Mwalimu anaorodhesha majina darasani.

The teacher is listing names in the classroom.

Breakdown of Mwalimu anaorodhesha majina darasani.

• katika: in
• mwalimu: the teacher
• darasa: the classroom
• jina: the name
• kuorodhesha: to list

Questions & Answers about Mwalimu anaorodhesha majina darasani.

What exactly does anaorodhesha mean here—“is listing” or “lists”?

The present marker -na- covers both. So Mwalimu anaorodhesha majina darasani can mean The teacher is listing names in class (right now) or The teacher lists names in class (as a routine). To make “right now” explicit, add an adverb like sasa, sasa hivi, or hivi sasa.

How is the verb anaorodhesha formed?

It’s built as: a- (3rd person singular subject for class 1, “he/she”) + -na- (present tense) + orodhesha (verb stem “list”). The stem comes from the noun orodha (list) + the causative/inchoative extension -esha, giving orodhesha “to put into a list, to itemize.”

Why is there no “the” or “a” in the sentence?

Swahili has no articles. Mwalimu can mean a teacher or the teacher depending on context. If you need to specify:

• mwalimu mmoja = a/one teacher
• yule mwalimu = that/the (previously known) teacher

What noun classes are involved here?

• mwalimu (teacher) is class 1 (plural: walimu, class 2). Verb agreement uses class 1 subject marker a- (plural: wa-).
• jina/majina (name/names) is class 5/6. Plural majina is class 6.

Do I need an object marker for majina?

Not normally when the object is stated after the verb. You can add it for definiteness/emphasis (and usually drop the noun):

• Mwalimu anayorodhesha = The teacher is listing them (the names). Here, a-na-ya-orodhesha → anayorodhesha where ya- is the class 6 object marker for majina.

How do I make the sentence plural (teachers instead of teacher)?

Change subject and agreement to class 2:

• Walimu wanaorodhesha majina darasani. = The teachers are listing names in class.

What does the -ni in darasani do?

The suffix -ni is a locative marker meaning “in/at.” So:

• darasa = classroom/class
• darasani = in class / in the classroom

Could I use a preposition instead of -ni?

Yes. Katika darasa also means in the classroom. The -ni locative is very natural and often preferred for places.

Can I move darasani to the front for emphasis?

Yes:

• Darasani, mwalimu anaorodhesha majina. Word order is flexible for focus, but default SVO with locatives at the end is common.

How do I negate this sentence?

Use the negative subject marker and change the final -a to -i:

• Mwalimu haorodheshi majina darasani. = The teacher is not listing/does not list names in class.

How do I say it in the past or future?

• Simple past: Mwalimu aliorodhesha majina darasani. = The teacher listed names in class.
• Future: Mwalimu ataorodhesha majina darasani. = The teacher will list names in class.
• Recent/completed present (perfect): Mwalimu ameorodhesha majina darasani. = The teacher has listed the names in class.

What are common alternatives to orodhesha in this context?

• kuita majina = to call names (roll call)
• kutaja majina = to mention names If the teacher is writing a list, orodhesha is precise; if calling the roll, kuita majina is more idiomatic.

How do I say “a list of names”?

Orodha ya majina. Example: Mwalimu anaandika orodha ya majina. = The teacher is writing a list of names.

Any pronunciation tips for this sentence?

• mw- in mwalimu is a single cluster: [mwa-].
• dh in orodhesha is the voiced dental fricative [ð], like English th in this (many speakers pronounce it closer to d/z).
• Stress is generally on the penultimate syllable: mwa-LI-mu a-na-o-ro-DHE-sha ma-JI-na da-ra-SA-ni.