Learn Hardcore Swahili: Leo asubuhi, tulikumbana na msongamano barabarani. - This morning, we encountered a traffic jam on the road.

In Swahili, kumbana na means “to encounter,” “to come up against,” or “to run into” (a problem, situation, or even a person). The na (“with”) is part of the verb construction and introduces what you encountered, so you cannot drop it.

Example: Tulikumbana na tatizo. = We ran into a problem.
Example: Nilikumbana na Juma sokoni. = I ran into Juma at the market.

How is tulikumbana built morphologically?

tu- = we (1st person plural subject prefix)
-li- = past tense
kumbana = to encounter/run into So tulikumbana = “we ran into / we encountered.” If it’s still relevant now, you might also hear tumekumbana (“we’ve run into”).

Why is it msongamano barabarani and not msongamano wa barabara?

barabarani is the locative form of barabara (“road”), meaning “on the road(s)/in the street.” You’re saying the congestion is located on the road. msongamano wa barabara would mean “congestion of the road,” which is odd here because you want a location, not possession.

What exactly does the -ni on barabarani do?

The suffix -ni makes a locative: “in/at/on.” More examples:

shuleni (at school), kanisani (at church), ofisini (at the office), nyumbani (at home). So barabarani = “on the road(s).”

Does msongamano only mean “traffic jam”?

No. msongamano means “congestion/crowding.” With barabarani, it naturally means “traffic congestion.” You can be explicit:

msongamano wa magari = traffic jam (congestion of vehicles)
msongamano wa watu = crowd of people

Is there a more colloquial/common word for “traffic jam”?

Yes: foleni (queue/line) is very common in everyday speech. Examples:

Leo asubuhi, tulikwama kwenye foleni. = This morning, we got stuck in traffic.
Kuna foleni barabarani. = There’s a traffic jam on the road.

Could I also say “There was a traffic jam this morning on the road”?

Yes:

Leo asubuhi, kulikuwa na msongamano barabarani. You may also hear place-focused forms with a locative subject, but kulikuwa na… is the most general and common.

Is msongamano countable? What’s the plural?

Yes. It’s class 3/4:

Singular: msongamano
Plural: misongamano For general “traffic,” the singular is normally used: Kuna msongamano.

What’s the difference between barabarani, kwenye barabara, and katika barabara?

All can mean “on the road.” Nuances:

barabarani: concise, very idiomatic.
kwenye barabara: everyday, slightly more explicit (“at/on the road”).
katika barabara: a bit more formal or neutral “in/on the road.”

Can I move the time phrase? For example, put “this morning” at the end?

Yes. Time expressions are flexible:

Leo asubuhi, tulikumbana na msongamano barabarani.
Tulikumbana na msongamano barabarani leo asubuhi. Both are correct.

Do I need the comma after Leo asubuhi?

No. It’s optional. Writers often include a comma after a fronted time phrase, but you’ll also see it omitted. Both are fine: Leo asubuhi tulikumbana… / Leo asubuhi, tulikumbana…

What’s the difference among leo asubuhi, asubuhi leo, asubuhi ya leo, and asubuhi hii?

All can refer to “this morning,” with small stylistic differences:

leo asubuhi: very common and neutral.
asubuhi leo: also used; slightly less common order.
asubuhi ya leo: a bit more formal/explicit (“the morning of today”).
asubuhi hii: “this morning” (immediacy/deictic “this”).

Can I drop na and say tulikumbana msongamano?

No. The verb is kumbana na [thing]. You need na to introduce what was encountered: tulikumbana na msongamano.

How would I say “We got stuck in traffic” instead of “we encountered traffic”?

Use kwama (“to get stuck”):

Tulikwama kwenye msongamano (wa magari).
Tulikwama kwenye foleni. (very common in speech)