Hata hivyo, tulichelewa dakika tano kwa sababu ya mvua nzito.

However, we were five minutes late because of heavy rain.

Breakdown of Hata hivyo, tulichelewa dakika tano kwa sababu ya mvua nzito.

• sisi: we
• mvua: the rain
• kuchelewa: to be late
• kwa sababu ya: because of
• dakika: the minute
• nzito: heavy
• tano: five
• hata hivyo: however

Questions & Answers about Hata hivyo, tulichelewa dakika tano kwa sababu ya mvua nzito.

What does Hata hivyo mean exactly, and how is it different from lakini or ila?

• Hata hivyo = “however/nevertheless/even so.” It refers back to the previous statement and contrasts with it. It’s a sentence-level connector and often stands at the start of a new sentence.
• Lakini/ila = “but.” They directly join two clauses: “X, lakini/ila Y.”
• Rough guide:
  • Start-of-sentence contrast: use Hata hivyo, …
  • In the same sentence: use …, lakini/ila …
  • Subordinator “although”: ingawa or ijapokuwa (e.g., Ingawa kulikuwa na mvua nzito, …).
• A comma after Hata hivyo is common but not mandatory.

How is tulichelewa built morphologically?

• tu- (we) + -li- (past tense) + -chelewa (be late) → tulichelewa (“we were late”).
• Negative past: hatu-ku-chelewa (“we were not late”).
• Present perfect/result now: tumechelewa (“we’re late” / “we have arrived late”).

Do I need kwa before the duration? Is tulichelewa dakika tano okay?

Both are used:

• Tulichelewa dakika tano = We were five minutes late. Natural and common.
• Tulichelewa kwa dakika tano = We were late by five minutes. The kwa makes the “by (a duration)” relationship explicit. Slightly more formal/explicit, but both are fine.

How does number agreement work in dakika tano?

• Dakika is a class 9/10 (N-class) noun. For numbers 3–10, N-class typically takes no agreement prefix, so you say:
  • dakika tatu, dakika nne, dakika tano, dakika kumi, etc.
• For 1 and 2:
  • dakika moja, dakika mbili.
• Contrast with other classes (just for feel):
  • watoto watatu (class 1/2), vitabu vitano (class 7/8), miti mitatu (class 4).

Why is it kwa sababu ya and not just kwa sababu?

• kwa sababu ya
  • noun phrase = “because of/due to” something: kwa sababu ya mvua nzito.
• kwa sababu
  • clause = “because” followed by a full sentence: Tulichelewa kwa sababu kulikuwa na mvua nzito (“…because there was heavy rain”).
• So use ya when what follows is a noun (phrase), not a full clause.

Why is it ya after sababu? Could it be za?

• Sababu is class 9/10. The possessive/concord is:
  • Singular reason: kwa sababu ya …
  • Plural reasons: kwa sababu za … (e.g., Kwa sababu za usalama, … = “For security reasons, …”).
• In your sentence it’s one cause, so ya is correct.

Is mvua nzito idiomatic for “heavy rain”? Are there alternatives?

Yes, mvua nzito is idiomatic. Other common options:

• mvua kubwa (very common; “big/heavy rain”)
• mvua kali (intense/strong, can imply severity)
• mvua nyingi (a lot of rain/abundant rain) All are natural; nuance varies slightly. In neutral contexts, mvua kubwa or mvua nzito are both excellent choices.

Why is it nzito and not mzito with mvua?

• The adjective stem is -zito (“heavy”). Adjectives agree with noun class:
  • Class 9/10 (N-class, like mvua) uses the N- form, which surfaces as nzito: mvua nzito.
  • Class 1 (singular person) would be mzito: mtu mzito.
  • Class 2 (plural people) would be wazito: watu wazito. So mvua nzito is the correctly agreeing form.

Can I change the word order of the duration and the reason?

Yes, with some preferences:

• Original (very natural): … tulichelewa dakika tano kwa sababu ya mvua nzito.
• Front the cause: Hata hivyo, kwa sababu ya mvua nzito, tulichelewa dakika tano.
• Put duration earlier (less common but possible): … tulichelewa kwa dakika tano kwa sababu ya mvua nzito. Avoid splitting the duration awkwardly at the very end of a long cause phrase; keep dakika tano close to tulichelewa.

Is the comma after Hata hivyo required?

No. It’s a stylistic pause. You will see both:

• Hata hivyo, tulichelewa …
• Hata hivyo tulichelewa … Both are fine in modern usage.

How do I say “only/about/more than five minutes” in this sentence?

• Only: dakika tano tu (e.g., … tulichelewa dakika tano tu …)
• About/approximately: takriban dakika tano / karibu dakika tano / kama dakika tano
• More than/less than: zaidi ya dakika tano / chini ya dakika tano
• Up to: hadi dakika tano

When should I use tulichelewa vs tumechelewa?

• tulichelewa = simple past, a completed event (e.g., telling a story about yesterday).
• tumechelewa = present perfect/resultative, often implying a current result (“we’re late now/we have arrived late”). Choose based on whether you’re narrating a past fact or highlighting a present consequence.

Are there useful synonyms or related verbs for chelewa?

• kawia = to be delayed/take longer than expected (stylistically a bit more formal/literary): Tulikawia dakika tano.
• chelewesha = to delay (someone/something) causatively: Mvua ilichelewesha safari. (“The rain delayed the trip.”)
• All are common; chelewa is the go-to for “be late.”

Any pronunciation tips for tricky words like mvua and hivyo?

• mvua: pronounce both vowels clearly: m-vu-a. Many speakers lightly glide it, but avoid compressing it to one syllable.
• hivyo: hy-voh (the vy is like “vy” in “savvy,” but as a single consonant cluster). Stress is fairly even; Swahili stress is light and mostly penultimate.