Kengele ililia alfajiri.

The bell rang at dawn.

Breakdown of Kengele ililia alfajiri.

• alfajiri: at dawn
• kengele: the bell
• kulia: to ring

Questions & Answers about Kengele ililia alfajiri.

What does each part of the sentence mean and how is it built?

• Kengele = bell (noun class 9; plural is also kengele in class 10).
• i- = subject prefix for class 9 (it).
• -li- = simple past tense.
• -lia = verb root “cry; ring” (used for bells, babies, animals, etc.).
• alfajiri = dawn/early dawn; used adverbially to mean “at dawn.” So ililia is i-
  • -li-
    • -lia → “it rang,” and the whole sentence means “The bell rang at dawn.”

Why does the verb start with i- instead of a-?

Swahili verbs agree with the noun class of the subject. Kengele is noun class 9, whose subject prefix is i-, so: i-li-lia. The a- prefix is for class 1 (he/she), used with humans (e.g., mtu alilia = the person cried).

Why does ililia have li twice? Is the verb root lilia?

No. The root is lia. The apparent double li comes from:

• -li- (past tense) + lia (root) → li-lia. So i-li-lia is “it rang.” There is also a different verb kulilia (to cry for/over someone/something), but this sentence uses kulia (to cry/ring).

How do you pronounce ililia and l i a together?

• ililia has four syllables: i-li-li-a.
• lia is pronounced “lee-ah.” In natural speech the vowels can glide, sounding like [lja], but both vowels are present.

Do I need a preposition like “at” before alfajiri?

No. Time-of-day nouns like alfajiri, asubuhi (morning), mchana (afternoon), jioni (evening), usiku (night) commonly function adverbially with no preposition: Kengele ililia alfajiri.

What’s the difference between alfajiri and asubuhi?

• alfajiri = dawn/pre-dawn, roughly around first light (very early).
• asubuhi = morning in general (after dawn through late morning). So alfajiri is earlier and more specific than asubuhi. You can also say asubuhi mapema (early morning).

Can the time phrase come first or last?

Yes. Both are natural:

• Alfajiri, kengele ililia.
• Kengele ililia alfajiri. Fronting the time (Alfajiri, …) emphasizes when it happened.

How do I say “The bell is ringing,” “was ringing,” or “has rung”?

• Present/progressive: Kengele inalia. (i- + -na- + lia)
• Past progressive: Kengele ilikuwa ikilia. (was in the process of ringing)
• Present perfect (recent/completed): Kengele imelia. (i- + -me- + lia)

How do I negate the sentence?

Use the negative past marker -ku- and the negative prefix ha-:

• Kengele haikulia alfajiri. = The bell did not ring at dawn. Structure: ha- (neg) + i- (class 9 subject) + -ku- (negative past) + lia (root).

How do I ask “Did the bell ring at dawn?” as a yes/no question?

Add the question particle je, or just use rising intonation:

• Je, kengele ililia alfajiri?
• Kengele ililia alfajiri? (spoken, with questioning intonation)

How do I say “The bells rang at dawn”?

Use the class 10 plural subject prefix zi-:

• Kengele zililia alfajiri. (plural subject agreement: zi-
  • -li- + lia)

Can I say ilipiga instead of ililia?

Different nuance:

• Kengele ililia = The bell rang (it sounded; intransitive).
• Ali(p)iga kengele = He/She rang the bell (someone struck it; transitive).
• Kengele ilipigwa = The bell was rung (passive). Use -lia when the bell rings (sounds) as an event; use -piga when someone actively rings it.

Is there a word for “the” in kengele?

Swahili has no articles. Kengele can mean “a bell” or “the bell” depending on context. If you need to be specific, you can use demonstratives, e.g., kengele hiyo (that bell), kengele ile (that specific bell).

What is the plural of kengele, and does the verb change?

The plural is also kengele (class 10). The verb must agree with class 10:

• Singular: Kengele ililia (class 9 → i-).
• Plural: Kengele zililia (class 10 → zi-).