Ninapokukumbuka, ninapenda kuandika katika shajara yangu.

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Breakdown of Ninapokukumbuka, ninapenda kuandika katika shajara yangu.

• kupenda: to like
• katika: in
• kuandika: to write

Questions & Answers about Ninapokukumbuka, ninapenda kuandika katika shajara yangu.

What does ninapokukumbuka literally consist of?

The verb ninapokukumbuka is one long word built from several small pieces:

• ni- = I (subject marker, 1st person singular)
• -na- = present / habitual tense marker (am / do / usually do)
• -po- = when (time marker for “at the time that…”)
• -ku- = you (object marker, singular)
• kumbuka = remember (verb root “to remember”)

So ninapokukumbuka literally means something like:

“I-present-when-you-remember” → “when I remember you / whenever I remember you.”

What is the difference between ninapokukumbuka and ninakukumbuka?

• ninakukumbuka = ni- (I) + -na- (present) + -ku- (you) + kumbuka (remember)
  → “I remember you / I am remembering you.”
  This is just a simple statement.

• ninapokukumbuka adds -po- (when):
  → “When(ever) I remember you…”
  Now it’s no longer a full main sentence; it becomes a time clause that needs another clause to complete it, e.g.
  Ninapokukumbuka, ninapenda kuandika…
  → “When I remember you, I like to write…”