Learn Hardcore Swahili: Ukungu unaonekana karibu na mto asubuhi. - Fog is visible near the river in the morning.

u- = subject agreement for noun class 14 (matches ukungu “fog”)
-na- = present/ongoing tense marker (“is/are …ing” or current state)
onekana = verb stem meaning “to be seen / to be visible / to appear,” derived from -ona “to see” with a stative extension.

So unaonekana ≈ “is visible / is seen / appears.”

Why is the subject prefix u- and not i- or something else?

Because ukungu is a class 14 noun (the “u-” class for mass/abstracts). Class 14 takes u- on the verb: ukungu u-na-…. By contrast, class 9 nouns (like chai) use i-: e.g., chai ina chemka (“the tea is boiling”).

Is the na in unaonekana the same as the na in karibu na mto?

No—two different things:

In u-NA-onekana, -na- is the tense marker for present/ongoing.
In karibu NA mto, na is a preposition meaning “with/and/near to” as part of the fixed expression karibu na = “near (to).”

Do I have to use na after karibu? Why not just say karibu mto?

When “near” governs a noun, Swahili uses the fixed pattern karibu na + NOUN: karibu na mto = “near the river.” Bare karibu means “near/close by” without specifying what it’s near, or it can mean “welcome!” as a standalone interjection.

Does asubuhi need a preposition like “in” (e.g., “in the morning”)?

No. Time words typically stand alone in Swahili. asubuhi already means “in the morning.” Similarly: mchana (in the afternoon), jioni (in the evening), usiku (at night).

Can I move asubuhi to another position in the sentence?

Yes. Common placements:

Asubuhi, ukungu unaonekana karibu na mto. (Time first for emphasis)
Ukungu unaonekana karibu na mto asubuhi. (Time at the end, very common) Both are natural; moving time/place around is used for emphasis or flow.

Could I instead say Kuna ukungu karibu na mto asubuhi?

Yes. Kuna ukungu… = “There is fog…,” emphasizing existence. Ukungu unaonekana… emphasizes that the fog is (visibly) present/appearing. Both are fine; choose based on what you want to highlight.

What’s the difference between unaonekana and something like unatokea?

unaonekana = “is visible/appears (to the eye).” Focus on visibility/appearance.
unatokea = “occurs/happens/comes up.” Focus on the event of fog forming or occurring, not specifically on being visible.

How do I say the negative: “The fog is not visible near the river in the morning”?

Use the negative present with a final -i on the verb:

Ukungu hauonekani karibu na mto asubuhi. Alternatively, to negate existence:
Hakuna ukungu karibu na mto asubuhi. (“There isn’t any fog near the river in the morning.”)

How do I express a habitual/general tendency, like “Fog tends to be visible near the river in the mornings”?

Use the habitual hu- (which does not take a subject prefix):

Ukungu huonekana karibu na mto asubuhi. This means it usually or typically happens.

Can I drop the noun ukungu and just say Unaonekana karibu na mto asubuhi?

Grammatically yes—the verb already shows class 14 u-, so the subject can be understood from context. But it’s often clearer to keep ukungu unless the topic is already obvious.

Does mto here mean “river” or “pillow”? How do I tell?

Context decides. With karibu na mto and ukungu, it’s clearly “river.” Both meanings share the same plural mito; if needed, you can clarify:

mto (wa maji) for “river”
mto (wa kulalia) for “pillow”

Could I use the locative -ni and say karibu na mtoni?

You’ll most commonly hear karibu na mto. mtoni means “at/in the river,” so karibu na mtoni is also understandable but somewhat redundant. Prefer karibu na mto for “near the river.”

Why isn’t there a word for “to be,” like ni, in this sentence?

Swahili doesn’t use ni with verbs the way English uses “to be.” The verb form unaonekana already carries the full predicate meaning. ni is mainly for equational sentences (X = Y), e.g., Huyu ni mwalimu (“This is a teacher”).

How do I make it clearly “near the river” (definite) rather than “near a river” (indefinite)?

Swahili doesn’t have articles; definiteness comes from context or demonstratives. To force definiteness, add a demonstrative:

karibu na ule mto (“near that river”)
karibu na mto huu (“near this river”)

Any quick pronunciation tips for the sentence?

Stress is penultimate: u-KU-ngu u-na-o-ne-KA-na ka-RI-bu na M-to a-su-BU-hi.
ng in ukungu is a “ng” sound as in “finger” (not like “sing” without g).
Vowels are pure and short: u a o e a… each vowel is clearly pronounced.