Seli hii ni ndogo.

to be

Breakdown of Seli hii ni ndogo.

• hii: this
• ndogo: small
• seli: the cell

Questions & Answers about Seli hii ni ndogo.

Why is hii placed after seli instead of before it?

In Swahili, demonstratives like this usually come after the noun.

So:

• seli hii = this cell

This is different from English, where we say this cell.

A very common Swahili pattern is:

• noun + demonstrative
• mtoto huyu = this child
• kitabu hiki = this book
• seli hii = this cell

What does ni do in this sentence?

Ni is the basic word for is / are in simple identification or description sentences.

So in:

• Seli hii ni ndogo

ni connects seli hii and ndogo, like is in English:

• This cell is small.

It is one of the most common words in Swahili.

Why is the adjective ndogo after ni?