Learn Hardcore Swahili: Mama anataka kununua tanuri jipya sokoni. - Mother wants to buy a new oven at the market.

The Swahili verb anataka breaks down into three pieces:
• a- is the subject prefix for third-person singular (referring here to Mama)
• -na- is the present-tense (or habitual) marker
• taka is the verb root from kutaka (to want)
So anataka literally means “she (or Mama) wants.”

Why is the next verb kununua in the infinitive form?

In Swahili, when one verb expresses desire, like anataka (to want), the following action is given as an infinitive. The infinitive is formed with the prefix ku- plus the verb root. Here kununua = ku- (to) + nunua (buy). Together, anataka kununua means “wants to buy.”

Why isn’t there an article (like “a” or “the”) before tanuri?

Swahili does not use separate definite or indefinite articles. Nouns stand alone. Context tells you if it’s “a,” “the,” or “one.” If you really want to emphasize “one oven,” you could say tanuri moja, but usually you omit the article entirely.

Why does the adjective pya turn into jipya after tanuri, and why does it come after the noun?

Adjectives in Swahili agree with the noun’s class and immediately follow the noun.
• Tanuri is a class 5 noun, whose adjective prefix is ji- in the singular.
• The basic adjective root meaning “new” is pya.
Attach the class 5 prefix and you get jipya.
Hence tanuri jipya = “new oven.”

What does the -ni ending in sokoni indicate?

The suffix -ni is a locative marker meaning “at” or “in.” You attach it directly to a place noun. So soko (market) + -ni becomes sokoni, “at the market.”

Could I move sokoni to the front of the sentence, and would the meaning change?

Yes. Swahili allows some flexibility with locative phrases. You could say:
Sokoni mama anataka kununua tanuri jipya.
This fronting gives slight emphasis to the place (“At the market, Mama wants to buy a new oven”), but the basic meaning remains the same.