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Baada ya kusubiri kwa subira, mhudumu alileta mkate mtamu kwenye mgahawa huo.

Baada ya kusubiri kwa subira, mhudumu alileta mkate mtamu kwenye mgahawa huo.
After waiting patiently, the waiter brought tasty bread to that restaurant.
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Questions & Answers about Baada ya kusubiri kwa subira, mhudumu alileta mkate mtamu kwenye mgahawa huo.

Why does baada ya mean after, and why is it followed by kusubiri?

Baada is a noun meaning after/afterwards (literally an after-time), and it commonly links to what follows using the connector ya (the connector that matches this noun class). After baada ya, you can put:

  • a noun: baada ya chakula = after the meal
  • an infinitive/“verb-noun”: baada ya kusubiri = after waiting
What exactly is kusubiri grammatically?

Kusubiri is the infinitive form (often used like an English gerund waiting).

  • ku- = infinitive marker
  • -subiri- = verb root wait
    So baada ya kusubiri is literally after to-wait → natural English: after waiting.
Why does it say kwa subira? Isn’t kusubiri already “to wait”?

Yes—kusubiri already means to wait, so kwa subira adds how the waiting was done:

  • kwa = with/by (often makes adverbial phrases)
  • subira = patience
    So kwa subira is patiently (literally with patience).
Is the comma necessary after Baada ya kusubiri kwa subira?

It’s optional and mainly a writing/punctuation choice. The opening phrase is an introductory time phrase, so a comma can make it easier to read, but many Swahili texts would omit it without being “wrong.”

What does mhudumu mean exactly, and what’s the plural?

Mhudumu means attendant/server—in a restaurant context, waiter/waitress/server. It’s in noun class 1 (m-/wa-), so the plural is:

  • mhudumu (singular)
  • wahudumu (plural)
How is alileta built, and what tense is it?

alileta is past tense:

  • a- = subject marker for he/she (class 1)
  • -li- = past tense marker
  • -leta- = verb root bring So mhudumu alileta = the server brought.
Why isn’t the subject included as a separate word like yeye?

In Swahili the subject is usually shown on the verb with a subject prefix (here a-). You’d add yeye only for emphasis/contrast, e.g. Yeye alileta... = HE/SHE (specifically) brought...

Why is it mkate mtamu and not something like mkate tamu?

Adjectives in Swahili agree with the noun class. Mkate is class 3 (m-/mi-), so -tamu takes the class 3 adjective prefix m-:

  • mkate mtamu = sweet bread
    Saying mkate tamu drops the agreement and sounds like a learner mistake.
What noun class is mkate, and how would the plural affect the adjective?

Mkate is class 3 (singular m-), plural class 4 (mi-):

  • mkate mtamu = sweet bread (one loaf/bread item)
  • mikate mitamu = sweet breads / sweet loaves
What does kwenye mean here, and could I use katika instead?

kwenye means at/on/in a place, often sounding a bit more “at a specific spot” in everyday speech:

  • kwenye mgahawa huo = at that restaurant
    katika also works and is often a bit more neutral/formal for in/inside:
  • katika mgahawa huo = in that restaurant
    Both are common; the difference is usually small and context-based.
Why does it say mgahawa huo (noun + demonstrative), and what does huo mean?

Demonstratives commonly come after the noun in Swahili. huo is the demonstrative agreeing with mgahawa (class 3), meaning that (often that one we’ve mentioned/that specific one):

  • mgahawa huo = that restaurant (the specific one)
Does mkate mtamu mean “sweet bread” as in dessert bread, or can it just mean “tasty bread”?
Most literally it’s sweet bread (sweet flavor). But depending on context, tamu can sometimes extend to delicious/pleasant. If you want unambiguously delicious, people often also use mtamu in that sense, or choose a clearer word like mzuri (good) or mtamu sana (very delicious/sweet).