Learn Hardcore Swahili: Tumeweka bango kubwa la “Karibu Harusini” juu ya mlango. - We have placed a big “Welcome to the Wedding” banner above the door.

It’s three parts: tu- (we) + -me- (perfect aspect “have/has”) + weka (put/place). So it literally means “we have put/placed,” with a sense of current result.

How would the meaning change with tuliweka or tunaweka?

tuliweka: simple past “we put/placed (at some time in the past).”
tunaweka: present/progressive “we are putting/we put (habitually).”
tutaweka: future “we will put.”

Why is it bango kubwa and not kubwa bango?

In Swahili, descriptive adjectives follow the noun. So bango kubwa = “big banner.” Many adjectives also agree with the noun class; here bango is class 5, and the adjective shows up as kubwa (no prefix) in the singular.

How do I make the plural for “a big banner”?

Class 5/6 plural: bango kubwa → mabango makubwa (“big banners”). Notice both the noun and the adjective change: bango → mabango, kubwa → makubwa.

What is the la doing in bango kubwa la Karibu Harusini?

la is the class-5 form of the associative “of” (the -a linker). Since bango is class 5, you get bango la …. In the plural (class 6) you’d use ya: mabango ya ….

Then why is it juu ya mlango and not juu la mlango?

Because juu (“top/above”) is itself a class-9 noun; the associative for class 9 is ya. Fixed prepositional-like nouns behave this way: juu ya (on top of/above), chini ya (under), mbele ya (in front of), nyuma ya (behind).

Does juu ya mlango mean “above the door” or “on the door”?

Primarily “above/over the door.” If you mean attached on the door surface, use kwenye mlango or the locative mlangoni (“at/on the doorway/door”).

Is weka the most natural verb for a banner?

It’s fine, but you can be more specific:

tundika = hang: Tumetundika bango …
bandika = stick/paste: Tumebandika bango …
weka = put/place: general and acceptable.

Should the banner text be Karibu or Karibuni?

Karibu addresses one person or can be used generically.
Karibuni addresses several people. For a public banner, Karibuni Harusini is common, though Karibu Harusini also appears on signs.

What does Harusini show morphologically?

It’s harusi (wedding) + the locative suffix -ni → harusini (“at the wedding”). Other examples: shuleni (at school), kanisani (at church), nyumbani (at home).

What’s the difference between mlango and lango?

mlango (class 3/4): a door (of a room/house). Plural: milango.
lango (class 5/6): a gate/large entrance. Plural: malango. Use the one that fits the context.

Can I move the location phrase earlier in the sentence?

Yes. Fronting for emphasis is fine: Tumeweka juu ya mlango bango kubwa la Karibu Harusini. The default, unmarked order is what you saw, but both are grammatical.

Does Swahili mark “the” or “a” anywhere here?

No articles in Swahili. bango, mlango can mean “a/the banner/door” depending on context.

Any quick pronunciation tips for tricky parts?

juu: “JOO” with a long “u.”
mlango: m-LAHN-go (the “ng” is like “ng” in “finger,” not “singer”).
bango: BAHN-go (same “ng” as in “finger”).
harusi: ha-ROO-see (clear vowels).
Swahili vowels are pure and consistent; g is always hard as in “get,” and j as in “jam.”

Could I say “a banner that says …” instead of using la?

Yes. Natural options include:

bango linalosema Karibu Harusini (“a banner that says …”).
bango lenye maneno Karibu Harusini (“a banner with the words …”).
bango lililoandikwa Karibu Harusini (“a banner on which … is written”).

Why is it bango linalosema and not something else?

Relative agreement: bango is class 5, so the relative verb takes class-5 markers:

Present relative: li-na-lo-sema → linalosema.
Past relative: li-li-lo-andikwa → lililoandikwa. This agreement keeps everything tied to the head noun’s class.

Is Harusi/Harusini ever spelled without the initial h (e.g., arusi/aruisini)?

You’ll see both in practice, but harusi/harusini with h- is the standard in most contemporary materials. Stick with harusi/harusini unless you’re following a specific regional convention.