Tutafyeka nyasi baada ya kuzibua mtaro.

Tutafyeka means we will mow / we will slash / we will cut down.

It breaks down like this:

• tu- = we
• -ta- = future tense (will)
• -fyek- = the verb root slash / mow / clear by cutting
• -a = the final vowel of the verb

So tutafyeka literally means we-will-mow.

In Swahili, tense is usually built into the verb itself instead of being a separate word.

So English:

• we will mow

becomes Swahili:

• tutafyeka

The -ta- inside the verb carries the meaning of will.

Not exactly. Fyeka usually means slash, mow, or clear vegetation by cutting, especially grass or weeds.

So with nyasi (grass), kufyeka nyasi is a natural way to say:

• to mow the grass
• to cut the grass
• to slash the grass

It is more specific than a very general verb like kata (cut).

Nyasi means grass.

Swahili does not have articles like English a, an, or the. So nyasi can mean:

• grass
• the grass
• sometimes some grass

The exact meaning depends on context. In this sentence, it is naturally understood as the grass or simply grass.

Baada ya means after.

It is a very common expression in Swahili. It is used before a noun or before an infinitive phrase.

Examples:

• baada ya kazi = after work
• baada ya kula = after eating
• baada ya kuzibua mtaro = after unclogging the ditch

After baada ya, Swahili commonly uses the infinitive form of a verb.

So:

• kuzibua = to unclog / to open up / to clear

In English, we often say after unclogging. In Swahili, this is expressed with baada ya + infinitive:

• baada ya kuzibua mtaro = after unclogging the ditch

This is a very normal structure.

Kuzibua comes from the verb zibua, which means something like:

• to unblock
• to unclog
• to open up
• to clear out

In this sentence, it most likely means to unclog or to clear a drainage ditch or trench.

So kuzibua mtaro means:

• to unclog the ditch
• to clear the trench/drain

Mtaro usually means:

• ditch
• trench
• drainage channel

The exact translation depends on context. In everyday usage, it often refers to a ditch or drain used for water flow.

So kuzibua mtaro suggests clearing a blocked ditch or drain.

The word order here is actually quite close to English:

• Tutafyeka nyasi = We will mow the grass
• baada ya kuzibua mtaro = after unclogging the ditch

So the full sentence is:

• We will mow the grass after unclogging the ditch

Swahili often uses a straightforward order: verb + object + time phrase / prepositional phrase

Yes. Baada ya clearly shows sequence.

So the order of events is:

1. kuzibua mtaro = unclog the ditch
2. kufyeka nyasi = mow the grass

So the mowing happens after the ditch is cleared.

Usually, yes. In this sentence, the most natural interpretation is that we are doing both actions:

• we will unclog the ditch
• then we will mow the grass

Even though kuzibua does not show a separate subject here, the subject is normally understood from the main clause unless context suggests otherwise.

Because kuzibua is being used as an infinitive (to unclog), not as a fully conjugated verb.

Compare:

• tutazibua mtaro = we will unclog the ditch
• baada ya kuzibua mtaro = after unclogging the ditch

In the second one, ku- marks the infinitive, so it functions more like to unclog / unclogging than a normal finite verb.

Yes, depending on context.

Some words here have a range of meanings:

• fyeka can be mow, slash, or cut down
• zibua can be unclog, clear, or open up
• mtaro can be ditch, drain, or trench

So several English translations are possible, such as:

• We will mow the grass after unclogging the ditch.
• We will cut the grass after clearing the drain.
• We will slash the grass after opening up the trench.

The best translation depends on the situation.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

Tu-ta-fye-ka nya-si ba-a-da ya ku-zi-bu-a mta-ro

A few helpful points:

• tu sounds roughly like too
• ta sounds like tah
• ny in nyasi is like the ny sound in canyon
• mt in mtaro is pronounced together; don’t insert a big extra vowel if you can help it
• Swahili vowels are usually clear and consistent:
  • a = ah
  • e = eh
  • i = ee
  • o = oh
  • u = oo

Stress in Swahili often falls on the second-to-last syllable.

In practice, nyasi is often treated as a mass noun meaning grass, so English speakers do not need to think of it the same way they would countable nouns like one tree / two trees.

Depending on context, it can refer to grass in a general sense rather than a clearly singular or plural item. That is why nyasi is best learned here simply as grass.

A natural Swahili sentence would be:

Tutazibua mtaro kwanza, halafu tutafyeka nyasi.

This says the same idea more explicitly:

• kwanza = first
• halafu = then / afterwards

Your original sentence is more compact, while this version spells out the sequence more clearly.