An independent future uses -ta- (watafika “they will arrive”), but an affirmative future with an incorporated relative marker expands that TAM slot to -taka- (watakaofika “who will arrive”). The relative marker follows -taka- and agrees with the noun being described: -ye- for a class 1 person, -cho- for a class 7 thing, -zo- for class 10 things.
This construction packages subject, future, relativization, any object marker, and the lexical stem into one word. English often uses present tense inside a future time clause—“when they arrive”—so translating English order directly hides both Swahili -taka- and the relative slot. The construction is neutral in (informal) and (formal) Standard Swahili, though an amba- relative is often clearer when the clause becomes complex.
The expanded template
Use:
subject concord + -taka- + relative marker + optional object marker + root/extensions + lexical/final vowel
| Finished word | Analytic segmentation | Head/controller |
|---|---|---|
| atakayefika | a-taka-ye-fik-a | class 1 person who will arrive |
| watakaokuja | wa-taka-o-ku-j-a | class 2 people who will come |
| utakaoanguka | u-taka-o-anguk-a | class 3 tree that will fall |
| litakaloondoka | li-taka-lo-ondok-a | class 5 vehicle that will leave |
| kitakachowasili | ki-taka-cho-wasili | class 7 parcel that will arrive |
| vitakavyotumika | vi-taka-vyo-tumik-a | class 8 tools that will be used |
| zitakazotumwa | zi-taka-zo-tum-w-a | class 10 documents that will be sent |
Hyphens expose slots only; each finished relative verb is one word. Short kuja retains ku- after the future-relative complex in wa-taka-o-ku-j-a. Borrowed kuwasili retains lexical final -i.
Mgeni atakayefika kwanza atachukua ufunguo kwenye mapokezi.
The guest who arrives first will collect the key at reception.
Relative verb a-taka-ye-fik-a describes class 1 mgeni. Main-clause a-ta-chuku-a returns to ordinary independent future -ta-.
Vifaa vitakavyotumika kesho vimehifadhiwa kwenye chumba cha pili.
The equipment that will be used tomorrow has been stored in the second room.
Class 8 subject vi- and relative -vyo- frame vi-taka-vyo-tumik-a. Perfect class 8 vi-me-hifadhi-w-a agrees with the same head in the main clause.
Relative markers agree with the head noun
| Class | Relative marker | Future opening |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | -ye- | atakaye- |
| 2 | -o- | watakao- |
| 3 | -o- | utakao- |
| 4 | -yo- | itakayo- |
| 5 | -lo- | litakalo- |
| 6 | -yo- | yatakayo- |
| 7 | -cho- | kitakacho- |
| 8 | -vyo- | vitakavyo- |
| 9 | -yo- | itakayo- |
| 10 | -zo- | zitakazo- |
| 11 | -o- | utakao- |
Gari litakaloondoka saa mbili litaenda moja kwa moja uwanja wa ndege.
The car that leaves at eight will go directly to the airport.
Class 5 gari supplies subject li- and relative -lo- in li-taka-lo-ondok-a. The independent main verb li-ta-end-a uses no relative marker and therefore no expanded -taka-.
Nyaraka zitakazotumwa leo zinahitaji saini ya mkurugenzi.
The documents that will be sent today require the director's signature.
Class 10 nyaraka controls zi-taka-zo-tum-w-a and present zi-na-hitaji. Relative -zo- belongs after -taka-, not after the stem.
The relative concord table covers the full marker series and its relationship to other concord systems.
Subject relatives versus object relatives
When the head noun is the relative clause's subject, subject concord and relative marking normally refer to the same participant, as in mgeni atakayefika. In an object relative, they have separate controllers.
Mtu nitakayemwona kesho ndiye anayesimamia mradi.
The person whom I will see tomorrow is the one who manages the project.
The build is ni-taka-ye-mw-on-a. Subject ni- means “I”; relative -ye- agrees with class 1 head mtu; object -mw- indexes that human head inside the lexical verb. English “whom” is a separate word, while Swahili distributes the relationships across verb slots.
Vitabu tutakavyovinunua vitatumika katika kozi mpya.
The books that we will buy will be used in the new course.
In tu-taka-vyo-vi-nunu-a, subject tu- means “we,” relative -vyo- agrees with class 8 vitabu, and object -vi- indexes the books. Main class 8 vi-ta-tumik-a resumes them.
Wageni tutakaowaalika watapokea ratiba kwa barua pepe.
The guests whom we will invite will receive the schedule by email.
Tu-taka-o-wa-alik-a again separates first-person-plural subject, class 2 relative -o-, and plural-human object -wa-.
Future time relatives with -po-
Locative relative -po- after -taka- creates a future time clause: atakapofika “when he/she arrives.” English normally uses present “arrives” after when, but Swahili explicitly projects the event.
Atakapofika hotelini, nitamtumia nambari ya chumba.
When she arrives at the hotel, I will send her the room number.
The time clause is a-taka-po-fik-a. Main ni-ta-m-tumi-a uses ordinary future and object -m-.
Tutakapomaliza kikao, tutaenda kula karibu na ofisi.
When we finish the meeting, we will go to eat near the office.
Tu-taka-po-maliz-a has relative-time -po- between -taka- and the stem. The main future is tu-ta-end-a. English present “finish” must not cause Swahili tunapomaliza if the intended anchor is the specific future completion.
Other locative relatives use -ko- and -mo- where their general-area or interior meanings are required. The critical future order remains subject + -taka- + relative marker.
Ordinary future and amba- alternatives
The expanded form belongs only to incorporated relativization.
| Construction | Example |
|---|---|
| independent future | wageni watafika |
| incorporated future relative | wageni watakaofika |
| amba- relative + independent future | wageni ambao watafika |
Wageni ambao watafika baada ya saa sita watapokea chakula hotelini.
The guests who will arrive after noon will receive food at the hotel.
The amba- strategy carries class 2 relative -o in ambao, so the following finite verb is ordinary wa-ta-fik-a. It is useful when a relative clause contains coordination, negation, or other material that makes the incorporated form harder to process.
One-word tensed incorporated relatives are affirmative. For a clear negative future relative, use amba- plus an ordinary negative future:
Washiriki ambao hawatahudhuria waijulishe ofisi kabla ya Ijumaa.
Participants who will not attend should inform the office before Friday.
Ambao carries the relative link; hawa-ta-hudhuria carries negative plural-human subject and future. Do not build wasiotakafika, which misorders future morphology and can be confused with forms of kutaka “want.”
Common Mistakes
Using ordinary -ta- directly before the relative marker
❌ Wageni wataofika mapema watapata viti vya mbele.
Incorrect — future expands to -taka- before relative -o-.
✅ Wageni watakaofika mapema watapata viti vya mbele.
The guests who arrive early will get seats at the front.
Putting the relative marker before -taka-
❌ Wageni waotakafika kesho wamesajiliwa.
Incorrect — the order is subject + -taka- + relative marker.
✅ Wageni watakaofika kesho wamesajiliwa.
The guests who will arrive tomorrow have been registered.
Choosing a human marker for a class 7 head
❌ Kitabu nitakayekinunua ni cha historia.
Incorrect — class 7 kitabu requires relative -cho-, not human -ye-.
✅ Kitabu nitakachokinunua ni cha historia.
The book that I will buy is about history.
Expanding -ta- when there is no incorporated relative
❌ Asha atakafika kesho asubuhi.
Incorrect — an independent future uses -ta-, not -taka-.
✅ Asha atafika kesho asubuhi.
Asha will arrive tomorrow morning.
Key Takeaways
- Incorporated affirmative future relatives use -taka- before the relative marker.
- The relative marker agrees with the head noun; the initial subject marker identifies the clause's subject.
- Object relatives may contain distinct subject, relative, and object concords in one word.
- Future time -po- forms include atakapofika and tutakapomaliza.
- Independent and amba- futures use ordinary -ta-; negative future relatives are clearly expressed with amba- plus a negative future verb.
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Start learning Swahili →Related Topics
- Future NegativeB1 — Form the future negative with negative subject concord followed by preserved -ta-, any object marker, and the lexical stem.
- Motion plus Infinitive for Planned ActionB1 — Use kwenda or another motion verb followed by a ku-infinitive for movement toward a planned action without copying English going to mechanically.
- Relative Concord inside the VerbB2 — Build incorporated Swahili relatives in subject–TAM–relative–object–root order and keep each class-agreeing slot tied to its grammatical controller.
- The Complete amba- Relative SeriesB1 — Choose the amba- form that agrees with a relative clause's head noun and keep the following finite verb structurally independent.
- Relative Concord: -o Forms by ClassB2 — Use ye, o, yo, lo, cho, vyo, zo, po, ko, and mo inside Swahili verbs to link relative clauses to their head nouns.