Questions & Answers about Mlango umefungwa sasa.
Why does the verb start with u- in umefungwa?
Because mlango belongs to the m-/mi noun class in Swahili, specifically class 3 in the singular. Nouns in this class take the subject agreement prefix u- when they are singular.
So in mlango umefungwa sasa:
- mlango = door
- u- = subject agreement for mlango
- -me- = perfect aspect
- fungwa = be closed / be shut
That is why you get umefungwa, not amefungwa.
For the plural, it changes:
- milango imefungwa = the doors are closed
So:
- singular: mlango umefungwa
- plural: milango imefungwa
How is umefungwa built up grammatically?