Sign inSign up

Tafadhali, andika muhtasari mfupi wa somo.

Tafadhali, andika muhtasari mfupi wa somo.
Please write a brief summary of the lesson.

Breakdown of Tafadhali, andika muhtasari mfupi wa somo.

kuandika
to write
wa
of
tafadhali
please
somo
the lesson
mfupi
brief
muhtasari
the summary
Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Swahili grammar and vocabulary.

Start learning Swahili now

Questions & Answers about Tafadhali, andika muhtasari mfupi wa somo.

What does each word in the sentence correspond to?
  • Tafadhali = please
  • andika = write (imperative, talking to one person)
  • muhtasari = summary
  • mfupi = short (adjective agreeing with the noun class of muhtasari)
  • wa = of (associative marker agreeing with muhtasari)
  • somo = lesson
Is andika a command? How would I say it to more than one person?
  • Yes. andika is the second-person singular imperative: Write! (to one person).
  • To address several people, use andikeni: Andikeni muhtasari mfupi wa somo.
Why is it andika and not kuandika or uandike?
  • andika is the bare verb stem used for the 2nd person singular imperative.
  • kuandika is the infinitive, “to write.”
  • uandike is the subjunctive (“that you write/you should write”), often after verbs like naomba (I request): Naomba uandike muhtasari mfupi wa somo.
Where does tafadhali go? Is the comma required?
  • tafadhali can go at the start or end: Tafadhali andika… / Andika…, tafadhali.
  • The comma after Tafadhali is optional; many writers omit it.
Why does the adjective mfupi come after muhtasari?
  • In Swahili, adjectives normally follow the nouns they modify. So muhtasari mfupi = “short summary.”
  • Saying mfupi muhtasari is not standard.
Does mfupi have to agree with the noun? What would change with other noun classes?
  • Yes. Adjectives take class agreement. Here muhtasari is in noun class 3, so mfupi (m- + -fupi) matches it.
  • Examples with other classes:
    • Class 5 (e.g., somo) uses zero prefix: somo fupi (short lesson).
    • Class 4 plural (mi-): mihtasari mifupi (short summaries).
    • Class 7 (ki-): kitabu kifupi (short book).
Why is it wa somo and not ya somo or la somo?
  • The associative marker (the “of” word) agrees with the head noun, which is muhtasari (class 3), so you use wa: muhtasari wa somo.
  • If the head noun were class 4 plural, you’d use ya: mihtasari ya somo.
  • If the head noun were class 5, you’d use la: somo la Kiswahili (a Swahili lesson).
What is the plural of muhtasari? How does the rest of the phrase change?
  • Plural: mihtasari (class 4).
  • Agreement changes:
    • Adjective: mifupi (not mfupi).
    • Associative: ya (not wa).
  • Example: Andika mihtasari mifupi ya somo. = Write short summaries of the lesson.
What if I want to say “summary of the short lesson” rather than “short summary of the lesson”?
  • “Short summary of the lesson”: muhtasari mfupi wa somo (adjective modifies summary).
  • “Summary of the short lesson”: muhtasari wa somo fupi (adjective modifies lesson). Note it’s fupi (class 5 for somo), not mfupi.
Can I drop tafadhali? Is the bare imperative rude?
  • You can drop it. Andika muhtasari mfupi wa somo is fine in instructions or neutral contexts.
  • Adding tafadhali softens the tone in direct requests to a person.
How do I make it negative: “Please don’t write a long summary of the lesson”?
  • Singular: Tafadhali, usiandike muhtasari mrefu wa somo.
  • Plural: Tafadhali, msiandike muhtasari mrefu wa somo.
  • Negative imperative uses usi- (sing.) / msi- (pl.) + subjunctive.
Are there more polite or indirect ways to ask?
  • Naomba uandike muhtasari mfupi wa somo. (I request that you write…)
  • Unaweza kuandika muhtasari mfupi wa somo, tafadhali? (Could you write…?)
  • Tunaomba muandike muhtasari mfupi wa somo. (We kindly ask you [all] to write…)
How do articles work here—does this mean “a” or “the” short summary?
  • Swahili has no articles. muhtasari mfupi wa somo can mean “a” or “the” depending on context.
  • To be specific, you can use demonstratives: muhtasari huu (this summary), muhtasari ule (that summary).
Pronunciation: how do I say dh in Tafadhali?
  • dh is typically the voiced “th” sound (as in English “this”): ta-fa-ðá-li.
  • In some regions it’s pronounced like d; you’ll be understood either way.
Is there a way to say “briefly” instead of using the adjective “short”?
  • Yes, use the adverbial phrase kwa kifupi = “briefly/in short.”
  • Examples:
    • Andika kwa kifupi muhtasari wa somo. (Write the lesson summary briefly.)
    • Kwa kifupi, andika muhtasari wa somo. (In short, write the lesson summary.)