Gauni la Asha lina lebo ndogo yenye jina lake ndani.

Asha’s gown has a small label with her name inside.

Breakdown of Gauni la Asha lina lebo ndogo yenye jina lake ndani.

• Asha: Asha
• kuwa na: to have
• ndogo: small
• ndani: inside
• la: of
• jina: the name
• yenye: that has
• gauni: the gown
• lebo: the label
• lake: her

Questions & Answers about Gauni la Asha lina lebo ndogo yenye jina lake ndani.

Why is it gauni la Asha and not gauni ya Asha?

Because the head noun gauni is in noun class 5. The “of” connector (associative) agrees with the head noun:

• Class 5 (gauni): la → gauni la Asha (Asha’s dress)
• Class 6 plural (magauni): ya → magauni ya Asha (Asha’s dresses)

If the head noun were class 9, you’d use ya (singular) or za (plural), e.g. lebo ya gauni, lebo za magauni.

Why is it lina and not ina?

The verb “to have” is built as “subject marker + -na.” The subject marker must match the class of the subject.

• gauni (class 5 singular) → li- + -na = lina → Gauni … lina …
• lebo (class 9 singular) → i- + -na = ina → Lebo … ina …

So with gauni, you need lina.

What does yenye mean here, and how does it work?

Yenye means “which has/with,” and it agrees with the noun it describes. Here it describes lebo (class 9), so the form is yenye:

• lebo yenye jina lake = a label that has her name

Some useful pairs:

• lebo (cl.9 sg) → yenye: lebo yenye…
• lebo (cl.10 pl) → zenye: lebo zenye…
• gauni (cl.5 sg) → lenye: gauni lenye…
• magauni (cl.6 pl) → yenye: magauni yenye…

Could I say lebo ndogo iliyo na jina lake instead of yenye jina lake?

Yes. yenye is a compact way to say “that has/with.” The longer relative construction is also correct:

• lebo ndogo iliyo na jina lake = a small label that has her name

Why is it jina lake and not jina yake?

Possessive adjectives also agree with the noun possessed. Jina is class 5, so “his/her” is lake:

• class 5: langu, lako, lake, letu, lenu, lao → jina lake
• class 9/10: yangu, yako, yake, yetu, yenu, yao → lebo yake

So you say jina lake, but lebo yake.

Does lake mean “his” or “her”?

Both. Swahili possessives don’t mark gender. lake simply means “his/her/its,” matching the noun class (here, class 5 for jina). Context (Asha) tells you it’s “her.” If you want zero ambiguity, you can say jina la Asha.

What exactly does ndani refer to here—inside the label or inside the dress?

As written, ndani (“inside”) is somewhat ambiguous at the very end. Readers will usually understand it to mean the label is inside the dress. To be crystal clear:

• Location of the label: … lebo ndogo iliyo ndani ya gauni yenye jina lake.
• The label has her name on it (and is inside the dress): … lebo ndogo yenye jina lake ndani ya gauni.

Do I need ya after ndani?

Use:

• ndani alone as an adverb (“inside” in general): … ndani.
• ndani ya + noun to specify “inside of X”: ndani ya gauni (inside the dress).

So both are fine; ndani ya gauni is just more specific.

Where do adjectives go? Why is it lebo ndogo and not ndogo lebo?

Adjectives follow the noun they modify. Hence:

• lebo ndogo (a small label)
• gauni jipya (a new dress) You generally don’t put the adjective before the noun.

How would I say this in the plural (Asha’s dresses …)?

• Magauni ya Asha yana lebo ndogo zenye jina lake ndani.
  • magauni (cl.6) → subject marker ya- → yana
  • lebo (cl.10 plural) → relative zenye
  • You can keep jina lake (each label has her name).

Can I say gauni lake instead of gauni la Asha?

Yes:

• gauni lake = her dress (class-5 possessive)
• gauni la Asha = Asha’s dress

Both are correct. gauni lake la Asha is redundant and unnatural; pick one.

Is lebo a Swahili word or a loanword? Any alternatives?

lebo is a common loanword from English “label” and is widely used for garment tags. Alternatives you may see include tagi (also a loan). Native-sounding paraphrases exist (e.g., kijikaratasi cha ndani), but for clothing tags, lebo is standard and natural.