Learn Hardcore Swahili: Timu yetu itakuwa imefuata mfumo wote wa majaribio kabla ya kuanza uzalishaji. - Our team will have followed the entire testing system before starting production.

itakuwa = “it will be” (future of kuwa).
imefuata = “has followed” (perfect of fuata).
Together itakuwa imefuata literally means “will have followed,” showing that by the time production starts, the team’s following of the entire testing system will already be complete.

How is itakuwa imefuata broken down into its component prefixes and stems?

Breakdown of the two verbs:
1) itakuwa

i- : subject prefix for a class 9 noun (e.g., timu)
ta- : future tense marker
kuwa : verb root “to be”
2) imefuata
i- : same subject prefix
me- : perfect aspect marker (“has/have”)
fuata : verb root “follow”

Putting them together gives the future perfect meaning.

Why not just use the simple future itafuata instead of itakuwa imefuata?

itafuata = “it will follow” (simple future)
itakuwa imefuata = “it will have followed” (future perfect)

The future perfect is used to emphasize that the action of following the system is fully completed before the next event (starting production) takes place.

Why is the subject prefix i- used here, and what is the subject noun?

The subject noun is timu (“team”).
In Swahili, timu is treated as a singular noun in class 9, so it takes the class-9 subject prefix i- on the verbs.
Thus, i- on both itakuwa and imefuata refers back to timu.

Why is the possessive yetu used with timu instead of zetu or wetu?

Possessive pronouns in Swahili agree with the noun class and number:

Class 9 (singular) uses -etu (our).
Class 10 (plural) would use -zetu.
Since timu is singular, we say timu yetu (“our team”), not timu zetu.

Why does wote come after mfumo in mfumo wote wa majaribio, rather than after majaribio?

wote is a quantifier meaning “all” or “entire,” and in Swahili it follows the noun it qualifies.
Here we want “the entire system,” so it follows mfumo (system).
If you wanted “all the tests,” you would say majaribio yote (“all tests”).

Why is the genitive marker wa used in mfumo wote wa majaribio?

Swahili nouns are divided into classes, each with its own genitive (linking) prefix.

mfumo belongs to class 3 (singular of mifumo).
Class-3 genitive prefix is wa.
So mfumo wa majaribio means “system of tests,” and adding wote gives “the entire system of tests.”

Why is kuanza (infinitive) used after kabla ya, instead of a tensed verb?

kabla by itself is a noun meaning “the time before.”
To say “before doing something,” Swahili uses kabla ya
- infinitive.
  Thus kabla ya kuanza uzalishaji = “before starting production.”

Why does kabla ya include ya? What role does it play?

The -ya is the genitive/linking suffix required after the noun kabla to introduce an action (the infinitive). It literally marks “before of …,” so kabla ya kuanza = “before starting.”

Can I express mfumo wote wa majaribio in another way, for example using mchakato instead of mfumo?

Yes. You could say:

mchakato mzima wa majaribio
- mchakato (process, class 3)
- mzima (whole, agreeing with class 3)
- wa majaribio (“of tests,” same genitive link)
  This conveys “the whole testing process” instead of “the entire system of tests.”