Learn Hardcore Swahili: Daktari alipima urefu wa binti na uzito wake kwa mizani ya kliniki. - The doctor measured the girl’s height and her weight with the clinic’s scale.

urefu = “height” (an abstract noun in the u- class)
wa = the “of” linker (genitive connector) that agrees with urefu
binti = “girl / daughter” Together, urefu wa binti literally means “the girl’s height” or “height of the girl.”

Does binti mean “girl” or “daughter”? How is it different from msichana?

binti most often means “daughter,” but in many contexts it also means “young woman” or “girl” (polite/formal).
msichana is the everyday, neutral word for “girl.”
If you clearly mean “daughter,” binti is very natural. For “girl” in general, msichana is safest.

What does uzito wake mean, and what does wake refer to?

uzito = “weight”
wake = “his/her” (3rd person singular possessive, agreeing with uzito) In this sentence, wake refers back to binti, so uzito wake = “her weight.”

Why not repeat wa binti and say uzito wa binti instead of uzito wake?

You could say uzito wa binti, and it would be correct. Using wake avoids repetition and is very natural because the possessor has just been mentioned. Both forms are fine; wake is more concise.

Could wake be misunderstood as referring to the doctor (i.e., “the doctor’s weight”)?

In normal reading, wake refers to the most salient recent noun that fits logically—in this case, binti. Context and common sense (it’s the patient’s measurements) make it clear. If ambiguity is a concern, repeat the noun: uzito wa binti.

What does na do in urefu wa binti na uzito wake?

na coordinates the two nouns: “the girl’s height and her weight.” It’s just linking two objects of the same verb alipima (“measured”).

Does kwa mizani ya kliniki mean the scale was used for both height and weight?

Grammatically, kwa mizani ya kliniki modifies the whole action “measured …,” so it can be read as applying to both. Pragmatically, a mizani (scale) measures weight, not height. To be crystal clear, you could specify instruments:

… alipima uzito wake kwa mizani ya kliniki na urefu wake kwa fita/fita ya kupimia urefu. (“… measured her weight with the clinic’s scale and her height with a tape/stadiometer.”) Or split it into two clauses.

Why is the preposition kwa used here? Could I use na for “with the scale”?

kwa commonly marks instrument/manner: “by/with/using.”
na can mean “with (together with)” and sometimes marks instrument in informal speech, but kwa is the safe, standard choice for tools/instruments. So kwa mizani is best.

Is mizani singular or plural?

In practice, mizani is an N-class noun whose singular and plural often look the same; context clarifies whether it’s one scale or scales. Here mizani ya kliniki is naturally read as “the clinic’s (weighing) scale.” Many speakers use mizani for both singular and plural in everyday speech.

Why is it ya kliniki and not wa kliniki?

The genitive connector must agree with the head noun (mizani). For mizani, the correct connector is ya: mizani ya kliniki = “the clinic’s scale.” Different noun classes take different connectors (e.g., wa, ya, la, cha, vya, za); mizani takes ya.

Can I move the instrument phrase to the front: Kwa mizani ya kliniki, daktari alipima …?

Yes. Fronting kwa mizani ya kliniki is fine for emphasis or style: “Using the clinic’s scale, the doctor measured …” Word order is flexible for adjuncts like time, place, and manner.

Could the sentence be re-ordered to put weight first: Daktari alipima uzito wake na urefu wa binti …?

Yes. Coordination with na is symmetrical here, so swapping the two nouns is fine and keeps the same meaning.

Is there any article like “the” in Daktari? How do we know it’s “the doctor” and not “a doctor”?

Swahili has no articles. Daktari can mean “a doctor” or “the doctor,” depending on context. You can make definiteness explicit if needed:

yule daktari = “that (specific) doctor”
daktari mmoja = “one doctor / a doctor (indefinite)”

How would I avoid repeating pima and make the sentence less ambiguous?

Break it into two coordinated clauses:

Daktari alipima urefu wa binti, kisha akapima uzito wake kwa mizani ya kliniki. Using kisha (“then”) and repeating the verb clarifies that the scale applies to weight.

Where would an object marker go if I pronominalized the objects?

Object markers appear before the verb root:

Aliu-pima urefu wake = “He measured her height” (object marker u- agrees with urefu).
Aliu-pima uzito wake = “He measured her weight” (object marker u- agrees with uzito). Full sentence example: Daktari aliupima urefu wa binti na akaumpima uzito wake kwa mizani ya kliniki.

Why does alipima use the subject prefix a- with daktari, when the plural of “doctor” is madaktari?

Human nouns like daktari take class 1/2 agreement for verbs:

Singular: daktari a-li-… (“he/she …”)
Plural: madaktari wa-li-… (“they …”) So you’d say Madaktari walipima … for “The doctors measured …”

Are there register or vocabulary alternatives I should know?

pima is standard for “measure” (also “weigh”).
mizani = weighing scale; for height, you might see fita (tape measure) or kifaa cha kupimia urefu; in clinics, a stadiometer may be called kipima-urefu. Using the more specific tool word can remove the “scale for height” ambiguity.