Swahili: Reading 2 – The Farmer and His Donkey
The opening of a traditional story, line by line.
Mkulima alikuwa na punda wake. Siku moja mkulima alimwambia mwanawe: “Huyu punda wetu ni mzuri sana, tukimuuza tutapata pesa nyingi.”
The farmer had his donkey. One day the farmer said to his son: “This donkey of ours is very good; if we sell him, we will get a lot of money.”
Word by word
| Swahili | Pieces | English |
|---|---|---|
| Mkulima | m-kulima | farmer (from -lima, cultivate) |
| alikuwa na | a-li-kuwa na | he had (“was with”) |
| punda wake | his donkey | |
| Siku moja | one day | |
| alimwambia | a-li-mw-ambia | he told him |
| mwanawe | mwana + -ake | his son |
| Huyu punda wetu | this donkey of ours | |
| ni mzuri sana | is very good | |
| tukimuuza | tu-ki-m-uza | if we sell him (-ki- = if; -m- = him) |
| tutapata | tu-ta-pata | we will get |
| pesa nyingi | a lot of money |
Corrected: the original had tukimauza; the object marker for the donkey is -m-, so it’s tukimuuza.