Questions & Answers about Usimwage wino mezani.
What does each part of the sentence correspond to?
- Usimwage = usi- (negative imperative/prohibitive for second person singular: you + not) + -mwag- (verb root: spill/pour out) + -e (subjunctive ending used in prohibitions). Overall: Don’t spill.
- wino = ink (a mass noun; typically no plural).
- mezani = on/at the table: meza (table) + locative suffix -ni.
Why does the verb end in -e instead of -a?
Negative commands (prohibitives) take the subjunctive ending -e: Usifanye, Usiende, Usimwage. Using -a here would be incorrect for a prohibition. Compare:
- Positive imperative (do it): Mwaga wino mezani!
- Negative imperative (don’t do it): Usimwage wino mezani!
How do I say it to more than one person?
Use the plural prohibitive msi- plus the same -e ending:
- Msimwage wino mezani. = Don’t spill ink on the table, you all. For the positive plural command, add -eni to the verb: Mwageni wino mezani!
Is the mw in an object marker for “him/her”?