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Questions & Answers about Mimi nina data kidogo leo.
Do I need to include Mimi, or can I just say Nina data kidogo leo?
You can drop Mimi. Nina data kidogo leo is a complete, natural sentence. Adding Mimi adds emphasis or contrast, like “As for me, I have a little data today.”
What exactly is nina? Where does it come from?
It’s the present-tense form of the verb “to have” (kuwa na), built from the 1st person subject prefix ni- + present marker -na. The irregular present forms are:
- nina (I have)
- una (you sg. have)
- ana (he/she has)
- tuna (we have)
- mna (you pl. have)
- wana (they have)
Is the ni in nina the same as the copula ni (as in “Mimi ni …”)?
No. In nina, ni- is a subject prefix meaning “I.” The copula ni (“is/are”) is a different word and not used here.
How do I negate this?
- Present: use the special negative forms of “have”: sina, huna, hana, hatuna, hamna, hawana. Example: Sina data leo (I don’t have data today).
- Past: sikuwa na … (I didn’t have …). Example: Sikuwa na data jana.
- Future: sitakuwa na … (I won’t have …). Example: Sitakuwa na data kesho.
Can I say Niko na data kidogo leo?
That’s common and natural in Kenyan Swahili (colloquial), literally “I am with…”. In standard/neutral Swahili, prefer Nina data kidogo leo.
Where should kidogo go, and can it come before the noun?
Put kidogo after the noun it quantifies: data kidogo. Alternatives:
- More explicit: kiasi kidogo cha data (“a small amount of data”).
- To mean “only a little”: add tu → data kidogo tu. Placing kidogo before the noun (e.g., “kidogo data”) isn’t standard unless you use the cha structure above.
Does kidogo have to agree with the noun class?
No. Kidogo is invariable as a quantifier/adverb meaning “a little/a bit.” It doesn’t take noun-class agreement.
What’s the difference between kidogo and chache?
- kidogo = a small amount (mass/uncountable stuff): maji kidogo, data kidogo.
- chache = a few (countable plural items): vitabu vichache (“a few books”), MB chache (“a few MB”). So for “data” as a mass, data kidogo is better than data chache.
What noun class is data, and does it change in the plural?
Loanword data is commonly treated as N-class; its singular and plural look the same. With adjectives that agree, you’d use N-class forms, e.g., data nyingi (“a lot of data”).
Can I move leo to another position?
Yes. Time expressions are flexible:
- Nina data kidogo leo (neutral).
- Leo nina data kidogo (emphasis on “today”). You can also say Kwa leo for “for today/for the time being”: Kwa leo nina data kidogo.
How do I ask “Do you have a little data today?” and answer it?
- Question: Una data kidogo leo? or Je, una data kidogo leo?
- Answers: Ndiyo, nina data kidogo leo. / La (Hapana), sina data leo.
Could data mean research data here? If I mean mobile data, is there a clearer way to say it?
Yes, data can mean research data or mobile data. To be clearer:
- Research: data or takwimu (statistics/data).
- Mobile data: kifurushi cha data or colloquial bando, or talk about balance: salio la data, MB chache.
How do I say “I only have a little data today”?
Add tu after the thing you’re limiting: Nina data kidogo tu leo (or Leo nina data kidogo tu).
How would I say this in the past or future?
- Past: Nilikuwa na data kidogo jana (I had a little data yesterday).
- Future: Nitakuwa na data kidogo kesho (I will have a little data tomorrow).
Any quick pronunciation tips?
- Mimi = MEE-mee; nina = NEE-na; kidogo = kee-DOH-go; leo = LEH-oh.
- Stress typically falls on the second-to-last syllable in Swahili words.