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Je, unaweza kupiga pasi shati la dada yako sasa?

Je, unaweza kupiga pasi shati la dada yako sasa?
Can you iron your sister’s shirt now?

Breakdown of Je, unaweza kupiga pasi shati la dada yako sasa?

je
do
sasa
now
yako
your
shati
the shirt
kuweza
to be able
dada
the sister
la
of
kupiga pasi
to iron
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Questions & Answers about Je, unaweza kupiga pasi shati la dada yako sasa?

What does the word at the beginning, Je, do here?
  • Je is a yes/no question particle. It flags the sentence as a question.
  • It’s optional in speech; rising intonation on Unaweza kupiga…? is enough.
  • In writing and formal speech, Je, …? is very common. The comma after Je marks a slight pause.
Can I just drop Je and say Unaweza kupiga pasi shati la dada yako sasa?
Yes. Unaweza kupiga pasi shati la dada yako sasa? is perfectly natural, especially in everyday conversation. Je adds a touch of formality/clarity.
How is unaweza formed, and what exactly does it mean?
  • unaweza = u- (you, singular) + -na- (present tense) + -weza (be able/can).
  • It means you can / you are able (to).
  • Other useful forms:
    • Negative: huwezi (you can’t)
    • Future: utaweza (you will be able)
    • Polite/conditional: ungeweza (could you/you would be able)
Why is it kupiga pasi for “to iron”? Doesn’t piga mean “to hit”?
  • piga literally means “hit/strike,” but it forms tons of common collocations: piga simu (make a call), piga picha (take a photo), piga mswaki (brush teeth), etc.
  • piga pasi is the idiomatic way to say “use an iron on” → “iron (clothes).”
  • The infinitive kupiga pasi means “to iron.”
I’ve heard people say kupasi. Is that correct?
  • kupasi is widely used in informal speech and is understood.
  • In careful/standard Swahili, prefer kupiga pasi. Both will be understood in everyday contexts.
Where does the clothing item go in kupiga pasi?
  • You put the item after the collocation: kupiga pasi shati/nguo.
  • Examples:
    • Ninapiga pasi nguo. (I’m ironing clothes.)
    • Unaweza kupiga pasi shati? (Can you iron the shirt?)
What does shati la dada yako literally mean, and why la?
  • shati la dada yako = “the shirt of your sister.”
  • la is the connective form of -a (“of”) agreeing with the head noun shati (class 5). With plural mashati (class 6), it becomes ya:
    • shati la … (singular)
    • mashati ya … (plural)
Why is it dada yako and not dada wako?
  • Possessive adjectives agree with the noun they modify. dada belongs to noun class 9, whose possessive base is ya-:
    • dada yangu (my sister), dada yako (your sister), dada yake (his/her sister), dada yetu, dada yenu, dada yao.
  • For comparison: shati (class 5) takes la-: shati langu, shati lako, etc.
Can you summarize the “of” connectors for words like shati and mashati?
  • Head noun class decides the -a connector:
    • Class 5 (e.g., shati): la → shati la …
    • Class 6 (e.g., mashati): ya → mashati ya …
    • Class 7/8 (e.g., kisu/visu): cha/vya
    • Class 1/2 (e.g., mtu/watu): wa/wa
    • Class 9/10 (e.g., nguo): ya/za
If I want to say “your sister’s shirts,” how do I change it?
  • Make the head noun plural and adjust the connector:
    • Mashati ya dada yako (your sister’s shirts).
What does sasa add? Is there a difference between sasa and sasa hivi?
  • sasa = “now, at the moment.” It can soften/clarify that you mean “right now.”
  • sasa hivi is stronger: “right this minute/straight away.”
  • You can put sasa at the end or earlier: Sasa, unaweza…? or Unaweza… sasa? Both are fine; end position is very common.
How would I make it more polite, like “Could you … please?”
  • Use conditional or add a polite marker:
    • Je, ungeweza kupiga pasi shati la dada yako sasa? (Could you…)
    • Add tafadhali: Tafadhali, unaweza… or Je, unaweza…, tafadhali?
    • Very polite/request style: Naomba upige pasi shati la dada yako sasa. (I request that you iron…)
How do I say it to more than one person?
  • Change the subject to second-person plural and, if needed, the possessive:
    • Je, mnaweza kupiga pasi shati la dada yenu sasa? (you all)
  • If you still mean one person’s sister while addressing a group, keep dada yake or specify whose sister to avoid ambiguity.
How do I make the sentence negative?
  • Ability question in the negative:
    • Je, huwezi kupiga pasi shati la dada yako sasa? (Can’t you…)
  • Plain negative statement:
    • Siwezi kupiga pasi sasa. (I can’t iron now.)
If I want to say “iron it,” can I use an object marker?

Yes, especially when the item is understood from context. For a class 5 noun like shati, the object marker is -li-:

  • Present: Unaweza kulipiga pasi? (Can you iron it?)
  • Past: Ninalipiga pasi. (I am ironing it.) Note: The collocation is still piga pasi; the object marker refers to the garment.
How do I say “Can you iron your sister’s shirt for her?”

Use the applicative (benefactive) on the verb and, optionally, “her” as an object marker:

  • Je, unaweza kumpigia pasi dada yako shati lake?
  • More common word order: Je, unaweza kumpigia dada yako pasi shati lake? Meaning: you iron her shirt for her benefit.
Any quick pronunciation tips for this sentence?
  • Stress the second-to-last syllable of each word: u-na-WE-za ku-PI-ga PA-si SHA-ti la DA-da YA-ko SA-sa.
  • Vowels are pure (no diphthongs), g in piga is hard (as in “go”), and sh in shati is like English “sh.”
How would someone answer this kind of question?
  • Yes: Ndiyo, naweza (sasa). or Ndiyo, nitaweza.
  • No: Hapana, siwezi sasa. or Samahani, siwezi.
  • Polite refusal: Samahani, nitaweza baadaye. (Sorry, I can do it later.)