Breakdown of Meneja alimwambia mpokezi awakaribishe wageni mapema.
mapema
early
mgeni
the guest
kukaribisha
to welcome
kuambia
to tell
Questions & Answers about Meneja alimwambia mpokezi awakaribishe wageni mapema.
How is the verb form in bold alimwambia built, and why is there a mw in the middle?
Breakdown:
- a- = he/she (subject marker, class 1)
- -li- = past tense
- -m- = him/her (object marker, class 1)
- -ambia = tell
When the object marker m- comes before a vowel-initial verb stem (like -ambia, -ona, -ita), Swahili inserts a glide w to avoid a vowel clash. So a-li-m-ambia becomes a-li-mw-ambia → alimwambia.
In awakaribishe, who is the subject and who is the object?
- a- is the subject marker “he/she,” referring here to the receptionist (mpokezi).
- wa- is the object marker “them,” referring to the guests (wageni). So, “he/she should welcome them.”
Why does awakaribishe end in -e instead of the usual -a?
The -e ending marks the subjunctive mood. After verbs of telling/ordering/asking (e.g., kuambia, kuamuru, kuomba), Swahili commonly uses the subjunctive in the embedded clause: a-fanye, waende, tusisahau, etc. Hence, awakaribishe = “that he/she should welcome them.”