Kivuko kikiziba njia, magari yatapita daraja la zamani.

If the ferry blocks the route, cars will use the old bridge.

Breakdown of Kivuko kikiziba njia, magari yatapita daraja la zamani.

• gari: the car
• daraja: the bridge
• kupita: to pass
• zamani: old
• kivuko: the ferry
• kuziba: to block
• njia: the route

Questions & Answers about Kivuko kikiziba njia, magari yatapita daraja la zamani.

What is the function of the -ki clause in kivuko kikiziba njia and how does it convey “when/if” without a separate conjunction?

The -ki clause is a special relative/conditional construction in Swahili. It attaches the subject concord (here ki-) directly to the verb ziba, forming kikiziba, which literally reads “when the ferry blocks.” This structure replaces a separate conjunction like wakati or kama, allowing you to say “when/if the ferry blocks the way” in one compact phrase.

Why is the verb ziba prefixed with ki- in kikiziba?

In Swahili, verbs agree with their subjects through subject concords. Kivuko (“ferry”) belongs to noun class 7 (ki-/vi-). The class-7 subject concord is ki-, so the verb stem ziba (“to block”) takes ki-, becoming kikiziba to match the noun class of its subject.

How is the future tense expressed in magari yatapita?

The future tense is marked by the infix -ta- in the verb. In yatapita, you have the subject concord (ya- for class 6) + -ta- (future) + the verb stem pita (“pass/go”), giving “they will pass.”

Why does magari take the subject concord ya- in yatapita?

Magari (“cars”) is a class 6 noun (ji-/ma-). The third-person plural subject concord for class 6 is ya-, so it attaches to the verb to form yapita in present or yatapita in future.

Why is it daraja la zamani instead of daraja ya zamani?

Daraja (“bridge”) is in noun class 5 (ji-/ma-). Adjectives and genitives agree by using the class 5/6 modifier la- for singular. Hence “old bridge” is daraja la zamani, not daraja ya zamani.

Could this sentence be rephrased with ikiwa to mean the same thing?

Yes. You could say Ikiwa kivuko kimeziba njia, magari yatapita daraja la zamani. This uses the conjunction ikiwa (“if/when”) and the perfect kimeziba (“has blocked”), making the condition explicit. The original -ki clause (kikiziba) is just more concise and idiomatic.