Niletee penseli, tafadhali.

to bring

Breakdown of Niletee penseli, tafadhali.

• tafadhali: please
• ni: me
• penseli: the pencil

Questions & Answers about Niletee penseli, tafadhali.

What does the prefix ni- in niletee mean?

It’s the object marker for first person singular, meaning me. Swahili allows object markers on positive imperatives, so ni-letee is literally “bring (for) me.”

Why is it letee and not lete or leta?

• leta is the base/dictionary form “to bring,” not the imperative.
• lete is the 2nd person singular imperative “bring!”
• letee is the imperative of letea “bring for/to (someone).” The applicative -ea contracts to -ee in the imperative: letea → letee. Since you’re bringing something to someone (me), you use the applicative: ni-letee “bring (it) for me.”

Can I say Nilete penseli instead?

No. Without the applicative, ni- would be the direct object (me), giving the odd meaning “bring me (as the thing).” To say “bring me a pencil,” use the applicative: Niletee penseli. Alternatives:

• Letea mimi penseli = bring a pencil to me.
• Lete penseli = bring a pencil (recipient left to context).

Can I drop ni- and just say Lete penseli, tafadhali?