Learn Hardcore Swahili: Jibu sahihi litaonyeshwa kwenye ubao baada ya mjadala. - The correct answer will be shown on the board after the discussion.

jibu – answer
sahihi – correct
→ jibu sahihi – the correct answer
li-ta-onyesh-w-a – will be shown
- li- – subject marker for noun class 5 (agreeing with jibu)
- -ta- – future tense marker (will)
- -onyesh- – verb root “show” (from -onyesha / -onesha)
- -w- – passive marker (“be …-ed”)
- -a – final vowel of the verb
kwenye ubao – on the board
- kwenye – in/on/at (preposition)
- ubao – board (e.g. blackboard/whiteboard)
baada ya mjadala – after the discussion
- baada – after
- ya – “of” (here it’s part of the fixed expression baada ya …)
- mjadala – discussion/debate

Full sense: “The correct answer will be shown on the board after the discussion.”

Why is it “litaonyeshwa” and not something like “itaonyeshwa”?

The choice of li- vs i- in the verb depends on the noun class of the subject.

jibu (answer) is in noun class 5 (ji-/li-).
- Class 5 subject marker: li-
- Future tense for class 5: li-ta-… → litaonyeshwa

If the subject were a different noun class, the subject marker would change, for example:

jibu sahihi litaonyeshwa – The correct answer will be shown (singular, class 5)
majibu sahihi yataonyeshwa – The correct answers will be shown (plural, class 6, subject marker ya-)

So “litaonyeshwa” is specifically agreeing with jibu.

What grammatical form is “litaonyeshwa”? How is “will be shown” expressed in Swahili?

“litaonyeshwa” is:

Future tense
Passive voice
Agreement with a class‑5 subject (jibu)

Structure:

li- (class 5 subject marker)
-ta- (future)
-onyesh- (show)
-w- (passive)
-a (final vowel)

So:

“ataonyesha jibu sahihi” – He/She will show the correct answer (active)
“jibu sahihi litaonyeshwa” – The correct answer will be shown (passive)

The passive in Swahili is typically formed with -w- (sometimes -liw-, -lew-, etc. depending on the verb). Here it’s the straightforward -w- passive.

Why does the adjective “sahihi” come after the noun “jibu”?

In Swahili, adjectives normally follow the noun they describe, unlike English, where they usually come before.

English: correct answer
Swahili: jibu sahihi

More examples:

kitabu kipya – a new book
mtoto mzuri – a good/nice child
majibu sahihi – correct answers

So “jibu sahihi” is the regular Swahili noun–adjective order.

Should the adjective “sahihi” agree in class with “jibu”? Why don’t we see any change on “sahihi”?

Some adjectives in Swahili change form to agree with the noun class (like -kubwa, -zuri), but others are invariable (they keep the same form).

sahihi is one of the adjectives that does not change with noun class.

So you say:

jibu sahihi – correct answer (class 5)
majibu sahihi – correct answers (class 6)
mtihani sahihi – a correct exam/test (class 3/4)

The agreement with the noun is still shown in the verb (litaonyeshwa / yataonyeshwa, etc.), but “sahihi” itself stays the same.

What does “kwenye ubao” literally mean, and why “kwenye” instead of another preposition?

“kwenye ubao” literally means “on the board” (or “at the board”).

kwenye – a very common general preposition meaning in / on / at
ubao – the board (blackboard, whiteboard, etc.)

You could also express “on the board” in other ways:

juu ya ubao – literally “on top of the board”
katika ubao – “in the board” (less natural here; better for “in/inside” contexts)

“kwenye” is very widely used in modern Swahili because it is:

flexible (covers in/on/at)
colloquial and natural in speech

So “kwenye ubao” is the default way to say “on the board” in many contexts.

What is the function of “baada ya mjadala” and why is “ya” used there?

“baada ya mjadala” means “after the discussion.”

baada – after
ya – “of” (linking word)
mjadala – discussion

In this construction, “baada ya” is basically a fixed prepositional phrase meaning “after (something).” The “ya” doesn’t change to match the noun class of mjadala; you pretty much always say:

baada ya kazi – after work
baada ya chakula – after the meal
baada ya mjadala – after the discussion

So here “baada ya mjadala” is a time expression telling us when the answer will be shown.

Can I move “baada ya mjadala” to the beginning of the sentence?

Yes. Swahili word order is fairly flexible for adverbial phrases (time, place, etc.), so you can say:

Baada ya mjadala, jibu sahihi litaonyeshwa kwenye ubao.

This has the same meaning: “After the discussion, the correct answer will be shown on the board.”

Placing “baada ya mjadala” first simply emphasizes the time (“after the discussion”) a bit more, but it’s still natural and correct.

How would I say “The correct answers will be shown on the board after the discussion” (plural)?

To make it plural, change jibu (answer) to majibu (answers), and adjust the verb to agree with the plural noun class (class 6):

Majibu sahihi yataonyeshwa kwenye ubao baada ya mjadala.

Breakdown of the new verb:

ya- – subject marker for class 6 (majibu)
-ta- – future
-onyesh- – show
-w- – passive
-a – final vowel

So: “Majibu sahihi yataonyeshwa kwenye ubao baada ya mjadala.”

How would this sentence look in the active voice instead of the passive?

In active voice, you introduce the agent (the one doing the showing) as the subject. For example, assuming mwalimu (the teacher) is the one who shows it:

Mwalimu ataonyesha jibu sahihi kwenye ubao baada ya mjadala.
- The teacher will show the correct answer on the board after the discussion.

Structure:

Mwalimu – subject (the teacher)
ataonyesha – will show (a-ta-onya/-onyesha; a- = he/she, -ta- = future)
jibu sahihi – the correct answer (object)
kwenye ubao – on the board
baada ya mjadala – after the discussion

So:

Passive: Jibu sahihi litaonyeshwa… – Focus on the answer.
Active: Mwalimu ataonyesha jibu sahihi… – Focus on the teacher.