Breakdown of Tafadhali hakiki kipimo cha urefu kabla ya kuandika ripoti.
Questions & Answers about Tafadhali hakiki kipimo cha urefu kabla ya kuandika ripoti.
It’s a second-person singular imperative: hakiki! = “verify/check!”
Nuance: hakiki leans toward “verify/authenticate” (check something against a standard or source), often a bit formal/technical.
- More options and nuances:
- kagua = inspect/check (look over for problems)
- hakikisha = make sure/ensure (cause it to be certain)
- thibitisha = confirm (usually when evidence already exists)
Example substitutions:
- Tafadhali kagua kipimo cha urefu... (inspect the length measurement)
- Tafadhali hakikisha kipimo cha urefu... (make sure the length measurement is correct)
- Tafadhali thibitisha kipimo cha urefu... (confirm the length measurement)
Use the plural imperative by adding -eni:
- Singular: hakiki
- Plural: hakikieni
So: Tafadhali hakikieni kipimo cha urefu kabla ya kuandika ripoti.
If you choose the verb hakikisha, the plural is hakikisheni.
The possessive “of” marker agrees with the head noun. Kipimo is class 7 (ki-/vi-), so the “of” concord is cha.
- Singular: kipimo cha urefu = measurement of length
- Plural: vipimo vya urefu (class 8 → vya)
Using ya would agree with class 9/10 nouns, not with class 7.
Refu is the adjective “long/tall.” Adding the nominal prefix u- creates the abstract noun urefu = “length/height.”
So kipimo cha urefu = a measurement of length (not “longness” as an adjective).
Context decides. It most naturally means the measurement or dimension (the value). If you specifically mean the tool, be clearer:
- rula (ruler)
- mete or meza ya kupimia, kipimo cha mkanda (tape measure), or generally kifaa cha kupimia urefu (a device for measuring length)
- kabla ya behaves like a noun + “of,” so it takes ya and is followed by a noun or an infinitive (verbal noun).
- The infinitive is ku- + verb, hence kuandika.
Standard patterns: - kabla ya + [noun]: kabla ya chakula (before the meal)
- kabla ya + ku-verb: kabla ya kuandika (before writing)
“Kabla uandike” is non-standard; if you want a finite clause, use the “not-yet” perfect pattern (next Q).
Yes. Kabla hujaandika ripoti literally “before you have written the report.” This uses negative perfect for 2sg (hu- + -ja-).
- kabla ya kuandika ripoti = general “before writing the report” (gerund-like)
- kabla hujaandika ripoti = “before you (specifically) write the report,” slightly more tied to the subject and event sequence. Both are fine in instructions.
It’s optional politeness. Without it, the command is more direct. You can place it:
- At the start: Tafadhali, hakiki...
- At the end: Hakiki ..., tafadhali.
- Or omit it and use a softer verb: Tafadhali hakikisha... often sounds gentler than hakiki.
Swahili has no articles. ripoti can mean “a report” or “the report” depending on context. If needed, add specificity:
- ripoti hiyo (that report)
- ripoti yako (your report)
- ripoti za majaribio (test reports)
Optional. Swahili punctuation is flexible here. You can write:
- Tafadhali hakiki kipimo cha urefu kabla ya kuandika ripoti.
- Tafadhali hakiki kipimo cha urefu, kabla ya kuandika ripoti. Both are acceptable; the comma can add a slight pause.
Only if the object is pronominal (i.e., you’re saying “verify it”). With an explicit object noun phrase (kipimo cha urefu), don’t double-mark it:
- With pronoun only: Tafadhali kihakiki. = Please verify it. (Object marker ki- for class 7)
- With noun present (preferred): Tafadhali hakiki kipimo cha urefu.
Use the plural of class 7 (ki-) → class 8 (vi-), and match the possessive:
- vipimo vya urefu = measurements/units/dimensions of length
Yes:
- kabla ya chakula (before the meal)
- kabla ya mkutano (before the meeting)
- kabla ya ripoti (before the report) — but here the intended meaning is often “before the report is written,” so “kabla ya kuandika ripoti” is clearer.