Tafadhali, safisha mwiko baada ya kupika.

Please clean the cooking stick after cooking.

Breakdown of Tafadhali, safisha mwiko baada ya kupika.

• kupika: to cook
• kusafisha: to clean
• baada ya: after
• tafadhali: please
• mwiko: the cooking stick

Questions & Answers about Tafadhali, safisha mwiko baada ya kupika.

What does Tafadhali do here, and where can I put it?

It’s a polite marker meaning “please.” You can put it:

• At the start: Tafadhali, safisha mwiko…
• At the end: Safisha mwiko, tafadhali.
• In the middle: Safisha, tafadhali, mwiko…

The comma is optional in everyday writing; it just reflects a pause in speech. Other ways to soften a request include:

• Naomba usafishe mwiko… (I kindly ask that you clean the spoon…)
• Tafadhali unaweza kusafisha mwiko…? (Could you please clean the spoon…?)

What verb form is safisha? Is it a command?

Yes. Safisha is the 2nd-person singular affirmative imperative of kusafisha “to clean.” It addresses one person. Variants:

• Plural command (to several people): Safisheni mwiko…
• “Let’s clean” (inclusive): Tusafishe mwiko…
• More formal/softer request: Usafishe mwiko… (subjunctive after a softening phrase like tafadhali/naomba/unaweza…)

Why safisha and not osha? What’s the difference?

• Kusafisha = to clean, make clean (general: wiping, scrubbing, tidying).
• Kuosha = to wash (specifically with water). For a mwiko (cooking stick/wooden spoon), both are possible:
• Osha mwiko… emphasizes washing with water.
• Safisha mwiko… emphasizes getting it clean (by washing, scraping, wiping). Other related verbs:
• Kufuta = to wipe
• Kufua = to wash laundry (clothes, fabrics) only

What exactly is mwiko? Is it just “spoon”?

Mwiko is a cooking utensil—typically a wooden cooking stick/spoon used for stirring foods like ugali. It is not the small eating spoon (kijiko). If you mean an eating spoon, say kijiko; for a big cooking spoon, mwiko is the natural word.

How do I make mwiko plural? How do possessives agree?

Mwiko is class 3 (m-/mi-). Its plural is miko (class 4).

• Singular: mwiko wangu (my cooking stick)
• Plural: miko yangu (my cooking sticks) Examples:
• Safisha mwiko wako. (Clean your—singular—cooking stick.)
• Safisheni miko yenu. (You all, clean your cooking sticks.)

Why is it baada ya kupika and not just baada kupika? What’s the role of ya?

Baada ya literally means “after of.” The ya is the associative “of” that pairs with baada. The infinitive kupika (“to cook”) functions like a verbal noun here, so baada ya kupika = “after cooking.” This is the standard pattern:

• kabla ya kupika = before cooking
• baada ya kula = after eating

Can I say “after you’re done cooking” instead?

Yes. Common, natural options:

• Ukimaliza kupika, tafadhali safisha mwiko. (When you finish cooking, please clean the utensil.)
• Mara tu baada ya kupika, safisha mwiko. (Right after cooking, clean the utensil.)

What’s the difference between kupika and kupikia?

• Kupika = to cook (in general).
• Kupikia = to cook for (someone) or to cook in/on (a place/utensil). It’s the “applied” form indicating a beneficiary or location. Examples:
• Anapika chakula. (He/she is cooking food.)
• Ananipikia chakula. (He/she is cooking food for me.) Your sentence correctly uses kupika.

Why is there no word for “the” in “mwiko”? How do I know it’s “the” spoon and not “a” spoon?

Swahili has no articles (“a/the”). Specificity is inferred from context or added with demonstratives if needed:

• mwiko huu = this cooking stick
• mwiko ule = that cooking stick If context is “the one we used,” mwiko will naturally be understood as “the spoon.”

How do I say “before cooking” using the same structure?

Use kabla ya:

• Tafadhali, safisha mwiko kabla ya kupika. (Please clean the utensil before cooking.)

How do I make this negative: “Don’t clean the spoon after cooking”?

Use the negative imperative with the subjunctive -e:

• Usisafishe mwiko baada ya kupika. (Don’t clean the utensil after cooking.) Plural:
• Msisafishe mwiko baada ya kupika. (You all don’t clean…)

Any pronunciation tips for words in this sentence?

• Tafadhali: dh is the voiced “th” sound as in “this” for many speakers; some pronounce it closer to d.
• Safisha: sh is as in “shoe.”
• Mwiko: mw is pronounced together, roughly “mwee-ko.”
• Baada: the double a is two separate a vowels in adjacent syllables: ba-a-da (it sounds like a long “aa”).