"Jamila anafua nguo."
Translation:Jamila washes clothes.
30 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
Verb (-fua)
-fua (infinitive kufua)
1) to beat (against); to launder
2) to husk
3) to forge
From Wiktionary: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fua
I'm Kenyan and the translation sounds off. I might be wrong, but I doubt, but I'll accept it if I am.
Jamila anafua nguo
I'd translate it as:
Jamila is washing clothes. As in It's something she's doing now.
Jamila washes clothes. I'm reading it as something she does. She might not be doing it now but she does it. Has done it before and probably will do it in the future.
I'd translate that as: Jamila hufua nguo. That would be the translation for Jamila washes clothes.
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Can the Swahili words for "washing" and "cleaning" be used as synonyms - as in cleaning/washing the bucket, and cleaning/washing clothes?
"kufua" does seem to refer to a specific method of washing, but it also has other meanings: https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fua#Swahili
4
It's just an example sentence. It doesn't stop you from understanding the grammar or the meaning of the sentence. Plus, what's the big deal with gender normative anyway? If that's the norm let it be, it doesn't mean it's mysoginistic. If the goal here is to learn a language, no need to shoot in a different direction.
No Beryl. It should be accepted because two answers are perfectly correct.
1. she washes,
2. she is washing.
In English, context matters to the grammar. If she is doing it right now, answer #2 is correct. If this is her job or task that occurs over a period of time, then #1 is correct. Because DL does not specify the context, both should be accepted but neither one is more appropriate than the other.
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Anafua can be both present tens (meaning she washes) and present progressive (she is washing). You use the first if it's something she does on a regular basis, ex. she washes clothes every week. You use the second if she is washing clothes right now, ex. she is washing clothes right now.