Je, umefanya kazi ya nyumbani leo?

Have you done your homework today?

Breakdown of Je, umefanya kazi ya nyumbani leo?

• je: do
• leo: today
• kufanya: to do
• kazi ya nyumbani: the homework

Questions & Answers about Je, umefanya kazi ya nyumbani leo?

What does Je, mean at the start of the sentence, and is it necessary?

Je is a particle used to mark a yes/no question. It doesn’t translate directly into English; it just signals, “What follows is a question.”

• You can say: Je, umefanya kazi ya nyumbani leo?
• Or simply: Umefanya kazi ya nyumbani leo?

Both are correct and mean the same thing. Using Je is a bit more “textbook” or careful; in everyday speech many people just rely on intonation and the question mark (in writing).

How is umefanya built, and what tense/aspect is it?

Umefanya breaks down like this:

• u- = subject prefix for “you (singular)”
• -me- = “perfect” aspect (similar to English have done)
• -fanya = verb stem “do”

So umefanya literally corresponds to “you-have-done”, which matches the English “have you done…?” in both form and meaning (present perfect).

What’s the difference between umefanya and ulifanya?

Both come from -fanya (“to do”), but the middle part changes:

• umefanya: u- (you) + -me- (perfect) + -fanya
  → “you have done” (focus on the result or relevance now)
• ulifanya: u- (you) + -li- (simple past) + -fanya
  → “you did” (a completed event in the past, more detached from now)

In this sentence:

• Je, umefanya kazi ya nyumbani leo?
  = “Have you done the homework today?” (Are you done with it now?)

You could say:

• Je, ulifanya kazi ya nyumbani jana?
  = “Did you do the homework yesterday?” (simple past about a finished time in the past)

Using -me- with leo is very natural because today is still ongoing and we’re interested in the present result.

Why is kazi ya nyumbani used for “homework”? What does it literally mean?

Literally, kazi ya nyumbani means “work of (the) home”:

• kazi = work, task, job
• ya = “of” (linking two nouns)
• nyumbani = at home / home (locative form of nyumba, “house/home”)

But as a fixed expression, kazi ya nyumbani is the standard way to say “homework” (schoolwork that you take home). So in practice:

• kazi ya nyumbani = homework
  even though the literal structure is “work of home.”

Why is the connector ya used in kazi ya nyumbani and not something else?

Ya is an “of” connector that agrees with the noun class of the first noun (kazi).

• kazi belongs to the N-class (same form in singular and plural).
• For N-class nouns, the associative connector “of” is ya.

So:

• kazi ya nyumbani = work of home
  If the first noun were from another class, the connector would change, e.g.:

• kitabu cha Kiswahili = Swahili book (cha agrees with kitabu, a Ki-/Vi- noun)
• mwalimu wa Kiswahili = Swahili teacher (wa agrees with mwalimu, an M-/Wa- noun)

Here, ya is just the correct agreement form for kazi.

What is the difference between nyumba and nyumbani?

• nyumba = house, home (the basic noun)
• nyumbani = at home / home (as a location)

The -ni ending often turns a noun into a location (a “locative” form). So:

• nyumbani answers “where?” → “(at) home”
• Niko nyumbani. = “I am at home.”
• Ninaenda nyumbani. = “I am going home.”

In kazi ya nyumbani, nyumbani is “of home / of the home,” but as part of the fixed phrase it’s understood as “homework.”

Can the word leo (today) go in a different place in the sentence?

Yes, leo is flexible. All of these are possible and natural:

• Je, umefanya kazi ya nyumbani leo?
• Leo, umefanya kazi ya nyumbani?
• Umefanya kazi ya nyumbani leo?

Putting leo at the end (as in the original) is very common for time expressions. Moving leo to the front can add a bit of emphasis on today (as opposed to some other day), but the basic meaning doesn’t change.

Why isn’t wewe (“you”) used? Could I say Wewe umefanya kazi ya nyumbani leo?

In Swahili, the subject is already included in the verb through the prefix (u- = “you [singular]”), so it’s normal not to add an extra pronoun:

• Umefanya kazi ya nyumbani leo? = “Have you done the homework today?”

You can add wewe for emphasis or contrast:

• Wewe umefanya kazi ya nyumbani leo?
  → “You (in particular), have you done the homework today?”
  (Maybe others have done it, and the speaker is checking specifically about you.)

So wewe is optional and mainly used for emphasis, not required for basic grammar.

How would I answer this question with “yes” or “no” in Swahili?

Common short answers:

• Ndiyo, nimefanya. = “Yes, I have done (it).”

  • ni- = I
  • -me- = perfect
  • -fanya = do

• Hapana, sijafanya. = “No, I haven’t done (it).”

  • si- = negative “I”
  • -ja- = negative perfect
  • -fanya = do

You can make it fuller by repeating the object:

• Ndiyo, nimefanya kazi ya nyumbani.
• Hapana, sijafanya kazi ya nyumbani bado. (“No, I haven’t done my homework yet.”)

Are there other natural ways to ask the same thing in Swahili?

Yes, several variations are common, with slightly different nuances:

1. Umefanya kazi ya nyumbani leo?
   – Same meaning, just without Je.

2. Umeshafanya kazi ya nyumbani leo?
   – -sha- adds the sense of “already”:
   “Have you already done the homework today?”

3. Ulishafanya kazi ya nyumbani leo?
   – Past + -sha-, somewhat like “Did you already do the homework today?”
   (More like checking if it was completed at some point earlier.)

All are acceptable; the original sentence is the straightforward present perfect–style question.