Breakdown of Sentensi nilizoandika darasani jana ni fupi.
Questions & Answers about Sentensi nilizoandika darasani jana ni fupi.
Nilizoandika is one verb made of several parts stuck together:
- ni- = I (1st person singular subject marker)
- -li- = past tense marker ("did")
- -zo- = relative marker agreeing with sentensi (class 10 plural)
- -andika = write (verb root)
So nilizoandika literally has the sense of "I-PAST-RELATIVE-write", i.e. "that I wrote" or "which I wrote" referring back to the sentences.
Swahili does not need a separate word for "them" here.
The reference back to sentensi is contained in the relative marker -zo- inside nilizoandika.
- sentensi nilizoandika = the sentences that I wrote (them)
So -zo- plays the role of connecting the verb andika to the noun sentensi and makes it clear that those are the things written. There is no extra object pronoun like "them".
The choice of relative marker depends on the noun class and number of the noun being described:
- sentensi belongs to noun class 9/10 (the N-class for many loanwords and some animals/things).
- In the singular (class 9), the relative marker is -yo-.
- In the plural (class 10), the relative marker is -zo-.
Because in this sentence sentensi is understood as plural ("sentences"), the relative marker must be -zo-:
- Sentensi nilizoandika… = The sentences that I wrote…
- (Singular would be: Sentensi niliyoandika… = The sentence that I wrote…)
By form, sentensi is the same in singular and plural, because it is an N-class noun (class 9/10).
The clues that it is plural in this sentence are:
The relative marker inside the verb:
- nilizoandika uses -zo-, the plural relative marker for class 10.
- Singular would require -yo-: niliyoandika.
Natural interpretation: talking about sentences written in class is more naturally plural.
To force the idea of plural, you could also add a demonstrative or numeral, for example:
- Sentensi hizi nilizoandika… – these sentences that I wrote…
- Sentensi tatu nilizoandika… – the three sentences that I wrote…
But even without those, -zo- already signals plural.
Swahili often expresses "that/which/who" by using a relative marker inside the verb, not as a separate word.
In nilizoandika:
- -zo- is doing the job of English "that/which" and also agrees with the noun sentensi.
So:
- Sentensi nilizoandika… ≈ "The sentences that I wrote…"
The relative idea is built into the verb, so you do not need a separate word for "that" or "which".
Yes, that is also correct, but note the difference in structure:
Original (relative inside the verb)
- Sentensi nilizoandika darasani jana ni fupi.
- Verb: ni-li-zo-andika (relative marker -zo- is inside the verb).
- No separate ambazo.
Alternative (separate relative pronoun)
- Sentensi ambazo niliandika darasani jana ni fupi.
- Now you use ambazo as a separate relative pronoun agreeing with plural class 10.
- The verb becomes niliandika (just ni-li-andika, with no -zo-).
You should not combine both together (ambazo nilizoandika) in standard Swahili; you either:
- put the relative marker inside the verb (nilizoandika), or
- use ambazo and a normal verb (niliandika).
Ni here is the copula – it links the subject with a describing word, like "is/are" in English.
- Sentensi … ni fupi.
- ni = are (copula, same form for all persons and numbers)
- fupi = short
Swahili usually uses ni to link:
- Noun + ni + noun/adjective
- Amina ni mwalimu. – Amina is a teacher.
- Sentensi hizi ni fupi. – These sentences are short.
Unlike English "is/are", ni does not change with person or number. It’s always ni.
Adjectives in Swahili usually agree with the noun class, but for the N-class (9/10), the agreement often looks like no change in front of the adjective – the same form is used for both singular and plural.
- sentensi fupi – a short sentence
- sentensi fupi – short sentences
So even though sentensi is plural in the sentence, fupi stays the same. This is normal for many adjectives with N-class nouns:
- barua fupi – a short letter / short letters
- habari nzuri – good news (singular/plural form is the same)
Darasa = classroom / class (the noun).
Darasani = in class / in the classroom.
The ending -ni is a locative suffix. It often means:
- in/at/on the place named by the noun.
So:
- darasa (classroom)
- darasani (in the classroom / in class)
That’s why the sentence uses darasani – it answers where you wrote the sentences.
You could also use a preposition:
- kwenye darasa – in the classroom
but darasani is shorter and very common.
Yes. Time words like jana (yesterday) are quite flexible in Swahili.
The original:
- Sentensi nilizoandika darasani jana ni fupi.
Other natural options include:
- Jana niliziandika sentensi darasani, na ni fupi.
- Sentensi nilizoandika jana darasani ni fupi.
- Sentensi nilizoandika jana darasani ni fupi sana.
Two practical tips:
- Jana often comes near the verb it modifies.
- Try to keep the relative clause parts together so the sentence stays clear.
But grammatically, jana can move without changing the basic meaning.
You would need the singular relative marker for class 9 (-yo-) instead of the plural -zo-.
One natural version:
- Sentensi niliyoandika darasani jana ni fupi.
- sentensi – sentence (here understood as singular)
- niliyoandika – ni-li-yo-andika = I-PAST-RELATIVE-write (singular 9)
- darasani jana – in class yesterday
- ni fupi – is short
To make it clearly singular, you can also add moja:
- Sentensi moja niliyoandika darasani jana ni fupi. – The one sentence I wrote in class yesterday is short.
In Swahili, the subject is usually built into the verb as a subject marker, instead of being a separate word.
- ni- in nilizoandika already means "I".
- So nilizoandika literally encodes "I wrote" (with the relative marker inside).
You can add mimi for emphasis:
- Mimi nilizoandika sentensi darasani jana, na ni fupi.
– I (as opposed to someone else) am the one who wrote the sentences…
But in a neutral sentence, you normally do not say mimi; the ni- on the verb is enough.