Mhariri anarekebisha makosa katika gazeti.

The editor corrects mistakes in the newspaper.

Breakdown of Mhariri anarekebisha makosa katika gazeti.

• katika: in
• gazeti: the newspaper
• kosa: the mistake
• kurekebisha: to correct
• mhariri: the editor

Questions & Answers about Mhariri anarekebisha makosa katika gazeti.

What does the ana- part in anarekebisha mean?

In anarekebisha, the ana- sequence is actually two things:

• a- = subject prefix for he/she (3rd person singular)
• -na- = present tense marker (often continuous or right-now present)

So:

• a- + -na- + rekebisha → anarekebisha
• Literally: he/she + present + correct/fix

So anarekebisha means he/she is correcting or he/she corrects (now / these days) depending on context.

Can you break down the verb anarekebisha into its parts?

Yes. The verb anarekebisha has this structure:

• a- = subject prefix for he/she
• -na- = present tense marker (often continuous)
• rekebisha = verb root meaning to correct / to fix

So:

• anarekebisha = a- + -na- + rekebisha
  → he/she is correcting / he/she corrects

Some other forms from the same root:

• kurekebisha = to correct (infinitive)
• narekebisha = I am correcting (ni- + -na- + rekebisha)
• walirekebisha = they corrected (wa- + -li- + rekebisha)

Why is there no separate word for is like in English “is correcting”?

In Swahili, the ideas of “he/she” and “is” are built into the verb through prefixes and tense markers:

• a- = he/she
• -na- = present tense (often equivalent to is/are doing)

So anarekebisha already means he/she is correcting. Swahili does not need a separate verb like is for progressive forms.

English: The editor is correcting mistakes.
Swahili: Mhariri anarekebisha makosa.

The helping verb “is” is simply part of the verb morphology in Swahili.

How do I know that mhariri means the editor and not an editor?

Swahili does not use articles like a/an or the. The noun mhariri just means editor. Whether you translate it as the editor or an editor depends on context:

• If you already know which editor you are talking about, English will usually use the editor.
• If you are introducing an editor for the first time, English might use an editor.

Swahili leaves this to context. So:

• Mhariri anarekebisha makosa.
  can be translated as either:
  • The editor is correcting mistakes.
    or
  • An editor is correcting mistakes.

What noun class is mhariri, and what is its plural?

Mhariri belongs to the M-WA (class 1/2) noun class, which is mainly for people.

• Singular: mhariri = editor
• Plural: wahariri = editors

Typical pattern for this class:

• mtu (person) → watu (people)
• mwalimu (teacher) → walimu (teachers)
• mhariri (editor) → wahariri (editors)

The subject prefix for this class:

• singular: a- (he/she)
• plural: wa- (they)

So:

• Mhariri anarekebisha makosa. = The editor is correcting mistakes.
• Wahariri wanarekebisha makosa. = The editors are correcting mistakes.

What exactly does makosa mean, and what is its singular?

Makosa is the plural form of kosa, and it belongs to the KI-VI (class 7/8) pattern where many nouns use ki-/ch- (singular) and vi-/vy-/ma- or other plural markers. Here:

• kosa = a mistake, an error
• makosa = mistakes, errors

So in the sentence:

• makosa = mistakes (plural)

Some similar patterns:

• kiti (chair) → viti (chairs)
• kizuizi (obstacle) → vizuizi (obstacles)
• kosa (mistake) → makosa (mistakes) — here the plural uses ma-

Why is it katika gazeti and not just gazeti? What does katika add?

Katika is a preposition meaning in / inside / within. It tells you the location where the action happens.

• gazeti = newspaper
• katika gazeti = in the newspaper

So:

• Mhariri anarekebisha makosa katika gazeti.
  = The editor is correcting mistakes in the newspaper.

If you remove katika, the sentence becomes less clear:

• Mhariri anarekebisha makosa gazeti.
  This sounds wrong or incomplete, because we need a preposition or a locative ending to show that the mistakes are in the newspaper.

Alternative ways to express the same idea:

• Mhariri anarekebisha makosa kwenye gazeti. (common, more conversational)
• Mhariri anarekebisha makosa gazetini. (using the locative suffix -ni: in the newspaper)

What is the difference between katika gazeti, kwenye gazeti, and gazetini?

All three can express in the newspaper, but they differ slightly in style and structure:

1. katika gazeti

   • More neutral or formal.
   • katika = in, within.
   • Common in writing, official language.

2. kwenye gazeti

   • Very common in everyday speech.
   • kwenye = in, at, on (a bit broader use than katika).
   • Feels more colloquial.

3. gazetini

   • Uses the locative suffix -ni to mean in/at the newspaper (as a place or medium).
   • Often sounds natural and compact:
     • nchini = in the country
     • shuleni = at school
     • gazetini = in the newspaper

In many contexts, you can freely swap them:

• Mhariri anarekebisha makosa katika gazeti.
• Mhariri anarekebisha makosa kwenye gazeti.
• Mhariri anarekebisha makosa gazetini.

All are understandable as The editor is correcting mistakes in the newspaper.

Is the word order fixed? Could I say something like Mhariri makosa anarekebisha katika gazeti?

Swahili word order is fairly fixed, especially compared with English:

• Normal order is: Subject – Verb – Object – (other phrases)

So the natural order is:

• Mhariri anarekebisha makosa katika gazeti.
  • Subject: Mhariri
  • Verb: anarekebisha
  • Object: makosa
  • Location: katika gazeti

Putting makosa before anarekebisha in this sentence, like:

• Mhariri makosa anarekebisha katika gazeti

sounds ungrammatical or at least very marked. In regular sentences, keep:

• Subject – Verb – Object – Place/Time

How would I say The editor corrects the mistakes in the newspaper every day (habitual, not just right now)?

To express a habitual or regular action, Swahili often uses the same -na- form, but the frequency is made clear by a time expression like kila siku (every day) or by context.

A natural sentence:

• Mhariri anarekebisha makosa katika gazeti kila siku.
  • The editor corrects mistakes in the newspaper every day.

Here anarekebisha can mean:

• is correcting (now)
• corrects (habitually)

The phrase kila siku forces the habitual reading.

If you wanted a very generic statement of what editors do as a rule, you might also say:

• Mhariri hurrekebisha makosa katika gazeti.

Here:

• hu- before the verb can mark a general/habitual truth.
  But hu- tense is a bit more advanced and often used without a specific time phrase.

How would I say The editor is correcting them (the mistakes) without mentioning makosa again?

You can use an object marker attached to the verb. Because makosa is plural and in the MA- class, its object marker is ya-.

Starting from:

• Mhariri anarekebisha makosa.
  The editor is correcting mistakes.

To say The editor is correcting them, you can say:

• Mhariri anayarekebisha.

Breakdown of anayarekebisha:

• a- = he/she (subject)
• -na- = present tense
• -ya- = object marker for makosa
• rekebisha = correct

So anayarekebisha = he/she is correcting them (the mistakes, understood from context).

Why does gazeti not have a plural marker here, and how would I say in the newspapers?

In the original sentence we are talking about one newspaper:

• gazeti = (one) newspaper

To talk about more than one:

• Singular: gazeti = newspaper
• Plural: magazeti = newspapers

So:

• katika gazeti = in the newspaper
• katika magazeti = in the newspapers

Examples:

• Mhariri anarekebisha makosa katika gazeti.
  The editor is correcting mistakes in the newspaper.

• Wahariri wanarekebisha makosa katika magazeti.
  The editors are correcting mistakes in the newspapers.