Glasi ikivunjika, tumia plastiki ili usijikate.

If the glass breaks, use plastic so you don’t cut yourself.

Breakdown of Glasi ikivunjika, tumia plastiki ili usijikate.

• ili: so that
• kutumia: to use
• glasi: the glass
• kuvunjika: to break

Questions & Answers about Glasi ikivunjika, tumia plastiki ili usijikate.

How does the -ki form work in ikivunjika, and how does it express if/when?

Swahili uses the -ki clitic to turn a verb into a dependent clause meaning when or if. You insert -ki between the subject‐concord (SC) and the verb root: • i- = SC for noun class 5 (glasi)
• -ki- = dependent‐clause marker (when/if)
• vunjika = intransitive verb root meaning to break
Thus ikivunjika = when it breaks (or if it breaks).

Why is the verb vunjika used here, and what’s the difference between vunja and vunjika?

• vunja = transitive ‘to break something’
• vunjika = intransitive ‘to break’ (to break by itself or get broken)
Since the glass isn’t an active agent doing the breaking, we use the intransitive vunjika.

What’s the difference between using the -ki clause (ikivunjika) and the conjunction kama (e.g. Kama glasi itavunjika)?