Learn Hardcore Swahili: Soksi zangu za zambarau ziko kwenye kabati.

Soksi belongs to noun class 9/10 (often called the N-class).
In this class:
- singular: my sock → soksi yangu
- plural: my socks → soksi zangu

The y- in yangu is used with singular N-class nouns, and z- in zangu is used with plural N-class nouns.

So:

Soksi yangu iko… = My sock is… (one sock)
Soksi zangu ziko… = My socks are… (several socks)

How do I know that soksi is plural here if the word doesn’t change?

In Swahili, many N-class nouns (class 9/10) look exactly the same in singular and plural. Context and agreement tell you the number.

Clues here:

zangu → plural possessive (my for class 10)
ziko → plural subject marker zi- (they are located)

If it were singular:

soksi yangu iko kwenye kabati. = My sock is in the cupboard.

Plural:

soksi zangu ziko kwenye kabati. = My socks are in the cupboard.

Why do we use zangu and za with soksi? What’s the difference between them?

Both zangu and za are agreement words for class 10 (plural N-class), but they play different grammatical roles:

zangu = possessive “my”
- It must agree with soksi (class 10 plural).
- soksi zangu = my socks
za = “of” (genitive/connector “of”)
- It also agrees with soksi (class 10 plural).
- soksi za zambarau = socks of purple (colour)

Rough structure:

soksi (noun)
zangu (my)
za (of)
zambarau (purple)

Literally: “socks my of purple” → my purple socks.

Why is it za zambarau instead of something like zambarau right after soksi zangu?

Because zambarau is originally a noun (it literally means “plum” and by extension “purple”), not an adjective like -nyekundu (red) or -nyeusi (black).

To use a colour that is really a noun, Swahili typically uses a genitive/“of” structure:

soksi za zambarau = socks of purple (colour) = purple socks
shati la kijani = shirt of green (colour) = green shirt
rangi ya bluu = colour of blue = blue colour

So you need:

za to agree with soksi (class 10 plural)
zambarau as the colour noun

Could I also say soksi zangu za rangi ya zambarau? Is that more correct?

Yes, that’s also correct and a bit more explicitly “colour-like”:

soksi zangu za rangi ya zambarau
= literally “my socks of colour of purple.”

In everyday speech, people often shorten this to:

soksi zangu za zambarau

Both are fine and natural. The longer version just emphasizes the idea of colour a bit more clearly.

Why is the verb ziko and not just ni (are)?

Swahili makes a distinction between:

ni → “is/are” in an equative sense
- Yeye ni mwalimu. = She is a teacher.
- Hizi ni soksi. = These are socks.
-ko / -po / -mo forms (like ziko, wako, kiko, ipo, zimo…) → “be (located)” in a place

Since the sentence talks about location (in the cupboard), we use ziko:

soksi zangu ziko kwenye kabati.
= my socks are (located) in the cupboard.

zi- = plural subject marker for class 10 (they)
-ko = general location.

What’s the difference between ziko, zipo, and zimo?

They’re all location forms of “be” but with slightly different flavours:

ziko – general location (they are somewhere)
zipo – location in a specific/known spot, often “right here/there”
zimo – inside something

Examples:

Soksi zangu ziko kwenye kabati.
= My socks are (located) in the cupboard.
Soksi zangu zimo kwenye kabati.
= My socks are inside the cupboard. (emphasis on inside)
Soksi zangu zipo kabatini.
= My socks are in the cupboard (and that’s exactly where they are).

In normal conversation, ziko here is perfectly natural and common.

Why is it kwenye kabati and not just kabati or kabatini?

All three are actually possible, but they have slightly different forms:

kwenye kabati
- kwenye is a preposition like “in/at/on”.
- Very common and neutral: in the cupboard.
kabatini
- -ni is a locative ending.
- kabatini = in/at the cupboard.
- You could say: Soksi zangu ziko kabatini.
Just kabati (without kwenye or -ni) is unusual here unless there is strong context, or in very informal speech, but normally you use kwenye or -ni.

For a learner, kwenye kabati is a safe, natural choice meaning “in the cupboard”.

Do I need to say kabati langu to mean “in my cupboard”?

Only if you specifically want to express “my cupboard”.

kwenye kabati = in the cupboard (could be any cupboard)
kwenye kabati langu = in my cupboard (it’s your cupboard)

So:

Soksi zangu ziko kwenye kabati.
= My socks are in the cupboard.
Soksi zangu ziko kwenye kabati langu.
= My socks are in my cupboard.

Why do all the describing words come after the noun soksi?

In Swahili, most modifiers follow the noun they describe:

noun → possessive → “of” phrase → other modifiers

In this sentence:

soksi (socks)
zangu (my)
za zambarau (of purple)

So the order is: soksi zangu za zambarau
Literally: “socks my of purple” → my purple socks.

You don’t say zangu soksi or zambarau soksi in Swahili; the noun comes first.

Why does the verb start with zi- in ziko?

zi- is the subject marker for class 10 (plural N-class) nouns.

Subject markers (for simple present / “be” forms) agree with the noun class of the subject.
soksi (plural) is class 10 → subject marker is zi-

So:

soksi zangu ziko… = my socks are (located)…
(zi- for soksi
- -ko for location)

If it were singular (one sock):

soksi yangu iko kwenye kabati.
Here i- would be the subject marker for class 9 singular (iko).

Can I change the word order, like Kwenye kabati ziko soksi zangu za zambarau?

Yes, you can move the location phrase to the front for emphasis or style:

Soksi zangu za zambarau ziko kwenye kabati.
= neutral; just stating where they are.
Kwenye kabati ziko soksi zangu za zambarau.
= “In the cupboard are my purple socks.” (emphasis on in the cupboard)

The internal order of the noun phrase (soksi zangu za zambarau) stays the same, but as a whole it can move around in the sentence.