Learn Hardcore Swahili: Ukienda sokoni, nunua mkate na maziwa. - When you go to the market, buy bread and milk.

Breakdown of Ukienda:
• u- = 2nd person singular subject prefix (“you”)
• -ki- = conditional/temporal marker (“if/when”)
• enda = verb stem “go”
Together, Ukienda = “if/when you go.”

Why do we use the marker -ki- in Ukienda rather than the usual present tense -na-?

Swahili uses -ki- to introduce a conditional or temporal clause (“if/when”). The regular present tense marker -na- would simply mean “you are going” (unaenda), not “if/when you go.” So:
• unaenda sokoni = “you are going to the market.”
• ukienda sokoni = “if/when you go to the market.”

Does Ukienda sokoni translate better as “if you go” or “when you go”?

It can be either, depending on context. The -ki- conditional often covers both:
• “If you go to the market, buy bread and milk.”
• “When you go to the market, buy bread and milk.”
Native speakers choose “if” vs. “when” based on whether the action is hypothetical or expected.

What does the -ni ending in sokoni do?

The -ni suffix is the locative marker meaning “at/in/on.”
• soko = “market”
• sokoni = “at the market”

Why isn’t there a separate word for “to the market” like in English?

In Swahili you don’t need a preposition + article. The locative -ni simply attaches to the noun to give “at/in/on [place].”

What mood is nunua and how is it formed?

nunua here is the affirmative imperative (a command) for 2nd person singular (“you”). To form it:

Start with the verb stem of kununua (to buy), which is nunua.
For a singular command, keep the final -a.
Result: nunua = “buy!” (you)

Could we use the subjunctive ununue instead of the imperative nunua here?

You could theoretically say “Ukienda sokoni, ununue mkate na maziwa,” using the subjunctive (-e ending) to mean “should buy.” However, in a straightforward instruction or shopping list context, the imperative nunua is more natural.

Why is maziwa in the plural form when it just means “milk”?

Many mass or uncountable nouns in Swahili belong to the plural noun class (class 6). They take the prefix ma-:
• ziwa (not used for milk) → maziwa = “milk” (mass noun)

Is it okay to switch the order and say nunua maziwa na mkate instead?

Yes. Swahili is flexible here. You can list objects in either order:
• nunua mkate na maziwa
• nunua maziwa na mkate
Both mean “buy bread and milk.”

How would you express the negative—“if you go to the market, don’t buy bread and milk”?

Use the 2nd person singular negative imperative: usi- + verb stem + -e. The verb kununua (to buy) becomes nunue in the negative. So:
Ukienda sokoni, usinunue mkate na maziwa.