Taarifa hii ni nyeti.

to be

Breakdown of Taarifa hii ni nyeti.

• hii: this
• taarifa: the information
• nyeti: sensitive

Questions & Answers about Taarifa hii ni nyeti.

Why is this translated as hii and placed after taarifa instead of before it?

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

So:

• taarifa hii = this information
• literally: information this

That word order is normal in Swahili. English puts this before the noun, but Swahili commonly puts the demonstrative after it.

What does ni do in this sentence?

Ni is the common Swahili word for is / are when linking a subject to a description or identity.

So in:

• Taarifa hii ni nyeti

ni connects taarifa hii with nyeti, just like is does in English:

• This information is sensitive

A helpful pattern is:

• X ni Y = X is Y

For example:

• Huyu ni mwalimu = This person is a teacher
• Chakula hiki ni kizuri = This food is good

Why is it nyeti and not some longer adjective form that agrees with taarifa?