Learn Hardcore Swahili: Msanii akishuka jukwaani, filamu itaanza mara moja. - When the artist steps down from the stage, the film will start immediately.

akishuka breaks down as a- (3rd-person-singular subject prefix) + -ki- (a marker that turns the verb into a “when/if” clause) + shuka (root meaning “descend”). So akishuka means “when/if he/she descends.”

Why don’t we see a separate word like ikiwa or kama to mean “if” or “when”?

In Swahili the -ki- infix on a verb does the same job as “if/when.” Using ikiwa atashuka is also correct but more verbose. akishuka is just a shorter way to say “when/if he descends.”

What role does the -ni suffix in jukwaani serve?

-ni is the locative suffix that attaches to nouns to mean “at/on/in” that place. Here jukwaa means “stage,” so jukwaani = “on the stage.”

Why is it filamu itaanza instead of filamu inaanza?

Swahili uses -ta- for the simple future, not -na- (present). So for noun class 9 (filamu) you get i-ta-anza → itaanza (“it will start”).

How do we know filamu takes the subject prefix i- in itaanza?

filamu is in noun class 9 (many loanwords from English fall here). Class 9 verbs use i- (or yi- before vowels) as the subject prefix.

What does mara moja mean, and can I replace it with something else?

mara moja literally “one time,” idiomatically “immediately” or “straightaway.” You could also say hapo hapo (“right then”) or siku ile ule in other contexts, but mara moja is the most common for “as soon as”/“immediately.”

Could I rephrase “Msanii akishuka jukwaani, filamu itaanza mara moja” using kwenye instead of -ni?

Yes. You could say Msanii akishuka kwenye jukwaa, filamu itaanza mara moja. Here kwenye jukwaa (“on the stage”) is slightly more formal or explicit, but it means the same as jukwaani.