Ni muhimu kukubali kosa lako.

It is important to accept your mistake.

Breakdown of Ni muhimu kukubali kosa lako.

• ni: to be
• muhimu: important
• kosa: the mistake
• lako: your
• kukubali: to accept

Questions & Answers about Ni muhimu kukubali kosa lako.

What does ni muhimu literally mean, and how is it used in Swahili?

Ni muhimu literally means “is important” or “it is important.”

• ni = is (the copula, linking subject and description)
• muhimu = important

Swahili often uses ni muhimu + infinitive verb to say “it is important to do X.”

So in the sentence Ni muhimu kukubali kosa lako, the structure is:

• Ni muhimu = It is important
• kukubali = to accept
  → It is important to accept…

Why is kukubali in this form and not something like unakubali?

Kukubali is the infinitive form of the verb kubali (to accept, admit).

• ku- at the beginning marks the infinitive: ku- + -kubali = kukubali
• Infinitive verbs in Swahili can act like nouns or gerunds (like “accepting” / “to accept” in English).

In structures like Ni muhimu kukubali…, Swahili prefers the infinitive:

• Ni muhimu kukubali kosa lako.
  → It is important to accept / accepting your mistake.

If you said Ni muhimu unakubali kosa lako, it sounds odd or ungrammatical; the infinitive is the natural choice here.

Where is the English “it” in this sentence? Why doesn’t Swahili say something like “Ina muhimu”?

Swahili does not need a separate “it” for sentences like “It is important…”

• Ni muhimu already functions as “It is important.”
• There is no pronoun “it” in the Swahili sentence; it’s just implied in the structure.

You do not say “Ina muhimu”. The correct pattern is:

• Ni muhimu kukubali kosa lako.
  → It is important to accept your mistake.

So the subject “it” in English is basically built into the Swahili structure ni muhimu.

What exactly does kukubali mean here? Is it “accept” or “admit”?

Kukubali generally means to accept, to agree to, or to admit.

In the context of kosa lako (your mistake), it can naturally be understood as:

• to accept your mistake,
• to admit your mistake,
• to acknowledge your mistake.

All of these are valid translations depending on context. English needs you to pick one, but Swahili kukubali kosa lako comfortably covers all those shades of meaning.

How is kosa lako built, and why is the possessive lako instead of yako?

Kosa lako is made of:

• kosa = mistake, error (a noun in noun class 5)
• -lako = your (2nd person singular), but with the -la- consonant because of agreement with class 5.

In Swahili, possessive adjectives (my, your, his, etc.) change form to agree with the noun class of what they describe.

• Class 5 (e.g. kosa) takes -l- in the possessive:
  
  • kosa langu = my mistake
  • kosa lako = your (singular) mistake
  • kosa lake = his/her mistake

Yako is the possessive form for class 9/10 nouns (like nyumba yako, safari yako).
Because kosa is class 5, you must use lako, not yako.

What is the difference between kosa lako and makosa yako?

The difference is singular vs. plural:

• kosa lako

  • kosa = mistake (singular, class 5)
  • lako = your (agreeing with class 5)
    → your mistake (one mistake, or spoken of as a single issue)

• makosa yako

  • makosa = mistakes (plural, class 6)
  • yako = your (agreeing with class 6)
    → your mistakes (more than one mistake, or in general)

So you could also say:

• Ni muhimu kukubali makosa yako.
  → It is important to accept your mistakes.

Both are correct; the choice depends on whether you’re talking about one mistake or mistakes in general.

Can I change the word order and say Kukubali kosa lako ni muhimu?

Yes.

Both:

• Ni muhimu kukubali kosa lako.
• Kukubali kosa lako ni muhimu.

are grammatically correct.

The difference is mostly emphasis:

• Ni muhimu kukubali kosa lako.
  → Slight focus on the importance (It is important [to do X]).
• Kukubali kosa lako ni muhimu.
  → Slight focus on the action (Accepting your mistake is important).

In many contexts they are interchangeable, and both sound natural.

Is there a tense in kukubali? Does this talk about now, the future, or in general?

The infinitive kukubali is not marked for tense.

The sentence Ni muhimu kukubali kosa lako is generally understood as a general truth or principle:

• It is (always / generally) important to accept your mistake.

If you needed a specific time, you’d usually change the structure, for example:

• Ni muhimu ulikubali kosa lako jana.
  → It is important that you accepted your mistake yesterday.

But as given, the sentence expresses a general statement, not tied to a specific time.

Could I say Ni muhimu kwamba unakubali kosa lako? Is that also correct?

Yes, that is possible, but it’s less common and a bit heavier in style.

• Ni muhimu kwamba unakubali kosa lako.
  → Literally: It is important that you accept your mistake.

Here you’re using a full finite clause (unakubali) introduced by kwamba (that).
Native speakers usually prefer the simpler infinitive structure:

• Ni muhimu kukubali kosa lako.

The infinitive version is more natural and idiomatic in everyday Swahili for this kind of statement.

What is the nuance of kosa? Does it mean a small mistake or something serious like a sin or crime?

Kosa is quite flexible in meaning. It can be:

• a mistake / error (small or big)
• a fault / wrong
• in some contexts, even an offence or sin

The exact nuance depends on context.

In everyday speech, kosa lako usually just means “your mistake” without automatically sounding very heavy or moralistic. If the context is moral or legal, kosa can carry that stronger sense as well.

In this sentence, it is naturally understood as:

• your mistake / what you did wrong.