Learn Hardcore Swahili: Majibu yote yatasomwa na mwalimu mkuu wakati wa mkutano wa mwisho. - All the answers will be read by the headteacher during the final meeting.

Majibu yote yatasomwa na mwalimu mkuu wakati wa mkutano wa mwisho.

All the answers will be read by the headteacher during the final meeting.

Breakdown of Majibu yote yatasomwa na mwalimu mkuu wakati wa mkutano wa mwisho.

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Questions & Answers about Majibu yote yatasomwa na mwalimu mkuu wakati wa mkutano wa mwisho.

How is the verb yatasomwa formed from soma, and what does it literally mean?

Yatasomwa is a future passive form built from the verb kusoma (to read / to study):

ya- = subject prefix for noun class 6 (here referring to majibu, “answers”)
-ta- = future tense marker (will)
som- = verb root from soma (“read”)
-w-/-wa = passive marker (turns “read” into “be read”)
Final -a is the normal verb ending

So: ya-ta-som-w-a → yatasomwa = “they will be read” (they = the answers).

In other words, yatasomwa literally means “will be read” with majibu as the subject.

Why is the passive yatasomwa used instead of an active form like atasoma?

Using the passive in Swahili works much like in English:

Passive sentence:
Majibu yote yatasomwa na mwalimu mkuu...
“All the answers will be read by the head teacher...”
- Focus is on majibu yote (“all the answers”).
Active version (also correct):
Mwalimu mkuu atasoma majibu yote wakati wa mkutano wa mwisho.
“The head teacher will read all the answers during the final meeting.”
- Focus is on mwalimu mkuu (the head teacher).

So yatasomwa is chosen to put the answers in subject position and make them the main focus, just as English sometimes prefers “will be read” instead of “will read.”

In majibu yote, what does yote mean exactly, and why is it yote and not zote?

Yote comes from the adjective -ote, meaning “all” / “the whole”.
Majibu (“answers”) is plural and belongs to noun class 6 (jibu / majibu).
The form of -ote depends on the noun class:
- Class 6 (like majibu, majina) → yote
  - majibu yote = all the answers
  - majina yote = all the names
- Class 10 (many N-class plurals) → zote
  - barua zote = all the letters
  - safari zote = all the trips

So majibu yote is correct because majibu is class 6, which takes yote, not zote.

Why does the verb start with ya- (in yatasomwa) and not with something like wa-?

The subject prefix on the verb must match the noun class of the subject:

Subject: majibu (“answers”) → plural of jibu
- jibu = class 5
- majibu = class 6
Class 6 subject prefix on verbs is ya-:
- Majibu yanafika. = The answers are arriving.
- Majibu yameandikwa. = The answers have been written.
- Majibu yatasomwa. = The answers will be read.

Wa- is the subject prefix for class 2 (people, e.g. walimu, wanafunzi), so it would not agree with majibu. That’s why we get yatasomwa, not watasomwa.

What does na mean in yatasomwa na mwalimu mkuu? I thought na meant “and” or “with”.

Na has several common uses in Swahili:

“And”
- chai na kahawa = tea and coffee
“With”
- Ninakunywa chai na sukari. = I drink tea with sugar.
“By” (agent in a passive) – this is the use in your sentence
- Majibu yote yatasomwa na mwalimu mkuu.
  = All the answers will be read by the head teacher.

So after a passive verb, na + person often means “by [that person]”.

What does mwalimu mkuu literally mean, and why is mkuu placed after mwalimu?

Mwalimu = teacher
Mkuu = big / great / main
- In this phrase it means something like “chief” or “head.”

Literally, mwalimu mkuu is “big/main teacher,” which corresponds to “head teacher” or “principal.”

Word order:

In Swahili, most describing words (adjectives) come after the noun:
- mwalimu mzuri = a good teacher
- mti mkubwa = a big tree
- mwalimu mkuu = the head teacher

So mkuu naturally follows mwalimu.

How does the phrase wakati wa mkutano wa mwisho work? What is the function of wa here?

Breakdown:

wakati = time / moment
wa = “of” (the possessive connector -a agreeing with wakati)
mkutano = meeting
wa mwisho = “of the last/final (one)” → “final”

So:

wakati wa mkutano
= the time of the meeting / during the meeting
mkutano wa mwisho
= the final meeting (literally “meeting of the last [one]”)

Together:

wakati wa mkutano wa mwisho
= during the final meeting (literally: “at the time of the meeting of the last [one]”).

Wa shows a genitive/“of” relationship and agrees with the noun class of wakati and mkutano (class 3).

What exactly does mwisho mean in mkutano wa mwisho? Is it “end” or “last/final”?

Mwisho on its own usually means “end”:

mwisho wa kitabu = the end of the book
mwisho wa mwezi = end of the month

When used with -a to describe another noun, it often means “last” / “final”:

mkutano wa mwisho = the last / final meeting
siku ya mwisho = the last day
mstari wa mwisho = the last line

So in mkutano wa mwisho, it is best understood as “final” rather than “end”: “the final meeting.”

Could we say katika mkutano wa mwisho instead of wakati wa mkutano wa mwisho? Is there a difference?

Both are possible, but the nuance is slightly different:

wakati wa mkutano wa mwisho
- Literally: “the time of the final meeting.”
- Emphasizes the time period during which something happens → “during the final meeting.”
katika mkutano wa mwisho
- Literally: “in/at the final meeting.”
- Emphasizes being in that event/situation more than the idea of time.

In many contexts they overlap and both sound natural. In your sentence, wakati wa mkutano wa mwisho nicely stresses when the answers will be read.

Can we drop yote and just say Majibu yatasomwa na mwalimu mkuu...? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, you can:

Majibu yote yatasomwa...
= All the answers will be read.
Majibu yatasomwa...
= The answers will be read (doesn’t explicitly say all).

So:

With yote: It clearly includes every answer.
Without yote: It simply states that answers will be read; it could be all, but that’s not specified.

How would I change the tense of yatasomwa to say “are being read”, “were read”, or “will not be read”?

Using majibu as the subject:

Future passive (given):
- Majibu yote yatasomwa...
  = All the answers will be read...
Present progressive passive (“are being read”):
- Majibu yote yanasomwa...
  = All the answers are being read...
Past passive (“were read”):
- Majibu yote yalisomwa...
  = All the answers were read...
Future negative passive (“will not be read”):
- Majibu yote hayatasomwa...
  = All the answers will not be read...

The key parts:

ya- = class 6 subject prefix (for majibu)
-na- / -li- / -ta- = present / past / future
Passive stem: somwa (from soma)
Negative future adds ha- to the subject prefix: ya- → haya- → hayata-somwa.