Learn Hardcore Swahili: Tafadhali panguza meza kwa kitambaa baada ya chakula. - Please wipe the table with a cloth after the meal.

Tafadhali panguza meza...
Panguza tafadhali meza...
Panguza meza..., tafadhali. Placing it at the start is most common and sounds politely direct.

Why is there no word for “you” before panguza?

This is the affirmative imperative. In Swahili, the base verb stem is used to tell someone to do something, so panguza = “wipe (you, singular)”. No subject pronoun is needed.

How do I say it to more than one person?

Use the plural imperative by adding -ni to the verb: panguzeni.
Full sentence: Tafadhali panguzeni meza kwa kitambaa baada ya chakula.

How do I make it negative (Don’t wipe…)?

Use the negative imperative with usi- (singular) or msi- (plural) and the subjunctive ending -e:

Singular: Usipanguze meza kwa kitambaa. (Don’t wipe…)
Plural: Msipanguze meza kwa kitambaa.

What’s the difference between panguza, futa, safisha, and osha?

panguza: wipe (usually with a cloth, to remove dust, spills)
futa: wipe off/erase (e.g., futa ubao = erase the board; remove marks)
safisha: clean (general, make clean)
osha: wash (with water; e.g., dishes, hands) For a table after a meal, panguza meza or safisha meza are both common; osha meza implies washing with water.

Why is it kwa kitambaa and not na kitambaa for “with a cloth”?

kwa marks the instrument/means (“using/by means of”), which is the standard choice here. na mostly means “and/with (together with a person/thing)” rather than the tool. So: panguza meza kwa kitambaa (wipe the table with a cloth).
You might also hear na in casual speech, but kwa is safer and more precise.

What noun class is kitambaa, and what’s its plural?

kitambaa is class 7 (ki-/vi-). Its plural is vitambaa (class 8).
Example: Panguza meza kwa vitambaa viwili. (Wipe the table with two cloths.)

Does kitambaa mean “a cloth” or “the cloth”? How do I specify?

Swahili doesn’t mark a/an/the. Context decides. To specify:

“this cloth”: kitambaa hiki
“that cloth”: kitambaa kile (or kile kitambaa)

What noun class is meza, and does its form change in the plural?

meza is class 9/10, and its singular and plural are the same form: meza. Agreement (like object or subject markers) for class 9/10 typically uses i-.

How do I say “wipe it” referring to the table?

Use the class 9 object marker i- on the verb:

Singular command: I-panguze! = “Wipe it!”
Plural command: I-panguzeni! = “Wipe it (you all)!” If you use the object marker, you normally drop the noun: say ipanguze, not ipanguze meza.

What does baada ya mean, and why is it ya (not cha, la, etc.)?

baada ya means “after.” It’s a fixed prepositional-like expression; the ya does not change with the noun class of the following word. So it’s always baada ya X.

Can I say baada ya kula instead of baada ya chakula?

Yes.

baada ya chakula = after the meal/after food (noun)
baada ya kula = after eating (verbal noun from kula, “to eat”)
Both are natural; choose what fits your emphasis.

Where can I place the time phrase baada ya chakula?

It can go at the end or the beginning:

End: Tafadhali panguza meza kwa kitambaa baada ya chakula.
Beginning: Baada ya chakula, tafadhali panguza meza kwa kitambaa.

Is the word order “verb–object–instrument–time” required?

That order is very natural in Swahili: panguza (verb) meza (object) kwa kitambaa (instrument) baada ya chakula (time). You can front the time phrase for emphasis, but keep the instrument with kwa close to the verb/object to avoid awkwardness.

How do I pronounce Tafadhali and panguza?

Tafadhali: ta-fa-dha-li. The dh is like the “th” in “this.”
panguza: pa-ngú-za (stress naturally falls on the second-to-last syllable in Swahili).

Any more polite or indirect alternatives?

Yes:

Naomba upanguze meza kwa kitambaa baada ya chakula. (I request that you wipe…; polite, singular)
Tumia kitambaa kupanguza meza baada ya chakula, tafadhali. (Use a cloth to wipe the table…)