kabala a correct spelling for kabla, or should it always be spelled with one a?
The standard spelling in Swahili is kabla (one “a” between b and l). Kabala with two “a”s is generally nonstandard or a typo. Use kabla in formal contexts.