Question 1

What does subira kidogo literally mean, and why is subira a noun instead of the imperative subiri?

Accepted Answer

Subira is a noun meaning patience, so subira kidogo literally = a little patience. It’s a polite way to say bear with me a bit. If you used subiri (the imperative of kusubiri “to wait”), you’d get subiri kidogo = wait a little. Both forms appear in speech, but subira kidogo feels softer.

Question 2

How is the future tense formed in ataweka and atakapofika?

Accepted Answer

Both verbs use:
  • a- = subject prefix for class 1 (“he/she”)  
  • -ta- = future tense marker  
  • verb root (weka “place” or fika “arrive”)  
So a-ta-weka = he will place, and in the subordinate clause you add -ka- (see next Q).

Question 3

Why does atakapofika have -ka- in the middle, and what does it do?

Accepted Answer

The -ka- after the tense marker is the relative/subordinate marker. It turns the verb into an adverbial clause meaning “when…”.  
Breakdown:  
  a- (he) + ta- (future) + -ka- (when/relative) + fika (arrive)  
= when he will arrive.

Question 4

What’s the difference between atakapofika, anapofika, and alipofika?

Accepted Answer

• atakapofika = when he will arrive (future, one-off event)  
  • anapofika = when he arrives (habitual or general present)  
  • alipofika = when he arrived (past, one-off event)  
Each uses the same -p(o)- relative idea but with different tense markers: ta (future), na (present/habitual), li (past).

Question 5

Why do we say taa za nje and not taa nje? What is za?

Accepted Answer

taa (“light/lamps”) belongs to noun class 9/10, which uses the genitive marker -a/-ya/-za to link nouns. taa za nje = “lights of outside” = outdoor lights. Without za, the two nouns won’t be properly connected.

Question 6

Why is nje placed after za, and not before taa like in English?

Accepted Answer

Swahili uses the pattern Noun + genitive marker + descriptor, not descriptor + noun. So you always say “lights of outside” (taa za nje), never “outside lights” in that order.

Question 7

Why do we use kwa ustadi mkubwa to say with great skill? Could we omit kwa, and why is there an m- in mkubwa?

Accepted Answer

• kwa + noun = adverbial of manner (“with…”). Here kwa ustadi = with skill. You need kwa to show how something is done.  
  • mkubwa is kubwa (“big/great”) with the adjective concord prefix m-, agreeing with the noun ustaadi. Adjectives in Swahili follow the noun and must carry the correct class prefix.

Question 8

Is the semicolon between the two clauses necessary, or could we use a comma?

Accepted Answer

Punctuation in Swahili borrows from European conventions but is flexible. You can replace the semicolon ; with a comma , without changing the meaning:  
Subira kidogo, fundi atakapofika ataweka taa za nje kwa ustadi mkubwa.

Subira kidogo; fundi atakapofika, ataweka taa za nje kwa ustadi mkubwa.

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Master Swahili — from Subira kidogo; fundi atakapofika, ataweka taa za nje kwa ustadi mkubwa to fluency