Baba anafukuza mbuzi sokoni.

Father is chasing the goat at the market.

Breakdown of Baba anafukuza mbuzi sokoni.

• kwenye: at
• soko: the market
• baba: the father
• mbuzi: the goat

Questions & Answers about Baba anafukuza mbuzi sokoni.

What does each word in Baba anafukuza mbuzi sokoni mean literally?

Word‑by‑word:

• baba – father / dad
• anafukuza – he/she is chasing / driving away / driving along
• mbuzi – goat or goats
• sokoni – at the market / to the market

So a very literal breakdown is:

• baba = father
• a- = he/she
• -na- = present tense (now / usually)
• -fukuza = chase, drive away, drive (animals, people)
• mbuzi = goat(s)
• soko-ni = market + locative ending -ni (in/at/to the market)

Where is the English word is in this Swahili sentence?

Swahili does not use a separate word for is with normal verbs.
The idea of is is built into the verb form anafukuza:

• a- – subject: he/she
• -na- – present tense (often translated as is …‑ing)
• fukuza – verb root: chase, drive away

So anafukuza literally encodes he/she is chasing in one word. There is no extra word for is.

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