Learn Hardcore Swahili: Asha alivaa glavu safi kabla ya kuegesha baiskeli yake nyuma ya gereji. - Asha put on clean gloves before parking her bicycle behind the garage.

Swahili forms the simple past by dropping the infinitive prefix ku- and inserting the subject and tense markers. For third person singular (“he/she”), you use a- (subject) + -li- (past) + -vaa (root), which gives alivaa.

Why does the noun glavu remain unchanged when it means “gloves”?

Glavu is a loanword in noun class 9/10, which is invariable. It has the same form for singular and plural. Context (putting on a pair) tells you it means “gloves.”

What does safi mean, and why doesn’t it agree in class with glavu?

Safi means clean. Some adjectives like safi are invariable in Swahili—they don’t change form for different noun classes. You always say glavu safi to mean “clean gloves.”

Why is there a ya after kabla in kabla ya kuegesha?

When kabla (“before”) is followed by a verb, you must add the preposition ya and then the verb in infinitive form. Hence kabla ya kuegesha = “before parking.”

Why is the infinitive kuegesha and not just egesha?

The prefix ku- marks the infinitive in Swahili. The root -egesha means “cause to stop/rest/park.” You can’t drop ku- if you want the infinitive—so “to park” = kuegesha.

How is possession shown in baiskeli yake, and why not baiskeli wa Asha?

Swahili uses possessive pronouns that agree with the noun class. Baiskeli (“bicycle”) is class 9, whose possessive prefix is ya-. The pronoun for “his/her” is -ake, so ya + ake = yake. Thus baiskeli yake = “her bicycle.” You could also say baiskeli ya Asha, but baiskeli yake is more natural.

Why is it nyuma ya gereji for “behind the garage”? How would you say “inside the garage”?

Nyuma means “behind.” With nyuma, you add ya + noun to show location: nyuma ya gereji = “behind the garage.” To say “inside the garage,” use ndani ya gereji.

What determines the order in kabla ya kuegesha baiskeli yake nyuma ya gereji?

Swahili word order is generally Subject – Verb – Object – Locative/Adverbial phrases. Inside the time clause introduced by kabla ya, you keep the sequence infinitive verb – object – location. So “before parking her bicycle behind the garage” = kabla ya kuegesha baiskeli yake nyuma ya gereji.

Why does Swahili borrow words like glavu, baiskeli, and gereji, and are they fully integrated?

Swahili has adopted many loanwords from English to cover new concepts. These words get assigned a noun class (e.g. class 9/10 for glavu, baiskeli, gereji) and then follow Swahili agreement rules—so they’re fully integrated despite their foreign origin.