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Usimwage maji ya bomba; tutayahifadhi kwenye sufuria.

Usimwage maji ya bomba; tutayahifadhi kwenye sufuria.
Do not pour out the tap water; we will store it in a pot.

Breakdown of Usimwage maji ya bomba; tutayahifadhi kwenye sufuria.

sisi
we
ya
of
maji
the water
kwenye
in
kuhifadhi
to store
sufuria
the pot
kumwaga
to pour out
bomba
the tap
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Questions & Answers about Usimwage maji ya bomba; tutayahifadhi kwenye sufuria.

What does the form usimwage show, and how is it built?
  • It’s a negative command (prohibitive) addressed to one person: “Don’t pour/spill.”
  • Morphology: usi- (2nd person singular negative) + verb stem -mwag-
    • final vowel -e (subjunctive used in prohibitives) → usimwage.
  • Compare:
    • Affirmative 2sg: Mwaga!
    • Negative 2sg: Usimwage!
    • Affirmative 2pl: Mwageni!
    • Negative 2pl: Msimwage!
Why does the verb end in -e (mwage) and not -a (mwaga)?
  • In negative commands (and subjunctives), regular Swahili verbs ending in -a change that final -a to -e. Hence mwag-a → mwag-e in usimwage.
  • This -e change does not apply to verbs that inherently end in -i/-u (e.g., safiri stays usisafiri).
What exactly is going on inside tutayahifadhi?
  • Morphology: tu- (we) + -ta- (future) + -ya- (object marker “them/it” for noun class 6) + hifadhi (store/preserve) → tutayahifadhi (“we will store them/it”).
  • The -ya- refers back to maji (water), which is class 6 and takes the object marker -ya-.
Why is there an object marker in the second clause but not in the first?
  • First clause: the full object is stated explicitly (maji ya bomba), so there’s no need to double it with an object marker.
  • Second clause: the object has already been mentioned, so using the object marker (-ya- in tutayahifadhi) naturally pronominalizes “the water.”
  • You could also say Tutahifadhi maji kwenye sufuria (repeat the noun), but the given sentence avoids repetition.
Why is it maji ya bomba and not maji wa/ya/za/ch something else?
  • Maji belongs to noun class 6, which uses the associative connector ya for “of.” Hence maji ya bomba = “water of the tap/pipe,” i.e., tap water.
  • Other examples of the associative with class 6 heads: maji ya mvua (rainwater), maembe ya soko (mangoes of the market).
Is maji singular or plural in Swahili?
  • Maji is grammatically class 6 and behaves like a plural (it’s a pluralia tantum). That’s why:
    • It uses the class 6 object marker -ya- in tutayahifadhi.
    • Demonstratives/adjectives agree accordingly: maji mengi (a lot of water), maji haya (this/these water).
What’s the nuance of mwaga vs. mimina?
  • Mwaga: to pour out, spill, dump (often out of a container or onto the ground), sometimes with a sense of waste or letting it flow out.
  • Mimina: to pour (usually into something, more controlled or purposeful).
  • Here, usimwage fits well because the idea is “don’t pour it out/spill it,” since it will be stored.
Could I use weka instead of hifadhi?
  • Yes, but the nuance changes:
    • Hifadhi: store, preserve, keep safe (suggests intentional safekeeping or longer-term storage).
    • Weka: put/place/put away (more neutral and general).
  • Alternatives:
    • Tutayaweka kwenye sufuria (We’ll put it/them in the pot).
    • Tutayahifadhi kwenye sufuria (We’ll store/preserve it/them in the pot).
What does kwenye sufuria mean, and are there alternatives?
  • Kwenye is a general preposition meaning “in/at/on.” Kwenye sufuria = “in the pot.”
  • Alternatives:
    • Ndani ya sufuria (inside the pot; emphasizes interior).
    • Katika sufuria (in the pot; more formal/written).
    • Sufuriani (using the locative -ni suffix; common and concise).
What exactly is a sufuria?
  • A sufuria is a cooking pot/pan (often metal, used on a stove or over a fire). It’s a very common household item across East Africa and can be used for boiling, stewing, etc.
How would I say this to more than one person?
  • Change the prohibitive to the 2nd person plural:
    • Msimwage maji ya bomba; tutayahifadhi kwenye sufuria.
  • The second clause stays the same because the subject is still “we” (tu-).
Can I make the command softer or more polite?
  • Add tafadhali (please) or use a softer suggestion:
    • Tafadhali usimwage maji ya bomba; tutayahifadhi kwenye sufuria.
    • Inclusive suggestion: Tafadhali tusimwage maji ya bomba; tutayahifadhi kwenye sufuria. (“Let’s not pour…”)
Is the semicolon necessary?
  • It’s stylistically fine (just like in English) to link closely related clauses. You could also use a period or a connector:
    • Usimwage maji ya bomba. Tutayahifadhi kwenye sufuria.
    • Usimwage maji ya bomba kwa sababu tutayahifadhi kwenye sufuria.
How would this look in the passive?
  • Passive shifts focus to the water:
    • Maji ya bomba yasimwagwe; yatahifadhiwa kwenye sufuria.
    • Here yasimwagwe is a negative jussive/passive (“let the water not be poured”), and yatahifadhiwa uses the class 6 subject marker ya- for “it/they (water) will be stored.”
Any pronunciation tips for words like hifadhi?
  • dh in standard Swahili is a voiced dental fricative [ð], like English “th” in “this” (hi-fa-ðhi). Many speakers pronounce it closer to [d]/[z] depending on region, so you might hear slight variations.