Breakdown of Sipendi kuulizwa swali hili darasani.
Questions & Answers about Sipendi kuulizwa swali hili darasani.
In Swahili, the subject (like I, you, he etc.) is usually built into the verb.
- Sipendi breaks down as:
- si- = I (1st person singular) + negative
- -pend- = like / love
- -i = present-tense ending in the negative
So sipendi literally encodes I do not like.
That is why there is no separate word for I; it is already inside sipendi.
You can add mimi for emphasis:
- Mimi sipendi kuulizwa swali hili darasani.
= Me, I don’t like being asked this question in class.
Affirmative present:
- ninapenda = ni- (I) + -na- (present) + pend (like) + -a
- Colloquially, ninapenda often shortens to napenda.
Negative present:
- sipendi = si- (I, negative) + pend (like) + -i (negative ending)
So:
- Napenda kuulizwa … = I like being asked …
- Sipendi kuulizwa … = I don’t like being asked …
The negative form si-…-i replaces ni-…-a in the present tense.
Kuulizwa means to be asked / being asked.
Morphologically:
- ku- = infinitive marker (to … / -ing)
- uliz- = verb root ask
- -w- = passive marker
- -a = final vowel
So:
- ku-uliz-w-a → kuulizwa = to be asked / being asked
In English you need being asked, but in Swahili the ku- infinitive can cover both to be asked and being asked, depending on context.
Because the meaning is I don’t like being asked this question (someone asks me), not I don’t like asking this question.
- kuuliza = to ask
- Sipendi kuuliza swali hili = I don’t like asking this question.
- kuulizwa = to be asked / being asked
- Sipendi kuulizwa swali hili = I don’t like being asked this question.
The passive suffix -w- in kuulizwa shows that the speaker is the one undergoing the action (is being asked), not doing it.
It’s not a mistake. It comes from:
- ku- (infinitive prefix)
- ulizwa (passive form of uliza “to ask: uliz-w-a”)
When you join them, you get kuulizwa (ku + ulizwa).
In pronunciation, this is usually a long u sound: kuu-lizwa.
Grammatically it is an infinitive verb form (because of ku-), but in Swahili the ku- infinitive often behaves like a verbal noun, similar to English asking / eating / sleeping when used as nouns:
- kula = to eat / eating
- kulala = to sleep / sleeping
- kuulizwa = to be asked / being asked
In this sentence, kuulizwa acts like the “thing” that is not liked:
- Sipendi [kuulizwa swali hili …]
= I don’t like [being asked this question …].
English has this too with some verbs:
They asked me a question → I was asked a question.
Similarly in Swahili, the verb kuuliza can take two “objects”:
- Mwalimu aliuliza mwanafunzi swali.
= The teacher asked the student a question.
When you make it passive, you can keep the question:
- Mwanafunzi aliulizwa swali.
= The student was asked a question.
So in the infinitive:
- kuulizwa swali hili = to be asked this question
That’s why the object swali hili is still there after the passive verb.
Swahili demonstratives like hili (this) usually come after the noun they describe:
- swali hili = this question
- kitabu hiki = this book
- mtu huyu = this person
Putting the demonstrative before the noun (hili swali) is not the normal pattern in standard Swahili. You may see fronted demonstratives in very specific emphasis or stylistic contexts, but the basic, correct order you should learn is:
noun + demonstrative → swali hili
The form of “this” in Swahili depends on the noun class.
- swali (question) is a class 5 noun (its plural is maswali, class 6).
- Class 5 singular takes the demonstrative hili.
Some examples:
- tunda hili = this fruit (class 5)
- jina hili = this name (class 5)
- swali hili = this question (class 5)
Other noun classes have different forms:
- mtu huyu = this person (class 1)
- kitabu hiki = this book (class 7)
- nyumba hii = this house (class 9)
So hili is specifically the class 5 singular form of this.
- darasa = classroom / class
- darasani = in the classroom / in class
The suffix -ni on a noun often indicates location (roughly “in/at/on”):
- nyumba = house → nyumbani = at home
- shule = school → shuleni = at school
- darasa = classroom → darasani = in class / in the classroom
So darasani already includes the idea of in, so you do not need to add katika or ndani ya unless you want extra emphasis or a different nuance.
Yes, you can, but it sounds a bit more formal or explicit:
- Sipendi kuulizwa swali hili darasani.
= I don’t like being asked this question in class. - Sipendi kuulizwa swali hili katika darasa.
= I don’t like being asked this question in the classroom.
In everyday Swahili, the -ni locative (darasani) is very natural and common.
Katika darasa is correct but feels more like in the classroom as a physical place.
Word order in Swahili is more flexible than in English, but not every rearrangement sounds natural.
- Sipendi kuulizwa swali hili darasani.
is the most natural order:
[I don’t like] [to be asked] [this question] [in class].
Putting swali hili before kuulizwa:
- Sipendi swali hili kuulizwa darasani.
This can be understood, but it sounds less natural and might momentarily confuse listeners. For clear, standard Swahili, keep:
Verb (sipendi) + infinitive phrase (kuulizwa swali hili) + place (darasani)
Yes:
- Sipendi kuulizwa swali hili darasani.
= I don’t like being asked this question in class. - Mimi sipendi kuulizwa swali hili darasani.
= Me, I don’t like being asked this question in class.
The meaning (in terms of truth) is the same, but mimi adds emphasis or contrast, for example:
- Others might not mind, but I do:
Wengine hawana shida, lakini mimi sipendi kuulizwa swali hili darasani.
Grammatically, the I is still inside sipendi; mimi is just an emphatic pronoun.