Learn Hardcore Swahili: Kabla hujafunga kitabu, angalia mstari wa mwisho na uandike nusu sentensi tena kama zoezi. - Before you close the book, look at the last line and write half a sentence again as an exercise.

Kabla hujafunga kitabu, angalia mstari wa mwisho na uandike nusu sentensi tena kama zoezi.

Before you close the book, look at the last line and write half a sentence again as an exercise.

Breakdown of Kabla hujafunga kitabu, angalia mstari wa mwisho na uandike nusu sentensi tena kama zoezi.

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Questions & Answers about Kabla hujafunga kitabu, angalia mstari wa mwisho na uandike nusu sentensi tena kama zoezi.

Why does the sentence use hujafunga after kabla instead of something like umefunga or kabla ya kufunga kitabu?

In Swahili, kabla often takes a negative perfect verb to express “before (someone) does X”.

hujafunga literally = you have not closed
- hu- = you (singular)
- -ja- = negative perfect marker
- -funga = to close

So kabla hujafunga kitabu is literally before you have not closed the book, but idiomatically it means before you close the book.

You could also say:

kabla ya kufunga kitabu = before closing the book

Both are correct. The pattern kabla + [negative perfect] with a subject is very common in natural Swahili, especially in spoken language and everyday instructions.

What exactly does hujafunga mean on its own?

Outside of the kabla construction:

hujafunga normally means you have not closed (something).
- It is the negative present perfect of kufunga with you (singular).

Compare:

umefunga = you have closed
hujafunga = you have not closed

In the sentence with kabla, that same negative perfect form takes on the idiomatic before you close meaning.

Why is angalia used here? Is there any difference between angalia and tazama?

Both angalia and tazama can mean look.

angalia:
- often means look, pay attention to, check
- has a sense of examining or paying attention
tazama:
- often means look at, watch (e.g. watching TV, looking at something visually)

In this context, angalia mstari wa mwisho suggests:

check / pay attention to the last line, which fits the idea of checking your work or focusing on a specific part of the text.

Tazama mstari wa mwisho would still be understandable, but angalia is more natural for check the last line as an instruction or exercise.

How does mstari wa mwisho work grammatically, and why do we need wa?

mstari wa mwisho breaks down as:

mstari = line (of text)
wa = of (genitive connector for class 3/4 or 11/10, and some others)
mwisho = end / last

So mstari wa mwisho literally = line of last, i.e. the last line.

In Swahili, you often join two nouns with a possessive/genitive connector like wa, ya, la, cha, etc., depending on the noun class. Here:

mstari belongs to noun class 3 (m-/mi-)
Class 3 uses wa as the connector
So: mstari wa mwisho (last line), mstari wa kwanza (first line)

Why is it na uandike and not just na andika for the second command?

Swahili often links multiple instructions using na + [subjunctive] for the later actions.

angalia = look (imperative)
uandike = that you write (subjunctive with u- = you)

So angalia … na uandike … is like saying look at … and (then) write ….

Why not na andika?

andika on its own is also an imperative (write!).
But when combining actions, it is very common (and more natural) to use:
- [imperative] … na u-…-e (subjunctive) for the next clause.

Examples:

Nenda dukani na ununue mkate.
Go to the shop and buy bread.
Soma sentensi na uijibu.
Read the sentence and answer it.

So na uandike follows this typical pattern of chaining commands politely and smoothly.

What form is uandike, and why is it used instead of something like unaandika?

uandike is the subjunctive form of kuandika (to write) with you (singular):

u- = you (subject)
-andik- = write
-e = subjunctive ending

The subjunctive is used:

for polite or soft commands
after certain linking words like ili, kwa sababu, na (when chaining actions), etc.

unaandika would be you are writing / you write (present tense), not appropriate for an instruction. Here we need a command-like form, so uandike is correct.

Why is it nusu sentensi and not half of a sentence in Swahili word order?

In Swahili, it is normal for the quantity or part word to come before the noun it measures:

nusu sentensi = half (a) sentence
nusu saa = half an hour
robo kilo = quarter of a kilo
sehemu ya sentensi = part of a sentence

You can also say nusu ya sentensi, which is literally half of the sentence, but:

nusu sentensi is shorter and natural here, especially in instructions.
The English pattern half a sentence maps quite neatly to nusu sentensi.

What does tena mean here, and does it always mean again?

In this sentence:

tena = again

So uandike nusu sentensi tena = write half a sentence again.

Other common uses of tena:

again:
- Fanya zoezi hili tena. = Do this exercise again.
also / in addition / furthermore:
- Ni mzuri tena ni mchapakazi. = He/she is good and also hardworking.
(not) at all in negative sentences (emphatic):
- Sisemi tena. = I will not say anything more / I won’t say it again.
- Situmii simu tena. = I don’t use the phone anymore.

Context tells you which meaning is intended. In your sentence, again is clearly the intended meaning.

How should I understand kama zoezi? Why not kama mazoezi?

kama zoezi literally means as an exercise:

kama = like / as
zoezi (class 5/6) = exercise
mazoezi = exercises (plural) or practice / training in a more general sense

So … tena kama zoezi = … again as an exercise (one exercise or as an exercise-type activity).

kama mazoezi would sound more like as practice / as training, which might be used in a more general context:

Fanya hivi kila siku kama mazoezi. = Do this every day as practice.

Here, focusing on the single task as an exercise makes kama zoezi more natural.

Could the word order be changed, for example putting kabla hujafunga kitabu at the end?

Yes, Swahili word order is fairly flexible for clauses like this, as long as the grammatical relationships stay clear.

Possible variations:

Original:
- Kabla hujafunga kitabu, angalia mstari wa mwisho na uandike nusu sentensi tena kama zoezi.
Main clause first, kabla clause second:
- Angalia mstari wa mwisho na uandike nusu sentensi tena kama zoezi kabla hujafunga kitabu.

They are both understandable. The original order (starting with Kabla…) puts emphasis on the condition before you close the book: do these things.

In instructions, beginning with Kabla… is very common because it highlights the precondition before the main action.

Why is there no word for you in the sentence? How do we know you is the subject?

Swahili usually does not need separate subject pronouns like wewe (you) because the subject is built into the verb.

Look at the verbs:

hujafunga
- hu- = you (singular)
angalia
- imperative form assumes you as the subject
uandike
- u- = you (singular) in the subjunctive

So all the verbs clearly refer to you. Adding wewe is possible for emphasis:

Kabla wewe hujafunga kitabu, angalia mstari wa mwisho…

But normally you just use the verb forms.

If I want to say before closing the book without saying you, how would I do it?

The most natural way is to use kabla ya + infinitive:

Kabla ya kufunga kitabu, angalia mstari wa mwisho na uandike nusu sentensi tena kama zoezi.
- kufunga = to close

This version sounds slightly more general and less directly addressed to you, although the rest of the sentence still uses you (uandike). If you wanted the whole sentence in a neutral, impersonal style, you might change the second part too, for example:

Kabla ya kufunga kitabu, angalia mstari wa mwisho na uandike tena nusu sentensi kama zoezi.

In everyday teaching or instruction, though, the original kabla hujafunga kitabu is very natural.