Tunasikia fisi usiku karibu na mbuga.

we

Breakdown of Tunasikia fisi usiku karibu na mbuga.

• karibu na: near
• kusikia: to hear
• usiku: at night

Questions & Answers about Tunasikia fisi usiku karibu na mbuga.

What is tunasikia made of?

Tunasikia breaks down like this:

• tu- = we
• -na- = present tense
• -sikia = hear

So tunasikia means we hear or we are hearing.

Does tunasikia mean we hear in general, or we are hearing right now?

It can mean either, depending on context.

In Swahili, the tense marker -na- often covers both:

• a general present: we hear
• an ongoing present: we are hearing

So this sentence could describe a regular situation, or something happening now. Context tells you which meaning is intended.

Why is there no word for a, an, or the before fisi and mbuga?