Sisi tunajaribu kujibu bila kukosea wakati wa mtihani.

We try to answer without making mistakes during the exam.

Breakdown of Sisi tunajaribu kujibu bila kukosea wakati wa mtihani.

• sisi: we
• wakati: the time
• wa: of
• kujaribu: to try
• bila: without
• kujibu: to answer
• mtihani: the exam
• kukosea: to make a mistake

Questions & Answers about Sisi tunajaribu kujibu bila kukosea wakati wa mtihani.

Why do we need both Sisi and the tu- in tunajaribu? Don’t they both mean “we”?

Yes, both indicate “we”, but they play different roles.

• Sisi is an independent pronoun: we.
• tu- is a subject prefix attached to the verb: it marks the subject on the verb (we-try).

In Swahili, the subject prefix on the verb is required in normal sentences, but the independent pronoun is optional and mainly used for:

• Emphasis:
  
  • Sisi tunajaribu… = We are the ones trying… (contrast with others)
• Clarity or contrast:
  
  • Sisi tunajaribu, wao hawajaribu. = We are trying, they are not.

You could also say Tunajaribu kujibu bila kukosea wakati wa mtihani and it would still be correct; it’s just slightly less emphatic.

What tense or aspect is expressed by tunajaribu? Does it mean “we try” or “we are trying”?

Tunajaribu is built like this:

• tu- = we (subject prefix)
• -na- = present tense marker
• -jaribu = try

So tunajaribu literally is “we + present + try”.

In English, it can correspond to both:

• We are trying (present continuous)
• We try (present simple, habitual/general)

The exact translation depends on context. In your sentence:

• Sisi tunajaribu kujibu bila kukosea wakati wa mtihani.
  → We try / We are trying to answer without making a mistake during the exam.

Both “we try” and “we are trying” are natural here.

Why is it kujibu after tunajaribu, and not another finite verb like tunajibu?

After verbs like kujaribu (to try), Swahili usually uses an infinitive (the ku- form) for the second verb:

• kujaribu kujibu = to try to answer
• kuanza kusoma = to begin to read/study
• napenda kula = I like to eat

So:

• tunajaribu kujibu = we try / we are trying to answer
  
  • tunajaribu = we (are) try(ing)
  • kujibu = to answer (infinitive)

Using tunajibu here would change the structure and sound odd, like saying “we are trying we answer” in English. The natural pattern is:

[finite verb] + [infinitive]
tunajaribu kujibu = we are trying to answer

What exactly does bila kukosea mean, and why do we need ku- on kukosea?

Bila means “without”.

There are two common patterns after bila:

1. bila + noun

   • bila makosa = without mistakes
   • bila chakula = without food

2. bila + infinitive (ku-verb)

   • bila kukosea = without making a mistake / without erring
   • bila kuzungumza = without speaking

In kukosea:

• ku- = infinitive marker, “to”
• -kosea = to err, to make a mistake

So:

• bila kukosea literally = without to-make-a-mistake
  → idiomatically: without making a mistake.

The ku- is needed because bila is followed by an infinitive, not a finite verb.

Could we say bila makosa instead of bila kukosea? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can say bila makosa, and it’s perfectly correct:

• bila kukosea = without making a mistake (focuses on the action of not erring)
• bila makosa = without mistakes (focuses on the result: no mistakes present)

In many contexts, they are almost interchangeable:

• Tunajaribu kujibu bila kukosea.
• Tunajaribu kujibu bila makosa.

Both can mean: We try to answer without mistakes.

Nuance:

• bila kukosea feels a bit more like “we are trying not to slip up.”
• bila makosa feels more like “we want our answers to have no errors.”

What does wakati wa mtihani literally mean, and why do we need wa there?

Literal breakdown:

• wakati = time, period, moment
• wa = of (genitive/possessive connector for this noun class)
• mtihani = exam, test

So wakati wa mtihani literally is “(the) time of the exam”, which in natural English is “during the exam”.

About wa:

• In Swahili, “of” is expressed by an agreement word that matches the first noun.
• For wakati, that connector is wa.
  
  • wakati wa mtihani = time of the exam
  • wakati wa mvua = time of rain / rainy season

If you drop wa and say wakati mtihani, it is ungrammatical; you must link the two nouns with the correct “of” word, which here is wa.

Can we move wakati wa mtihani to a different place in the sentence?

Yes, Swahili word order is fairly flexible with time expressions like wakati wa mtihani.

All of these are acceptable, with slightly different emphasis:

1. Sisi tunajaribu kujibu bila kukosea wakati wa mtihani.
   → Neutral: “We try to answer without making a mistake during the exam.”

2. Wakati wa mtihani, sisi tunajaribu kujibu bila kukosea.
   → Emphasis on “during the exam” (setting the time at the beginning).

3. Sisi, wakati wa mtihani, tunajaribu kujibu bila kukosea.
   → Slightly more marked, but still possible in speech, adding a pause/comma feel.

The key is that the verb complex (here tunajaribu kujibu) stays intact; the time phrase can move around as one block.

What is the function of ku- in kujibu and kukosea? Is it always “to …”?

ku- is the infinitive marker in Swahili.

• kujibu = to answer
• kukosea = to make a mistake / to err

Functionally, ku- + verb often corresponds to English “to + verb”, but it also works like a verbal noun (answering, making mistakes) depending on context.

Examples:

• After another verb:

  • tunajaribu kujibu = we are trying to answer
  • anaanza kusoma = he/she starts to read / reading

• As a noun-like subject/object:

  • Kujibu bila kukosea ni muhimu.
    = Answering without making a mistake is important.

So ku- is not just a loose “to”; it turns the verb into its infinitive / verbal-noun form.

Do we ever say bila ya kukosea, or is bila kukosea the only correct form?

Both exist:

• bila kukosea
• bila ya kukosea

The ya is optional in many modern contexts. In everyday Swahili:

• bila + infinitive/noun is very common and perfectly correct:
  
  • bila kukosea, bila kula, bila pesa

You might see or hear bila ya more in:

• some dialects
• more formal or older styles
• set expressions

For your sentence, bila kukosea is totally natural and perhaps more common in contemporary use.

Could we say tunajaribu tusikosee instead of tunajaribu kujibu bila kukosea?

That would be a different structure and meaning:

• tunajaribu tusikosee
  
  • tusi-kosee = that we may not make a mistake (subjunctive with tusi- = “that we don’t”)
  • Roughly: We try so that we don’t make a mistake.

Your original:

• tunajaribu kujibu bila kukosea
  
  • We try to answer without making a mistake.

Main differences:

• tunajaribu tusikosee focuses on the goal or desired outcome (“we’re trying not to make a mistake”).
• tunajaribu kujibu bila kukosea focuses on how we carry out the action of answering (answering in a mistake-free manner).

They can both be used in some similar contexts, but they are not exact equivalents, and tunajaribu tusikosee doesn’t include the idea of answering unless you add it:

• Tunajaribu kujibu, tusikosee. = We are trying to answer so that we don’t make a mistake.

Is the sentence formal, informal, or neutral in tone?

The sentence is neutral and appropriate in most contexts:

• Sisi tunajaribu kujibu bila kukosea wakati wa mtihani.

It would sound fine:

• in a classroom
• in conversation with classmates
• in writing explaining your approach to exams

To make it slightly more formal, you might expand or adjust vocabulary, but as it stands it isn’t slangy or overly casual; it’s standard, neutral Swahili.