Watoto wanapenda kutania wenzao wakati wa mapumziko.

to like

Breakdown of Watoto wanapenda kutania wenzao wakati wa mapumziko.

• wakati: the time
• mtoto: the child
• wa: of

Questions & Answers about Watoto wanapenda kutania wenzao wakati wa mapumziko.

What is the basic word order in this sentence, and is it similar to English?

The word order is Subject – Verb – (Verb/Infinitive) – Object – Time expression, which is close to English:

• Watoto – children (subject)
• wanapenda – like (verb)
• kutania – to tease / teasing (infinitive verb functioning like an object)
• wenzao – their peers/friends (object of kutania)
• wakati wa mapumziko – during break time (time expression)

So structurally it is similar to English “Children like to tease their friends during break time.”
The main difference is that tense and subject are built into the verb form (wanapenda), rather than using a separate word like they + like.

What exactly does wanapenda mean, and how is it built?