Learn Hardcore Swahili: Jioni hii, tutakutana katika mkahawa mpya mjini. - This evening, we will meet in the new café in town.

Jioni is the Swahili noun for “evening.”
hii is a demonstrative adjective meaning “this,” and it agrees with noun-class 9 (to which jioni belongs).
In Swahili, demonstratives follow the noun and take the same noun-class prefix.
Alternatively, you could say Jioni ya leo, using the connector ya (“of”), which also means “this evening.”

How is tutakutana formed, and why is there no separate word for “we”?

tutakutana breaks down into four parts:

tu- (subject prefix for “we”)
-ta- (future-tense marker)
kutana (verb root “meet each other”)
-a (final vowel common to positive verbs)
Swahili is a pro-drop language, so the subject (“we”) is encoded in tu- and you don’t need sisi.

Why is katika used before mkahawa, and can I use something else?

katika is a general preposition meaning “in,” “at,” or “inside.”
You can also use kwenye (contraction of kwa enye) in everyday speech:
• Tutakutana kwenye mkahawa mpya mjini.
katika is a bit more formal or book-style, while kwenye is very common in conversation.

Why is it mkahawa mpya and not mpya mkahawa?

Swahili puts the noun first (here mkahawa “restaurant”), then the adjective (mpya “new”).
The adjective takes the same noun-class prefix as the noun (class 3 gets m-), so mpya not pya.

Why is mji written as mjini, and what does the -ni suffix do?

The -ni suffix is the locative case marker meaning “in” or “at.”
mji (“town”) + -ni → mjini (“in/at the town”).
Phonologically, mji + ni merges into mjini (the j and n blend).

Can I rearrange the sentence without changing its meaning?

Yes. Swahili word order is fairly flexible. For example:
• Tutakutana jioni hii katika mkahawa mpya mjini.
• Jioni hii tutakutana kwenye mkahawa mpya mjini.
You can move the time phrase or swap katika with kwenye, and the core meaning remains “We will meet this evening at the new restaurant in town.”

What’s the difference between tutakutana and tukutane?

tutakutana is the simple future tense: “we will meet.”
tukutane is the present-subjunctive form, used like an English “let’s meet”:
• Tukutane jioni hii... “Let’s meet this evening...”
Use tutakutana for a plain statement of plan, and tukutane as an invitation or suggestion.

Where does the word mkahawa come from, and does it always mean “restaurant”?

mkahawa is derived from kahawa (“coffee”) with noun-class 3 prefix m-, originally “coffee place.”
In modern Swahili it often means “café” or “restaurant.”
Other related forms:
• mkahawani = “at the café/restaurant” (using the locative -ni)
• mgahawa is a less common variant you might encounter in older texts.

Are there other ways to say “restaurant” or “town” in this sentence?

Yes. For “restaurant” you could borrow restoranti (class 9/10) or use mgahawa.
For “town/city,” you can also use jiji (class 5) instead of mji, though jiji often implies a larger city:
• Tutakutana jioni hii katika restoranti mpya jijini.
Each noun would take its own locative: restoranti → restorantini, jiji → jijini.