Mlango wa dharura hufunguliwa tu wakati wa hatari.

The emergency door is opened only during danger.

Breakdown of Mlango wa dharura hufunguliwa tu wakati wa hatari.

• hatari: the danger
• tu: only
• wakati wa: during
• kufunguliwa: to be opened
• mlango wa dharura: the emergency door

Questions & Answers about Mlango wa dharura hufunguliwa tu wakati wa hatari.

What does wa mean in mlango wa dharura and wakati wa hatari? Why is it used twice?

Wa is a genitive connector, often translated as of in English. It links two nouns together:

• mlango wa dharura = door of emergency → emergency door
• wakati wa hatari = time of danger → time of danger / in times of danger

So:

• mlango (door) + wa
  • dharura (emergency)
• wakati (time) + wa
  • hatari (danger)

You see wa twice because there are two noun–noun relationships in the sentence:

1. emergency door
2. time of danger

In both, wa plays the same role: it links the first noun to the second noun, showing a relationship similar to English of or an English noun compound (emergency door, dangerous time).

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Why is it wa dharura and not ya dharura after mlango?

The choice of wa / ya / la / cha / vya, etc. depends on the noun class of the first noun.

• mlango (door) is in noun class 3 (m-/mi- class)
• For class 3 (singular), the genitive connector is wa

So:

• mlango wa dharura = emergency door (singular)
• milango ya dharura = emergency doors (plural)

Notice what changes in the plural:

• mlango → milango (class 3 → class 4 plural)
• connector wa → ya (because class 4 uses ya)

So the connector agrees with the first noun (mlango/milango), not with the second one (dharura).

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What is the function of the prefix hu- in hufunguliwa?

Hu- here is the habitual marker. It expresses a general truth, a usual rule, or something that typically happens.

• hufunguliwa ≈ is (normally) opened / gets opened / is opened (as a rule)

So:

• Mlango wa dharura hufunguliwa tu wakati wa hatari.
  → The emergency door is only opened in times of danger / only gets opened when there is danger.

It’s not talking about a single event right now, but about the general rule for emergency doors.

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Is hu- the subject prefix for mlango?

No. hu- is not a subject prefix; it is a habitual tense marker that replaces the usual subject marker in this kind of generic sentence.

Normally, with the verb kufunguliwa (to be opened), you might have:

• Mlango unafunguliwa. – The door is being opened / gets opened (now / usually).
  
  • u- = subject prefix for mlango (class 3)
  • na- = present tense marker

But with the habitual hu-, you do not add a separate subject marker before the verb:

• Mlango hufunguliwa.
  
  • hu- = habitual (and no u-)

So the pattern in this generic-habitual use is:

• [Noun] + hu- + [verb]
  e.g. Mlango hufunguliwa...

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Can I say Mlango wa dharura unafunguliwa tu wakati wa hatari instead of hufunguliwa? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

• Mlango wa dharura unafunguliwa tu wakati wa hatari.

The difference is subtle:

• hufunguliwa (with hu-)

  • Emphasizes a general rule, a standard practice, something like a statement from a sign, regulation, or manual.
  • Sounds neutral and slightly more formal or textbook-like.

• unafunguliwa (with u-…na-…)

  • Present/progressive meaning: is opened / is being opened / gets opened, more like describing events in real time or a general present.
  • Still can describe a usual pattern, but it feels a bit less “rule-like” and more “this is what happens (generally / now).”

In many everyday contexts, both would be understood similarly, but hu- is a good choice when you want a rule-like, habitual statement, which fits a sentence about emergency procedures.

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What is the structure of hufunguliwa? How is this form built?

hufunguliwa comes from the verb kufungua (to open).

Breakdown:

• ku-fungu-a – base infinitive: to open
• -fungu- – verb root
• -liw- (or -w- depending on the verb) – passive morpheme: to be opened
• -a – final vowel

Then we add hu- at the front and the passive inside:

• hu- (habitual)
• -funguliw- (passive stem)
• -a (final)

→ hu-funguliw-a → hufunguliwa = is (usually) opened / gets opened (as a rule)

So this is:

• habitual
  • passive form of kufungua.

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Why is the passive used (hufunguliwa) instead of an active form like watu hufungua mlango wa dharura?

Swahili, like English, often uses the passive when:

• The doer of the action is not important, unknown, or obvious.
• The thing affected is what we care about.

Here, we care about the emergency door and the condition under which it is opened, not who opens it.

• Mlango wa dharura hufunguliwa…
  → The emergency door is opened… (by someone, unspecified)

If you said:

• Watu hufungua mlango wa dharura tu wakati wa hatari.
  → People only open the emergency door in times of danger.

This is grammatically correct, but stylistically it feels more like talking about people’s behavior. The original sentence sounds more like a rule on a sign or in instructions, which naturally uses passive.

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What does tu mean in this sentence, and where does it go?

Tu here means only.

Its normal position is after the word (or phrase) it restricts. In this sentence:

• hufunguliwa tu wakati wa hatari
  → literally: is opened only in times of danger

Placing tu immediately after hufunguliwa means:

• It is *only opened (not used for other purposes, not opened at other times) in times of danger.*

You generally do not move tu to the beginning like English only, and you don’t put it before the verb. It usually comes after the verb or noun it modifies:

• Ninakula tu. – I’m only eating.
• Mlango hufunguliwa tu wakati wa hatari. – The door is only opened in times of danger.

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What is the difference between dharura and hatari here? They both sound like “danger/emergency”.

They are related in meaning, but not the same:

• dharura = emergency / urgency / urgent situation

  • Used in phrases like: mlango wa dharura (emergency door), huduma za dharura (emergency services).

• hatari = danger / risk / hazard

  • Used more for the state of being dangerous or risk:
    
    • Kuna hatari. – There is danger.
    • Ni hatari. – It’s dangerous.

So in the sentence:

• mlango wa dharura – door specially meant for emergencies
• wakati wa hatari – times of danger, when there is actual danger.

You might think of it like:

• dharura = emergency situation (category/use)
• hatari = danger (actual risk that triggers using that emergency thing)

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Can I say wakati hatari without wa?

No, that would be incorrect or at least very unnatural in standard Swahili.

You need the genitive connector to show the relationship:

• wakati wa hatari – time of danger (correct)
• wakati hatari – sounds wrong (missing the “of” relationship)

Swahili typically does not drop this connector the way English can sometimes just put two nouns together. So always use:

• wakati wa + [noun]
  e.g. wakati wa mvua (rainy time / rainy season), wakati wa vita (time of war).

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What is the noun class of mlango and wakati, and how does that affect the connectors?

• mlango – class 3 (m-/mi-)

  • Singular: mlango
  • Plural: milango
  • Genitive connector:
    • Singular: wa → mlango wa ...
    • Plural: ya → milango ya ...

• wakati – often treated as class 11 (or sometimes 14, depending on grammar tradition)

  • It behaves with the connector wa:
    • wakati wa hatari
    • wakati wa mvua
    • wakati wa amani (time of peace)

So:

• The connector agrees with the first noun:
  • mlango wa dharura (class 3 → wa)
  • milango ya dharura (class 4 → ya)
  • wakati wa hatari (class 11 → wa)

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How would the whole sentence change in the plural: “Emergency doors are only opened in times of danger”?

You would pluralize mlango and adjust the connector and, if you like, the rest:

• Milango ya dharura hufunguliwa tu wakati wa hatari.
  → Emergency doors are only opened in times of danger.

Changes from singular:

• Mlango → Milango (door → doors)
• wa dharura → ya dharura (because milango is class 4)
• Verb: hufunguliwa stays the same in this habitual construction for both singular and plural with a non-overt subject.

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Could I say katika wakati wa hatari instead of just wakati wa hatari?

You can say:

• katika wakati wa hatari – in time(s) of danger

It’s grammatically fine, but often not necessary. In Swahili, wakati wa… by itself usually already carries the meaning of “in (the) time of…”.

So:

• Mlango wa dharura hufunguliwa tu wakati wa hatari.
  is already natural and sufficient.

Adding katika can sound a little extra or more formal in many contexts, though it’s not wrong:

• Mlango wa dharura hufunguliwa tu katika wakati wa hatari.

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Does this sentence sound like something you’d see on a sign, or in everyday speech?

It sounds very natural as instructional / rule language, like on a sign, notice, or in safety instructions:

• Mlango wa dharura hufunguliwa tu wakati wa hatari.

Everyday speech is still fine, but in conversation someone might also say variants like:

• Tunaufungua mlango wa dharura tu wakati wa hatari.
  – We only open the emergency door in times of danger.
• Mlango wa dharura unafunguliwa tu wakati wa hatari.

The hu- form plus the passive gives it that rule / policy feeling that fits signs and written instructions very well.