Geuka kulia kwenye kona ya pili, kisha uende moja kwa moja.

Turn right at the second corner, then go straight.

Breakdown of Geuka kulia kwenye kona ya pili, kisha uende moja kwa moja.

• kwenye: at
• kwenda: to go
• ya: of
• kisha: then
• pili: second
• kugeuka: to turn
• kulia: to the right
• kona: the corner
• moja kwa moja: straight

Questions & Answers about Geuka kulia kwenye kona ya pili, kisha uende moja kwa moja.

What does "Geuka" mean here, and how is it different from Geuza, Pinda, and Kata?

• Geuka = turn (yourself); intransitive. Good for telling a person to turn at a junction or to turn around.
• Geuza = turn something; transitive. Example: Geuza gari (turn the car around).
• Pinda = make a turn/bend; very common in directions (for drivers and pedestrians): Pinda kulia.
• Kata = literally “cut,” but widely used (especially in Kenya) to mean “make a turn”: Kata kulia.
• Imperatives: Geuka! (sg.), Geukeni! (pl.); Pinda!/Pindeni!; Kata!/Kateni!; Geuza!/Geuzeni! (needs an object).

Why is it kulia by itself, not “ya kulia” or “upande wa kulia”?

• Kulia is a set directional/locative word meaning “to/on the right,” so you don’t add “ya.”
• To be more explicit or formal you can say upande wa kulia (“the right-hand side”).
• Left is kushoto. Examples: Geuka kulia, Pinda kushoto, Geuka upande wa kulia.

But doesn’t kulia also mean “to cry”? How do I know which one this is?

• Yes, kulia can be the infinitive “to cry” (from the verb lia) and also the directional “to the right.”
• Context tells you which one. After motion/turning verbs (e.g., geuka, pinda, kata) kulia almost always means “to the right.”
• For “cry,” you’ll see verb inflection: Analía (he/she is crying), Nililia (I cried).

What does kwenye do here? Could I use katika or kwa instead?

• kwenye = “at/on/in” (very common for locations). kwenye kona ya pili = “at the second corner.”
• katika also means “in/inside,” but is more formal/literary; OK here but less conversational.
• kwa has many uses (“at someone’s place,” “by means of,” “because of”) and is not the natural choice for a physical corner.
• Alternatives you might hear:
  • kwenye kona ya pili (everyday)
  • katika kona ya pili (formal)
  • pale (kwenye) kona ya pili (“there at the second corner”)

Why is it kona ya pili? What is the ya doing?

• ya is the class 9/10 “of” connector; kona is a class 9/10 noun, so you use ya.
• pili is the ordinal “second.” The connector changes with the noun class:
  • Class 1/2: wa pili → mtu wa pili
  • Class 3/4: wa pili → mti wa pili
  • Class 5/6: la/ya pili → gari la pili
  • Class 7/8: cha/vya pili → kiti cha pili, viti vya pili
  • Class 9/10: ya pili → kona ya pili, nyumba ya pili

Could I say “Turn at the second corner to the right” instead of “Turn right at the second corner”?

• Most natural: put the direction right after the verb, then the location: Geuka/Pinda/Kata kulia kwenye kona ya pili.
• You can front the location: Kwenye kona ya pili, geuka kulia.
• Avoid “…kona ya pili kulia” unless the sentence structure makes it clearly intelligible; it often sounds awkward.

Why does it say kisha uende instead of kisha nenda?

• Two common ways to chain instructions: 1) Another imperative: … kisha nenda moja kwa moja. 2) Subjunctive with a subject marker: … kisha uende moja kwa moja. Here u- = “you (sg.)” and the verb takes the subjunctive ending -e (enda → ende).
• Both are fine. uende can sound a bit softer/more connected (“then you should go…”).
• Colloquially you’ll also hear: kisha/halafu enda moja kwa moja.

How would I say this to more than one person?

• Plural forms:
  • First command: Geukeni kulia …
  • Then either imperative: …, kisha nendeni moja kwa moja.
  • Or subjunctive: …, kisha muende moja kwa moja. (mu- = “you all”)
• To be polite, add Tafadhali or use Naomba…
  • subjunctive:
    • Tafadhali geukeni kulia, kisha muende moja kwa moja.
    • Naomba mugeuke kulia, kisha muende moja kwa moja.

What does moja kwa moja literally mean, and is it the usual way to say “go straight”?

• Literally “one-for-one,” idiomatically “directly/straight (ahead).”
• In directions, nenda/endelea moja kwa moja = “go/continue straight.”
• Common variants:
  • Nenda moja kwa moja mbele (adds “ahead”)
  • Nenda mbele tu (“just go ahead”)
  • Endelea moja kwa moja
• In media, moja kwa moja also means “live/direct” (e.g., a live broadcast).

Is kisha the only word for “then”? What about halafu or baadaye?

• kisha = “then/after that”; a bit formal but widely used.
• halafu = very common in speech; fully acceptable here: … halafu uende/nenda …
• baadaye = “later (on)”; not typically used for immediate next-step directions.

Is kona always a street corner?

• kona (class 9/10) means “corner” and also “bend” in a road. In directions it can be either.
• If you mean “the second street on the right,” say:
  • Barabara ya pili upande wa kulia
  • Mtaa wa pili kulia

Is the verb geuka preferred for drivers, or should I use something else?

• For pedestrians: geuka or pinda both work.
• For drivers, the most idiomatic are pinda kulia or (esp. in Kenya) kata kulia. geuka may suggest “turn around” rather than “make a right at the junction.”
• Driver-friendly rewording: Pinda kulia kwenye kona ya pili, halafu nenda moja kwa moja.

Can you break down uende morphologically?

• u- = 2nd person singular subject marker (“you”)
• end- = verb root (“go”)
• -e = subjunctive ending (instruction/jussive mood)
• Result: uende ≈ “(that) you go / you should go.” Plural: muende.

Is there any ambiguity or possible misunderstanding in this sentence?

• kulia could mean “to cry,” but after a motion verb it’s understood as “to the right.”
• With drivers, geuka might be heard as “turn around”; for “make a turn,” prefer pinda/kata.
• kona ya pili could be taken as “second bend” or “second corner”; if you mean the second street, say barabara/mtaa wa pili kulia.