Wizi huo uliripotiwa mapema kwa polisi kituoni.

That theft was reported early to the police at the station.

Breakdown of Wizi huo uliripotiwa mapema kwa polisi kituoni.

• mapema: early
• kwa: to
• polisi: the police officer
• huo: that
• wizi: the theft
• kuripotiwa: to be reported
• kituoni: at the station

Questions & Answers about Wizi huo uliripotiwa mapema kwa polisi kituoni.

What does wizi huo literally mean, and why does huo come after wizi?

Wizi means theft/stealing (a noun), and huo is the demonstrative that referring back to something already known or mentioned.

So wizi huo is literally that theft (i.e. that particular theft we’re talking about).

In Swahili, the basic pattern is:

• noun + demonstrative

where English usually has:

• demonstrative + noun (that theft).

So:

• wizi huo = that theft
• mtu huyu = this person
• kitabu kile = that book (over there)

Why does the verb uliripotiwa start with u-?

The u- is the subject prefix that agrees with the noun wizi.

Swahili has noun classes. Wizi belongs to a class that takes u- as the subject prefix in the present and past:

• wizi → u- (subject prefix)
• uliripotiwa literally: u- (it) + -li- (past) + ripoti (report) + -w- (passive) + -a (final vowel).

So uliripotiwa means it was reported, where it refers to wizi huo.

How exactly is uliripotiwa formed, and what tense and voice is it?

Uliripotiwa is in the past tense and passive voice.

Breakdown:

• u- = subject prefix agreeing with wizi (it).
• -li- = simple past tense marker.
• ripoti = verb stem report.
• -w- = passive marker.
• -a = final vowel.

So:

• uliripotiwa = it was reported.

Compare:

• aliripoti wizi huo = he/she reported that theft (active).
• wizi huo uliripotiwa = that theft was reported (passive).

Why is the passive used here instead of an active sentence?

The passive allows the speaker to:

1. Emphasize the event, not the person who reported it.

   • Focus: the theft + the fact it was reported.

2. Leave the agent unspecified (maybe the reporter is unknown or unimportant).

   • English: The theft was reported early (to the police at the station).

If you wanted to mention who reported it, you could add na…:

• Wizi huo uliripotiwa mapema kwa polisi kituoni na majirani.
  That theft was reported early to the police at the station by the neighbors.

What does mapema do in this sentence, and could it go in a different position?

Mapema is an adverb meaning early.

In Wizi huo uliripotiwa mapema kwa polisi kituoni, it modifies uliripotiwa:

• was reported *early to the police at the station.*

You can usually move mapema around without changing the meaning much:

• Wizi huo mapema uliripotiwa kwa polisi kituoni.
• Mapema, wizi huo uliripotiwa kwa polisi kituoni.

All of these are understandable; the original position (after the verb) is very natural and common.

What does kwa mean in kwa polisi, and why not just say polisini?

In kwa polisi, the preposition kwa introduces the recipient of the action: to the police.

• kwa + person/people often means to or at someone (as a person/office):
  • nimeenda kwa daktari = I’ve gone to the doctor (to the doctor’s office).
  • alimpeleka mtoto kwa mwalimu = he took the child to the teacher.

So:

• kwa polisi = to the police (to the police as an institution / the officers).

Polisini (polisi + -ni) tends to emphasize the place (the police station) or the general institution, e.g.:

• amekwenda polisi / polisini = he has gone to the police (station).

You could say:

• …uliripotiwa mapema polisi / polisini.

That would also be understood, but kwa polisi focuses a bit more on to the police (officers) as recipient(s) of the report.

What is kituoni, and how is it different from kituo or kwenye kituo?

Kituo = station, stop, post (a place).
-ni is a common locative suffix meaning in/at/on.

So:

• kituo = station
• kituoni = at the station / in the station / at the post

This is similar in meaning to:

• kwenye kituo or katika kituo = at/in the station.

Differences:

• kituoni (with -ni) is very natural and compact.
• kwenye kituo / katika kituo are slightly more explicit, often used for clarity or emphasis, but here kituoni is perfectly normal and idiomatic.

Is kwa polisi kituoni one phrase, and can I change the word order?

In practice it functions as one larger phrase:

• kwa polisi kituoni ≈ to the police at the station.

You can think of it as:

• kwa polisi = to the police
• kituoni = at the station

together: to the police (who are) at the station.

You could say:

• kwa polisi kituoni (very natural)
• kwa polisi katika kituo (also understandable)
• kwa polisi wa kituoni (to the police of/at the station – less common, more specific)

Putting kituoni before kwa polisi (e.g. kituoni kwa polisi) would sound more like at the police station as a place belonging to the police, but the original word order is smoother for to the police at the station.

Could I drop huo or mapema? How would that change the meaning?

Yes, grammatically you can drop either one; it just affects nuance.

1. Dropping huo:

   • Wizi uliripotiwa mapema kwa polisi kituoni.
   • This now means simply the theft was reported early… without highlighting that it’s a specific, previously mentioned theft.
   • Wizi huo = that particular theft we’ve been talking about.
     Wizi alone = the theft (more general or first mention).

2. Dropping mapema:

   • Wizi huo uliripotiwa kwa polisi kituoni.
   • Now you lose the idea of early; you’re only saying that it was reported (at some time) to the police at the station.

Both versions are correct; you include huo and mapema if those details are important to your message.

How would you say the same idea in the active voice instead of passive?

Active versions must show who reported the theft. For example:

• Majirani waliripoti wizi huo mapema kwa polisi kituoni.
  The neighbors reported that theft early to the police at the station.

Structure:

• Majirani (subject) + wa- (subject prefix for they) + -li- (past) + ripoti (report)
  = waliripoti (they reported).

So the passive wizi huo uliripotiwa… becomes active by:

1. Making majirani (or any doer) the subject.
2. Changing the verb from passive (uliripotiwa) to active (waliripoti).
3. Keeping the rest of the sentence the same.