Nataka utulie dakika tano kabla ya kuanza kazi.

I want you to stay calm for five minutes before starting work.

Breakdown of Nataka utulie dakika tano kabla ya kuanza kazi.

• kutaka: to want
• kazi: the work
• kabla ya: before
• kuanza: to start
• dakika: the minute
• tano: five
• tulia: to stay calm

Questions & Answers about Nataka utulie dakika tano kabla ya kuanza kazi.

What is the meaning and formation of Nataka?

Nataka means “I want.” It derives from the verb root -taka (to want) with the subject prefix ni- (I) and the present‐tense marker -na-:
• ni + na + taka → ninataka
In everyday usage the initial “ni-” is often dropped in writing/speech, giving Nataka at the start of a sentence.

What kind of verb form is utulie, and how is it constructed?

utulie is the 2nd person singular polite imperative, formed as:
• subject prefix u- (you)
• verb root tulia (to calm down)
• subjunctive/imperative ending -e
So u + tulia + e = utulie, a softened command “calm down.”

Why not just say tulia instead of utulie?

• tulia by itself is the infinitive (“to calm down”).
• The polite singular command uses the present‐subjunctive ending -e plus the subject prefix, yielding utulie.
• A bare root or infinitive as an order would sound unnatural or harsher in Swahili.

How do you express “five minutes,” and why is it dakika tano rather than tano dakika?

Swahili places numerals 5 and above after the noun they modify.
• dakika = “minute” (class 9 loanword, same in singular & plural)
• tano = “five”
→ dakika tano = “five minutes”

Why does dakika stay the same for plural (“minutes”) instead of changing form?

As a loanword in noun class 9/10, dakika doesn’t take a separate plural suffix; singular and plural look identical. Plurality is shown by context and the number word (tano).

What does kabla ya mean, and how does it work grammatically?

kabla = “before.”
When you want to say “before X,” you use the possessive/prepositional connector -a for class 9:
• kabla ya + noun → “before [that noun]”
In our sentence: kabla ya kuanza kazi = “before starting work.”

Why is kuanza used after kabla ya, and what form is it?

After kabla ya you need a noun. Verbs become nouns via the infinitive form, marked by ku-.
• anza = verb root “start”
• kuanza = “to start” used here as “starting” (a verbal noun)

How would you address more than one person (“you all”) in this sentence?

Replace the 2nd person singular prefix u- with the plural prefix m- in utulie.
• Nataka mutulie dakika tano kabla ya kuanza kazi.
= “I want you (all) to calm down for five minutes before starting work.”

How can I make this request more polite or formal?

You have two easy options:

1. Add Tafadhali (please) at the start:
   • Tafadhali, nataka utulie dakika tano kabla ya kuanza kazi.
2. Use Naomba instead of Nataka (“I kindly request”):
   • Naomba utulie dakika tano kabla ya kuanza kazi.

Why isn’t there a word for “that” between “I want” and “you to calm down,” like in English?

Swahili verbs of desire (e.g. taka, omba) directly take a following verb in the subjunctive without a conjunction. You simply say Nataka utulie (“I want [you] to calm down”)—no extra “that” is needed.