Learn Hardcore Swahili: Nimeazima tairi la akiba; nitalirejesha baada ya safari. - I have borrowed a spare tire; I will return it after the trip.

ni- = I (1st person singular subject)
-me- = perfect/resulative aspect (“have done,” with current relevance)
-azim- = borrow/lend (root)
-a = final vowel So Nimeazima = “I have borrowed” (implying I still have it now).

Does kuazima mean “to borrow” or “to lend”?

Both, depending on who is the object and whether you add an indirect object:

Borrow: Nimeazima tairi la akiba. = I have borrowed a spare tire.
Lend (to someone): Nimemwazima rafiki yangu tairi la akiba. = I have lent my friend a spare tire.
Here -mw- is the object marker for “to him/her.” For money, people often prefer kukopa (borrow) and kukopesha (lend).

Why is it tairi la akiba and not tairi ya akiba?

The associative “of” agrees with the head noun. The head is tairi (class 5), whose associative is la.

class 5 singular: la → tairi la akiba (spare tire) If the head noun were class 9/10, you’d use ya, but here it must match class 5.

What is the plural of tairi la akiba?

Plural of tairi is matairi (class 6), and the associative changes accordingly:

What does the li in nitalirejesha do?

It’s the object marker (OM) for class 5, referring back to tairi:

ni- (I) + -ta- (future) + -li- (it, class 5 object) + -rejesh- (return something) + -a So nitalirejesha = “I will return it.” The -li- points to the tire already mentioned.

Do I have to include the object marker if I just said the noun?

No, it’s not mandatory. You could say:

Nitarejesha tairi la akiba baada ya safari. However, Swahili frequently uses the object marker to keep reference clear or topicalized:
Tairi la akiba; nitalirejesha baada ya safari. Both are fine; with the OM, “it” is explicit.

Could I use rudisha instead of rejesha?

Yes. Rudisha and rejesha both mean “return (something).”

Everyday speech: rudisha is very common.
Formal/standard: rejesha is also common. So nitalirudisha is just as good as nitalirejesha.

What does baada ya safari literally mean, and why ya?

Baada ya = “after,” literally “the after (of).”
Baada behaves like a relational noun and is commonly followed by ya before its complement:

baada ya safari = after the trip/journey You’ll also see patterns like baada ya kazi (after work), baada ya saa tatu (after 9 o’clock).

Can I say “after traveling” instead of “after the trip”?

Yes:

baada ya kusafiri = after traveling Both baada ya safari and baada ya kusafiri are natural, with a slight nuance (event noun vs. action).

How do I say who I borrowed it from?

Use kutoka kwa (from [a person]):

Nimeazima tairi la akiba kutoka kwa jirani. = I have borrowed a spare tire from a neighbor. You’ll also hear kwa alone in speech: Nimeazima … kwa jirani, but kutoka kwa is clearer.

Is the semicolon necessary here?

No. It simply links two closely related clauses. You could use a period, a comma, or a connector:

How do I pronounce the tricky words?

Is there a more colloquial way to say “spare tire”?

You’ll hear:

If the object were plural, how would the object marker change?

Plural of class 5 is class 6 (OM = ya-). For example, with matairi (class 6):

Nitayarejesha baada ya safari. = I will return them (the tires) after the trip.