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Questions & Answers about Tutafanya jaribio asubuhi.
How is Tutafanya built; what do the pieces mean?
Breakdown:
- tu- = we (subject prefix)
- -ta- = future tense marker (will)
- fanya = do/make (verb root)
All written together as one verb: Tutafanya = “we will do.”
Related forms:
- Present: tunafanya (we are doing / we do)
- Past: tulifanya (we did)
Are tu, ta, and fanya written separately?
No. In standard Swahili orthography, subject prefix + tense marker + verb root are written as one word: Tutafanya, not “tu ta fanya.”
Why is there no word for “in” before asubuhi?
Time words like asubuhi (morning), mchana (afternoon), jioni (evening), usiku (night) function as adverbials on their own. You don’t add a preposition. … asubuhi naturally means “in the morning.”
Where can asubuhi go in the sentence?
Common and natural options:
- Tutafanya jaribio asubuhi. (neutral)
- Asubuhi tutafanya jaribio. (emphasis on the time)
Keeping the time at the end or front is most typical and natural.
What exactly does jaribio mean? Is it an exam, a test, or an experiment?
Jaribio is broad: “test,” “trial,” “attempt,” or “experiment.” In school contexts, mtihani is the usual word for an exam. In science, you’ll see jaribio la sayansi (a scientific experiment; plural majaribio).
What’s the plural of jaribio, and does anything else change?
- Singular: jaribio (noun class 5)
- Plural: majaribio (noun class 6)
Agreement can show up elsewhere (e.g., object markers): class 5 uses li-, class 6 uses ya-.
How do I say “We will do it/them in the morning” when “it” = the test?
- Singular (jaribio, class 5): Tutalifanya asubuhi. (tu-ta-li-fanya)
- Plural (majaribio, class 6): Tutayafanya asubuhi. (tu-ta-ya-fanya)
In Swahili, the object marker goes between the tense marker and the verb root.
How do I negate the sentence?
- Future negative: Hatutafanya jaribio asubuhi. (We will not do a test in the morning.)
- Present negative: Hatufanyi jaribio asubuhi. (We are not doing a test in the morning.)
- Past negative: Hatukufanya jaribio asubuhi. (We did not do a test in the morning.)
Does Swahili have articles like “a/the”? How do I say “the test”?
Swahili has no articles. Specificity is handled by context or words like demonstratives:
- jaribio hili = this test
- jaribio hilo = that/the test (already known) Example: Tutafanya jaribio hilo asubuhi.
How do I ask “Will we do a test in the morning?” or “Shall we do a test in the morning?”
- Yes/no question (same order, rising intonation or add Je,): Je, tutafanya jaribio asubuhi?
- Suggestion/hortative (“Shall we…?”): Tufanye jaribio asubuhi?
Is there a difference between “will” and “going to” here?
Tutafanya comfortably covers both “will” and “(be) going to” in many contexts. If you want to emphasize a prior plan or physical going, you can use:
- Tunaenda/Tunakwenda kufanya jaribio asubuhi. But for a simple future plan, Tutafanya is typically best.
How do I specify “tomorrow morning,” “this morning,” or “every morning”?
- Tomorrow morning: kesho asubuhi
- This morning: asubuhi hii or asubuhi ya leo
- Yesterday morning: jana asubuhi
- Every morning: kila asubuhi
Example: Kesho asubuhi tutafanya jaribio.
Any pronunciation tips for Tutafanya jaribio asubuhi?
- Syllables: tu-ta-fa-nya | ja-ri-bi-o | a-su-bu-hi
- Stress the second-to-last syllable of each word: tu-ta-FA-nya, ja-ri-BI-o, a-su-BU-hi
- j as in “jam,” a single-tap r, pure vowel sounds (a, e, i, o, u).
How do I say “Let’s do a test in the morning”?
Use the hortative/subjunctive:
- Tufanye jaribio asubuhi. You can add a softener like Hebu: Hebu tufanye jaribio asubuhi.
Can I say jaribio la asubuhi to mean “a morning test”?
It’s grammatical and means “the morning test/test of the morning,” treating “morning” as a descriptor. Use it when distinguishing it from, say, an afternoon test. If you simply want to state when it will happen, prefer the adverbial time: Tutafanya jaribio asubuhi.