Learn Hardcore Swahili: Nilipocheza mpira uwanjani, mguu wangu uliumia. - When I played football in the field, my leg got hurt.

Break it into ni- (1st person singular subject marker) + -li- (past tense marker) + -po- (temporal relative marker “when”) + cheza (verb root “play”). Together, “when I played.”

What’s the difference between nilipocheza and nilicheza?

nilipocheza means “when I played” (introducing a time clause). nilicheza means simply “I played” as a main clause. The extra -po- marks the subordinate temporal relationship (“when…”).

What does mpira mean here, and why does it refer to “soccer” rather than just “ball”?

Literally mpira is “ball,” but in the phrase kucheza mpira (or kupiga mpira) it conventionally means “play soccer/football.” Context tells you it’s the game rather than just any ball.

How is uwanjani formed, and what does it mean?

uwanjani = uwanja (field) + locative suffix -ni (“in/at”). Since uwanja ends in -a, that a changes to i before -ni, producing “uwanjani” = “in the field.”

Why does the final -a in uwanja change to -i before -ni?

Swahili often alters a terminal -a to -i for smoother pronunciation when adding -ni (e.g. nyumba → nyumbani, uwanja → uwanjani).

How do you say “my foot” in Swahili, and why is it mguu wangu?

Possessives follow the noun and agree with its class. mguu (“foot”) is noun class 3, whose possessive pronoun is wangu (“my”). Hence mguu wangu = “my foot.”

What is the structure of uliumia, and why does it use u- as its subject marker?

u- is the subject marker for class 3 nouns (like mguu), -li- is the past tense marker, and umia is the verb root “hurt.” So u-li-umia literally means “it (the foot) hurt.”

Could I use nilipocheza mpira kwenye uwanja instead of uwanjani?

Yes. kwenye + noun also means “in/at,” so Nilipocheza mpira kwenye uwanja, mguu wangu uliumia means the same thing.

How would I say “when he played soccer on the field, his foot hurt”?

Change the subject markers to third person: Alipocheza mpira uwanjani, mguu wake uliumia. Here a- is “he/she,” and wake is “his/her.”

What if I want to emphasize “while I was playing soccer…” instead of “when I played…”?

Use the progressive-subordinate form: Nilipokuwa niki-cheza mpira uwanjani, mguu wangu uliumia. That literally means “when I was playing soccer in the field, my foot hurt,” highlighting an ongoing action.