Mwalimu anasema unaweza kuuliza swali lolote darasani.

The teacher says you can ask any question in class.

Breakdown of Mwalimu anasema unaweza kuuliza swali lolote darasani.

• mwalimu: the teacher
• kuweza: to be able
• kusema: to say
• swali: the question
• kuuliza: to ask
• darasani: in the classroom
• lolote: any

Questions & Answers about Mwalimu anasema unaweza kuuliza swali lolote darasani.

In Mwalimu anasema, what does anasema literally mean, and is it “says” or “is saying”?

Anasema comes from the verb kusema (to say, to speak).

It breaks down like this:

• a- = he/she (3rd person singular subject prefix)
• -na- = present tense marker
• -sema = verb stem “say”

So anasema literally means “he/she says / is saying.”

Swahili’s -na- present is flexible; it can be translated as:

• “says” (present simple) – The teacher says…
• “is saying” (present continuous) – The teacher is saying…

In a sentence like Mwalimu anasema unaweza…, English normally uses “says,” but “is saying” would also be possible depending on context.

Where is the word “you” in unaweza kuuliza, and why isn’t wewe used?

In Swahili, the subject pronoun is usually built into the verb, so you don’t need to say wewe (you) unless you want to emphasize it.

Unaweza breaks down as:

• u- = you (second person singular subject prefix)
• -na- = present tense marker
• -weza = verb stem “be able, can”

So unaweza already means “you can / you are able to.”
Adding wewe would make it emphatic:

• Wewe unaweza kuuliza… = You (in particular) can ask…

Why does unaweza kuuliza have two verbs in a row – how does this express “you can ask”?

Swahili often uses a structure [“can / be able to” verb] + [main verb in infinitive].

Here:

• unaweza = you can / you are able
• kuuliza = to ask

Together, unaweza kuuliza literally means “you are able to ask”, which is how Swahili expresses “you can ask.”

This is similar to English “can speak,” “can go,” etc., but in Swahili the verb kuweza (to be able) is a full verb and is followed by another verb in the infinitive (ku- + stem).

Why is there a double u in kuuliza?

The verb kuuliza is made from:

• ku- = infinitive marker (“to”)
• uliza = verb stem “ask”

When you put ku- in front of uliza, you get kuuliza. The u at the end of ku- and the u at the start of uliza meet, and in standard spelling both are kept, giving kuu-.

So:

• ku-
  • uliza → kuuliza = “to ask”

What does unaweza on its own mean, and how is it formed?

Unaweza comes from kuweza (to be able, can).

It breaks down as:

• u- = you (2nd person singular)
• -na- = present tense
• -weza = be able

So unaweza literally means “you are able (to)” or “you can.”

If you changed the subject:

• naweza = I can
• anaweza = he/she can
• tunaweza = we can
• mnaweza = you (plural) can
• wanaweza = they can

Why is it swali lolote and not swali yoyote for “any question”?

In Swahili, adjectives have to agree with the noun class of the noun they describe.

• Swali (question) is in noun class 5 (singular), with plural maswali (class 6).
• The basic adjective meaning “all / any (at all)” is -ote.

The form of -ote changes depending on the noun class:

• Class 5 (like swali) uses the agreement form lo-, so:
  • swali lolote = any question (at all)

Class 9/10 nouns (like habari, safari) use yo- → yoyote, but swali is not in that class.

So:

• swali lolote = correct agreement
• swali yoyote = ungrammatical for standard Swahili

Is swali singular? Why doesn’t the sentence say “any questions” (plural) like in English?

Yes, swali is singular (question), and the plural is maswali (questions).

Swahili can happily use a singular with lolote to convey the idea of “any… (in general)”:

• swali lolote = “any question,” with the sense “any question at all.”

This covers the same idea English often expresses with the plural:

• You can ask any questions in class.

You could also say:

• Mwalimu anasema unaweza kuuliza maswali yoyote darasani.
  (The teacher says you can ask any questions in class.)

But the original sentence with singular is completely natural Swahili.

What exactly does lolote mean, and is there a nuance to it?

Lolote is the class-5 form of the adjective -ote, which carries meanings like:

• any (at all)
• whichever
• all (in some contexts, depending on the construction)

With a singular noun like swali, swali lolote usually means:

• “any question at all, no matter which one.”

It often implies no restriction:

• Not just a particular type of question, but any you might think of.

What does darasani mean exactly, and how is it formed from darasa?

• Darasa = class, classroom
• The suffix -ni is a locative ending meaning “in/at/on.”

When you add -ni:

• darasa → darasani = “in (the) class / in the classroom.”

So darasani already contains the idea of “in,” and you normally don’t need to add a separate preposition like katika or ndani ya unless you want a special emphasis.

Can the word order change? For example, can I say Mwalimu anasema darasani unaweza kuuliza swali lolote?

Yes, Swahili word order is somewhat flexible, especially for adverbials like darasani.

All of these are grammatical, with only slight differences in emphasis:

• Mwalimu anasema unaweza kuuliza swali lolote darasani.
  (neutral, very natural: “…any question in class.”)

• Mwalimu anasema darasani unaweza kuuliza swali lolote.
  (puts a bit more emphasis on in class – “In class, you can ask any question.”)

• Darasani, mwalimu anasema unaweza kuuliza swali lolote.
  (strong initial focus on the location: “In class, the teacher says you can ask any question.”)

But keep the verb cluster together:

• unaweza kuuliza should not be split in unnatural ways.

Could we add kwamba after anasema? What would Mwalimu anasema kwamba unaweza kuuliza… mean?

Yes, you can add kwamba, which is like English “that” in reported speech.

• Mwalimu anasema unaweza kuuliza swali lolote darasani.
• Mwalimu anasema kwamba unaweza kuuliza swali lolote darasani.

Both mean:

• The teacher says (that) you can ask any question in class.

In everyday speech, kwamba is often omitted when the meaning is clear, just like English often drops “that”:

• He says (that) you can come.
  Swahili behaves similarly with anasema (kwamba)…