Learn Hardcore Swahili: Sharti tuweke akiba ndogo kila wiki ili tusikose nauli. - We must put a small saving aside each week so that we don’t lack fare.

sharti means “it is a must/requirement.” It’s a bit formal or legalistic in tone.
lazima also means “must,” and is more commonly used in everyday speech.
Both typically trigger the subjunctive (-e) in the following verb: sharti tuweke, lazima tuweke.
You may also see ni sharti; both sharti and ni sharti are acceptable.

Why does tuweke end in -e instead of -a?

Because sharti triggers the subjunctive mood. In Swahili, the subjunctive uses -e as the final vowel: weka → weke. So tuweke means “(that) we put/let’s put/we should put.”

Could I just say Tuweke akiba ndogo… without sharti?

Yes. Tuweke… on its own is a hortative “let’s put…,” a suggestion. With sharti, it becomes an obligation: “we must put….”

What is the morphological breakdown of tuweke?

tu- = 1st person plural subject marker “we”
-wek- = verb root from weka “put (aside), place”
-e = subjunctive final vowel Result: tu-wek-e → “(that) we put.”

Why is it akiba ndogo and not something like ndogo akiba?

Adjectives usually follow the noun in Swahili. So it’s noun + adjective: akiba ndogo (“small savings”), not ndogo akiba.

What’s the difference between akiba ndogo and akiba kidogo?

ndogo = “small” (adjective agreeing with the noun class).
kidogo = “a little/a small amount” (often a quantifier/adverb). Both are common: akiba ndogo “small savings,” akiba kidogo “a little savings.” Nuance: kidogo highlights quantity; ndogo describes size.

Does the adjective ndogo agree with akiba?

Yes. Akiba is in the N-class (9/10), whose adjective agreement form for “small” is ndogo. Compare: mtoto mdogo (child, small – class 1), vitabu vidogo (books, small – class 8), habari njema (good news – N-class).

Why is there no object marker in the verb for akiba?

Swahili only uses an object marker when the object is definite/specific, topical, or pronominal (“it/them”). Here akiba ndogo is an indefinite amount, so no object marker is needed.

How does kila wiki work? Does kila take plural?

kila means “each/every” and always takes a singular noun: kila wiki, kila siku, kila mwezi. You do not pluralize the noun after kila.

Can I move kila wiki to a different position?

Yes. Adverbials are flexible:

Kila wiki, sharti tuweke akiba ndogo…
Sharti kila wiki tuweke akiba ndogo…
Sharti tuweke akiba ndogo kila wiki… All are natural; choose the one that flows best in context.

What does ili do, and what verb form follows it?

ili introduces a purpose clause: “so that/in order that.” It requires the subjunctive (-e) in the following verb. In negatives, the negative marker -si- appears after the subject: tusikose.

Why is it tusikose and not tukose?

We want a negative purpose: “so that we do not lack/miss (fare).” Negative subjunctive = subject + -si- + verb root + -e → tu-si-kos-e = “that we not lack.”

Break down tusikose for me.

tu- = 1st person plural subject “we”
-si- = negative marker (subjunctive/imperative environment)
-kos- = verb root from kosa “lack/miss”
-e = subjunctive final vowel Result: tu-si-kos-e → “(that) we not lack.”

What exactly does nauli mean?

nauli is “fare” (money paid for transport: bus, matatu, ferry, etc.). It’s an N-class noun often used like a mass noun: kosa nauli “lack fare,” kuwa na nauli “have fare,” nauli ya basi “bus fare.”

Could I say …ili tuwe na nauli instead of …ili tusikose nauli?

Yes, both are fine:

…ili tuwe na nauli = “so that we have fare” (positive goal).
…ili tusikose nauli = “so that we don’t lack fare” (avoidance of shortage). The original stresses preventing being short of fare.

Why is there no tense marker like -ta- in tuweke or tusikose?

The subjunctive normally doesn’t take tense/aspect markers. Time is inferred from context (here kila wiki). If you need time specificity, add time expressions, not tense markers inside the subjunctive clause.