"Kitabu kisingesomwa"

Translation: The book would not be read

[JamesTWils]

Doesn't the past conditional involve the use of -li-?

[KennyGrindall]

Yes, in a way. The Swahili form of the 'answer' given here is kisingalisomwa. So for now, until this is fixed, everyone will have to take a second go at this one and remember to answer incorrectly in order to be correct.

[jemef]

Pity, often had to answer incorrectly in order to proceed!

[BwanaSimba]

Indeed, as long as you put 'NGA' in front of it. In Kiswahili, conditional tenses are represented by -NGE- (future) and –NGALI- (past), or -KI- (if). N.B. There's also -NGELI-, which is intended to denote unreal situations: Ningelikuwa ndege, ningeliruka. 'If I were a bird, I would have flown.'

[billhatcher]

Could this sentence also translate as, "The book would not be read"?

[FabioMombasa]

if the book were not read... should work too, ama?

[alettamari1]

Why does this end with "-wa" while all other vers end without?

[TomasBurba]

This "-wa" is for passive voice. Without it the translation becomes "the book would not read".