Learn Hardcore Swahili: Bi harusi atavaa gauni jeupe lenye mapambo mazuri. - The bride will wear a white gown with beautiful decorations.

a- = 3rd person singular subject marker (he/she)
-ta- = future tense marker
-vaa = verb stem “wear/put on” So atavaa = “he/she will wear.” The negative future is hatavaa (“he/she will not wear”), and the present is anavaa (“he/she wears/is wearing”).

Why is the adjective “white” jeupe here, and not nyeupe or mweupe?

Swahili adjectives agree with the noun class. Gauni is class 5 (ji-/Ø), whose adjective agreement for the root -eupe is jeupe. Other classes use different prefixes:

Class 1 (mtu): mweupe (mtu mweupe)
Class 9 (nyumba): nyeupe (nyumba nyeupe)
Class 6 (magauni): meupe (magauni meupe)

What noun class is gauni, and what is its plural?

Gauni is class 5. Its plural is class 6: magauni. With the plural, agreements change accordingly:

Singular: gauni jeupe lenye mapambo mazuri
Plural: magauni meupe yenye mapambo mazuri

What does lenye mean, and why is that form used?

-enye is a relative adjective meaning “with/that has.” It must agree with the noun class:

Class 5 (gauni): lenye Some other common forms (for feel): mwenye (class 1), yenye (classes 4/6/9/10), chenye (class 7), vyenye (class 8). So gauni lenye mapambo = “a dress with decorations.”

Could I say the same thing with a fuller relative clause instead of lenye?

Yes. Natural alternatives include:

gauni jeupe lililo na mapambo mazuri
gauni jeupe ambalo lina mapambo mazuri All mean “a white dress that has beautiful decorations.”

Why is it mapambo mazuri, not mapambo nzuri or mapambo mzuri?

Because mapambo is class 6 (ma-). The adjective -zuri takes the class-6 agreement ma- → mazuri. For reference:

Class 1: mzuri (mtu mzuri)
Class 9: nzuri (nyumba nzuri)
Class 5: zuri (gauni zuri)

Is mapambo singular or plural? What’s the singular?

Mapambo is plural (class 6). The singular is pambo (class 5), but in practice you’ll most often see the plural mapambo used as a mass/plural “decorations/ornamentation.”

Why is there no word for “the” before bi harusi or gauni?

Swahili lacks articles (“a/the”). Definiteness is inferred from context. Here, Bi harusi is understood as “the bride” from context, and gauni can be “a/one/the dress,” depending on what is meant.

Can I change the order of the modifiers, like placing lenye mapambo mazuri before jeupe?

Yes, both are possible:

gauni jeupe lenye mapambo mazuri (common)
gauni lenye mapambo mazuri jeupe (also acceptable) Adjectives and relative modifiers typically follow the noun; their order is fairly flexible as long as agreements are correct.

Does atavaa mean “will wear” or “will be wearing”? How would I say each?

Atavaa comfortably covers both in many contexts. If you need a clear “will be wearing” as a state at a future time, you can say:

Atakuwa amevaa gauni… (“she will be wearing/will have [already] put on a dress [by then]”). But in normal planning/talking about an event, atavaa is idiomatic and sufficient.

Could I use na instead of lenye, like “gauni jeupe na mapambo mazuri”?

Na just means “and,” so gauni jeupe na mapambo mazuri sounds like “a white dress and beautiful decorations” (two coordinated items). To say the dress “has/with” decorations, use lenye (or a relative clause with -na like lililo na).

Is Bi harusi a fixed expression? What about Bibi?

Yes. Bi harusi is the standard way to say “bride.” Bi is a polite title for a woman (akin to Ms./Mrs.), and here it forms a set phrase with harusi. The groom is Bwana harusi. Note: bibi (lowercase) also means “grandmother/elderly woman,” but Bi (title) in Bi harusi is different.

How do I pronounce vaa in atavaa?

Pronounce the double “a” clearly: vaa = va-aa (two “a” beats). So atavaa has three open vowels in a row: a-ta-va-a. Don’t compress it to one short “a.”

What would the whole sentence look like in the plural (e.g., “The brides will wear…” or “The dresses will be …”)?

Subject plural (brides): Bi harusi watavaa gauni jeupe lenye mapambo mazuri. (Each bride will wear a white dress with beautiful decorations.)
Object plural (dresses): Bi harusi atavaa magauni meupe yenye mapambo mazuri. (She will wear white dresses with beautiful decorations.)