kutandika
koo-tah-NDEE-kah
How to say it
Swahilikutandikakoo-tah-NDEE-kah
Englishto spread (out), to lay; to make (a bed)
Frenchétendre, étaler; faire (un lit)
Meaning
To spread something flat over a surface, such as a sheet on a bed, a mat on the floor, grass on a roof or leaves on the ground. Kutandika kitanda is the everyday way to say make the bed.
Good to know
Takes the thing spread or the place covered as object: kutandika mkeka, to spread a mat; kutandika kitanda, to make the bed. The opposite is kutandua, to strip or take off. Tandika is also a neighborhood of Dar es Salaam.
Examples
- Kila asubuhi mama hutandika kitanda chake mapema.Every morning mother makes her bed early.
- Walitandika mikeka chini ili wageni waketi.They spread mats on the ground so the guests could sit.
- Wakulima hutandika majani shambani kuzuia maji yasikauke.Farmers spread grass on the field to keep the water from drying out.
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Forms
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