Gharama za usafiri ni kubwa.

The transport costs are big.

Breakdown of Gharama za usafiri ni kubwa.

• kuwa: to be
• kubwa: big
• gharama za usafiri: the transport costs

Questions & Answers about Gharama za usafiri ni kubwa.

What does za do in gharama za usafiri?

Za links two nouns. In this sentence, it means something like of or for.

So gharama za usafiri = costs of transport/travel or transport costs.

This kind of connector changes form to match the noun before it.

Why is it za usafiri and not ya usafiri?

Because gharama can be understood as either singular or plural, and the connector helps show which one you mean.

• gharama ya usafiri = the cost of transport / transport cost
• gharama za usafiri = transport costs / the costs of transport

So za here suggests a plural or more general costs idea.

Why doesn’t gharama change form for singular and plural?

Some Swahili nouns look the same in both singular and plural. Gharama is one of them.

That means you often tell the number from:

• the words agreeing with it, such as ya vs za
• the context

So even though gharama stays the same, za helps show that the phrase is plural/generic here.