Ninyi msinong’one darasani, andikeni majibu yenu kwenye daftari la mazoezi.

You (all) don’t whisper in class, write your answers in the exercise book.

Breakdown of Ninyi msinong’one darasani, andikeni majibu yenu kwenye daftari la mazoezi.

• kuandika: to write
• ninyi: you all
• kwenye: in
• zoezi: the exercise
• la: of
• jibu: the answer
• daftari: the notebook
• darasani: in the classroom
• kunong'ona: to whisper
• yenu: your

Questions & Answers about Ninyi msinong’one darasani, andikeni majibu yenu kwenye daftari la mazoezi.

What does ninyi add here? Is it necessary, or could you just say Msinong’one darasani, andikeni…?

Ninyi means “you (plural)” and is used for emphasis or clarity.

Grammatically, the sentence would still be correct without it:

• Msinong’one darasani, andikeni majibu yenu…

The verb forms msinong’one and andikeni already show that the subject is you (plural), so ninyi is not required for grammar.

Reasons to include ninyi:

• Emphasis: “You (you people) don’t whisper in class…”
• Contrast: when distinguishing one group from another.
• Teacher’s tone: can sound a bit more pointed or direct.

So: optional but natural when you want to emphasize who is being addressed.

How is msinong’one formed, and why does it end in -e instead of -eni like andikeni?

Msinong’one is a negative plural command (negative imperative).

Structure:

• m- = subject prefix for you (plural) in present/subjunctive
• -si- = negative marker
• -nong’one = verb stem in subjunctive form

In Swahili, negative commands use the subjunctive ending -e, not the normal imperative -eni:

• Positive plural command: Andikeni (“Write!”)
• Negative plural command: Msiandike (“Don’t write!”)

So:

• msi + nong’one → msinong’one = “don’t whisper (you all)”
• The -e ending comes from the subjunctive, which is used for negative imperatives.

What is the difference between msinong’one and usinong’one?

The difference is number (plural vs singular):

• msinong’one = “don’t whisper (you all)”

  • m- = you (plural)
  • addressing more than one person

• usinong’one = “don’t whisper (you – one person)”

  • u- = you (singular)

So, to one student:

• Wewe usinong’one darasani… – Don’t whisper in class.

To a group:

• Ninyi msinong’one darasani… – Don’t whisper in class, you all.

How is andikeni formed, and how is it different from mwandike or uandike?

Andikeni is the positive imperative plural of kuandika (“to write”).

Formation:

• Verb stem: andika
• Add -ni for plural command:
  • andika → andikeni = “Write! (you all)”

Compare:

• uandike – “that you (singular) write / you should write” (subjunctive, not imperative form used by itself)
• mwandike – “that you (plural) write him/her/it” or “you (plural) write [object]” (can include an object marker)

For straightforward commands:

• (wewe) andika – Write! (singular)
• (ninyi) andikeni – Write! (plural)

So andikeni is the normal, simple “Write!” (you all) form.

What does darasani mean exactly, and why isn’t it just darasa?

• darasa = “class / classroom”
• -ni locative ending = “in/at/on [place]”

So:

• darasani = “in class / in the classroom”

The -ni locative is very common:

• nyumba → nyumbani – at home
• kanisa → kanisani – at church

You could also say:

• ndani ya darasa – “inside the classroom” but darasani is shorter and very natural in this context: “don’t whisper in class.”

Why is it majibu yenu and not majibu lenu or majibu zenu?

In Swahili, possessive pronouns agree with the noun class of the thing possessed.

• majibu (“answers”) is in noun class 6 (ma- class).
• The class 6 possessive for “your (plural)” is yenu.

So:

• majibu yenu = “your (plural) answers”

Contrast:

• jibu (answer – singular) is class 5:
  • jibu lenu = “your (plural) answer” (one answer)
• Class 10 example:
  • nyumba zenu = “your (plural) houses”

Here we have many answers, so:

• majibu (class 6) → yenu (class‑6 form of “your (plural)”).

What’s the difference between yenu and wenu, lenu, or enu in general?

All of these mean “your (plural)”, but they change form to match the noun class:

• wenu – for class 1/2 people nouns:

  • rafiki wenu – your (pl) friend
  • walimu wenu – your (pl) teachers

• lenu – for class 5 nouns:

  • jibu lenu – your (pl) answer
  • daftari lenu – your (pl) notebook (if context requires “your” here)

• yenu – for classes 6, 9, 10, etc. (depending on the grammar tradition):

  • majibu yenu – your (pl) answers
  • nguo yenu – your (pl) clothing

• enu – used as the base in some grammars; in practice you mostly memorize the common forms (wenu, lenu, yenu, etc.) with their classes.

So the “your” idea is constant, but the first letter changes to agree with the noun class.

What does kwenye mean here, and could I replace it with katika or ndani ya?

Kwenye is a common preposition roughly meaning “in, on, at, into, onto”, depending on context.

In this sentence:

• kwenye daftari la mazoezi = “in your exercise book”

You could also say:

• katika daftari la mazoezi – very similar; often a bit more formal/literary.
• ndani ya daftari la mazoezi – more literally “inside the exercise book”; a bit more physical/spatial.

In most classroom instructions, kwenye is extremely natural and very commonly used:

• Andika majibu yako kwenye karatasi. – Write your answers on the paper.

How does daftari la mazoezi work grammatically, and is it the standard way to say “exercise book”?

Daftari la mazoezi is a genitive construction (“X of Y”):

• daftari – notebook, exercise book (class 5)
• la – “of” for class 5 nouns
• mazoezi – exercises, practice

Literal meaning:

• daftari la mazoezi = “book of exercises” → “exercise book”

This is a standard and common way to say “exercise book”. Word order is:

• [head noun] + [agreeing ‘of’] + [describing noun]
  • daftari la mazoezi – book of exercises
  • kitabu cha Kiswahili – Swahili book
  • kalamu ya mwalimu – the teacher’s pen

Why is the subject ninyi only written once, before msinong’one, and not repeated before andikeni?

Swahili normally does not repeat the independent subject pronoun if the subject stays the same.

The subject for both verbs is “you (plural)”:

• Ninyi msinong’one darasani, andikeni…

The second verb andikeni already carries the subject in its form (imperative plural → “you all”), so repeating ninyi is unnecessary:

• Ninyi msinong’one darasani, ninyi andikeni… – possible but sounds heavy and overly emphatic.

So it’s natural and correct to state ninyi once, then use multiple verbs with that same implied subject.

Why is there a comma between msinong’one darasani and andikeni majibu yenu…? Does Swahili often join commands like this?

Yes, it’s very normal in Swahili to join two related commands in the same sentence with a comma (or sometimes na, “and”):

• Negative command + positive command:
  • Msinong’one darasani, andikeni majibu yenu…
  • “Don’t whisper in class, (instead) write your answers…”

It has a “don’t do X, do Y” rhythm, which is common in instructions.
You could also make them two separate sentences:

• Msinong’one darasani. Andikeni majibu yenu…

Both forms are correct; the version with the comma just flows more like spoken teacher talk.

How do I say this to just one student instead of the whole class?

For one student (singular “you”), change the verbs and possessives to singular:

• Wewe usinong’one darasani, andika jibu lako kwenye daftari la mazoezi.

Breakdown:

• wewe – you (singular, emphatic, optional)
• usinong’one – don’t whisper (you, singular)
• andika – write! (singular imperative)
• jibu – answer (singular)
• lako – your (singular “you”, class‑5 agreement with jibu)

So:

• Plural: Ninyi msinong’one … andikeni majibu yenu…
• Singular: Wewe usinong’one … andika jibu lako…

How do you pronounce nong’one? What’s the difference between ng and ng’ in Swahili?

In Swahili spelling:

• ng is usually pronounced like “ng” in “sing” (a single nasal sound [ŋ]).
• ng’ (with an apostrophe) is pronounced like “ng” in “finger” or “hunger” when both [ŋ] + [g] are heard.

So:

• nongo (with ngo) – [ŋo] as in “song‑oh”
• nong’one – [ŋgo] as in “finger” (ng + a clear g)

In nong’one:

• no‑ng’o‑ne
• You actually pronounce a g sound: nong-gone (not just “non-one”).

The apostrophe ’ simply shows that the g is pronounced separately, not silently blended.

Is this sentence polite enough in a classroom, or should it include tafadhali (“please”)?

As it stands:

• Ninyi msinong’one darasani, andikeni majibu yenu… is a firm, direct classroom instruction, perfectly normal for a teacher, especially with children.

To make it more explicitly polite/softened, you can add tafadhali:

• Ninyi msinong’one darasani, tafadhali. Andikeni majibu yenu kwenye daftari la mazoezi.
• Or:
  • Tafadhali, msinong’one darasani, andikeni majibu yenu…

Whether you add tafadhali depends on:

• Age and relationship with students
• How strict/soft you want to sound

The original is not rude; it’s just clear and authoritative.