Vitabu vyenye picha viko kwenye meza.

The books with pictures are on the table.

Breakdown of Vitabu vyenye picha viko kwenye meza.

• kitabu: the book
• kuwa: to be
• meza: the table
• picha: the picture
• kwenye: on
• vyenye: that have

Questions & Answers about Vitabu vyenye picha viko kwenye meza.

What exactly does vyenye mean, and what is its role in this sentence?

Vyenye comes from the root -enye, which roughly means “having / that have”.

• Vitabu vyenye picha = books that have pictures / books with pictures
• So vyenye turns vitabu into “books which have …”, and picha tells us what they have.

Grammatically, vyenye is a kind of relative adjective that must agree with the noun class of the noun it describes.
Since vitabu is class 8 (plural of kitabu, class 7), -enye takes the class‑8 form vyenye.

Why is it vitabu and not kitabu?

Vitabu is the plural form of kitabu (book).

• kitabu = one book (class 7, ki-)
• vitabu = books (class 8, vi-)

In this sentence we are talking about more than one book, so the plural vitabu is used.

Why does vyenye start with vye-? How does agreement work here?

Swahili adjectives and relative forms must agree with the noun class of the noun they describe.

• Noun: vitabu (class 8, plural, vi-)
• Relative root: -enye (“having”)
• Class‑8 form of -enye: vyenye

So:

• kitabu chenye picha = a book with pictures (class 7, ki-/chi-)
• vitabu vyenye picha = books with pictures (class 8, vi-/vye-)

The vye- in vyenye shows that it is linked to a class‑8 plural noun.

Why is picha not changed for plural here? Shouldn’t it be something like mapicha?

Picha belongs to noun class 9/10, where singular and plural often look the same.

• picha = picture / pictures
• meza = table / tables
• ndizi = banana / bananas

So picha does not need an extra plural marker. The number is understood from context, or from the rest of the sentence.

In vitabu vyenye picha, the focus is on vitabu (books) being plural; picha just says what they have.

Why is it viko and not vina or vipo?

Swahili uses different “to be” verbs depending on meaning:

• vina – from -na, “they have” (class 8)
  
  • vitabu vina picha = the books have pictures
• vipo – from -po, “they are (at a specific place)
  - vitabu vipo hapa = the books are here (specific, definite place)
• viko – from -ko, “they are (somewhere / in this location)
  - vitabu viko kwenye meza = the books are on the table

In this sentence, viko is the locative “to be” for class 8, matching vitabu, and telling us where the books are.

Could I say vitabu vina picha instead of vitabu vyenye picha? What is the difference?

Yes, you can say:

• Vitabu vina picha. = The books have pictures.

The difference:

• vitabu vyenye picha = books with pictures / picture books (describes the type or characteristic of the books)
• vitabu vina picha = the books have pictures (states a fact about the books, like a separate sentence)

In vitabu vyenye picha viko kwenye meza, vyenye picha is an adjectival phrase describing what kind of books they are.

Could I also say vitabu vya picha? How is that different from vitabu vyenye picha?

Both are possible, but the nuance is slightly different:

• vitabu vyenye picha = books that have pictures / books with pictures
• vitabu vya picha = books of pictures, often understood as picture books (where pictures are the main content)

In many everyday contexts, they can overlap in meaning.
Vyenye picha focuses on “having pictures”, while vya picha often suggests “about pictures / consisting mainly of pictures”.

Why is it kwenye meza instead of mezani? Are they interchangeable?

Both can be used, but they behave slightly differently:

• kwenye meza – using the preposition kwenye (“on/at/in”):
  
  • viko kwenye meza = they are on the table
• mezani – using the locative suffix -ni on the noun:
  
  • viko mezani = they are at/on the table area

Often, kwenye meza and mezani are close in meaning and both natural.
Kwenye is a very common, general preposition; -ni is more grammatical/locative and sometimes a bit more compact or idiomatic depending on the noun.

What exactly does kwenye mean, and can I replace it with other words?

Kwenye is a general preposition meaning roughly “in / on / at” depending on context.

You can often replace kwenye with:

• katika – “in / within” (a bit more formal or neutral)
• juu ya – “on top of” (literally “on top of”)
  
  • viko juu ya meza = they are on top of the table

In this sentence, kwenye meza is natural and everyday for “on the table”.

How would the sentence change if I talked about just one book instead of several?

For a single book, you need singular forms that agree with kitabu (class 7):

• Kitabu chenye picha kiko kwenye meza.
  
  • kitabu – one book
  • chenye – class 7 form of -enye (having)
  • kiko – class 7 locative “to be” (is located)

So:

• Vitabu vyenye picha viko kwenye meza. = The books with pictures are on the table.
• Kitabu chenye picha kiko kwenye meza. = The book with pictures is on the table.

How would I make this sentence negative?

Two common ways:

1. Negate the existence at the location:

   • Hakuna vitabu vyenye picha kwenye meza.
     = There are no books with pictures on the table.

2. Negate the verb “to be (located)” with agreement:

   • Vitabu vyenye picha haviko kwenye meza.
     = The books with pictures are not on the table.

The first is more general (“there aren’t any there”), the second negates where the specific books are.

Where is the English verb “are” in this sentence?

The English verb “are” is expressed by viko.

• viko = are (located), for class‑8 nouns (like vitabu) in the present tense.

So literally:

• Vitabu vyenye picha viko kwenye meza.
  ≈ Books with pictures are on the table.

Swahili doesn’t always need a separate word like “are”; it is often built into a verb form like viko, viko hapa, viko shuleni, etc.