Wanafunzi walitawanyika uwanjani baada ya mechi.

The students dispersed in the field after the match.

Breakdown of Wanafunzi walitawanyika uwanjani baada ya mechi.

• mwanafunzi: the student
• baada ya: after
• mechi: the match
• uwanjani: in the field
• kutawanyika: to disperse

Questions & Answers about Wanafunzi walitawanyika uwanjani baada ya mechi.

What does each part of the verb form walitawanyika mean?

It breaks down as:

• wa- = subject prefix “they” (class 2, people/animals)
• -li- = past tense (“did”/“-ed”)
• tawanyik- = verb stem “disperse/be scattered” (from transitive -tawanya “to scatter [something]” + the intransitive/stative extension -ik-)
• -a = final vowel (default verb ending)

So wali-tawanyik-a = “they dispersed.”

Why does wa appear at the start of both wanafunzi and walitawanyika?

Two different roles:

• In wa-nafunzi, wa- is the noun-class prefix marking the plural of class 1 (people): mwanafunzi → wanafunzi.
• In wa-li-tawanyika, wa- is the subject agreement on the verb for a class 2 (they) subject. Swahili marks the subject twice: on the noun and on the verb.

What exactly does uwanjani mean, and what does the -ni do?

Uwanjani = “at/on the field/stadium.” The -ni suffix is a locative marker meaning “in/at/on,” depending on the noun. You’ll see it with many place nouns: shule → shuleni (at school), nyumba → nyumbani (at home).

Could I say katika uwanja or kwenye uwanja instead of uwanjani?

Yes. All are acceptable:

• uwanjani (concise, very natural for physical places)
• kwenye uwanja (widely used in speech)
• katika uwanja (a bit more formal/literary) Meaning differences are minimal here.

What does baada ya mechi literally mean, and why is it ya?

Literally “the after of the match.” Baada is a relational noun, and the linker ya forms “of” with it, giving the fixed prepositional phrase baada ya = “after.” You’ll see the same pattern with others like kabla ya = “before.”

Is -li- the ordinary past? How would -me- change the meaning?

• -li- is the simple past: a completed event at a past time. Wanafunzi walitawanyika = “The students dispersed.”
• -me- is the perfect/resultative: focus on current relevance or the resulting state. Wanafunzi wametawanyika = “The students have dispersed (and are now dispersed).”

What’s the difference between tawanyika and related verbs like tawanya, sambaa, or enea?

• tawanyika (intransitive): “to disperse/be scattered” (no object). Fits your sentence.
• tawanya (transitive/causative): “to scatter [something/someone].” Requires an object.
• sambaa: “to spread out/disperse” (often more neutral or gradual).
• enea: “to spread/extend/cover” an area (focus on spatial extent).

How would I express the transitive idea “The coach scattered the students across the field”?

Use tawanya with an object:

• Kocha aliwatawanya wanafunzi uwanjani. Breakdown: a-li- (he/she past) + wa- (object marker “them,” class 2) + tawanya.

Can I drop the noun and just say walitawanyika if “the students” is clear from context?

Yes. Swahili is pro-drop because the verb shows subject agreement. If “they” is understood, Walitawanyika uwanjani baada ya mechi is fine.

Where else can the time and place phrases go? Is the word order flexible?

Quite flexible. Common options:

• Baada ya mechi, wanafunzi walitawanyika uwanjani.
• Wanafunzi walitawanyika baada ya mechi uwanjani.
• Uwanjani, wanafunzi walitawanyika baada ya mechi. All are grammatical; moving adverbials (time/place) changes emphasis, not meaning.

Any pronunciation tips for tawanyika, uwanjani, and mechi?

• Stress the penultimate syllable: ta-wa-NYI-ka, u-wa-NJA-ni, ME-chi.
• ny = the “ny” in “canyon” (palatal nasal, like “ñ”).
• ch is like English “ch” in “church.”

Is mechi the only or best word for “match”?

Mechi (loan from “match”) is common in sports contexts. Alternatives:

• mchuano = contest/tie/fixture (more formal or in reporting).
• mchezo = game/play (broader; not specifically a single match unless context makes it clear).

Can you give a full morphological breakdown of the sentence?

• Wanafunzi = wa- (class 2 plural) + -nafunzi (stem “learner/student”) → “students”
• walitawanyika = wa- (they) + -li- (past) + tawanyik- (disperse) + -a → “dispersed”
• uwanjani = uwanja (field/stadium) + -ni (locative) → “at/on the field”
• baada ya mechi = baada (after) + ya (of) + mechi (match) → “after the match”

Which noun classes are involved here?

• wanafunzi: class 1/2 (person nouns); plural is class 2, hence verb subject marker wa-.
• uwanja: a place noun commonly used with the locative -ni → uwanjani.
• mechi: a loanword typically treated as class 9 (no change in plural form in many uses).