Kwa sasa, twende polepole; hatua kwa hatua tutajifunza mada ngumu.

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Breakdown of Kwa sasa, twende polepole; hatua kwa hatua tutajifunza mada ngumu.

• kwenda: to go
• mada: the topic
• ngumu: difficult

Questions & Answers about Kwa sasa, twende polepole; hatua kwa hatua tutajifunza mada ngumu.

What nuance does Kwa sasa add compared with sasa or sasa hivi?

Kwa sasa means “for now/for the time being,” implying a temporary approach. Sasa is simply “now (at this moment),” and sasa hivi/hivi sasa is stronger: “right now/this very moment.” All are acceptable; choose based on how temporary/urgent you want to sound. Starting a sentence with Kwa sasa, ... is very natural.

What exactly is twende in terms of grammar?

Twende is the 1st-person plural subjunctive of kwenda (to go): it’s a hortative, meaning “let’s go.” Morphology: tu- (we) + -ende (subjunctive stem of -enda). You’ll also see tuende; both are correct. Twende reflects common pronunciation where the u in tu- glides to w before e.

Is there a difference between twende and twendeni?

Yes:

• Twende = “let’s go” (inclusive: speaker + others).
• Twendeni = “you all go” (2nd-person plural imperative). In casual speech many people use twendeni to rally a group including themselves, but grammatically twende is the true “let’s.”

Why is polepole doubled? Could I use taratibu or pole instead?