Learn Hardcore Swahili: Itachukua takriban dakika mbili kupakua video, mradi tu mtandao usikatike. - It will take about two minutes to download the video, as long as the connection doesn’t drop.

Itachukua = i- (class 9 impersonal subject) + -ta- (future) + chukua (take) → “will take”
takriban = approximately/about (loan from Arabic; also spelled takribani)
dakika mbili = two minutes (class 9 noun + number with class-appropriate form)
kupakua = ku- (infinitive) + pakua (download; also unload/serve) → “to download”
video = video (class 9/10 noun; plural often unchanged: video)
mradi tu = provided that / as long as; tu = “just/only”
mtandao = network/internet (class 3; plural mitandao)
usikatike = u- (class 3 subject) + si- (negative) + katik (be cut/disconnect) + -e (subjunctive) → “doesn’t drop/cut out”

Why does the verb start with I in Itachukua? Is that the English “it”?

No. The initial i- is the Swahili subject prefix for noun class 9 used here in an impersonal way. Swahili often uses this impersonal class-9 subject with verbs like chukua to express “it takes …”. You don’t have to name a subject like English “it.”

Natural alternatives: Mchakato huu utachukua dakika mbili… (“This process will take two minutes…”) or simply Itachukua dakika mbili… as given.

Can I say Inachukua instead of Itachukua?

Yes, but it changes the time reference.

Itachukua = future: “It will take…”
Inachukua = present/habitual: “It takes (usually) …”
Ilichukua = past: “It took …”

What does takriban mean? Are there other common ways to say “about/approximately”?

Takriban (also takribani) means “approximately.” Other very common choices:

karibu = about/around (“Karibu dakika mbili”)
kama = about/roughly (“Kama dakika mbili”) All three are fine here, with takriban sounding slightly more formal.

Why is it dakika mbili and not dakika viwili or something else?

Number agreement in Swahili depends on noun class. Dakika is class 9/10, and for numbers 2–5 the class-9/10 forms are typically the unprefixed numbers you know:

dakika moja, dakika mbili, dakika tatu, dakika nne, dakika tano By contrast, other classes take prefixes: e.g., class 8 (vi-) → vitabu viwili; class 2 (wa-) → watu wawili.

Do I need kwa before the duration (e.g., “for two minutes”)?

Not with chukua. With chukua, Swahili simply uses the bare duration:

Itachukua dakika mbili … is the normal way. You might use kwa for duration in other frames (e.g., Alikaa kwa dakika mbili = “He stayed for two minutes”), but not with chukua.

What exactly does kupakua mean? Is it the usual word for “download”?

Yes, kupakua is widely used for “to download” in tech contexts. Beyond computing, it also means “to unload” (cargo) and “to serve food onto a plate.” Its counterpart kupakia means “to upload” or “to load.” Another verb you may see for “download” is kushusha (literally “to bring down”), but kupakua is very common and standard.

Shouldn’t there be an object marker in the verb for “video,” like kuipakua?

Only if you’re talking about a specific, already-known video and want to mark it in the verb. In your sentence, kupakua video is indefinite/generic, so no object marker is needed. If the video is definite and previously mentioned:

Nataka kuipakua video ile. (“I want to download that video.”) Object marker for class 9 (like video) is -i-: ku-
- i
  - pakua → kuipakua.

Does mradi tu really mean “provided that/as long as”? Isn’t mradi also “project”?

Both are correct—two different uses of the same form:

As a noun, mradi = “project.”
As a conjunction, mradi (tu) = “provided that,” “so long as,” “as long as.” Here, mradi tu is the conjunction. The tu (“just/only”) is a common intensifier and makes the phrase sound natural.

Why is it usikatike and not usikate?

Because -kata is transitive (“to cut [something]”), while -katika is intransitive (“to be cut/break/disconnect”). A network “disconnects” on its own, so you use kukatika:

mtandao unakatika = “the network drops/cuts out”
Negative subjunctive: mtandao usikatike = “(so that) the network doesn’t drop”

Why does usikatike end with -e?

That’s the subjunctive ending. After conjunctions like mradi (tu), Swahili typically uses the subjunctive in the dependent clause. Negative subjunctive = subject prefix + si (negation) + verb stem + -e.

Here: u- (class 3 subject for mtandao) + si
- katik
  - -e → usikatike.

Is the verb katika here the same as the preposition katika (“in/inside”)?

No—same spelling, different words.

katika (verb, with final -e in subjunctive: katike) = “to be cut/break/disconnect”
katika (preposition) = “in/inside/within” Context and the final vowel (-e vs -a) in forms like usikatike make it clear it’s the verb.

What noun classes are mtandao and video in, and how do they behave?

mtandao is class 3 (m-/mi-). Singular: mtandao; plural: mitandao. Subject prefix (singular) = u- (hence u-si-katik-e).
video is commonly treated as class 9/10 (invariant plural). Object marker for class 9/10 is -i- (e.g., kuipakua), and the subject prefix (singular) is i-.

Are there other ways to say “as long as/provided that”?

Yes:

maadamu = as long as/since: Maadamu mtandao haukatiki, …
ilimradi / ilamradi = provided that (more formal/Arabic-influenced): Ilimradi mtandao usikatike, …
ikiwa tu = only if / provided that: Ikiwa tu mtandao hautakatika, … Note: ili tu means “so that/just to,” expressing purpose, not condition, so it’s not a good substitute for mradi tu.

How would I say this in other tenses?

Habitual: Inachukua takriban dakika mbili kupakua video, mradi tu mtandao usikatike. (“It takes about two minutes …”)
Past: Ilichukua takriban dakika mbili kupakua video, mradi tu mtandao haukukatika. (main clause past; the condition can stay subjunctive if it was a general proviso, or be past negative if it’s factual)
Conditional (if the network is reliable): Ingechukua takriban dakika mbili kupakua video kama mtandao usingekatika.

Any quick pronunciation tips for tricky bits like mradi, mbili, and usikatike?

mradi: pronounce the m+r cluster together: m-ra-di (no extra vowel before m).
mbili: the m makes the b prenasalized; say m-bi-li smoothly.
usikatike: stress is fairly even; keep the final -e as an open “eh,” not “ay.”