Learn Hardcore Swahili: Tulipoingia, tukasajili majina, tukachukua vitambulisho, tukakaa mbele. - When we entered, we registered our names, took the IDs, and sat in front.

It’s the subject prefix for we (1st person plural). In the sentence you see it on every verb: tulipo-, tuka-sajili, tuka-chukua, tuka-kaa. Other common subject prefixes: ni- (I), u- (you sg.), a- (he/she), m- (you pl.), wa- (they).

Why is it tulipoingia and not just tuliingia?

Tuliingia = “we entered.”
Tulipoingia = “when we entered / upon entering.”
Here -po- is a relative/locative marker meaning “when/at the time that,” turning the clause into a temporal “when”-clause.

What exactly is the -po- in tulipoingia?

It’s the locative/temporal relative marker meaning “when/where (at that point).” Breakdown: tu- (we) + -li- (past) + -po- (when/at the time that) + ingia (enter).

With time, -po- is usually “when.”
Related forms: -ko- (non-specific location) and -mo- (inside), but for “when,” -po- is standard.

What does the tuka- on the following verbs do?

It’s the narrative/sequential -ka- tense: “and then we …”. After setting the time with tulipoingia, the tuka- chain narrates successive actions by the same subject:

tukasajili = and then we registered
tukachukua = and then we took
tukakaa = and then we sat

Could I use simple past instead (e.g., tulisajili, tulichukua, tulikaa)?

Yes, it’s grammatical. The difference is stylistic:

tuka- makes the sequence explicit and feels narrative (“then … then …”).
Repeating tuli- states past actions more neutrally, without the built-in “then.”

Can I add words like halafu or kisha (“then”)? What about na (“and”)?

Yes: Tulipoingia, halafu tukasajili majina … or … kisha tukachukua … are fine (though you usually don’t need them if you already have tuka-).
na is fine to join clauses, but with tuka- it can be redundant: … na tukachukua …. Most writers just use tuka- (or a comma) for flow.

Is the comma after tulipoingia required?

No, it’s stylistic, just like in English. It marks the end of the “when”-clause. You can write it with or without the comma in informal contexts.

Do I need to say majina yetu (“our names”), not just majina?

Not necessarily. In contexts like check-in/registration, kusajili majina normally implies “register (our/their) names.” If you want to be explicit, majina yetu is perfectly correct (note yetu agrees with class 6: majina).

What noun class is vitambulisho, and what’s the singular?

vitambulisho is class 8 (vi-), plural of class 7 kitambulisho (an ID card).
Etymology: from the verb family -tambulisha/-tambua (introduce/recognize/identify).

Could I replace vitambulisho with an object marker on the verb?

Yes, if the IDs were already known in context. You’d use the class 8 object marker vi-:

If already mentioned: Tulipoingia, tukavichukua (“when we entered, we took them”).
In your sentence, since it’s the first mention, naming vitambulisho is natural.

Does tukakaa mean “we sat down” or “we stayed”?

Both are possible meanings of kaa, but here context favors “we sat (down).”

kaa = sit; remain/stay; live/reside (depending on context).
With a place adverb like mbele, it typically means “sit (at the front).”

What does mbele mean here, and how is it different from mbele ya?

mbele alone = “in front / at the front (area), up front.”
mbele ya + noun = “in front of [something/someone]”: e.g., tukakaa mbele ya jukwaa (“in front of the stage”).

Could I say baada ya kuingia instead of tulipoingia? Is there a nuance?

Yes.

Tulipoingia = “when we entered,” at that moment.
Baada ya kuingia = “after entering,” a beat later, focusing on what happened afterward. Your sentence still works with either, but the timing nuance shifts slightly.

Can I begin a new sentence with Tukasajili …?

Only if it’s clearly continuing a previously established context. The narrative -ka- depends on an earlier anchor (time or situation). Starting a story cold with Tukasajili … sounds odd; you’d start with a normal tense first, then switch to -ka- for the sequence.

How would the narrative -ka- look with other subjects?

It fuses with the subject prefix:

nika- (I then …), uka- (you sg.), aka- (he/she), tuka- (we), mka- (you pl.), waka- (they).
Example: Akaingia, akakaa = “He entered, then sat.”

How do I negate these actions?

The narrative -ka- itself isn’t used in the negative. Use normal negative tenses:
- Past negative: hatukusajili (“we didn’t register”), hatukuchukua, hatukukaa.
- Perfect negative (not yet): hatujasajili, hatujachukua, hatujakaa.
For the “when”-clause, negative would be tusipoingia = “if/when we don’t enter”: e.g., Tusipoingia, hatutapata vitambulisho (“If we don’t enter, we won’t get the IDs”).