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Questions & Answers about Si rahisi kusoma usiku.
What does the word si do in this sentence?
Si is the negative copula meaning “is not/are not.” So Si rahisi = “It is not easy.” The affirmative counterpart would be Ni rahisi = “It is easy.”
Why is it si, not sio or siyo?
All three are heard. Si is the concise, standard written form of the negative copula. Sio/Siyo are very common in speech (especially regionally, e.g., Kenya) and are widely understood. Here, Si rahisi … is the most neutral choice, but Sio/Siyo rahisi … won’t confuse anyone.
Where is the English “it” in “It’s not easy to study at night”?
Swahili doesn’t need a dummy subject like English “it.” The structure is simply predicate + infinitive:
- Si rahisi kusoma usiku. = “Not easy (to) study at night.” You can also front the infinitive: Kusoma usiku si rahisi.
What is the ku- in kusoma?
ku- marks the infinitive/verbal noun: kusoma = “to read/study” or “reading/studying.” Infinitives can act like nouns, so they can be subjects or complements: Ni rahisi kusoma = “It is easy to study.”
Does kusoma mean “to read” or “to study”?
Both, depending on context.
- Reading: kusoma gazeti (to read a newspaper)
- Studying: kusoma sayansi (to study science) With a school/effort context or no object, it often means “to study.”
Why is there no word for “at” before usiku?
Time-of-day nouns are commonly used adverbially with no preposition:
- asubuhi = in the morning
- mchana = in the daytime/afternoon
- jioni = in the evening
- usiku = at night So kusoma usiku naturally means “to study at night.”
Could I add a preposition or a locative ending, like “kwa usiku” or “usikuni”?
No. The natural idiom is just usiku. You can specify further, though: usiku wa manane (in the middle of the night), usiku kucha (through the night/all night long).
Why doesn’t the adjective rahisi change form for agreement?
Many adjectives of Arabic origin (like rahisi, muhimu, rasmi, bora) don’t take the usual noun-class agreement prefixes. So you get:
- kazi rahisi (an easy task)
- bei rahisi (a cheap price) And in predicative use: Si rahisi …
Does rahisi also mean “cheap”? Could this be misunderstood?
Yes, rahisi can mean “easy” or “cheap.” Context resolves it. With an activity (kusoma usiku), it clearly means “easy.” With prices/things, it means “cheap”: Hiki ni rahisi (This is inexpensive).
Is there a more direct way to say “It’s difficult to study at night”?
Yes:
- Ni ngumu kusoma usiku.
- Ni vigumu kusoma usiku. Both are common. Si rahisi … (“not easy”) is a bit softer than ni ngumu/vigumu (“difficult”).
Can I change the word order?
Yes. All of these are acceptable, with slightly different emphasis:
- Si rahisi kusoma usiku. (neutral)
- Kusoma usiku si rahisi. (emphasizes the activity)
- Topicalizing time: Usiku, si rahisi kusoma. (As for nighttime, it’s not easy to study.)
How do I say “for me, it’s not easy to study at night”?
Add a perspective phrase like kwangu (“for me”):
- Kwangu, si rahisi kusoma usiku.
- Si rahisi kwangu kusoma usiku.
How can I intensify or soften the statement?
- Stronger: Si rahisi kabisa kusoma usiku. (not easy at all)
- Softer: Si rahisi sana kusoma usiku. (not very easy)
- Very hard: Ni ngumu sana kusoma usiku.
Can I include what I’m studying/reading?
Yes—just insert the object before the time phrase:
- Si rahisi kusoma vitabu usiku. (It’s not easy to read books at night.)
- Ni ngumu kusoma kozi hii usiku. (It’s difficult to study this course at night.)
Any quick pronunciation tips?
- Swahili stress is on the second-to-last syllable: si ra-HI-si ku-SO-ma u-SI-ku.
- Say the two instances of “si” clearly: si ra-hi-si. The h in rahisi is pronounced.