Baada ya hotuba, kila mmoja atapewa nafasi fupi ya kuuliza swali au kutoa maoni.

After the speech, each person will be given a short chance to ask a question or give an opinion.

Breakdown of Baada ya hotuba, kila mmoja atapewa nafasi fupi ya kuuliza swali au kutoa maoni.

• kila: every
• au: or
• ya: of
• baada ya: after
• fupi: short
• swali: the question
• kuuliza: to ask
• kutoa: to give
• maoni: the opinion
• kupewa: to be given
• hotuba: the speech
• mmoja: one
• nafasi: the opportunity

Questions & Answers about Baada ya hotuba, kila mmoja atapewa nafasi fupi ya kuuliza swali au kutoa maoni.

In "Baada ya hotuba," what does baada ya mean, and why do we need ya there?

Baada ya means "after" (literally: "the after of").

• baada = after / afterwards
• ya = "of" (a possessive connector)

In Swahili, when baada is followed by a noun, it normally takes ya:

• baada ya kazi – after work
• baada ya chakula – after food / after the meal
• baada ya hotuba – after the speech

So ya links baada to the following noun, similar to saying "after the time of the speech."

What exactly does hotuba mean, and what kind of noun is it?

Hotuba means "speech" (a formal talk, address, or presentation).

• It is a class 9/10 noun.
• Singular and plural are often the same form:
  
  • hotuba (singular) – a speech
  • hotuba (plural) – speeches

You know it is singular here because of the context and because the English meaning given is "the speech."

Why is it kila mmoja and not kila mtu? Do they mean the same thing?

Both are very close in meaning:

• kila mtu – every person / everyone
• kila mmoja – each one (of them), each person

mmoja literally means "one", but here it functions like "each one".
Nuance:

• kila mtu sounds like “everyone” in general.
• kila mmoja suggests “each individual one”, often when the group is already known or clearly defined (e.g. everyone in the room, each participant).

Grammatically, both are treated as class 1 (human singular), so the verb uses the same a- subject prefix (as in atapewa).

How is atapewa formed, and what does it tell us about tense and voice?

atapewa is a future passive verb form.

Breakdown:

• a- = he/she/it (3rd person singular subject for class 1)
• -ta- = future tense marker
• -pew- = passive stem of -pa (to give)
• -a = final vowel

So atapewa literally = "he/she will be given".

In this sentence, the subject is kila mmoja (each person), so:
kila mmoja atapewa = each person will be given.

Why is the passive atapewa used instead of something active like mtu atapewa nafasi vs mtu atapewa? Who is doing the giving?

The passive is very natural here because:

• The focus is on what each person will receive (a chance),
• The giver (e.g. the organizer, the chairperson) is not important or is obvious from context.

In English we do the same:

• “Each person *will be given a short opportunity…”*

If we wanted an active sentence, we might say, e.g.:

• Mwenyekiti atawapa kila mmoja nafasi fupi… – The chairperson will give each person a short opportunity…

But in the original, the doer is left unspecified, so the passive is preferred.

What does nafasi mean here? Does it mean “space” or “chance”?

Nafasi can mean several things depending on context:

• physical space / room
• an opening / position (e.g. job vacancy)
• an opportunity / chance

In this sentence, nafasi fupi means a short opportunity (a short time slot or turn) to speak.
So it is not about physical space, but about time/opportunity.

Why is it nafasi fupi and not something like nafasi kidogo?

Both can exist, but they are not identical in nuance:

• nafasi fupi – a short opportunity (focus on length of time).
• nafasi kidogo – a small/limited amount of opportunity (focus on quantity/degree).

Here, the idea is that each person gets a brief time slot, so fupi (short) fits better.

Grammar note:

• nafasi is class 9/10, and fupi is an adjective that keeps the same form for all noun classes, so no special agreement change is visible: nafasi fupi.

Why do we have ya kuuliza after nafasi fupi? What is the function of ya here?

ya links nafasi to the verb in infinitive (kuuliza):

• nafasi ya kuuliza = "an opportunity to ask" (literally, "an opportunity of asking").

Structure:

• nafasi ya + ku-verb = opportunity/chance to do X
  
  • nafasi ya kusoma – chance to study
  • nafasi ya kuzungumza – chance to speak

So ya functions like a possessive/relational "of", connecting the noun nafasi with the action kuuliza (to ask).

What does kuuliza mean exactly, and is ku- always needed?

kuuliza is the infinitive form of the verb -uliza, meaning "to ask".

• ku- = infinitive prefix (“to …”)
• -uliza = ask

As a dictionary form or when the verb is acting like a noun (“asking”), you use ku-:

• Nataka kuuliza swali. – I want to ask a question.
• Nina nafasi ya kuuliza. – I have a chance to ask.

When you conjugate the verb for subject/tense, you drop the initial ku- and add prefixes:

• Ninauliza – I am asking
• Aliuliza – He/She asked

Why do we say kuuliza swali? Isn’t saying “ask a question” redundant in both English and Swahili?

It works in Swahili just like in English:

• kuuliza swali = to ask a question

Even if it feels a bit redundant, this is the normal expression. You can sometimes omit swali if the context is very clear, but kuuliza swali is the standard natural phrase when you explicitly mean “ask a question” (not just “ask” in general, e.g. ask for something).

What does kutoa maoni literally mean, and how is maoni used?

Literally:

• kutoa = to give / to take out / to issue
• maoni = opinions, views, comments

So kutoa maoni literally = “to give opinions”, and idiomatically = “to give a comment / to share your views”.

More notes:

• maoni is a class 6 plural noun (often treated as a plural meaning “opinions/views”), but frequently used in practice as a collective noun for “feedback/comments”.
• You often see it in phrases like:
  
  • Tafadhali toa maoni yako. – Please give your comment/feedback.
  • Tulipokea maoni mengi. – We received many comments/opinions.

Can au be replaced with ama here? Are au and ama the same?

In this sentence:

• … kuuliza swali au kutoa maoni – ask a question *or give a comment*,

you could also say:

• … kuuliza swali ama kutoa maoni.

In many modern contexts, au and ama both mean "or", and are often interchangeable.
Nuance (which is not very strong in everyday speech):

• au is the neutral, standard "or".
• ama can sometimes feel a bit more conversational, or it can introduce an alternative idea, but in this sentence there is no real difference in meaning.