Learn Hardcore Swahili: Wakati tutakapofika ofisini, nitakuwa nimepanga malengo yote kwenye daftari jipya. - By the time we get to the office, I will have arranged all the goals in a new notebook.

Breakdown of tutakapofika:
• tu- = 1st person plural subject marker “we”
• -ta- = future tense marker “will”
• -ka- = relative/temporal connector used in clauses introduced by wakati (“when”)
• fika = verb root “arrive”
Putting them together, tutakapofika literally means “when we will arrive.” After a temporal conjunction like wakati, Swahili uses the relative form (-ka-) to link the clause.

Why does the sentence use nitakuwa nimepanga instead of simply nitapanga?

nitakuwa nimepanga expresses the future perfect (“I will have arranged”). It’s literally “I will be (nitakuwa) having arranged (nimepanga).”
• nitakuwa = ni- (I) + ‑ta- (future) + kuwa (to be)
• nimepanga = ni- (I) + ‑me- (perfect aspect) + panga (arrange)
In contrast, nitapanga (“I will arrange”) is a simple future and doesn’t emphasize that the arranging is completed by the time of arrival.

What does the -me- in nimepanga indicate?

The -me- is the perfect aspect marker. It signals that the action of panga (“arrange”) is already completed at the reference time. So nimepanga = “I have arranged” (or “I will have arranged” when used in a future-perfect context).

Why is the adjective jipya used with daftari, and why does it come after the noun?

Swahili adjectives normally follow the noun they describe.
daftari (notebook) is in noun class 5 (ji-/ma- class). Adjectives must agree by taking the class-5 concord ji-.
• jipya = ji- (class-5 concord) + pya (new)
Hence daftari jipya = “new notebook.”

In malengo yote, why is the quantifier yote used, and what does it agree with?

malengo (“goals”) is the plural of lengo and belongs to noun class 6 (ma- class). The universal quantifier “all” for class 6 is yote. Thus malengo yote = “all the goals.” (Class-6 concord ya- + ote.)

What role does wakati play in the sentence, and how does it affect verb forms?

wakati = “when” (temporal conjunction). Verbs in a wakati clause must be in the relative tense, marked by -ka-. That’s why we have tutakapofika rather than a plain future form.

Why is ofisini used instead of just ofisi? What does the -ni suffix do?

The suffix -ni marks the locative case—“at/in/on.” Attaching -ni to a place noun indicates location.
• ofisi = “office”
• ofisini = “at the office”

Could you rephrase the sentence with a simpler future without implying completion?

Yes. If you don’t need the nuance “I will have already arranged,” you can say:
• Wakati tutakapofika ofisini, nitapanga malengo yote kwenye daftari jipya.
Here nitapanga is just “I will arrange,” without stressing that it’s done before arrival.