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Questions & Answers about Amina anakunywa chai asubuhi.
What does the verb form in anakunywa consist of?
It’s one word made of:
- a- (3rd-person singular subject marker = he/she)
- -na- (present/near-present tense)
- kunywa (the verb “to drink”)
So a-na-kunywa = “he/she is drinking / drinks.” Note that kunywa is irregular (like kula “eat” and kuja “come”) and keeps the ku- in many affirmative forms: anakunywa, anakula, anakuja.
Does a-na- mean “is drinking” (right now) or “drinks” (habitually)?
Both are possible. -na- usually covers present/near-present and often reads as progressive (“is drinking”), but in general statements it can also mean a habitual action (“drinks”). Context decides. To make “usually/always” explicit, Swahili often uses the habitual marker hu-: Amina hunywa chai asubuhi = “Amina usually drinks tea in the morning.”
Why is there no word for “in” before asubuhi (“morning”)?
Time words like asubuhi function adverbially on their own. You simply say asubuhi for “in the morning.” You don’t need a preposition like “in” or katika here.
Can asubuhi go somewhere else in the sentence?
Yes. Time expressions are flexible. Common options:
- Amina anakunywa chai asubuhi.
- Asubuhi, Amina anakunywa chai. Fronting asubuhi puts extra emphasis on the time.
How do I make it negative: “Amina does not drink/is not drinking tea in the morning”?
Use the negative subject marker and the -i ending. With this verb, the negative has a special stem:
- Amina hanywi chai asubuhi. (Compare the affirmative anakunywa vs. negative hanywi.)
How would I ask “Does Amina drink tea in the morning?”
Two natural ways:
- Je, Amina anakunywa chai asubuhi?
- Amina anakunywa chai asubuhi? (question intonation)
How do I ask “What does Amina drink in the morning?”
Put nini (what) after the verb phrase:
- Amina anakunywa nini asubuhi?
What exactly does chai mean here?
Chai is “tea” (often milky tea in East Africa). It can also refer to a tea break in some contexts, but in this sentence it just means the beverage. Coffee is kahawa.
Do I need to say “she” (yeye) before the verb?
No. The subject marker a- already encodes “he/she.” You can add yeye for emphasis or contrast:
- Yeye anakunywa chai asubuhi (She, on the other hand, drinks tea in the morning).
How would this look with other subjects (I/you/we/they)?
Affirmative present:
- I: ninakunywa
- you (sg): unakunywa
- he/she: anakunywa
- we: tunakunywa
- you (pl): mnakunywa
- they: wanakunywa
Negative present:
- I: sinywi
- you (sg): hunywi
- he/she: hanywi
- we: hatunywi
- you (pl): hamnywi
- they: hawanywi
How do I say “Amina drank / will drink tea in the morning”?
- Past: Amina alikunywa chai asubuhi.
- Future: Amina atakunywa chai asubuhi. (For present perfect: Amina amekunywa chai asubuhi = “Amina has drunk tea this morning.”)
What’s the difference between chai asubuhi and chai ya asubuhi?
- chai asubuhi = “tea in the morning” (time expression).
- chai ya asubuhi = “morning tea” (a noun phrase: the tea of the morning).
Both are correct; the second treats “morning tea” as a set thing.
How do I say “every morning”?
Use kila:
- Amina anakunywa chai kila asubuhi. (She drinks tea every morning.) For a strongly habitual sense, you can also use hu-:
- Amina hunywa chai kila asubuhi.
Any pronunciation tips for anakunywa?
- The nyw in kunywa is pronounced as a palatal nasal plus a w-glide, roughly like “ny” in “canyon” followed immediately by “w”: [ɲw].
- Say it smoothly as a single word: a-na-KUN-ywa (with short vowels).
- Don’t split it as ana kunywa in writing; it’s one word: anakunywa.