Breakdown of Baba alisema kisiwa hicho kiko mbali na bandari.
kuwa
to be
baba
the father
mbali
far
kusema
to say
Questions & Answers about Baba alisema kisiwa hicho kiko mbali na bandari.
Why is hicho placed after kisiwa instead of before it?
In Swahili, demonstratives like this/that usually come after the noun, not before it.
So:
- kisiwa hicho = that island
- not normally hicho kisiwa
This is a very common word order pattern in Swahili:
- mtu huyu = this person
- kitabu hicho = that book
The demonstrative has to agree with the noun class of the noun it describes.
What exactly is hicho?
Hicho is a demonstrative, meaning that for a noun in the same class as kisiwa.
Kisiwa belongs to noun class 7, so its demonstratives also use class-7 forms. That is why you get hicho, not something like huyu or hii.
Very roughly:
- kisiwa hiki = this island
- kisiwa hicho = that island
- kisiwa kile = that island over there / that yonder island
The exact distance contrast can vary by context, but hicho often points to something near the listener or something already mentioned.
Why is it kiko mbali and not ni mbali?