Filamu hii ni ya kusisimua sana.

This movie is very exciting.

Breakdown of Filamu hii ni ya kusisimua sana.

• ni: to be
• hii: this
• sana: very
• filamu: the movie
• kusisimua: exciting

Questions & Answers about Filamu hii ni ya kusisimua sana.

What does each word in Filamu hii ni ya kusisimua sana do in the sentence?

Word-by-word:

• filamu – film, movie (a noun in noun class 9)
• hii – this (demonstrative agreeing with class 9)
• ni – is (copula, linking subject and description)
• ya – of (the -a connector, agreeing with filamu’s class)
• kusisimua – to excite / exciting (verb in the infinitive form)
• sana – very / very much (intensifier)

Overall structure:
Filamu hii (this film) ni (is) ya kusisimua (of-exciting = exciting) sana (very).

Why is hii after filamu, not before like in English?

In Swahili, the most typical, neutral pattern is:

• noun + demonstrative

So:

• filamu hii = this film
• kitabu hiki = this book
• mtu huyu = this person

You can sometimes put the demonstrative before the noun (for emphasis or a slightly different focus):

• hii filamu – this film (with extra emphasis on this)

For a learner, it is safest to treat filamu hii as the normal, default order for this film in this kind of sentence.

What exactly is ni doing here? Can I ever drop it?

Ni is the copula is/are, linking the subject to what is said about it:

• Filamu hii ni ya kusisimua sana.
  This film is very exciting.

In full, normal sentences like this, you keep ni.

You might hear ni dropped in very informal speech or in headlines:

• Filamu hii ya kusisimua sana – could be read as this very exciting film (a noun phrase, not clearly a full sentence).

For clear, correct learner Swahili, keep ni in sentences of the type X is Y.

What is ya here, and why is it ya and not another form like wa or la?

Ya is the agreement form of the connector -a (often translated as of).

The form of -a changes according to the noun class of the word it is linked to:

• class 1: wa (mtu wa kazi – a hard-working person)
• class 5: la (tunda la kupendeza – a pleasant fruit)
• class 7: cha (kitabu cha kusisimua – an exciting book)
• class 9: ya (filamu ya kusisimua – an exciting film)
• class 10: za (filamu za kusisimua – exciting films)

Since filamu is in noun class 9, the correct -a form is ya:

• filamu hii ni ya kusisimua
  this film is (one) of excitingness → this film is exciting

How can an infinitive like kusisimua mean exciting? Isn’t that just to excite?

Yes, kusisimua is the infinitive of the verb to excite, but in Swahili an infinitive can also act like a noun or be used in descriptive phrases.

The pattern:

• ya + infinitive (or other -a + infinitive) often gives a meaning like:
  • of VERB‑ing
  • characterised by VERB‑ing

So:

• ya kusisimua – of exciting / exciting in nature
• ya kuchekesha – of making laugh / funny
• ya kufurahisha – of pleasing / enjoyable

In Filamu hii ni ya kusisimua sana, ya kusisimua functions like an adjective: exciting.

What is the difference between kusisimua and kusisimuka?

They are related but not the same:

• kusisimua – to excite, to cause excitement (causative, usually affects something/someone else)

  • Filamu hii inasisimua watazamaji.
    This film excites the viewers.

• kusisimuka – to become excited, to get thrilled (the subject itself becomes excited)

  • Watazamaji wanasisimuka.
    The viewers are getting excited.

In Filamu hii ni ya kusisimua sana, we describe the film as something that causes excitement (exciting), so kusisimua is the appropriate choice.

Could I say Filamu hii ni kusisimua sana without ya, or is that wrong?

Without ya it sounds wrong in standard Swahili.

You need a link between filamu hii (a noun) and kusisimua (a verb infinitive) – that link is the -a connector with the right agreement:

• ✅ Filamu hii ni ya kusisimua sana.
• ❌ Filamu hii ni kusisimua sana. (unnatural / ungrammatical in this meaning)

So keep ya here: it turns kusisimua into part of a descriptive phrase that fits with filamu.

Could I instead say Filamu hii inasisimua sana? Is there any difference in meaning or nuance?

You can say both, but there is a slight nuance:

1. Filamu hii ni ya kusisimua sana.

   • More descriptive, like saying: This film is very exciting (by nature).
   • Stresses the quality or character of the film.

2. Filamu hii inasisimua sana.

   • Literally: This film excites (people) a lot.
   • Feels a bit more dynamic, focusing on the action of exciting someone.

In many everyday contexts, both work well and will be understood as This film is very exciting.

Why is sana at the end of the sentence? Can it go somewhere else?

Sana normally comes after the word or phrase it is intensifying:

• nzuri sana – very good
• inapendeza sana – pleases very much
• ninakupenda sana – I love you very much

In Filamu hii ni ya kusisimua sana, sana is intensifying ya kusisimua (exciting), so it naturally comes after that phrase.

You would not say:

• ❌ Filamu hii ni sana ya kusisimua.
• ❌ Filamu hii ni ya sana kusisimua.

Keep sana at the end here, exactly as in the original sentence.

How would I say These films are very exciting using the same pattern?

You make the demonstrative and the -a connector agree with the plural:

• Filamu hizi ni za kusisimua sana.

Changes:

• hii (this – singular, class 9) → hizi (these – plural, class 10)
• ya (of – class 9 singular) → za (of – class 10 plural)

Note that filamu itself usually looks the same in singular and plural; the demonstrative (hii/hizi) and the -a form (ya/za) tell you whether it is one film or several.