Friji letu lina maziwa na matunda.

Our fridge has milk and fruits.

Breakdown of Friji letu lina maziwa na matunda.

• maziwa: the milk
• kuwa na: to have
• na: and
• tunda: the fruit
• letu: our
• friji: the fridge

Questions & Answers about Friji letu lina maziwa na matunda.

What does each word in the sentence do?

• Friji = fridge (noun)
• letu = our (possessive agreeing with the noun’s class)
• lina = has/is with (subject marker for the noun’s class + -na “with”)
• maziwa = milk
• na = and
• matunda = fruits

Which noun class is friji, and why does that matter?

Friji is commonly treated as noun class 5 (ji-/Ø), with plural in class 6 (mafriji). Class 5 takes:

• subject marker li- → lina (“has/with”)
• possessive “our” as letu (class-5 concord) So: Friji letu lina ...

Why is it lina and not ina?

Because with class 5 nouns the subject marker is li- → lina. Some speakers treat friji as class 9; then you’ll hear: Friji yetu ina ... (class 9 uses i- and possessive yetu). Pick one system and be consistent with it in your course/region.

What is the na doing here? Isn’t it used twice?

Yes, in two roles:

• Inside lina, the -na means “with,” giving the meaning “has.”
• Between maziwa and matunda, standalone na means “and.”
  Same form, different functions.

Is maziwa singular or plural? It looks plural but means “milk.”

Grammatically, maziwa sits in class 6 and behaves like a plural, but semantically it’s a mass noun (“milk”). It still triggers class-6 agreement: e.g., maziwa mengi (“a lot of milk”), maziwa ya moto (“hot milk”).

Why is it matunda and not tunda?

Matunda is the plural (“fruits”) and is the normal way to talk about fruit in general. Tunda is one individual fruit. If you mean a single piece, say tunda moja.

How would this sentence change if we were talking about multiple fridges?

Pluralize the noun and switch to class 6 agreement:

• Mafriji yetu yana maziwa na matunda.
  Here, mafriji (pl.), possessive yetu (class 6), and verb yana (class 6).

How do I say the fridge doesn’t have milk or fruit?

• Friji letu halina maziwa wala matunda. (class-5 negative + “nor”)
  You can also say:
• Hakuna maziwa wala matunda frijini. (existential “there isn’t/aren’t” + locative)

Can I express the idea using “there is/are” or “we have ... in the fridge”?

Yes:

• Frijini kuna maziwa na matunda. (locative -ni + existential)
• Kwenye friji letu kuna maziwa na matunda.
• Tuna maziwa na matunda frijini. (“We have ... in the fridge”)

Where does the possessive go, and does it always look like letu?

Possessives follow the noun and agree with its class. With class 5: friji letu (“our fridge”). If someone treats friji as class 9, it becomes friji yetu. The pattern is always noun + possessive, with the possessive form changing by class.

How do I say “my fridge” instead of “our fridge”?

With class 5 agreement: Friji langu.
Full sentence: Friji langu lina maziwa na matunda.
(Some speakers using class 9 would say Friji yangu ina ...)

Is there a more “pure Swahili” word than friji?

Yes, jokofu. It’s also class 5 (pl. majokofu).
Example: Jokofu letu lina maziwa na matunda.

How do I add quantities like “a lot of,” “a little,” or “few”?

Use class-appropriate quantifiers:

• maziwa mengi = a lot of milk (class 6)
• maziwa kidogo = a little milk
• matunda mengi = many fruits (class 6)
• matunda machache = few fruits
  Example: Friji letu lina maziwa mengi na matunda machache.

Do I need a word for “the” here?

No. Swahili has no articles. Possession makes it definite by itself, so friji letu naturally reads as “our (the) fridge.”