Je, kuna nafasi ya kukaa karibu na dirisha?

Je is a question marker. It helps signal that the sentence is a yes/no question.

• Je, kuna nafasi ya kukaa karibu na dirisha? = Is there a seat/place to sit near the window?
• In everyday speech, people often leave out je and just rely on intonation:
  • Kuna nafasi ya kukaa karibu na dirisha?

So je is correct and natural, but not always necessary in casual conversation.

Kuna means there is / there are.

In this sentence:

• kuna nafasi = there is space / there is a seat / there is room

It is a very common way to talk about existence or availability.

Examples:

• Kuna maji? = Is there water?
• Kuna watu wengi. = There are many people.

So here, kuna is asking whether such a place/seat exists.

Nafasi is a flexible word. It can mean:

• space
• room
• place
• seat (depending on context)
• sometimes even opportunity/chance

In this sentence, nafasi most naturally means space or a seat/place available.

So kuna nafasi ya kukaa is like saying:

• is there room to sit
• is there a seat available
• is there a place to sit

Here ya links nafasi with the action kukaa.

• nafasi = space/place
• kukaa = to sit
• nafasi ya kukaa = space/place for sitting or a place to sit

This structure is very common in Swahili:

• chakula cha kula = food to eat
• maji ya kunywa = water for drinking
• mahali pa kukaa = a place to sit/stay

So ya here works a bit like for or to in English, depending on how you translate it.

Kukaa means to sit, and in some contexts it can also mean to stay or to live/reside.

The ku- is the infinitive marker, like to in English:

• kukaa = to sit
• kuenda = to go
• kunywa = to drink

In this sentence, kukaa is being used as a verbal noun/infinitive:

• nafasi ya kukaa = a place to sit

In karibu na dirisha, the na means to in the sense of near to.

• karibu = near/close
• karibu na = near, close to

So:

• karibu na dirisha = near the window

Important: this na is not the usual and/with here. Its meaning depends on the expression. In karibu na, it is part of the phrase meaning near to.

Swahili does not have articles like a/an/the.

So dirisha can mean:

• a window
• the window

The exact meaning comes from context.

In this sentence, English usually translates it as the window because that sounds natural:

• near the window

But Swahili itself does not use a separate word for the.

Yes, a little.

Literal breakdown:

• Je = question marker
• kuna = there is
• nafasi = space/place
• ya kukaa = for sitting / to sit
• karibu na dirisha = near the window

Very literal English:

• Is there space to sit near the window?

This is actually fairly close to English in structure, but Swahili often builds ideas through linking words like ya rather than using exactly the same patterns English does.

Yes. Very often, yes/no questions in Swahili are asked without je.

So both are possible:

• Je, kuna nafasi ya kukaa karibu na dirisha?
• Kuna nafasi ya kukaa karibu na dirisha?

The second one is common in everyday conversation. The first one can sound a bit more explicit or careful as a question.

Yes, it is polite and natural because it asks about availability rather than making a direct demand.

It sounds like:

• Is there a place to sit near the window?

If you want to sound even more polite, you could add words like:

• tafadhali = please

For example:

• Je, kuna nafasi ya kukaa karibu na dirisha, tafadhali?

That would be a very polite request.

Yes, sometimes.

• mahali = place
• nafasi = space/place/room/seat/opportunity

So:

• Je, kuna mahali pa kukaa karibu na dirisha? also means
• Is there a place to sit near the window?

The difference is subtle:

• nafasi often emphasizes availability/room
• mahali emphasizes a location/place

Both can work, but nafasi sounds especially good when asking whether there is room or an available seat.

A simple pronunciation guide:

• Je → jeh
• kuna → KOO-na
• nafasi → na-FA-see
• ya → yah
• kukaa → koo-KAA
• karibu → ka-REE-boo
• na → nah
• dirisha → dee-REE-sha

Full sentence:

• Jeh, KOO-na na-FA-see yah koo-KAA ka-REE-boo nah dee-REE-sha?

A few helpful pronunciation notes:

• Swahili vowels are usually very consistent:
  • a = ah
  • e = eh
  • i = ee
  • o = oh
  • u = oo
• Stress often falls near the second-to-last syllable, so:
  • na-FA-si
  • ka-RI-bu
  • di-RI-sha

Yes. Kukaa is a broad verb. Depending on context, it can mean:

• to sit
• to stay
• to remain
• to live/reside

But in nafasi ya kukaa karibu na dirisha, the context clearly points to sit:

• a place to sit near the window

So even though the verb is broader in other situations, here the meaning is straightforward.

It can be used in both.

Because nafasi means space/place/seat, this sentence works in many situations:

• on a bus
• on a plane
• in a restaurant
• in a waiting area
• at an event

So it is a useful general sentence for asking whether there is somewhere available near the window.