Learn Hardcore Swahili: Nimenunua maembe mawili sokoni. - I have bought two mangoes at the market.

The -me- tense marks the perfect/near past with present relevance. Nimenunua is “I have bought” (often implying the purchase is complete and relevant now) or “I bought (recently).”

Could I say Nilinunua maembe mawili sokoni instead? What’s the difference?

Yes. Nilinunua uses the simple past -li- (“I bought”), with no built‑in link to the present. Nimenunua can sound more “just done” or relevant now. With explicit past-time words (e.g., “yesterday”), Nilinunua is more typical.

How do I make the sentence negative?

Perfect negative: Sijanunua maembe mawili sokoni (I have not bought...).
Simple past negative: Sikununua maembe mawili sokoni (I did not buy...).

Does Ni- mean “I”? Do I need to add Mimi?

Yes, ni- is the subject prefix “I.” You add Mimi only for emphasis or contrast: Mimi nimenunua... (“Me, I have bought ...”).

Why maembe and not embe?

Embe is singular (“a mango,” class 5). Maembe is plural (“mangoes,” class 6). Swahili uses noun-class prefixes to mark number; class 5/6 pairs are often Ø/ji- (sing.) and ma- (pl.).

Why is it mawili and not mbili after maembe?

Numbers 2–5 agree with the noun class. Maembe is class 6, so “two” is mawili. Compare:

watoto wawili (class 2)
vitabu viwili (class 8)
nyumba mbili (class 9/10, no extra prefix)
maembe mawili (class 6)

Where do numbers go in a Swahili noun phrase?

They usually follow the noun: maembe mawili, vitabu vitatu. Other adjectives and demonstratives also follow and agree: maembe mawili mazuri (“two good mangoes”).

Can I say “only two mangoes”?

Yes: Nimenunua maembe mawili tu sokoni. The focus particle tu (“only/just”) comes right after the counted noun phrase.

What exactly is sokoni?

It’s soko (market) plus the locative suffix -ni, meaning “at/in the market” (and often “from the market” with verbs of obtaining).

Can I use kwenye soko or katika soko instead of sokoni?

Yes. kwenye soko and katika soko both mean “at/in the market.” sokoni is shorter and very idiomatic; all are correct.

Does sokoni mean “at” or “from” the market here?

With kununua (buy), sokoni typically means the place of purchase, “at the market,” but it can also be understood as the source (“from the market”). Context decides.

Is the word order fixed? Could I front the location for emphasis?

Default is Verb–Object–Locative: Nimenunua maembe mawili sokoni. You can front elements for emphasis:

Sokoni nimenunua maembe mawili.
Maembe mawili nimenunua sokoni. The verb still carries the subject prefix.

Why don’t we use an object marker here? Could I say Nimeyanunua maembe mawili sokoni?

You normally avoid an object marker when the object noun is stated plainly. Nimeyanunua maembe mawili... is used only if the object is already known/topical. Example of topicalization:

Maembe mawili, nimeyanunua sokoni. (“The two mangoes, I bought them at the market.”)

Where is “the” or “a” in Swahili? Is this “the two mangoes” or “two mangoes”?

Swahili has no articles. Maembe mawili can mean “two mangoes” or “the two mangoes,” depending on context. To be explicit, use demonstratives:

maembe hayo mawili (these/those two, near addressee)
maembe yale mawili (those two, farther away)

How do I ask “How many mangoes did you buy?”

Use the class‑6 form of “how many,” mangapi:

Past: Ulinunua maembe mangapi?
Perfect: Umenunua maembe mangapi?

What’s the infinitive of “to buy,” and how is Nimenunua built?

Infinitive: kununua (“to buy”).
Nimenunua = ni- (I) + -me- (perfect) + -nunua (buy) → “I have bought.”

Pronunciation tips for this sentence?

Swahili stress is on the second-to-last syllable.
Nimenunua: ni–me–nu–nu–a (stress on the penultimate nu). The final -ua is two vowels [u.a].
maembe: ma–em–be (stress on em).
sokoni: so–ko–ni (stress on ko). Vowels are pure and short.

Can I add a time word like “yesterday” or “already”?

“Yesterday”: Prefer simple past → Nilinunua maembe mawili sokoni jana.
“Already”: Use -sha- with the perfect → Nimeshanunua maembe mawili sokoni.

If I wanted “at the shop” instead of “at the market,” what changes?

Use duka (shop) with -ni: dukani.
Example: Nimenunua maembe mawili dukani.

Do adjectives agree with maembe the same way the number does?

Yes. Adjectives take class‑6 agreement:

maembe mawili mazuri (two good mangoes; root -zuri)
maembe mapya (new mangoes; root -pya) Numbers 6–10 (e.g., sita, saba) don’t change with noun class.