Learn Hardcore Swahili: Kesho tutasafiri kwa kivuko kwenda bandari ya jirani. - Tomorrow we will travel by ferry to the nearby port.

Kesho means “tomorrow.” In Swahili, time‐adverbs like kesho are quite flexible. You can place kesho at the beginning for emphasis or context—Kesho tutasafiri…—or at the end—Tutasafiri kwa kivuko kwenda bandari ya jirani kesho. Both are correct.

How is tutasafiri built, and what does it convey?

Tutasafiri = tu- (we) + -ta- (future tense marker) + safiri (verb root “travel”).
So tutasafiri literally means “we will travel.” Swahili forms the future by inserting -ta- between the subject prefix and the verb root.

What is the function of kwa here?

In this context, kwa is a preposition meaning “by” or “by means of.” When talking about modes of transport or instruments, Swahili uses kwa + noun.
Example:
• kwa gari – by car
• kwa basi – by bus
Here kwa kivuko = “by ferry.”

What does kivuko mean, and what noun class does it belong to?

Kivuko means “ferry” or “the act of crossing” (as a noun).
• It’s in noun class 7, which has the singular prefix ki-.
• The root is vuka (“to cross”), so ki-vuka = kivuka.
• Its plural (class 8) is vi-vuko = vivuko (“ferries”).

Why is kwenda used before bandari ya jirani? Can we omit it?

Kwenda is the infinitive ku- plus the stem enda (“go”), so kwenda = “to go.”
When you want to express “travel to [a place],” Swahili often strings together two motion verbs:
tutasafiri (we will travel) + kwenda (to go) + destination.
If you drop kwenda, you still have “we will travel,” but you lose the explicit “to [that place].”
• Correct: Tutasafiri kwa kivuko kwenda bandari ya jirani. (“We will travel by ferry to the nearby port.”)
• Without kwenda you’d just have “we will travel by ferry,” with no destination.

Why do we say bandari ya jirani and not bandari jirani?

Jirani (“nearby”) is an invariable locative adjective, so it doesn’t take a class prefix. Instead, Swahili uses a genitive connector between the noun and the adjective.
• Bandari is class 9 (no prefix in singular), so its connector is ya.
Hence bandari ya jirani = “the nearby port.”

Why is there no article like the before bandari ya jirani?

Swahili does not use definite or indefinite articles (no the or a/an). Specificity comes from context, tone, and sometimes demonstratives (e.g., hiyo bandari = “that port”). Here, bandari ya jirani is understood as “the nearby port” without a separate article.