Fundi anatumia msumari kutengeneza meza.

The craftsman uses a nail to make the table.

Breakdown of Fundi anatumia msumari kutengeneza meza.

• meza: the table
• kutumia: to use
• kutengeneza: to make
• fundi: the craftsman
• msumari: the nail

Questions & Answers about Fundi anatumia msumari kutengeneza meza.

What exactly does fundi mean? Is it “carpenter,” “mechanic,” or something else?

Fundi is a general word for a skilled manual worker or artisan. Its exact meaning depends on context:

• fundi seremala – carpenter
• fundi umeme – electrician
• fundi magari – car mechanic
• fundi mabomba – plumber

On its own, fundi can be translated as artisan, craftsman, technician, or repair person.
In this sentence, because he’s making a table (meza), you can think of him as a carpenter.

Why is it fundi anatumia and not something like “fundi anatumia yeye”? Where is “he” or “she”?

In Swahili, the subject (he/she/it/they) is usually shown by a prefix on the verb, not by a separate pronoun.

• a- = he / she / it (for class 1 nouns like fundi)
• na = present tense marker (“is/does”)
• tumia = verb root “use”

So:

• anatumia = a-
  • -na-
    • tumia
      → “he/she uses / is using”

You don’t normally add yeye (“he/she”) unless you want to emphasize that person specifically:

• Yeye fundi anatumia msumari… – That artisan uses a nail… (emphasis on “he/she”)

What tense is anatumia? Does it mean “uses” or “is using”?

Anatumia uses the -na- tense marker, which usually covers:

• Present progressive: “is using”
• Present habitual/general: “uses”

Context decides which English form fits better.
So Fundi anatumia msumari… can be:

• “The artisan is using a nail to make a table.” (right now)
  or
• “The artisan uses a nail to make a table.” (in general / habitually)

How is the verb anatumia built up? What are its parts?

Anatumia is made of:

• a- : subject prefix (he/she/it) for class 1 nouns (like fundi)
• -na- : present tense marker
• tumi- : verb stem from -tumia (“to use”)
• -a : final vowel

So the structure is:

a- + -na- + tumi + -a → anatumia
subject + tense + stem + final vowel

Why is there no word for “a” or “the”? Why not “the artisan” or “a nail”?

Swahili does not have articles like a/an/the. Nouns appear without them, and context supplies the meaning:

• fundi → “a/the artisan”
• msumari → “a/the nail”
• meza → “a/the table”

So Fundi anatumia msumari kutengeneza meza can be translated as:

• “An artisan is using a nail to make a table.”
• “The artisan is using a nail to make the table.”

English has to choose an article, but Swahili does not.

What does the ku- in kutengeneza mean? Is that an infinitive?

Yes. Ku- at the start of a verb is the infinitive marker, like “to” in English.

• kutengeneza = ku-
  • tengeneza
    → “to make / to fix / to repair”

In this sentence, kutengeneza meza means “to make a table” and expresses purpose:

anatumia msumari kutengeneza meza
“he is using a nail to make a table” / “in order to make a table”

Can kutengeneza only mean “make,” or can it also mean “fix” or “repair”?

Kutengeneza is quite flexible. It can mean:

• to make / to produce:
  
  • Wanatengeneza meza mpya. – They are making a new table.
• to fix / to repair:
  
  • Fundi anakuja kutengeneza friji. – The repair person is coming to fix the fridge.
• to prepare / arrange / organize in some contexts.

So Fundi anatumia msumari kutengeneza meza could also be understood as:

• “The artisan is using a nail to repair the table,”
  if the context suggests the table already exists and is broken.

What is the plural of fundi, msumari, and meza?

The plurals are:

• fundi → mafundi (class 1/2 → wa-/ma- pattern)
  • Fundi anatumia… – The artisan uses…
  • Mafundi wanatumia… – The artisans use…
• msumari → misumari (class 3/4, m-/mi-)
  • msumari mmoja – one nail
  • misumari mingi – many nails
• meza → meza (class 9/10; singular and plural look the same)
  • meza moja – one table
  • meza nne – four tables

Example with plurals:

Mafundi wanatumia misumari kutengeneza meza.
The artisans use nails to make tables.

Why is it msumari without kwa? I learned kwa can mean “with/by means of.”

In -tumia, the thing you “use” is usually a direct object, so it comes without a preposition:

• anatumia msumari – he uses a nail
  (msumari is the direct object of -tumia)

You can use kwa with other verbs to show means:

• Anaandika kwa kalamu. – He writes with a pen.
• Anakata kuni kwa shoka. – She cuts firewood with an axe.

But with -tumia, Swahili normally just says:

• Anatumia kalamu. – He uses a pen.
• Anatumia msumari. – He uses a nail.

What noun classes are fundi, msumari, and meza, and do they affect the sentence?

Yes, each belongs to a noun class, and that controls agreement:

• fundi – class 1 (person)
  • singular: fundi
  • plural: mafundi (class 2)
  • verb subject: a- (singular), wa- (plural)
    • Fundi anatumia…
    • Mafundi wanatumia…
• msumari – class 3 (thing, often m-)
  • singular: msumari
  • plural: misumari (class 4)
• meza – class 9/10 (often no change in plural)
  • singular: meza
  • plural: meza

In this sentence, the class of fundi is what triggers the verb prefix a- in anatumia. The objects msumari and meza don’t directly affect verb agreement here.

Can the word order be changed, like putting kutengeneza meza earlier in the sentence?

Basic, natural word order in Swahili is:

Subject – Verb – Object(s)

So this is the normal structure:

• Fundi (subject)
• anatumia (verb)
• msumari (object 1)
• kutengeneza meza (purpose infinitive)

Fundi anatumia msumari kutengeneza meza.

You cannot smoothly say something like:

• ✗ Fundi anatumia kutengeneza meza msumari.

If you want to emphasize purpose, you might rephrase, but you keep the basic order:

• Fundi anatumia msumari ili kutengeneza meza.
  (adds ili = “in order to”)

How would I say “The artisans are using nails to make a table” and “The artisan is using nails to make tables”?

You adjust the subject and object plurals and the verb agreement:

1. “The artisans are using nails to make a table.”

   • Mafundi wanatumia misumari kutengeneza meza.

   • mafundi – artisans (plural)
   • wanatumia – they use/are using
   • misumari – nails (plural)
   • meza – table (could be “a table” or “tables” from context; add a number if you want to be explicit)

2. “The artisan is using nails to make tables.”

   • Fundi anatumia misumari kutengeneza meza.

   Here meza (plural) is understood from context as “tables.”
   To be explicit, you could say:

   • Fundi anatumia misumari kutengeneza meza nyingi.
     – The artisan is using nails to make many tables.

How do you pronounce msumari and kutengeneza?

Rough guide (each syllable is clear and evenly stressed):

• msumari: m-su-ma-ri

  • The initial m is pronounced; don’t drop it.
  • Stress is usually on the second-to-last syllable: mmari (approx. “msoo-MA-ree”).

• kutengeneza: ku-te-nge-ne-za

  • ng before e in -tengene- is like “ng” in “finger” (not “singer”): [ŋg].
  • Roughly: koo-teh-NGEH-neh-za (with even, smooth syllables).

Swahili pronunciation is generally regular: each written vowel is pronounced, and stress is typically on the second-to-last syllable.