Baada ya kazi tunahitaji pumziko wa dakika tano.

After work we need a five-minute break.

Breakdown of Baada ya kazi tunahitaji pumziko wa dakika tano.

• sisi: we
• kazi: the work
• wa: of
• baada ya: after
• kuhitaji: to need
• dakika: the minute
• tano: five
• pumziko: the break

Questions & Answers about Baada ya kazi tunahitaji pumziko wa dakika tano.

Why do we say Baada ya kazi instead of just Baada kazi?

In Swahili the word baada (“after”) requires a genitive/linking particle before the noun. Since kazi (“work”) is in noun class 9 (n / n-), you insert ya. So you always get baada ya kazi, never baada kazi.

How is tunahitaji formed? What does each part mean?

tunahitaji breaks down into three pieces:

• tu- = “we” (subject prefix)
• na- = present-tense marker
• hitaji = verb root “need”
  Putting them together: tunahitaji = “we need” (present/habitual).

What part of speech is pumziko, and how does it relate to kupumzika?

pumziko is a noun meaning “a break” or “rest.” It comes from the verb kupumzika (“to rest,” “to take a break”). By replacing the infinitive prefix ku- and the verb-forming suffix -a with -o, you turn kupumzika into the noun pumziko.

What is the role of wa in pumziko wa dakika tano?

Here wa is the genitive/linking particle meaning “of.” It connects pumziko (“break”) to the duration dakika tano (“five minutes”) and agrees with the noun class of pumziko (class 5/6 in this case). Literally it’s “break of five minutes.”

Why does tano come after dakika instead of before?

In Swahili, cardinals from 2 to 5 normally follow the noun they modify. So you say dakika tano (“minutes five”) rather than tano dakika. Only numbers 6 and above usually precede or require special agreement.

How would you say “we need to rest for five minutes” using the verb instead of the noun pumziko?

You’d use the infinitive kupumzika + the duration marker kwa. Like this:
“Tunahitaji kupumzika kwa dakika tano.”
Here kwa marks a verbal duration, whereas wa marks a nominal “of-phrase.”

How do you switch the subject to “I” in this sentence?

Replace the subject prefix tu- (“we”) with ni- (“I”), giving:
“Baada ya kazi ninahitaji pumziko wa dakika tano.”
Now it literally means “After work I need a break of five minutes.”

How would you make the sentence future-tense (“we will need…”)?

Change the present marker na- to the future marker ta-, keeping everything else the same:
“Baada ya kazi tutahitaji pumziko wa dakika tano.”
Here tu- + ta- + hitaji = tutahitaji (“we will need”).