Learn Hardcore Swahili: Tulimsaidia kumtengenezea mpango wa kupanga vyombo, kisha tukatumia jembe hilo kwenye bustani ya nyanya. - We helped her come up with a plan to arrange the utensils, then we used that hoe in the tomato garden.

The prefix tuli- shows that the subject is first-person plural (i.e., we) and that the action happened in the past. In Tulimsaidia, the verb root saidia (“to help”) has the object marker m- attached, referring to a third-person singular (“him/her”). Thus, Tulimsaidia translates to “we helped him/her.”

How does the construction kumtengenezea work, and what is its overall meaning?

Kumtengenezea is formed by attaching the infinitive marker ku- to the verb tengeneza (“to make” or “to prepare”). The embedded object marker m- specifies that the action is done for someone (him/her). In other words, kumtengenezea means “to make (or prepare) for him/her” and illustrates the benefactive construction common in Swahili.

What is the structure and meaning of the phrase mpango wa kupanga vyombo?

The noun mpango means “plan.” The phrase that follows, wa kupanga vyombo, is a genitive construction explaining the plan’s purpose. Wa links mpango to the infinitive kupanga (“to arrange” or “to organize”), and vyombo means “utensils” or “vessels.” Combined, the phrase translates roughly as “a plan for organizing the utensils.”

What role does the word kisha play in this sentence?

Kisha means “then.” It is used to connect two sequential actions in the sentence: first, helping with making the plan, and second, using the hoe. This word clearly indicates that the action of using the hoe happened after the planning.

How is the action “we used that hoe” expressed in Swahili, particularly in the phrase tukatumia jembe hilo?

In tukatumia jembe hilo, tukatumia is the first-person plural past tense form of kutumia (“to use”), meaning “we used.” The noun jembe means “hoe,” and the demonstrative hilo agrees with jembe (following its noun class), translating to “that hoe.”

What does the phrase katika bustani ya nyanya mean, and how is it structured?

Katika bustani ya nyanya translates to “in the tomato garden.” Here, katika means “in” or “within,” bustani means “garden,” and ya functions as a possessive marker linking to nyanya (“tomatoes”). This construction specifies that the action (using the hoe) took place in a garden associated with tomatoes.