Swahili does not need a dedicated “about-to tense.” Instead, it describes an event as close by: Mkutano uko karibu kuanza “The meeting is about to begin” or Mkutano unakaribia kuanza “The meeting is approaching its beginning.” These constructions express imminence more specifically than future -ta-, because the event is understood to lie near the reference point.
The word karibu is polysemous: it can mean “near,” “almost,” or “welcome.” The finite verb -karibia means “approach/come close to.” All are standard, but their syntax differs. The main patterns are neutral in (informal) and (formal) Standard Swahili; bare karibu near-miss expressions are especially frequent in conversation and narrative.
Three ways to put an event close
| Pattern | Example | Core perspective |
|---|---|---|
| copular form + karibu + infinitive | iko karibu kuanza | the event is close to its starting point |
| finite -karibia + infinitive | inakaribia kuanza | the subject/event is approaching that point |
| karibu na + event noun or nominalized action | tuko karibu na mwisho | close to a boundary or outcome |
| bare karibu + finite/subjunctive form | karibu aanguke | almost/nearly; often a near miss |
Mkutano uko karibu kuanza; tafadhali zima sauti ya simu yako.
The meeting is about to begin; please silence your phone.
Class 3 mkutano takes locative copular uko. The following ku-anz-a is an infinitive, not a future verb.
Mkutano unakaribia kuanza, lakini mzungumzaji mkuu hajafika bado.
The meeting is about to begin, but the keynote speaker has not arrived yet.
Finite u-na-karibi-a agrees with class 3 mkutano. Infinitive ku-anz-a names the endpoint being approached.
Finite -karibia plus an infinitive
The verb -karibia takes the ordinary finite template, then a separate ku- infinitive names the imminent event:
subject concord + TAM + -karibia + ku-infinitive
| Complete finite build | Finished phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ni-na-karibi-a | ninakaribia kumaliza | I am about to finish |
| a-na-karibi-a | anakaribia kuondoka | he/she is about to leave |
| u-na-karibi-a | unakaribia kuanza | it is about to begin (class 3) |
| tu-li-karibi-a | tulikaribia kufika | we came close to arriving |
| wa-ta-karibi-a | watakaribia kumaliza | they will be nearing completion |
| ha-karibi-i | hakaribii kuanguka | he/she is not about to fall |
| hali-karibi-i | halikaribii kuondoka | it is not about to leave (class 5) |
| zi-me-karibi-a | zimekaribia kuiva | they have nearly ripened (class 10) |
Present-negative ha-karibi-i produces hakaribii: the lexical sequence -ii is correct. Do not shorten it to hakaribi. The infinitive is a second word and retains its own ku-.
Ninakaribia kumaliza hesabu; nipe dakika mbili zaidi.
I am about to finish the calculations; give me two more minutes.
The speaker is already near the endpoint. Plain future nitamaliza would promise or predict completion but would not itself say how close it is.
Basi linakaribia kuondoka, kwa hiyo panda sasa.
The bus is about to leave, so get on now.
Class 5 subject concord li- appears inside li-na-karibi-a. The urgency in the result clause supports an imminent reading.
Matunda haya yamekaribia kuiva, lakini bado yana ladha chungu.
These fruits have almost ripened, but they still taste bitter.
Perfect ya-me-karibi-a looks back on progress toward the endpoint; the ripening has not necessarily been completed. This is “almost,” not a perfect assertion that the fruits are ripe.
The construction honestly leaves a small gray area: approaching an event may culminate, or circumstances may interrupt it. Imminence is not a guarantee.
Kuwa karibu and agreement
Present locative copular forms such as niko, uko, yuko, tuko, mko, and wako place a person near an event boundary. Noun-class subjects use the appropriate -ko form, such as class 3 uko or class 7 kiko.
Elisabeti yuko karibu kujifungua, kwa hiyo simu yake ibaki ikiwa imewashwa usiku.
Elisabeti is close to giving birth, so her phone should remain switched on at night.
Yuko agrees with a human subject; ku-ji-fungu-a is the lexical infinitive “give birth.”
Tuko karibu kufikia makubaliano; tumebakiza kipengele kimoja tu.
We are close to reaching an agreement; we have only one clause left.
Here the construction profiles the group's current position relative to an outcome. With na, Swahili can foreground a nominal boundary: tuko karibu na mwisho wa mazungumzo “we are near the end of the talks.” A nominalized action also occurs, as in tuko karibu na kufikia makubaliano, but the version without na is normally the leaner way to say that the event itself is about to happen.
Past and future reference goes on kuwa, not on the infinitive:
Tulikuwa karibu kuondoka umeme ulipokatika.
We were about to leave when the electricity went out.
Finite tu-li-ku-w-a carries past; ku-ondok-a remains nonfinite. The interruption shows that the departure was imminent but unrealized.
Saa sita tutakuwa karibu na mwisho wa mahojiano.
At noon we will be near the end of the interview.
Finite tu-ta-ku-w-a carries future and short-root support ku-; karibu na mwisho is a proximity phrase.
Bare karibu: almost and the near-miss reading
Bare karibu before a finite form often means “almost/nearly.” This can describe an event visibly on the verge of happening, but in past narration it very often reports a near miss—an event that did not happen.
Tahadhari, kikombe kiko karibu kuanguka ukingoni mwa meza!
Careful, the cup is about to fall at the edge of the table!
The copular construction is explicit about current imminence.
Karibu nianguke nilipokanyaga sakafu yenye maji.
I nearly fell when I stepped on the wet floor.
Here karibu scopes over ni-anguk-e. The past narrative makes non-occurrence clear: the speaker nearly fell but did not. This compact pattern is neutral (informal) and vivid in (literary) narration, but the copular or -karibia construction is less ambiguous for a still-future “about to” meaning.
Do not confuse either use with welcoming Karibu! or spatial duka liko karibu na benki “the shop is near the bank.” Only the event complement creates temporal/eventive proximity.
Prediction, intention, and imminence are different
Mvua itanyesha jioni kulingana na utabiri.
It will rain this evening according to the forecast.
Future i-ta-nyesh-a is a prediction. It does not claim that rain is starting any moment.
Mawingu yamekuwa meusi ghafla; mvua inakaribia kunyesha.
The clouds have suddenly turned dark; it is about to rain.
Finite i-na-karibi-a presents the rain event as close on the basis of immediate evidence. English “be going to” may translate either prediction or imminence, but Swahili forces the speaker to choose the intended viewpoint.
Similarly, Nitaondoka kesho is a future statement, Ninaenda kununua dawa profiles movement toward a planned purchase, and Ninakaribia kuondoka says departure is imminent. See motion plus intended action and future -ta-.
Negation and scope
Negate the finite element whose proximity you deny. Present -karibia uses ordinary present negation; locative copulas use negative forms such as siko, hayuko, and hauko.
Basi halikaribii kuondoka; dereva bado hajafika.
The bus is not about to leave; the driver has not arrived yet.
Class 5 hali-karibi-i removes affirmative -na- and changes regular final -a to -i. The infinitive remains affirmative because leaving is the endpoint whose proximity is denied.
Hatuko karibu kumaliza ukarabati; kazi kubwa bado haijaanza.
We are nowhere near finishing the repairs; the major work has not even begun.
Negative locative hatuko denies the current position relative to completion. It does not mean that completing is impossible.
Common Mistakes
Moving karibu into English order
❌ Nina kuondoka karibu sasa.
Incorrect — Swahili places karibu before the event complement or uses finite -karibia.
✅ Ninakaribia kuondoka sasa; niagize teksi.
I am about to leave now; order me a taxi.
Giving the complement another finite TAM marker
❌ Mkutano unakaribia utaanza.
Incorrect — after -karibia, the imminent action is a ku-infinitive.
✅ Mkutano unakaribia kuanza baada ya wageni kuketi.
The meeting is about to begin after the guests take their seats.
Keeping -na- under present negation
❌ Gari halinakaribia kuondoka.
Incorrect in the ordinary present negative — -na- is removed.
✅ Gari halikaribii kuondoka kwa sababu injini imezimwa.
The car is not about to leave because its engine is off.
Confusing proximity with a future guarantee
❌ Walikaribia kushinda, kwa hiyo walishinda lazima.
Incorrect inference — coming close does not entail reaching the endpoint.
✅ Walikaribia kushinda, lakini walipoteza katika dakika ya mwisho.
They almost won, but they lost in the final minute.
Reading every karibu as “about to”
❌ Karibu ndani maana yake tukio litaanza sasa.
Incorrect — Karibu ndani is an invitation to come in, not an imminence construction.
✅ Karibu ndani; chakula kiko karibu kuwa tayari.
Come in; the food is almost ready.
Key Takeaways
Use kuwa karibu + infinitive to locate a subject near an event boundary and finite -karibia + infinitive to portray movement toward it. Karibu na most transparently introduces a noun or nominal boundary, while bare karibu often reports an “almost” near miss. TAM and polarity remain on the finite verb; the following ku- infinitive stays a separate word.
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