Tafadhali zima balbu kabla ya kulala.

Please turn off the bulb before sleeping.

Breakdown of Tafadhali zima balbu kabla ya kulala.

• kulala: to sleep
• kabla ya: before
• tafadhali: please
• kuzima: to turn off
• balbu: the bulb

Questions & Answers about Tafadhali zima balbu kabla ya kulala.

Is zima an imperative here?

Yes. Zima is the 2nd person singular imperative of kuzima (to turn off/extinguish). It directly addresses one person. Adding Tafadhali makes the command polite: “Please turn off …”

How do I say this to more than one person?

Use the plural imperative ending -eni: Zimeni. Full sentence: Tafadhali zimeni balbu kabla ya kulala.

Why is it kabla ya kulala and not just kabla kulala?

In Swahili, kabla ya is a fixed prepositional phrase meaning “before.” It must be followed by:

• a noun (e.g., kabla ya chakula = before the meal), or
• an infinitive/gerund (e.g., kabla ya kulala = before sleeping). You can’t drop ya here.

Why kulala and not lala?

Kulala is the infinitive/gerund “to sleep/sleeping,” used after kabla ya. Lala! is an imperative (“Sleep!”), which wouldn’t fit after kabla ya.

Can I say “before you sleep” instead?

Yes. Two common ways:

• Keep the original: kabla ya kulala (general “before sleeping/bedtime”).
• Use the “before you have X-ed” pattern: kabla hujalala (literally “before you have slept,” i.e., before you sleep). Example: Kabla hujalala, tafadhali zima balbu.

What’s the opposite of zima?

Washa (“turn on/light”). Examples:

• Zima taa = turn off the light
• Washa taa = turn on the light

Is zima only for lights?

No. It’s used for anything you “switch off” or “extinguish”:

• zima simu (turn off the phone)
• zima kompyuta (turn off the computer)
• zima moto (extinguish a fire) For taps/valves you’ll also hear funga (close): funga maji (turn off the water).

Why balbu and not taa?

• Balbu = bulb (the bulb itself).
• Taa = light/lamp (what you normally switch on/off). Everyday speech more often says zima taa (“turn off the light”) unless you specifically mean the bulb.

Do I need a word for “the” before balbu?

Swahili has no articles. Balbu can mean “a bulb” or “the bulb,” depending on context. To be explicit, use demonstratives:

• balbu hii (this bulb), balbu ile (that bulb).

What noun class is balbu, and how does agreement work?

Balbu is in noun class 9/10 (N-class). Singular and plural often look the same:

• Singular: balbu hii (this bulb)
• Plural: balbu hizi (these bulbs) Adjectives like -zuri take the 9/10 form: balbu nzuri (nice bulb/bulbs).

How would I say “Please turn it off” if “it” is already known?

Use an object marker. For a class 9 object (like balbu/taa), the object marker is i-, and the imperative takes final -e:

• 2nd person singular: Tafadhali izime kabla ya kulala.
• 2nd person plural: Tafadhali izimeni kabla ya kulala.

How do I make it negative: “Please don’t turn off the bulb before sleeping”?

Use the negative imperative:

• Singular: Tafadhali usizime balbu kabla ya kulala.
• Plural: Tafadhali msizime balbu kabla ya kulala.

Where can I put Tafadhali?

Anywhere natural in the clause:

• Tafadhali zima balbu kabla ya kulala.
• Zima balbu kabla ya kulala, tafadhali. You can also soften with verbs like naomba (“I request”): Naomba uzime balbu kabla ya kulala.

Is kabla ya kwenda kulala okay?

Yes. Kabla ya kulala and kabla ya kwenda kulala both mean “before going to sleep.” The shorter one is more common and perfectly natural.

Any pronunciation tips?

• Tafadhali: the dh is the voiced “th” in “this.” Ta-fa-dha-li.
• Zima: ZEE-ma.
• Balbu: BAL-boo (the “l” and “b” are both pronounced).

Could I replace balbu with something broader like “light”?

Yes: taa is the everyday word. So a very natural sentence is:

• Tafadhali zima taa kabla ya kulala.