Learn Hardcore Swahili: Chai ikikosekana, tutakunywa kahawa. - If tea is missing, we will drink coffee.

i- = subject marker “it” for noun class 9 (refers to chai, tea)
-ki- = conditional marker meaning “if/when”
kosekana = verb “to be missing/unavailable/absent” (a stative/passive-like form built from kosa, “to lack/miss”)

So chai ikikosekana literally reads “tea, if it is missing/unavailable …”

Does -ki- mean “if” or “when”? How is it different from using kama or ikiwa?

-ki- inside the verb often means “if/when” for real, expected, or repeatable situations: it’s neutral between “if” and “when,” and commonly used with a result in the main clause.
- Example: Chai ikikosekana, tutakunywa kahawa. “If/when tea is unavailable, we will drink coffee.”
kama and ikiwa are separate words meaning “if.” They’re fine too and feel a bit more explicitly conditional:
- Kama chai itakosekana, tutakunywa kahawa.
- Ikiwa chai itakosekana, tutakunywa kahawa.
For a more hypothetical or less likely condition, Swahili typically uses the conditional marker -nge-:
- Kama chai ingekosekana, tungekunywa kahawa. “If tea were unavailable, we would drink coffee.”

Why does the verb start with i- in ikikosekana?

Because chai is a noun in class 9 (the N-class). On verbs, the class 9 subject marker is i- (plural class 10 would be zi-). So the verb agrees with “tea” as “it.”

Could I put the main clause first?

Yes. Both orders are fine:

Chai ikikosekana, tutakunywa kahawa.
Tutakunywa kahawa chai ikikosekana. The meaning is the same; starting with the condition is slightly more common.

Is the comma required? Can I add something like basi?

The comma is optional and simply helps readability. You can also add basi (“then/so”) in the main clause:

Chai ikikosekana, basi tutakunywa kahawa.

Why use kosekana and not kosa?

kosekana means “to be missing/unavailable” and makes the thing absent (tea) the subject: Chai ikikosekana …
kosa means “to lack/miss” and focuses on the person/subject who lacks it. If you switch to kosa, you change the subject:
- Tukikosa chai, tutakunywa kahawa. “If we lack tea, we will drink coffee.” Both are correct; they just frame the situation differently.

How would I say “If there is no tea …” using common existential words?

Two natural options:

Kama hakuna chai, tutakunywa kahawa. (“If there is no tea …”)
Chai isipokuwepo, tutakunywa kahawa. (literally “If tea is not present …”; here isi- is the negative and -po ties to presence/being there)

How do I say it for a general/habitual rule rather than a future plan?

Use the present/habitual in the main clause:

Chai ikikosekana, tunakunywa kahawa. “If/when tea is unavailable, we drink coffee.”

How do I make it sound more hypothetical or unlikely?

Use the conditional -nge-:

Present/future hypothetical: Kama chai ingekosekana, tungekunywa kahawa. “If tea were unavailable, we would drink coffee.”
Past hypothetical: Kama chai ingelikosekana, tungekunywa kahawa. “If tea had been unavailable, we would have drunk coffee.” (You’ll see either inge- or ingeli- in different styles.)

Is ki here the same as the noun class 7 prefix ki- (as in kikombe)?

No. In ikikosekana, the -ki- is a conditional marker inside the verb. The noun-class 7 prefix ki- is used on nouns and agreement for class 7 words (like kikombe, cup). They just happen to look the same.

Any irregularities I should know about with kunywa (“to drink”)?

A few notes:

In positive tenses, you keep the “ku” in many common forms: ninakunywa, nilikunywa, nitakunywa, tutakunywa.
The present negative is irregular: sinywi (not “sikunywi”).
Don’t say forms like “tutanywa” for “we will drink”; the correct future is tutakunywa.

Do chai and kahawa take plurals?

They’re typically mass nouns (class 9) and don’t take a plural in normal usage. If you need to count servings, use a container:

kikombe cha kahawa = a cup of coffee
vikombe viwili vya chai = two cups of tea

Could I swap ikikosekana for a negative “if not” construction?

Yes:

Chai isipokuwepo, tutakunywa kahawa. (“If tea is not present …”)
Chai isipopatikana, tutakunywa kahawa. (“If tea is not obtainable/available …”) These feel a bit more explicitly negative than ikikosekana, which is neutral-stative (“be missing/unavailable”).

How is the stress and pronunciation here?

Swahili stress falls on the second-to-last syllable.
ikikosekana: i-ki-ko-se-ka-na (stress on “ka”)
tutakunywa: tu-ta-ku-nywa (the cluster “nyw” is one syllable; pronounce “ny” like the “ny” in “canyon”)