Kitengo hiki kina kazi nyingi.

A very literal breakdown is:

• kitengo = unit / department / section
• hiki = this
• kina = it has
• kazi = work / job / task
• nyingi = much / many

So the sentence is roughly:

unit this has work much/many

That sounds unnatural in English, but it helps show how Swahili builds the idea.

Because in Swahili, demonstratives like this and that usually come after the noun.

So:

• kitengo hiki = this unit
• not the English-style order this unit

This is a very common pattern in Swahili:

• mtu huyu = this person
• kitabu hiki = this book
• kazi hizi = these tasks

Because they both have to agree with kitengo, which belongs to noun class 7.

In Swahili, words connected to a noun often change form to match that noun's class. Here:

• kitengo is class 7
• the class 7 form of this is hiki
• the class 7 subject marker in the verb is ki-, giving kina

So the sentence is showing noun-class agreement in two places.

Kina means it has here.

It can be understood as:

• ki- = subject marker for a class 7 noun
• -na = have / with

So:

• kitengo hiki kina... = this unit has...

Compare:

• ana = he/she has
• wana = they have
• kina = it has, for a class 7 noun like kitengo

Because of agreement patterns and word grouping.

The sentence naturally divides like this:

• kitengo hiki = this unit
• kina kazi nyingi = has much work / many tasks

And within the second part:

• kazi nyingi = much work / many tasks

So:

• hiki describes kitengo
• nyingi describes kazi

A useful rule is that adjectives and demonstratives usually stay close to the noun they describe.

Because nyingi is describing kazi, not kitengo.

In Swahili, adjectives agree with the noun they modify. Since kazi is the noun being described, the adjective must match kazi, not kitengo.

So:

• kazi nyingi = much work / many tasks

If you wanted to describe kitengo instead, the adjective would need class 7 agreement instead.

It can be understood either way depending on context.

That is because kazi is one of those Swahili nouns whose singular and plural often look the same:

• singular: kazi
• plural: kazi

So kazi nyingi can mean:

• a lot of work
• many tasks
• many jobs

The exact meaning depends on the situation.

It can mean either, depending on how you understand kazi.

In English, we separate:

• many for countable things
• much for uncountable things

But in Swahili, kazi nyingi can cover both ideas:

• many tasks/jobs
• much work

So English forces a choice that Swahili does not always force.

Because Swahili does not use articles the way English does.

There is no separate word exactly like the or a/an here. Instead, specificity usually comes from context or from words like demonstratives.

So:

• kitengo hiki already means this unit, which is naturally specific
• kazi nyingi can mean much work or many tasks, depending on context

This is very normal in Swahili.

Kitengo is a class 7 noun, and its plural is vitengo in class 8.

So:

• singular: kitengo
• plural: vitengo

When the noun becomes plural, the agreeing words change too:

• kitengo hiki kina... = this unit has...
• vitengo hivi vina... = these units have...

That class change is an important Swahili pattern:

• class 7 often has ki-
• class 8 often has vi-

You would say:

Vitengo hivi vina kazi nyingi.

Changes:

• kitengo → vitengo
• hiki → hivi
• kina → vina

But kazi nyingi stays the same, because kazi does not change form between singular and plural.

So:

• Kitengo hiki kina kazi nyingi. = This unit has a lot of work.
• Vitengo hivi vina kazi nyingi. = These units have a lot of work.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

kee-TEN-go HEE-kee KEE-na KAH-zee NYIN-ghee

A few helpful points:

• Swahili vowels are usually pronounced clearly and consistently.
• ki sounds like kee
• ka sounds like kah
• zi sounds like zee
• ny is like the ny sound in canyon

Also, Swahili words usually have stress on the second-to-last syllable, so:

• ki-TEN-go
• HI-ki
• KI-na
• KA-zi
• NYI-ngi