"Children be happy!"

Translation: Watoto Furahini!

[MBG266009]

I don't think the order of the words should affect the meaning in Swahili, so why isn't "Furahini Watoto" accepted as well as "Watoto Furahini"?

[Theluji]

What exactly is the verb of ''to be happy''? Kufurahi? kufuraha? kuwa furaha? I see different forms of ''happy'' and I am confused.

[AGreatUserName]

The two main words here are:

kufurahi (verb) "to become happy"
furaha (noun) "happiness"

Because kufurahi is one of these verbs of "becoming", i.e. a change of state, to talk about the static state, you use the perfect:

Nimefurahi. = I am happy. = I have become happy.

You can also use the noun to get the same meaning. Just use it with the equivalent of "have". To have happiness = to be happy.

Nina furaha = I am happy. = I have happiness.

Other examples:
watu wenye furaha = happy people = people with happiness
watu waliofurahi = happy people = people who became happy
tembea kwa furaha = walk happily = walk with happiness

[Theluji]

Ah, thank you!

Now I have one question about your example. I don't think I have ever heard of ''wenye'' before. I'm not sure what it means and how it is used.

[MBG266009]

"-enye" means "having" or sort of "with" - kind of the opposite of "bila" meaning "without"

[YenitaSing]

I'm a little confised as to why it is furahini? Doesnt the extra 'ni' mean in or at?

[juryrigging]

In this instance it makes the command plural. Verbs ending in -a get the -eni ending. The rest get -ni.

You are thinking of the -ni which is appended to nouns, turning them into locatives ( chumba changu, "my room (as a concept)" vs nimo chumbani mwangu, "in (the location) my room").

If you see the -ni suffix, determine whether the word it is affixed to is a noun or verb (it shouldn't be too difficult to work out), and that should give y a clue to its usage.

[KathyKerns]

Does the order of these 2 words matter?