Mlowezi amefika.

A good approximate pronunciation is:

• Mlowezi: mlo-WEH-zi
• amefika: ah-meh-FEE-kah

A few helpful points:

• Swahili vowels are usually very steady and clear: a, e, i, o, u
• The stress is usually on the second-to-last syllable
• Try not to reduce unstressed vowels the way English often does

So amefika should sound more even and crisp than an English speaker might first expect.

The sentence uses the very common Swahili order subject + verb:

• Mlowezi = the subject
• amefika = the verb phrase

So structurally it works much like English Mlowezi has arrived.

amefika can be analyzed as:

• a- = he/she subject marker
• -me- = perfect marker, often translated as has/have
• -fika = arrive

So the whole verb means he/she has arrived.

This is very typical in Swahili: information that English often spreads across several words gets packed into one verb.

Because Swahili normally attaches the subject marker and tense marker directly to the verb.

So instead of writing separate words for he/she + has + arrive, Swahili combines them:

• a-
  • -me-
    • fika → amefika

This is one of the most important patterns in Swahili verbs.

Because the idea of has is already built into the verb through -me-.

In English, you say:

• has arrived

In Swahili, the perfect idea is expressed inside the verb itself:

• amefika

So -me- is doing the job that has does in English.

It can mean either.

Swahili does not usually mark gender in this kind of verb form, so a- can refer to:

• he
• she

You figure out which one is meant from context, or from the noun used as the subject.

The dictionary form is kufika, meaning to arrive.

In Swahili dictionaries, verbs are usually listed with ku-, which is the infinitive marker:

• kufika = to arrive

So when learning verbs, it helps to connect:

• kufika = to arrive
• amefika = he/she has arrived

Yes, very often you can.

Because a- already tells you there is a third-person singular subject, amefika by itself can mean:

• he has arrived
• she has arrived

You include Mlowezi when you want to name the person explicitly or make the subject especially clear.

These forms express different tense/aspect meanings:

• amefika = has arrived / is now here after arriving
• alifika = arrived / came in the past
• anafika = is arriving / arrives

So amefika often suggests a completed action with present relevance, which is why it is often translated with English has arrived.

Because fika is an intransitive verb: it means arrive, and it does not need a direct object.

So amefika is already a complete idea:

• He/She has arrived

If you want to add a place, you can add a location expression, for example:

• amefika hapa = he/she has arrived here
• amefika nyumbani = he/she has arrived home

But the verb itself does not require an object.

The a- is the subject marker used for a singular person in this kind of sentence.

Since Mlowezi is the subject and is being treated as a singular person, the verb agrees with it using a-:

• a-me-fika

If the subject were plural, the verb would change accordingly, for example:

• wamefika = they have arrived

So the beginning of the verb changes to match the subject.