Msongamano ukizidi, teksi itachelewa.

If the traffic jam increases, the taxi will be late.

Breakdown of Msongamano ukizidi, teksi itachelewa.

• kuchelewa: to be late
• teksi: the taxi
• msongamano: the traffic jam
• ukizidi: if it increases

Questions & Answers about Msongamano ukizidi, teksi itachelewa.

What exactly does the word msongamano mean, and which noun class is it?

• msongamano means congestion or crowding; in context it refers to traffic congestion/jam.
• It’s a class 3 noun (m-/mi-). Plural: misongamano (rare in everyday use).
• To specify traffic, say msongamano wa magari.
• Another everyday word for a traffic jam is foleni (ya magari).

Why does ukizidi start with u-? What’s inside this verb form?

• ukizidi breaks down as:
  • u- = subject prefix agreeing with the class 3 noun msongamano
  • -ki- = conditional marker meaning if/when
  • zidi = verb root “increase, intensify, worsen”
• Swahili verbs carry a subject prefix even when the subject noun is stated. So msongamano appears and the verb still shows u- to agree with it.
• Note: u- can also mean “you (singular)” with human subjects; here context and agreement with msongamano show it’s class 3, not “you.”

What does the -ki- in ukizidi mean, and how is it different from using kama or -apo?

• -ki- = a neutral if/when marker, often for open conditions or habitual situations. It does not co-occur with future -ta- in the same verb.
• kama = the standalone conjunction if; with kama you use normal tense marking:
  
  • Kama msongamano utazidi/utaongezeka, teksi itachelewa.
• -apo = when (at the time when), more definite/temporal than conditional:
  
  • Msongamano uapo zidi, teksi itachelewa (more bookish; everyday speech prefers -ki- or kama).
• Avoid double-marking: do not say kama … ukizidi; choose either -ki- or kama, not both.
• -ki- can also mean while/as for simultaneous actions; here it’s clearly conditional.

Why is it itachelewa (with i-) and not atachelewa?

• teksi is a class 9 noun, and class 9 takes the subject prefix i-, not a- (which is for class 1 “he/she”).
• Breakdown: i- (class 9 subject) + -ta- (future) + chelewa (be late) → itachelewa.

Could I talk about what usually happens instead of a specific future? How?

• Yes. Use the habitual prefix hu- in the main clause:
  
  • Msongamano ukizidi, teksi huchelewa.
    This means When/If traffic increases, taxis tend to be late (habitually).
• The habitual hu- replaces normal subject/tense marking in that verb.

Can I replace zidi with ongezeka? Is there any nuance difference?

• Both are fine here:
  • zidi often implies intensifying/worsening.
  • ongezeka means to increase in number/amount.
• You can say: Msongamano ukiongezeka, teksi itachelewa.
  The meaning in this context is effectively the same.

Is the word order Msongamano ukizidi normal? Can I move the clause?

• Yes. In Swahili, a subject noun commonly precedes the verb that already shows subject agreement: Msongamano ukizidi…
• You can place the conditional clause after the main clause:
  
  • Teksi itachelewa, msongamano ukizidi.
• Don’t say Ukizidi msongamano; msongamano is the subject of zidi, not its object, so it should not follow the verb like that.
• If context is crystal clear, you can omit the noun and say Ukizidi, teksi itachelewa, but that can be ambiguous (it might sound like “if you increase”), so including msongamano is clearer.

Where is the “of cars” part? How do I say traffic congestion of cars?

• Add a possessive phrase: msongamano wa magari (congestion of cars).
• Many speakers also say foleni ya magari for a traffic jam.

How do I make the whole thing negative, like “If the traffic doesn’t increase, the taxi won’t be late”?

• Use the negative conditional -sipo- and the negative future in the main clause:
  
  • Msongamano usipozidi, teksi haitachelewa.
    
    • u- (class 3) + -sipo- (if not) + zidi
    • ha-
      • i- (class 9) + -ta-
        • chelewa
• With kama you can also say: Kama msongamano hautazidi, teksi haitachelewa.
  Here hautazidi = ha-
  • u-
    • -ta-
      • zidi.

What’s the difference between chelewa and chelewesha/cheleweshwa?

• chelewa = be late (no external causer): teksi itachelewa.
• chelewesha = delay/cause to be late (active causative): msongamano uliichelewesha teksi (the traffic delayed the taxi).
• cheleweshwa = be delayed (passive causative): teksi imecheleweshwa na msongamano.

How do plurals affect agreement here (e.g., taxis will be late)?

• teksi (class 9/10) has the same form in plural, but agreement changes to class 10:
  
  • Singular: teksi itachelewa (i-)
  • Plural: teksi zitachelewa (zi-)
• msongamano can form a plural misongamano (class 4), but it’s uncommon; traffic congestion is usually talked about in the singular.

Is the comma necessary after ukizidi?

• It’s conventional and helps readability when the conditional clause comes first:
  
  • Msongamano ukizidi, teksi itachelewa.
• If the main clause comes first, a comma before the following conditional is also common:
  
  • Teksi itachelewa, msongamano ukizidi.

Any quick pronunciation tips for these words?

• Swahili stress is generally on the second-to-last syllable:
  • mso-ngá-ma-no, u-ki-zí-di, téksi, i-ta-che-lé-wa
• Pronounce the initial ms- cluster in msongamano straight through (no extra vowel before it).
• ch in chelewa is like English ch in “church.”

Can I add basi to emphasize “then” in the result?

• Yes: Msongamano ukizidi, basi teksi itachelewa.
  basi here means then/so and just adds emphasis without changing the grammar.