Learn Hardcore Swahili: Tutakutana kituoni mara tu gari moshi litakapowasili. - We will meet at the station as soon as the train arrives.

mara means “time” or “once,” and tu adds the sense of “just” or “only.” Together mara tu = “as soon as” or “just when.” It indicates that the meeting happens immediately after the train’s arrival.

Why is gari moshi used to mean “train,” and could we say something else?

gari = “vehicle, carriage”
moshi = “steam”

Historically gari moshi meant “steam carriage,” hence “train.” Today many Swahili speakers also use the loanword treni, so you could equally say treni instead of gari moshi.

How is litakapowasili constructed, and what does each part indicate?

litakapowasili = li- + ‑ta- + ‑ka- + ‑po- + wasili

li- = subject concord for class 5 noun gari (“it”)
-ta- = future tense marker (“will”)
-ka- = relative‐clause marker (“when”)
-po- = locative/time focus in the relative clause
wasili = verb root “arrive”

Altogether it means “when it will arrive” or “once it arrives.”

Why use this future–relative form (litakapowasili) instead of a present‐tense clause?

Swahili commonly pairs -ta-…-po- to form a time clause meaning “as soon as.” You could use a present‐relative also: inapofika (“when it arrives”) but ta-…-po- emphasizes that both events are future and occur in quick succession (“as soon as it will arrive, we will meet”).

Can the sentence be rephrased while keeping the same meaning?

Yes. For example:

Tutakutana kituo cha treni mara itakapofika.
Mara tu gari moshi litakapowasili, tutakutana kituoni.
Tutakutana kituoni inapofika treni.

All these preserve “We will meet at the station as soon as the train arrives.”