Learn Hardcore Swahili: Hapo ndipo tutakapokutana kesho saa tatu asubuhi. - That is where we will meet tomorrow at nine in the morning.

It creates emphasis and a “cleft” structure: “It is there (exactly there) that…”. Compared to a plain sentence, this highlights the location as the key piece of information, like saying “That’s the spot where…”.

Can I just say Tutakutana hapo kesho saa tatu asubuhi?

Yes. That’s the neutral, everyday way to say it. The version with hapo ndipo … is more emphatic or contrastive, often used to clarify or correct: “Not elsewhere—right there is where we’ll meet.”

Why is it tutakapokutana instead of tutakutana after hapo ndipo?

With this emphatic cleft, Swahili commonly uses a relative clause after hapo ndipo. Tutakapokutana is a relative future form meaning “(the place) where we will meet,” matching the focused locative hapo. You can see it as: “It is there that [we will meet]” → “It is there that [we will meet where…]” (relative clause). Using tutakutana is also possible, but the relative form is very common in this pattern.

How is tutakapokutana built morphologically?

tu- = we (subject prefix)
-takapo- = future relative “when/where (in the future)”
-kutana = meet So tutakapokutana ≈ “when/where we will meet.” In practice, learn -takapo- as a single chunk for the future relative.

Does -po here mean “when” or “where”?

It can mean either, depending on context. Because the sentence starts with the locative demonstrative hapo (“there”), -po is locative: “where we will meet.” If you were focusing on time (e.g., “then/at that moment”), -po could be temporal: “when.”

What are the other common relative “when/where” forms besides -takapo- (future)?

-napo- = “when/where (present/habitual)”: tunapokutana “when/whenever we meet”
-lipo- = “when/where (past/definite)”: tulipopatana “when/where we agreed/met (then)”
-takapo- = “when/where (future)”: tutakapokutana “when/where we will meet”

What’s the difference between ndipo, ndiko, and ndimo?

They agree with the three Swahili locative sets:

ndipo (pa-/ -po): a specific/definite spot (used with hapa/hapo/pale)
ndiko (ko-/ -ko): a general/less specific area (used with huku/huko/kule)
ndimo (mo-/ -mo): inside/within (used with humu/humo/kulemo) In our sentence, hapo (pa-/ -po set) correctly takes ndipo.

What’s the nuance between hapa, hapo, and pale?

hapa = here (near the speaker)
hapo = there (near the listener or just-mentioned spot)
pale = over there (far from both speaker and listener) These can point to places or, in context, to times/points in a narrative.

Can hapo also refer to time (“then/at that point”)?

Yes. In narratives or instructions, hapo can be temporal: “at that point/then.” In that case hapo ndipo… would mean “That’s when…”. Here, though, the time is already specified by kesho saa tatu asubuhi, so hapo is spatial.

Where can I put the time phrase kesho saa tatu asubuhi?

Flexible placement is normal:

Hapo ndipo tutakapokutana kesho saa tatu asubuhi.
Kesho saa tatu asubuhi tutakutana hapo.
For time focus you can even say: Kesho saa tatu asubuhi ndipo tutakapokutana (“That’s when we’ll meet”), switching the emphasis from place to time.

What does saa tatu asubuhi mean on a Western clock?

It’s 9:00 a.m. Swahili counts hours from roughly sunrise (~7:00 a.m.):

saa moja asubuhi = 7:00 a.m.
saa mbili asubuhi = 8:00 a.m.
saa tatu asubuhi = 9:00 a.m.

Do I have to include asubuhi?

It’s recommended, because saa tatu by itself could be unclear across contexts. The period markers help:

asubuhi (morning)
mchana (midday/afternoon)
jioni (late afternoon/early evening)
usiku (night)

How do I say 9:00 p.m. and a few other common times?

9:00 p.m. = saa tatu usiku
10:00 a.m. = saa nne asubuhi
12:00 noon = saa sita mchana
6:00 p.m. = saa kumi na mbili jioni
6:00 a.m. = saa kumi na mbili asubuhi

What’s the difference between -kutana and -onana?

-kutana = meet (come together). Can be intransitive or with na: tutakutana (na …).
-onana = see each other (mutual seeing). Often more about the act of meeting face-to-face: Tutaonana kesho = “We’ll see each other tomorrow.” Both are common; -kutana is slightly more neutral for “to meet (up).”

How would I make a negative or conditional version?

Conditional/“if not”: Tusipokutana… = “If we don’t meet…”
Negative relative future is possible but less common in everyday speech: …wakati hatutakapokutana… (“…at the time when we will not meet…”). In practice, speakers prefer isipokuwa/tusipokutana for natural flow.

Any quick pronunciation tips for this sentence?

Swahili stress is on the second-to-last syllable of each word:

hapo = HA-po
ndipo = NDI-po
tutakapokutana = tu-ta-ka-po-ku-TA-na
kesho = KE-sho
saa = SA-a (spoken smoothly)
tatu = TA-tu
asubuhi = a-su-BU-hi