Jibu ni sifuri.

to be

Breakdown of Jibu ni sifuri.

• jibu: the answer
• sifuri: zero

Questions & Answers about Jibu ni sifuri.

What does ni mean here?

Ni is the linking word that means is / are / am in this kind of sentence.

So Jibu ni sifuri has the structure:

• jibu = the answer
• ni = is
• sifuri = zero

A useful thing to know is that ni does not change for person or number the way English am / is / are does.

For example:

• Hili ni jibu. = This is an answer.
• Haya ni majibu. = These are answers.

Is jibu a noun or a verb here?

Here, jibu is a noun meaning answer.

That can confuse learners because jibu! can also be the imperative verb answer!

Why is it a noun in this sentence? Because of its position and the structure:

• Jibu ni sifuri. = The answer is zero.

A command like Jibu! would usually stand alone or be followed by an object/context showing it is an instruction.

Why is there no word for the in this sentence?