Reki iko hapa.

A simple English-style approximation is REH-kee EE-koh HAH-pah.

A few helpful points:

• Swahili vowels are usually pronounced clearly and consistently.
• Reki = re-ki
• iko = i-ko
• hapa = ha-pa

Iko means is / is located / is present.

In this sentence, it tells you where the thing is. So it is not just a general is; it is specifically a location/existence kind of is.

Because this sentence is about location.

• ni is used for identity, classification, or equivalence.
• iko is used for saying that something is somewhere.

Compare:

• Reki ni chombo. = A rake is a tool.
• Reki iko hapa. = The rake is here.

Hapa means here.

It is a very common location word in Swahili. In simple sentences like this one, it often comes after the verb:

• iko hapa = is here

Swahili does not use articles like English the and a/an.

So reki can mean:

• the rake
• a rake

The exact meaning depends on context.

Reki is usually treated as a class 9 loanword in the singular.

That matters because Swahili verbs must agree with the noun class of the subject. Here, the agreement is i-, which gives i-ko → iko.

If you are talking about more than one, the noun may still stay reki, but the verb agreement changes:

• Reki ziko hapa. = The rakes are here.

Yes, in this sentence it is very similar:

• Reki = subject
• iko = verb
• hapa = place/location

So the pattern is subject + verb + location, just like The rake is here.

Yes. If everyone already knows what you are talking about, you can just say:

• Iko hapa. = It is here.

That is very natural in conversation when the topic is already understood.

Here are some useful forms:

• Reki haiko hapa. = The rake is not here.
• Reki ilikuwa hapa. = The rake was here.
• Reki itakuwa hapa. = The rake will be here.

So once you know the basic pattern, you can change the tense quite easily.