Learn Hardcore Swahili: Nyota huangaza usiku.

Breakdown of Nyota huangaza usiku.

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Is nyota singular or plural here?

Nyota can be either singular or plural. It belongs to noun class 9/10, which uses the same form for singular and plural.
This sentence expresses a general truth, so English usually translates it as plural: “Stars shine at night.”
To make it clearly singular or plural:
- Singular: nyota hii (this star), nyota moja (one star)
- Plural: nyota hizi (these stars), nyota mbili (two stars)

What does the prefix hu- in huangaza mean?

hu- marks the habitual/generic aspect: something that typically happens or is generally true.
It’s used with any subject (I/you/he/she/we/they) to talk about customs, routines, or facts.
Examples:
- Miti hukua polepole. (Trees grow slowly.)
- Mimi husoma usiku. (I usually study at night.)

Why is there no subject agreement like zi- or i- before the verb?

In the habitual construction with hu-, Swahili does not use a subject agreement prefix. So you don’t see zi- (class 10) or i- (class 9) in front of the verb.
If you switch to the present progressive (ongoing action), you would use subject agreement:
- Singular (class 9): Nyota inaangaza…
- Plural (class 10): Nyota zinaangaza…

Does hu- mean “you” like in huendi (“you don’t go”)?

No—there are two different things that look similar:
- In huangaza, hu- is the habitual marker (general truth/habit).
- In huendi, the hu- you see is actually a fusion of the negative marker h-
  - the 2nd person singular subject u-; the verb also ends with the negative -i: h-u-end-i → huendi (“you don’t go”).
So the hu- in habitual is not the same as the h+u in negative “you.”

How do I negate a habitual statement like this?

You typically don’t negate the hu- form directly. Instead, use huwa (“usually”) plus a normal negative verb, or another frequency word:
- Nyota huwa haziangazi mchana. (Stars usually don’t shine during the day.)
- For a flat denial of the general truth: Si kweli kwamba nyota huangaza usiku. (It’s not true that stars shine at night.)
If you simply say Nyota haziangazi usiku, it reads more like a non-habitual statement (“The stars are not shining at night”), not a general habit.

Why is there no word for “at” before usiku?

Time words in Swahili often stand alone without a preposition:
- asubuhi (in the morning), mchana (during the day), usiku (at night), leo (today), Jumapili (on Sunday)
To be specific, you can add a demonstrative or a genitive phrase:
- usiku huu (tonight), usiku wa leo (tonight), asubuhi hii (this morning)

Can I move usiku to the front?

Yes. Fronting time expressions is common for emphasis or flow:
- Usiku, nyota huangaza.
- Kila usiku, nyota huangaza. (Every night, stars shine.)

Is huangaza the only way to say “shine”? What about kung’aa?

Both are common, with a slight nuance difference:
- kuangaza = to shine/illuminate (often can take an object: light up something)
  - Nyota huangaza usiku. (Stars illuminate/shine at night.)
- kung’aa = to shine/gleam/be bright (intransitive)
  - Nyota hung’aa usiku. (Stars gleam at night.)
Spelling note: ng’ (with an apostrophe) is a separate consonant from ng. kung’aa has ng’.

How do I pronounce the words here?

Stress is on the second-to-last syllable in Swahili.
- nyota: NYO-ta (ny = “ny” as in “canyon,” [ɲ])
- huangaza: hu-an-GA-za (the “ng” is [ŋɡ])
- usiku: u-SI-ku
Keep vowels short and clear; each vowel is pronounced.

How would I say “Stars are shining tonight” (a specific, current event)?

How do I ask “Do stars shine at night?”

How do I express “a/the star(s)” in Swahili if there are no articles?

Swahili has no articles; use context or demonstratives/quantifiers:
- “a star”: nyota (context) or nyota moja
- “the star”: nyota hii/ile (this/that star)
- “the stars”: nyota hizi/zile (these/those stars)
Example of a specific one: Nyota hii inaangaza sana. (This star is shining brightly.)