Breakdown of Kesho kutwa, tutasafiri kijijini kumtembelea bibi.
sisi
we
kwenye
at
kutembelea
to visit
kusafiri
to travel
kijiji
the village
bibi
the grandmother
kesho kutwa
the day after tomorrow
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Questions & Answers about Kesho kutwa, tutasafiri kijijini kumtembelea bibi.
What does kesho kutwa mean and how is it different from kesho?
- kesho = “tomorrow.”
- kesho kutwa = “the day after tomorrow.”
It’s a fixed time expression meaning two days from now, not just the next day.
Break down the verb tutasafiri. What are tu-, -ta-, and safiri?
- tu- = subject prefix “we.”
- -ta- = future‐tense marker.
- safiri = verb root “travel.”
Together, tutasafiri literally means “we‐FUTURE‐travel” i.e. “we will travel.”
Why is there no preposition like “to” before kijijini? How does kijijini mean “to the village”?
Swahili marks location directly on the noun with the -ni suffix (a locative marker), rather than adding a separate preposition.
- kijiji = “village”
- -ni = locative suffix “in/at/to”
So kijijini can mean “in the village,” “at the village,” or “to the village,” depending on the verb.
In kumtembelea, why do we have both ku- and m- before the root tembelea?
- ku- = infinitive marker “to …”
- m- = object prefix for 3rd person singular (class 1, used for people – here bibi).
- tembelea = verb root “visit.”
Put together, kum-tembelea = “to visit him/her (grandmother).”
Why is kumtembelea bibi used instead of just tembelea bibi?
After motion verbs like tutasafiri, Swahili expresses purpose with an infinitive clause. You need ku- to show “in order to…” or “to…”
So:
tutasafiri kijijini (we will travel to the village)
kumtembelea bibi (in order to visit grandmother)
How would you say “I will travel to the village to visit grandmother” instead?
Change the subject prefix tu- (we) to ni- (I), keep the future marker -ta-, and leave the rest intact:
Nitasafiri kijijini kumtembelea bibi.