Mteja wetu mkubwa atafika ofisini saa nne; hakikisha kahawa ipo tayari.

Our big customer will arrive at the office at ten; make sure the coffee is ready.

Breakdown of Mteja wetu mkubwa atafika ofisini saa nne; hakikisha kahawa ipo tayari.

• kuwa: to be
• kwenye: at
• kufika: to arrive
• wetu: our
• kahawa: the coffee
• mkubwa: big
• mteja: the customer
• ofisi: the office
• saa: the hour
• nne: four
• kuhakikisha: to ensure
• tayari: ready

Questions & Answers about Mteja wetu mkubwa atafika ofisini saa nne; hakikisha kahawa ipo tayari.

Why does ofisi become ofisini in this sentence?

In Swahili, the suffix -ni marks the locative (the “in/at/on” sense). You attach it directly to many nouns to indicate location.
• ofisi (office) + -ni → ofisini = “at the office”

What do the parts of atafika mean?

atafika = future tense of “to arrive.” It breaks down as:
• a-: subject agreement for class 1 (he/she/it; our client)
• -ta-: future tense marker
• -fika: verb root “arrive”
Altogether, atafika = “he/she/it will arrive.”

How does saa nne express “four o’clock”?

Swahili uses saa (“hour”) plus a number to tell the time:
• saa moja = 1 o’clock
• saa mbili = 2 o’clock
…
• saa nne = 4 o’clock
If you need to specify morning or afternoon, add asubuhi (morning) or alasiri (afternoon) before or after:
• saa nne alasiri = 4 pm

Why is there no separate word for “at” before ofisini or saa nne?

Swahili doesn’t use a preposition like “at” in these cases.

• Location is shown by the -ni locative suffix (ofisini).
• Time is shown by the word saa
  • number (saa nne).
    You simply place them after the verb without adding an extra “at.”

Why is a semicolon used between the two clauses instead of “na” or “kisha”?

The semicolon here functions much like in English: it links two closely related independent clauses. You could also use conjunctions:
• …saa nne; hakikisha… (semicolon, more formal/clear)
• …saa nne, kisha hakikisha… (comma + kisha = “then”)
• …saa nne na hakikisha… (less common, would sound like “and make sure” without the sequential nuance)

How do you form the command hakikisha from kuhakikisha (“to make sure”)?

kuhakikisha is the infinitive. To make the singular imperative (you-must), drop ku- and use the bare verb:
• ku­hakikisha → hakikisha = “make sure” (to one person or in formal instruction).
For a group or polite plural, add -ni:
• hakikisheni = “(you all) make sure”

Why is ipo used with kahawa, and what does tayari add?

• ipo = “it is located/existing” for singular nouns (here kahawa, class 9). It’s a form of the copula meaning “it is (present/ready).”
• tayari = “ready.”
So kahawa ipo tayari literally means “coffee is present and ready.”

In what order do you put verb, location, and time in Swahili sentences?

Typical Swahili word order is Subject–Verb–(Object)–Location–Time. In your sentence:

1. Subject: Mteja wetu mkubwa
2. Verb: atafika
3. Location: ofisini
4. Time: saa nne
   Then the second clause follows similarly with an imperative verb and its object/complement.