Kesho asubuhi, ninahitaji kurudisha kitabu changu maktabani.

Tomorrow morning, I need to return my book to the library.

Breakdown of Kesho asubuhi, ninahitaji kurudisha kitabu changu maktabani.

• mimi: I
• kitabu: the book
• changu: my
• kuhitaji: to need
• maktaba: the library
• kesho asubuhi: tomorrow morning
• kurudisha: to return

Questions & Answers about Kesho asubuhi, ninahitaji kurudisha kitabu changu maktabani.

What does Kesho asubuhi mean literally, and why are the words in that order?

Kesho = tomorrow
asubuhi = morning
Together they mean “tomorrow morning.” In Swahili, time expressions often come at the very start, with the broader unit (day) before the narrower (part of the day).

How is ninahitaji formed, and why isn’t it nitahitaji?

ninahitaji breaks down as:

• ni- (subject prefix “I”)
• -na- (present/progressive tense)
• hitaji (root “need”)
  It means “I need (right now).”
  If you said nitahitaji, you’d be using the future tense marker -ta-, meaning “I will need,” which isn’t what we want here.

Why is the verb kurudisha used instead of kurudi, and what does the -isha suffix do?

• kurudi = “to go back” (intransitive)
• kurudisha = “to return something” (causative)
  The suffix -isha turns rud into a causative verb, indicating the subject causes the object (the book) to go back.

How does kitabu changu show “my book,” and why not kitabu yangu?

kitabu belongs to noun class 7. Its possessive pronoun uses the class-7 prefix cha- + -ngu → changu (“my”).
You don’t use yangu because that prefix goes with noun classes 9/10, not 7/8.

What does maktabani mean, and why is there no separate preposition for “at the library”?

maktaba = library
The locative suffix -ni on maktaba gives maktabani, meaning “at/in the library.” Swahili usually expresses location by adding -ni directly to the noun, with no extra word for “at” or “in.”

Could I say kwenye maktaba instead, or kwa maktaba?

• kwa maktaba would mean “by/with the library,” which sounds odd here.
• kwenye maktaba can mean “in/at the library,” but Swahili speakers prefer the more concise maktabani.

What is the typical word order in this sentence?

The order is:
1) Time expression (Kesho asubuhi)
2) Subject prefix + tense (ni- + -na-)
3) Verb or verb phrase (hitaji kurudisha)
4) Object (kitabu changu)
5) Locative (maktabani)
Altogether: “Tomorrow morning, I need to return my book at the library.”

What’s the difference between kurudisha and kurejesha?

Both are causative forms meaning “to return something.”

• kurudisha (from kurudi) is more commonly used for returning items (books, keys, etc.).
• kurejesha (from kurejea) also exists but often carries the nuance of “restoring” or “giving back” in a broader sense. In everyday speech about library books, kurudisha is the natural choice.