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Questions & Answers about Punguza mwendo sasa.
What does punguza mean, and what verb does it come from?
Punguza is the command form of kupunguza, a verb meaning to reduce, lessen, lower, or slow something down.
In this sentence, punguza means slow down or more literally reduce. It is closely related to kupungua, which means to become less / decrease. So:
- kupungua = to decrease, become smaller/less
- kupunguza = to make something decrease, reduce something
That is why punguza mwendo literally means reduce speed/pace.
Why is there no subject pronoun like you in the sentence?
Because this is an imperative sentence, meaning a command.
In Swahili, commands usually do not include the subject pronoun. English says You, slow down only for emphasis, but normally just Slow down! Swahili works the same way:
- Punguza = Slow down! / Reduce!
The you is understood from the command form itself.
Is punguza a command to one person or to more than one person?