Baba anavaa shati la mikono mirefu kazini kila siku kwa sababu ya kanuni za ofisi.

Father wears a long-sleeved shirt at work every day because of the office rules.

Breakdown of Baba anavaa shati la mikono mirefu kazini kila siku kwa sababu ya kanuni za ofisi.

• kwenye: at
• kazi: the work
• kila: every
• siku: the day
• baba: the father
• shati: the shirt
• kuvaa: to wear
• za: of
• la: of
• kwa sababu ya: because of
• mrefu: long
• ofisi: the office
• kanuni: the rule
• mkono: the sleeve

Questions & Answers about Baba anavaa shati la mikono mirefu kazini kila siku kwa sababu ya kanuni za ofisi.

Why is there no word for he before anavaa? In English we say He wears..., but in Swahili it just starts with anavaa.

In Swahili, the subject is usually built into the verb, so you don’t normally add a separate pronoun.

• a- at the beginning of anavaa already means he / she.
• So anavaa = a- (he/she) + -na- (present tense) + -vaa (wear).

You would only add yeye (he/she) for emphasis or contrast, e.g. Yeye anavaa shati... (He wears a shirt... (as opposed to others)).

What exactly does anavaa mean, and how is it formed?

Anavaa comes from the verb kuvaa (to wear, to put on clothes).

It is formed as:

• a- = 3rd person singular subject marker (he/she)
• -na- = present tense marker (roughly “is/does” in the present)
• -vaa = verb stem “wear”

So anavaa means he/she is wearing or he/she wears (present time, often including habitual sense from context).

If it’s something he does every day, could I also say Baba huvaa shati la mikono mirefu... instead of anavaa?

Yes, you can, and the nuance changes slightly.

• Baba anavaa... – neutral present: he wears / is wearing (context tells us it’s a habit).
• Baba huvaa... – specifically habitual: he usually/always wears.

hu- (with no subject prefix) is used to express general or habitual actions. So Baba huvaa shati la mikono mirefu kazini kila siku emphasizes that it’s his regular habit.

Why is it shati la mikono mirefu instead of something like shati mikono mirefu?

In Swahili, when you say “X of Y”, you normally use a connector that agrees with the noun class of X.

• shati (shirt) is in noun class 5.
• The class 5 connector for of is la (singular).
• So shati la mikono mirefu literally = shirt of long sleeves → “a long-sleeved shirt”.

Leaving out la (saying shati mikono mirefu) would be ungrammatical in standard Swahili.

Why is the connector la and not ya or za in shati la mikono mirefu?

Because the connector agrees with shati, not with mikono.

• shati is class 5 (ji-/li-), singular.
• The class 5 singular connector is la.
• ya is used with some other classes (e.g. class 9/10 singular).
• za is used with class 9/10 plural, among others.

So:

• shati la mikono mirefu – class 5 singular → la
• If we had a class 9 noun, we might see ya or za, e.g. siku ya kazi (workday), kanuni za ofisi (rules of the office).

Does mikono not mean hands? How does it end up meaning sleeves here?

Literally, mkono = hand / arm, and mikono = hands / arms (plural).

By extension, mkono wa shati (literally arm/hand of the shirt) is understood as sleeve, and mikono ya shati as sleeves. In shati la mikono mirefu, context makes it clear that we’re talking about sleeves, not literal human arms.

So shati la mikono mirefu is idiomatic Swahili for a long‑sleeved shirt.

Why is it mirefu and not mrefu in mikono mirefu?

Adjectives in Swahili agree with the noun class and number of the noun they describe.

• mkono (singular) is class 3 (m-/mi-), and its adjective would be mrefu (a long arm/hand).
• mikono (plural) is class 4 (also m-/mi-), and the plural adjective form is mirefu.

So:

• mkono mrefu = a long arm/hand
• mikono mirefu = long arms/hands/sleeves (plural)

That’s why mirefu is used here: it matches plural mikono.

What does kazini mean exactly, and why is there a -ni at the end?

Kazini is kazi (work, job) plus the locative suffix -ni.

• kazi = work
• -ni (locative) = at/in/on (depending on the noun)

So kazini = at work or in the workplace. It functions like a prepositional phrase in English but is formed as one word in Swahili.

Could I move kazini or kila siku to different positions in the sentence?

Yes, Swahili word order for adverbials (time, place, reason) is fairly flexible, as long as the meaning stays clear.

For example:

• Baba anavaa shati la mikono mirefu kazini kila siku kwa sababu ya kanuni za ofisi.
• Baba anavaa shati la mikono mirefu kila siku kazini kwa sababu ya kanuni za ofisi.
• Kila siku, Baba anavaa shati la mikono mirefu kazini kwa sababu ya kanuni za ofisi.

All of these are acceptable. The default is usually: subject – verb – object – (place) – (time) – (reason), but you can shift time expressions like kila siku for emphasis.

What is the function of kwa sababu ya here, and how is it different from just kwa sababu?

Kwa sababu ya literally means because of and is followed by a noun phrase.

• kwa = by/with/because of (in many idioms)
• sababu = reason
• ya = of (connector agreeing with sababu)

So:

• kwa sababu ya kanuni za ofisi = because of the office rules.

Compare:

• alichelewa kwa sababu aliumwa = he was late because he was sick (followed by a clause).
• alichelewa kwa sababu ya ugonjwa = he was late because of illness (followed by a noun).

What does kanuni mean, and is it singular or plural here?

Kanuni means rule, regulation, principle, or standard. It belongs to noun class 9/10, where the singular and plural forms are often identical.

• one rule: kanuni
• several rules: kanuni (same form)

In this sentence, kanuni za ofisi uses the connector za, which is used with plural nouns of this class. That tells us kanuni is being used in the plural sense here: office rules/regulations.

Why is it kanuni za ofisi and not kanuni ya ofisi?

Because za is the plural connector, and the speaker is talking about rules (more than one).

• Class 9/10 singular connector: ya → kanuni ya ofisi would be the rule of the office (one rule).
• Class 9/10 plural connector: za → kanuni za ofisi = the rules of the office.

So za shows that kanuni is plural in meaning here.

Is there any word in the sentence that corresponds to the in English, like the shirt, the office?

No. Swahili does not use separate words for a/an and the the way English does.

• shati can mean a shirt or the shirt, depending on context.
• ofisi can mean an office or the office.

Definiteness (whether something is specific) is usually understood from context, word order, or previous mention, not from a special article word.

Does Baba mean father, my father, or Dad here? And why isn’t it Baba yangu?

Baba literally means father. In many real-life contexts, when you say Baba on its own, it is understood from context as my father / Dad, especially when you’re talking about your own family.

• Baba – can be father, Dad, or sometimes a respectful form of address to an older man.
• Baba yangu – explicitly my father.
• Baba yangu anavaa... would make it crystal clear you mean “my dad”.

In this example sentence (as in many textbook examples), Baba is naturally interpreted as Dad / the father, even though yangu is not stated.