Breakdown of Ni muhimu kuhakikisha mlango umefungwa kabla ya kulala.
ni
to be
kulala
to sleep
kabla ya
before
muhimu
important
mlango
the door
kufungwa
to be closed
kuhakikisha
to ensure
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Questions & Answers about Ni muhimu kuhakikisha mlango umefungwa kabla ya kulala.
What does Ni muhimu mean and how is it structured in Swahili?
Ni is the copula (“is”) used for general statements, and muhimu means “important.” Together Ni muhimu means “It is important.”
What is hakikisha, and what is its full infinitive form?
The root -hakikisha means “ensure” or “make sure.” Its infinitive is kuhakikisha (“to ensure”). In this sentence it follows Ni muhimu to express “It is important to make sure.”
Why is there no subject pronoun before hakikisha?
After Ni muhimu, Swahili takes the infinitive verb directly, without an explicit subject, to form a general statement. The implied subject is “one” or “you” in a general sense.
Can you break down umefungwa and explain each part?
umefungwa =
u- (class 3 subject prefix for mlango)
- me- (perfect aspect marker, “has/have”)
- funga (root “close”)
- -wa (passive suffix).
Altogether, umefungwa means “it has been closed.”
Why is the subject prefix for mlango u- rather than i- or a-?
Mlango (“door”) belongs to noun class 3 (singular objects/natural things), whose subject agreement prefix is u-. Different noun classes use different prefixes (e.g., class 9 uses i-, class 5 uses li-).
What do the markers -me- and -wa in umefungwa indicate?
-me- is the perfect aspect marker (completed action: “has been”), and -wa is the passive voice marker (turning “close” into “be closed”).
Why do we say kabla ya kulala instead of just kabla kulala?
When kabla (“before”) is followed by a verb, you need the preposition ya plus the infinitive form (ku-verb). Thus “before sleeping” is kabla ya kulala.
What form is kulala, and why is it used here?
Kulala is the infinitive of lala (“to sleep”). After time prepositions like kabla ya (“before”) and baada ya (“after”), Swahili uses the infinitive to name the action generally.
How would I give a direct instruction: “Ensure the door is closed before you go to sleep”?
Use the imperative of hakikisha and keep the perfect passive on funga:
Hakikisha mlango umefungwa kabla hujalala.
Here Hakikisha is the command “make sure,” umefungwa is “it has been closed,” and kabla hujalala means “before you go to sleep.”