When to use it
Use it when your child missed school and you ask another parent about the homework.
The sentence in English — “Did the teacher explain the homework?”
In “Did the teacher explain the homework?” ‘Did’ carries the past, so ‘explain’ stays in its base form.
- Did
- auxiliary verbdo · tense: past · auxiliary that makes a question in the past
- the
- determinerdefinite article
- teacher
- nounnoun
- explain
- verbexplain · form: base form (infinitive without "to") · after "did" the verb stays in its base form
- the
- determinerdefinite article
- homework
- noununcountable noun; it has no plural
The sentence in Swahili — “Je, mwalimu alieleza kazi ya nyumbani?”
In “Je, mwalimu alieleza kazi ya nyumbani?” the past is the marker ‘-li-’ inside ‘alieleza’ (explained). ‘kazi ya nyumbani’ (work of at-home) is homework.
- Je
- particle'Je' opens a yes/no question
- mwalimu
- noun'teacher', M-WA class
- alieleza
- verbeleza · person: 3rd singular · tense: past (-li-) · a- (he/she) + -li- (past) + eleza 'explain'
- kazi
- noun'work'
- ya
- preposition'of', agreeing with kazi
- nyumbani
- nounnyumba + -ni 'at home'; kazi ya nyumbani = homework
English × Swahili — What changes from one language to the other
English puts the past in ‘did’; Swahili in ‘-li-’. One English word, ‘homework’, is three in Swahili.
Example conversation
— Je, mwalimu alieleza kazi ya nyumbani?
— Did the teacher explain the homework?
— Ndiyo, mazoezi ya ukurasa wa kumi na mbili.
— Yes, exercises on page twelve.