Mwalimu alituongoza hatua kwa hatua hadi tukamaliza kazi.

The teacher guided us step by step until we finished the work.

Breakdown of Mwalimu alituongoza hatua kwa hatua hadi tukamaliza kazi.

• kazi: the work
• mwalimu: the teacher
• kumaliza: to finish
• hadi: until
• sisi: us
• hatua kwa hatua: step by step
• kuongoza: to guide

Questions & Answers about Mwalimu alituongoza hatua kwa hatua hadi tukamaliza kazi.

What exactly is inside the verb alituongoza?

Breakdown:

• a- = subject prefix (3rd person singular: he/she)
• -li- = past tense
• -tu- = object marker (us)
• -ongoz- = verb root (lead/guide)
• -a = final vowel

Base infinitive: kuongoza (to lead).

Why is the object marker tu- needed? Could I just say Mwalimu aliongoza?

• Without any object, aliongoza just says led, with no one being led. If the object is a pronoun like us, Swahili normally marks it on the verb with an object marker.
• Natural options:
  • Mwalimu alituongoza. (most natural with a pronominal object)
  • Mwalimu aliongoza wanafunzi. (uses a full noun as the object; object marker not required)
  • Mwalimu aliwaongoza wanafunzi. (adds wa- for them; more specific/emphatic)

Can I also say Mwalimu alituongoza sisi or Mwalimu aliongoza sisi? Which is better?

• Mwalimu alituongoza sisi is fine when emphasizing us (as opposed to others).
• Mwalimu aliongoza sisi is less idiomatic; with pronouns, keep the object marker on the verb. Use sisi only for emphasis/contrast.

What does hatua kwa hatua literally mean, and are there alternatives?

• Literally: step by step.
• Alternatives (choose by nuance):
  • taratibu = gradually/carefully
  • polepole = slowly
  • kidogo kidogo / kidogo kwa kidogo = little by little
  • moja baada ya mwingine = one after another
  • kwa hatua = in stages

What's the role of kwa in hatua kwa hatua? Are there other X kwa X patterns?

• kwa here has a by/per sense, making an iterative X by X pattern.
• Common patterns:
  • siku kwa siku (day by day)
  • nchi kwa nchi (country by country)
  • sentensi kwa sentensi (sentence by sentence)
  • kidogo kwa kidogo (little by little)

What's the difference between hadi and mpaka?

• Both mean until/up to and can be prepositions or conjunctions.
• mpaka is very common in speech and also means border/limit.
• hadi can feel a bit more formal/neutral. Either works here.

Why is it tukamaliza after hadi? Why not tulimaliza or tumalize?

• tukamaliza uses the narrative/consecutive -ka- to link a subsequent event: until we then finished.
• tulimaliza (simple past) also works; it just states the endpoint without the narrative feel.
• tumalize (subjunctive) is for intentions/future: Tutafanya kazi hadi tumalize. (We will work until we finish.)

What is the -ka- in tukamaliza called, and where else is it used?

• It’s the narrative/consecutive marker, used to chain events: [subject] + -ka-
  • verb.
• Examples:
  • Aliingia, akakaa, akaagiza chai.
  • Nilisoma, nikamaliza, nikaenda kulala.
• It usually follows a prior clause that sets the time/tense; it doesn’t typically open a narrative by itself.

Could I rephrase as ... hadi tulipomaliza kazi? How does that differ?

• Yes. tulipomaliza = tu- + li- + po + maliza (when we finished). The -po- forms a temporal clause.
• hadi tulipomaliza kazi emphasizes the specific time point when we finished and sounds a bit more explicit/formal.

Does kazi here mean the work even though there's no article?

• Yes. Swahili has no articles; definiteness comes from context. Here kazi is understood as the (known) task/work.
• You can make it explicit with a demonstrative: kazi hiyo/kazi ile.

Why does the verb start with a- in alituongoza? What would change if the subject were plural?

• a- is the subject prefix for class 1 singular (he/she).
• For a plural subject (they), use wa-: walituongoza (they led us).

How can I tell when tu- is a subject vs. an object marker?

• Position:
  • Subject prefixes come before tense/aspect: tutaongoza = tu- (we) + ta- (future) + -ongoza.
  • Object markers follow tense/aspect: alituongoza = a- (he/she) + li- (past) + tu- (us) + -ongoza.
• In tukamaliza, tu- is subject (it is first), followed by -ka-.

Can the sentence start with Akatuongoza...? When is that allowed?

• -ka- typically follows an earlier clause that sets the time/tense. Starting with Akatuongoza... sounds odd out of the blue.
• After a prior clause it’s fine: Tulianza kazi, akatuongoza hatua kwa hatua.

How would I negate the second part if I want: The teacher guided us step by step, but we didn’t finish the work?

Use lakini and the negative past:

• Mwalimu alituongoza hatua kwa hatua, lakini hatukumaliza kazi. Note: Negative past pattern is ha- + subject + -ku- + verb (here: ha-tu-ku-maliza).

Is there a difference between kuongoza and kufundisha here?

• kuongoza = to lead/guide through a process (fits step by step).
• kufundisha = to teach (impart knowledge).
• Other near-synonyms: kutuelekeza (to direct us), kutufundisha hatua kwa hatua (to teach us step by step).

Any pronunciation tips for hadi, hatua, and kuongoza?

• Stress the penultimate syllable in Swahili.
• Syllables:
  • hadi: ha-di
  • hatua: ha-tu-a (pronounce u and a separately, not hachwa)
  • kuongoza: ku-on-go-za (u and o are separate; a slight w-glide [kwongoza] is common in fast speech, but spelling stays kuongoza)
• Consonants are straightforward; the g in kuongoza is a hard g.

Is tukamaliza one word or should I write tuka maliza?

• One word. -ka- is part of the single verb complex: tu-ka-maliza → tukamaliza.

Does Swahili allow moving kazi forward for emphasis, like kazi tukamaliza?

• Fronting for emphasis is possible, and you typically include the object marker on the verb:
  • Kazi tuliimaliza.
• In the original structure with hadi, keeping kazi after the verb is the most natural: ... hadi tukamaliza kazi. (Note: kazi is class 9; its object marker is i- as in tuliimaliza.)