Je, unaweza kubisha mlango wa mwalimu?

Can you knock on the teacher’s door?

Breakdown of Je, unaweza kubisha mlango wa mwalimu?

• je: do
• mwalimu: the teacher
• wa: of
• kuweza: to be able
• mlango: the door
• kubisha: to knock

Questions & Answers about Je, unaweza kubisha mlango wa mwalimu?

What does Je at the beginning do, and is it always necessary?

Je is a yes/no question marker placed at the beginning of a sentence.

• It tells the listener that what follows is a question that expects yes or no.
• It does not change the tense or meaning of the rest of the sentence; it only marks it as a question.

You can also ask the same question without Je just by using a questioning intonation:

• Je, unaweza kubisha mlango wa mwalimu?
• Unaweza kubisha mlango wa mwalimu?

Both are correct. Using Je is slightly more explicit and a bit more formal/clear, especially in writing, but not strictly required in everyday speech.

How is unaweza formed, and what exactly does it mean?

Unaweza comes from the verb -weza (to be able, can), with subject and tense markers added:

• u- = you (2nd person singular subject prefix)
• -na- = present tense marker (now / generally / currently)
• -weza = verb root (be able, can)

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

Other common forms:

• ninaweza – I can
• anaweza – he/she can
• mnaweza – you (plural) can
• wanaweza – they can

In this sentence, unaweza is being used not only for ability but also as a polite request, similarly to English “Can you…?”.

Why is it unaweza kubisha and not unabisha?

Swahili uses a structure very similar to English “can knock”:

• unaweza kubisha = you can knock / are able to knock
  
  • unaweza – you can / you are able
  • kubisha – to knock (infinitive form)

If you said unabisha mlango, that would mean:

• unabisha mlango = you are knocking on the door / you knock on the door (habitually)

So:

• unaweza kubisha mlango wa mwalimu? – Can you knock on the teacher’s door? (ability / polite request)
• unabisha mlango wa mwalimu – You knock / you are knocking on the teacher’s door. (describing an action)

In requests, (subject) + unaweza + infinitive is very common and natural.

Why is kubisha used, and what form is it?

Kubisha is the infinitive form of the verb -bisha (to knock).

• The ku- at the beginning is the infinitive marker, like “to” in English to knock.
• After a modal-like verb such as unaweza, Swahili normally uses the infinitive:
  • unaweza kubisha – you can knock
  • unaweza kuja – you can come
  • unaweza kusema – you can speak

So kubisha here functions just like “to knock” after “can” in English.

Where is the word “on” in “knock on the door”? Why isn’t there a preposition?

Swahili often doesn’t use a separate preposition where English does.

For bisha mlango:

• bisha = knock
• mlango = door

Together, they cover the meaning “knock on the door”. The idea of “on” is understood from the verb bisha.

You could say bisha juu ya mlango literally (knock on top of the door), but that sounds strange for the normal meaning. The natural, idiomatic way is just:

• bisha mlango – knock on the door

What does mlango wa mwalimu literally mean, and why is it in that order?

Mlango wa mwalimu literally means “door of (the) teacher”, which corresponds to English “the teacher’s door”.

Structure:

• mlango – door
• wa – of (possessive connector for this noun class)
• mwalimu – teacher

Swahili normally expresses possession as “X of Y”:

• kitabu cha mwalimu – the teacher’s book (book of teacher)
• rafiki wa mtoto – the child’s friend (friend of child)
• mlango wa mwalimu – the teacher’s door (door of teacher)

So you must keep this order [thing owned] + [possessive] + [owner].

Why is it wa mwalimu and not ya mwalimu or some other word?

The choice of wa/ya/cha/la/za etc. depends on the noun class of the thing being owned.

• mlango belongs to noun class 3/4 (m-/mi-).
• The possessive connector for class 3 (singular) is wa.

So:

• mlango wa mwalimu – the teacher’s door
• milango ya mwalimu – the teacher’s doors (plural: milango is class 4, which takes ya)

Compare with other classes:

• kitabu cha mwalimu – the teacher’s book (kitabu is class 7, so cha)
• vitabu vya mwalimu – the teacher’s books (vitabu is class 8, so vya)

In this sentence, wa is correct because mlango is singular class 3.

Is this sentence polite? How would I make it sound more like “Could you please knock on the teacher’s door?”

Je, unaweza kubisha mlango wa mwalimu? is already reasonably polite, similar to English “Can you knock on the teacher’s door?” used as a request.

To make it more polite, you can:

1. Add tafadhali (please):

   • Je, unaweza kubisha mlango wa mwalimu, tafadhali?
   • Or: Tafadhali, unaweza kubisha mlango wa mwalimu?

2. Use a conditional form, like “could you”:

   • Je, ungeweza kubisha mlango wa mwalimu? – Could you knock on the teacher’s door?
   • Even more polite: Je, ungeweza kubisha mlango wa mwalimu, tafadhali?

In everyday conversation, Je, unaweza…? with or without tafadhali is perfectly acceptable and sounds courteous.

How would I turn this into a direct command like “Knock on the teacher’s door”?

For a direct command in Swahili, use the imperative form of the verb:

• Bisha mlango wa mwalimu. – Knock on the teacher’s door. (speaking to one person)
• Bisheni mlango wa mwalimu. – Knock on the teacher’s door. (speaking to more than one person)

You can soften the command with tafadhali:

• Tafadhali, bisha mlango wa mwalimu.
• Tafadhali, bisheni mlango wa mwalimu.

How would I say “Can you (plural) knock on the teacher’s door?”

To address more than one person, change the subject prefix from u- (you singular) to m- (you plural):

• Je, mnaweza kubisha mlango wa mwalimu? – Can you (all) knock on the teacher’s door?

Breakdown:

• m- – you (plural)
• -na- – present tense
• -weza – be able / can

So:

• unaweza – you (singular) can
• mnaweza – you (plural) can

How would I say this in the negative, like “Can’t you knock on the teacher’s door?” or “You can’t knock on the teacher’s door”?

For “you cannot / you can’t” (singular), the negative of unaweza is huwezi:

• Huwezi kubisha mlango wa mwalimu. – You can’t knock on the teacher’s door.

As a yes/no question:

• Je, huwezi kubisha mlango wa mwalimu? – Can’t you knock on the teacher’s door? (might sound like complaining/surprised, similar to English)

For the plural:

• Hamwezi kubisha mlango wa mwalimu. – You (plural) can’t knock on the teacher’s door.
• Je, hamwezi kubisha mlango wa mwalimu? – Can’t you (all) knock on the teacher’s door?

If the teacher is female, does mwalimu change?

No. Mwalimu is gender‑neutral in Swahili; it can refer to a male or female teacher.

If you need to make the gender explicit (for example, in explanation or clarification), you can add extra words:

• mwalimu wa kike – female teacher
• mwalimu wa kiume – male teacher

But in normal conversation, mwalimu alone is enough, and mlango wa mwalimu works for both male and female teachers.