Questions & Answers about Nimesoma robo ya kitabu hiki leo.
What does the ni- at the beginning of Nimesoma mean?
The prefix ni- is the subject marker for “I” (first person singular).
So:
- ni- = I
- -me- = perfect tense marker (completed action with present relevance)
- soma = to read / to study
Together, nimesoma literally builds up as “I–have–read / I–have–studied.”
What does the -me- in Nimesoma express, and how is it different from other tenses like -na- or -li-?
The infix -me- marks the perfect / completed aspect, often with a sense of present relevance. In many contexts it corresponds to English “have done”:
- Nimesoma – I have read / I have studied (and the result is relevant now).
Compared to other common tense markers:
- -na-: Ninasoma = I am reading / I read (habitually, or right now depending on context).
- -li-: Nilisoma = I read / I studied (simple past, seen as completed in the past without necessarily stressing a result now).
So Nimesoma robo ya kitabu hiki leo suggests “By now today, I have reached a quarter of this book.”
But in English we say “I have read…”. Why is there no separate word for “have” in Nimesoma robo ya kitabu hiki leo?