Mwanamke anapenda chai asubuhi.

The woman likes tea in the morning.

Breakdown of Mwanamke anapenda chai asubuhi.

• kupenda: to like
• chai: the tea
• asubuhi: in the morning
• mwanamke: the woman

Questions & Answers about Mwanamke anapenda chai asubuhi.

Does Swahili mark the difference between “the woman” and “a woman” here?

No. Swahili has no articles. Mwanamke can mean either the woman or a woman; context decides. If you need to specify, you can use a demonstrative:

• mwanamke huyu = this woman
• mwanamke yule = that woman You can also say mwanamke fulani = a certain woman.

How is anapenda built, and what does each part mean?

It’s three parts: a- (3rd person singular subject = he/she), -na- (present tense marker), penda (verb root “like/love”). So a-na-penda = “he/she likes.” Other persons follow the same pattern: ni-na-penda (I like), wa-na-penda (they like), etc.

Does -na- mean “is liking” (progressive) or “likes” (simple present)?

Both, depending on the verb. -na- marks the present. With action verbs (e.g., anasoma = “is reading”), it’s often progressive. With stative verbs like penda (to like/love), it typically expresses a general state or preference, so anapenda is best read as “(she) likes/loves.”

How do I negate the sentence?

Use the negative subject marker and change the verb-final -a to -i, and drop -na-. For 3rd singular: ha- + pendi → hapendi.

• Mwanamke hapendi chai asubuhi. = The woman does not like tea in the morning.

Do I need a preposition for “in the morning,” and where can asubuhi go?

No preposition is needed. Asubuhi works as a time adverb by itself.

• Common: Mwanamke anapenda chai asubuhi.
• Also fine: Asubuhi, mwanamke anapenda chai. Keeping time words at the end or the beginning is most natural.

How do I say “every morning,” “this morning,” or “in the mornings”?

• kila asubuhi = every morning
• asubuhi hii or asubuhi ya leo = this morning
• A generic “in the mornings” sense is often just asubuhi; if you need to be explicit, use kila asubuhi.

How do I make the sentence plural (“women like tea in the morning”)?

Change both the noun and the subject marker to class 2 (plural):

• Wanawake wanapenda chai asubuhi. Singular class 1: mwanamke a-…; plural class 2: wanawake wa-….

Can I say “She likes to drink tea in the morning”? Do I need kunywa?

Yes, add an infinitive after penda:

• Mwanamke anapenda kunywa chai asubuhi. Without kunywa, anapenda chai means she likes tea (as a drink/thing), which is also natural. Adding kunywa emphasizes the action of drinking.

How do I refer to “tea” as “it,” like “She likes it in the morning”?

Use the object marker for noun class 9 (i-) inside the verb:

• Anaipenda asubuhi. = She likes it (tea) in the morning. If you include the noun explicitly, you usually don’t also use the object marker in simple sentences; use one or the other.

How do I turn it into a yes/no question?

Two common ways:

• Je, mwanamke anapenda chai asubuhi?
• Mwanamke anapenda chai asubuhi? (question intonation) Both are fine in everyday use.

What exactly does chai mean? Is it ever “breakfast”?

Chai means tea. Kahawa is coffee. In everyday East African usage, chai often implies tea with milk, and in some contexts people may loosely use chai to refer to a tea-time snack or light breakfast. The standard word for breakfast is chakula cha asubuhi.

What noun classes are involved here, and how does agreement show up?

• mwanamke is class 1 (human singular), so the verb takes a- (as in anapenda). Plural wanawake is class 2 and takes wa- (as in wanapenda).
• chai is class 9/10; demonstratives/adjectives agree accordingly: chai hii (this tea), chai nzuri (good/tasty tea).

How do I say “this woman” or “that woman” in the sentence?

Use class 1 demonstratives:

• Mwanamke huyu anapenda chai asubuhi. = This woman likes tea in the morning.
• Mwanamke yule anapenda chai asubuhi. = That woman likes tea in the morning.

Any quick pronunciation tips for these words?

• mwanamke: three syllables, roughly “mwa-NA-mke” with stress on the second (penultimate) syllable. The m in mke can sound syllabic.
• chai: ch as in “church,” ai like “eye.”
• asubuhi: stress on the second-to-last syllable: a-su-BU-hi. Vowels are pure and short.

Is mwanamke the only common word for “woman”?

It’s the general term. Others:

• mama = mother; also respectfully “ma’am”/an older woman.
• msichana = girl (young female).
• binti = daughter; also used for a young woman in some contexts.

What’s the male counterpart of mwanamke?

Mwanamume (often also heard as mwanaume) = man. For example: Mwanamume anapenda chai asubuhi.