Learn Hardcore Swahili: Itakapofika Desemba, utakuwa umezoea utaratibu huu wa kila wiki. - By December, you will have become used to this weekly procedure.

Months in Swahili are treated as inanimate nouns (often class 9), so they take the i- subject prefix. Hence itakapofika Desemba uses i- for “it.”

How is itakapofika formed (what are its parts)?

Breakdown of itakapofika:
• i- = 3rd person singular subject prefix (“it”)
• -ta- = future tense marker (“will”)
• -po- = relative time marker (“when”)
• fiki = verb root “arrive”
• -a = final vowel

Together: i-ta-po-fiki-a → “when it will arrive.”

What does utakuwa umezoea mean and what tense/aspect is it?

utakuwa umezoea expresses the future perfect and translates as “you will have become accustomed to.”
• utakuwa = “you will be” (future of kuwa “to be”)
• umezoea = “you have become used to” (perfect of zoea)

Why are both utakuwa and umezoea needed? Could you just say one or the other?

Swahili forms the future perfect by combining the future form of kuwa (“to be”) with the perfect of the main verb. You need utakuwa to mark “will be” and umezoea to mark “have gotten used to.” Dropping one would lose part of the meaning.

What is the root meaning of zoea, and how does umezoea differ from utazoea?

• zoea = “to get used to” / “to be in the habit of.”
• umezoea = perfect form, “have gotten used to.”
• utazoea = future form, “will get used to.”
In our sentence, the perfect umezoea is needed under the future perfect construction.

What does utaratibu huu wa kila wiki mean in this context?

Literally “this procedure of every week,” i.e. “this weekly routine.”

Why is the demonstrative huu used after utaratibu, and not huyu or hio?

Swahili demonstratives agree with noun classes. utaratibu belongs to a class whose proximal demonstrative is huu, so utaratibu huu means “this routine.”

What role does wa play in utaratibu huu wa kila wiki?

wa is the genitive connector meaning “of.”
So wa kila wiki = “of every week” → “weekly.”