Ng’ombe wanapumzika malishoni mchana.

The cows rest at the grazing area in the afternoon.

Breakdown of Ng’ombe wanapumzika malishoni mchana.

• kupumzika: to rest
• mchana: in the afternoon
• malishoni: at pasture
• ng'ombe: the cow

Questions & Answers about Ng’ombe wanapumzika malishoni mchana.

What does Ng’ombe mean here, and does it mean “cow” or “cows”?

Ng’ombe can mean “cow” (singular) or “cows” (plural). The noun itself does not change form.

You know it is plural in this sentence because of the verb agreement:

• wa- in wanapumzika is the subject prefix for “they” / class 2 plural.
• So: Ng’ombe wanapumzika = The cows are resting.

If it were one cow, you would normally see:

• Ng’ombe anapumzika = The cow is resting.
  • a- = “he/she/it” (singular).

How do I pronounce Ng’ombe, and what is the apostrophe for?

In standard Swahili spelling:

• ng (without apostrophe) is usually pronounced as the “ng” in “sing” [ŋ].
• ng’ (with apostrophe), as in ng’ombe, is pronounced like “ng” + “g” (a nasal plus a hard g), roughly [ŋg].

So Ng’ombe is pronounced approximately [ngg-OM-beh], with:

• ng’ = [ŋg]
• stress typically on the first syllable: NG’OM-be.

What does wanapumzika literally consist of, and what does each part mean?

Wanapumzika can be broken down as:

• wa- = subject prefix for “they” (class 2 plural)
• -na- = present tense / present continuous marker
• pumzik- = verb root “to rest”
• -a = final vowel that marks normal verb form

So wa-na-pumzik-a ≈ “they are resting” or “they rest” (present-time, often continuous or general present).

Is -na- in wanapumzika the same as the English word “are”?

Not exactly. English uses a separate verb “to be” (am/are/is). Swahili usually doesn’t use a separate “be” in the present tense; instead, tense/aspect is shown inside the verb.

In wanapumzika:

• -na- marks present time, often read as “are …ing” or “do/does”.
• The idea of “are” is built into the whole verb form, not a separate word.

So:

• wanapumzika ≈ they are resting / they rest (right now or generally, depending on context).

Could I use a different form to show a more habitual meaning, like “Cows usually rest in the pasture at midday”?

Yes. A common way to show habitual or general truth is with the -hu- marker:

• Ng’ombe hupumzika malishoni mchana.

Here:

• hu- (instead of -na-) indicates habit, routine, or general fact.
• This sounds more like “Cows tend to / usually / generally rest in the pasture at midday.”

Your original sentence with -na-:

• Ng’ombe wanapumzika malishoni mchana.
  • Can be present continuous (are resting now) or just a neutral present; context decides.

What is the difference between malisho and malishoni?

• malisho = pasture / grazing land / fodder (a place or things where animals graze).
• malishoni = malisho + -ni.

The suffix -ni is a locative ending, roughly meaning “at / in / on”.

So:

• malisho = pasture(s) (as a noun).
• malishoni = in the pasture(s) / at the grazing area.

That’s why you don’t need a separate word for “in” here; it’s built into -ni.

Why isn’t there a separate word for “in” before malishoni?

Swahili often shows location by attaching -ni to a noun instead of using a separate preposition like “in” or “at”.

Examples:

• shule = school → shuleni = at school / in school
• nyumba = house → nyumbani = at home / in the house
• malisho = pasture → malishoni = in the pasture(s)

So the idea of “in” is expressed through the suffix -ni, not a separate word.

What exactly does mchana mean here—“noon,” “afternoon,” or “daytime”? Why no preposition like “at” or “during”?

Mchana is a time-of-day noun that broadly covers daytime, often understood as midday / afternoon.

In practice, depending on context it can mean:

• midday / noon-ish time
• the afternoon / daytime (as opposed to night)

In Swahili you can often use such time words without a preposition, and they translate as:

• mchana = at midday, in the daytime, during the afternoon, etc.

So malishoni mchana:

• literally: in the pasture(s) daytime
• natural English: in the pasture at noon / in the pasture during the day / in the pasture in the afternoon (context chooses the best).

What is the basic word order of this sentence, and could I move mchana to the front?

The default word order here is:

1. Subject: Ng’ombe
2. Verb: wanapumzika
3. Place: malishoni
4. Time: mchana

So it’s roughly S – V – Place – Time.

You can move mchana for emphasis or style:

• Mchana, ng’ombe wanapumzika malishoni.
  
  • Literally: During the day, cows rest in the pasture.

Meaning stays essentially the same; moving mchana to the front just highlights the time.

How would I change wanapumzika for different subjects (I, you, he/she, we, they)?

Using the same verb root pumzik- (“to rest”) in the same present (-na-) tense:

• Ninapumzika = I am resting / I rest
  • ni- = I
• Unapumzika = You (sing.) are resting / you rest
  • u- = you (sing.)
• Anapumzika = He/she/it is resting / rests
  • a- = he/she/it
• TUNApumzika = We are resting / we rest
  • tu- = we
• Mnapumzika = You (pl.) are resting / you (all) rest
  • m- = you (plural)
• WAnapumzika = They are resting / they rest
  • wa- = they

So your sentence uses wanapumzika because the subject (ng’ombe, understood as plural) is “they.”