# Swahili : to give something to somebody



## J.F. de TROYES

I'd like to tanslate the following sentences :

_The woman will give rice to the child  _and  _The woman has given rice to the child.

_What is confusing me is the presence of two complements. Can I use the applicative voice ? Here is my try ;

_Mwanamke atampia mtoto wali_   and    _Mwanamke alimpia mtoto wali.

_I am wondering if  _-pa_ in the applicative is _-kup-i-a _or  -_object infix- p-ia_.

Thanks a lot for your help.


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## Ironicus

With these tenses you would not use both _-ku-_ and the object infix. You could say _atakupia wali _- (she) will give (someone) rice - leaving out any object infix. 
And _alimpia _means '(she) gave (the child)', _amempia_ means '(she) has already given' or '(she) has given...'.


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## J.F. de TROYES

Does it mean that _atakupia_ is the only right form and _atampia _incorrect_. _Instead for  the past form _alimpia_ the object infix is used, isn't it ? As for _amempia _ I suppose_  -me- _is the tense marker.Thank you for your comments.


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## Ironicus

J.F. de TROYES said:


> Does it mean that _atakupia_ is the only right form and _atampia _incorrect_. _Instead for  the past form _alimpia_ the object infix is used, isn't it ? As for _amempia _ I suppose_  -me- _is the tense marker.Thank you for your comments.



The object infix has the effect of making the object definite, in whatever tense is being used.

A 'ku' prefix marks an infinitive: so 'kupa' means 'to give'. The tense marker is not usually stressed, but if you are using a verb of one syllable, like 'pa', without an object infix, you are forced to stress the tense marker; this sounds odd to native speakers although I've heard it used for rhetorical effect. So to avoid stressing the tense marker, we stick the infinitive marker in after it and stress that instead - even though that doesn't seem to make a hell of a lot of sense!


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## J.F. de TROYES

So are these sentences correct and usual ?

For the future tense: _Mwanamke atakupia mtoto wali . _( The woman will give rice to the child)

 For the past ( preterite) : _Mwanamke alimpia mtoto wali . _(The woman has gave rice to the child_)

_For the present perfect:_ Mwanamke amempia mtoto wali . _(The woman has given rice to the child_)


_Please correct me if I am wrong_.

_


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## Simbamangu

The -i- infix isn't used with kupa - 'kupia' is to blink!

If you want to use 'kupa' it would be "mwanamke alimpa mtoto wali" (atampa future).

In Tanzania, at least, you'd actually be more likely to use 'kumpatia' - to 'get for / provide' for someone. "Mwanamke alimpatia wali" - "the woman provided rice".


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## Ironicus

Ah! Ona unanisomesha bwana Simbamangu!
All the time I was writing I had 'patia' in the back of my head and didn't know what it was doing there. Thanks for setting me right!


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