Namba ya ufuatiliaji itapatikana pindi tu wakala wa mizigo atakapofika.

to arrive

Breakdown of Namba ya ufuatiliaji itapatikana pindi tu wakala wa mizigo atakapofika.

• kupatikana: to be available
• wakala wa mizigo: the freight agent
• namba ya ufuatiliaji: the tracking number

Questions & Answers about Namba ya ufuatiliaji itapatikana pindi tu wakala wa mizigo atakapofika.

How is this sentence put together?

It has two main parts:

• Namba ya ufuatiliaji itapatikana = the tracking number will be available
• pindi tu wakala wa mizigo atakapofika = as soon as the cargo agent arrives

So the second part tells you when the first part will happen.

Swahili often puts this kind of time phrase after the main clause, but you could also move it to the front:

• Pindi tu wakala wa mizigo atakapofika, namba ya ufuatiliaji itapatikana.

That means the same thing.

Why do we have ya in namba ya ufuatiliaji but wa in wakala wa mizigo?

Both ya and wa are forms of the connector -a, which often works like of in English.

The form changes to agree with the noun before it:

• namba is a class 9 noun, so the connector becomes ya
• wakala is a class 1 singular noun, so the connector becomes wa

So:

• namba ya ufuatiliaji = number of tracking
• wakala wa mizigo = agent of cargo

A very important point: the connector agrees with the first noun, not the second one.

What does ufuatiliaji mean, and where does it come from?