Learn Hardcore Swahili: Leo asubuhi tulipanda bajaji kwenda kazini, na dada yangu aliendesha skuta kurudi nyumbani. - This morning we took a tuk-tuk to work, and my sister rode a scooter to return home.

Leo asubuhi = “this morning (today).” Time expressions typically come at the start of the sentence.
Leo asubuhi is the most natural order. Asubuhi leo is understood but sounds marked/unusual in most contexts.
You can also say Asubuhi tulipanda… (This morning, we boarded…).

How are the verb forms tulipanda and aliendesha built?

Could I use tumepanda instead of tulipanda?

tumepanda uses the -me- “perfect” and often implies “we have (already) ridden” with present relevance (e.g., earlier today, and it matters now).
tulipanda is simple past “we rode.” With Leo asubuhi, both are possible; -li- is perfectly natural narration.

Why does ku- become kw- in kwenda?

The infinitive of “go” is irregular: kuenda → kwenda (ku- assimilates to kw- before a vowel-initial verb stem “enda”). Both kwenda and kuenda are accepted, but kwenda is more common.

What does kupanda mean here? Isn’t panda “to plant” or “to climb”?

kupanda is polysemous: “to climb,” “to plant,” and also “to get on/board/ride (a vehicle or animal).”
Common collocations: kupanda basi (board a bus), kupanda treni (board a train), kupanda pikipiki (ride a motorbike).

What exactly is a bajaji? Is the plural the same?

bajaji is a three-wheeled motorized rickshaw (often called tuk-tuk). The term is very common in Tanzania; tuk-tuk is widely understood too.
It’s an N-class loanword; singular and plural are both bajaji in everyday use.

Could I say Tulienda kazini kwa bajaji instead of Tulipanda bajaji kwenda kazini?

Yes. Tulienda kazini kwa bajaji = “We went to work by (means of) a bajaji.”
Tulipanda bajaji kwenda kazini emphasizes the act of boarding the vehicle to go to work. Both are natural; style choice.

What does the -ni in kazini and nyumbani do?

-ni is a locative suffix meaning “at/in/to” depending on the verb:
- kazini = “at work / to work”
- nyumbani = “at home / home(wards)”
With motion verbs (kwenda “go,” kurudi “return”), -ni often has a directional sense (“to/towards”).

Why is there no separate word for “to” before kazini?

Swahili doesn’t need a preposition here. The motion verb (kwenda) plus the locative -ni already encodes “to” in “kwenda kazini.”

Why is it dada yangu and not dada wangu?

For possessives, nouns like dada typically pattern with the N-class, so the possessive is yangu (“my”): dada yangu.
However, because dada refers to a human, it takes class 1 agreement on verbs: Dada yangu aliendesha… (subject prefix a-). So you’ll see mixed agreement: N-class possessive (yangu) but class 1 on the verb (a-).

Does dada mean “older sister” specifically?

In everyday Swahili, dada can mean “sister” in general; you can add size words to be precise:
- dada mkubwa = older sister
- dada mdogo = younger sister

Why aliendesha skuta and not alipanda skuta?

endesha = operate/drive/ride (when you are the one controlling the vehicle: car, motorbike, scooter).
panda = get on/ride as a passenger or mount. You can say alipanda skuta, but it often implies “got on (a) scooter,” not necessarily that she was operating it. For a scooter you control, aliendesha skuta is the default.

Where does endesha come from?

It’s the causative form of enda (“go”). endesha literally means “cause [it] to go,” hence “drive/operate.”

What does kurudi nyumbani add? Could I just say alirudi nyumbani?

kurudi nyumbani after aliendesha skuta expresses purpose: “she rode the scooter in order to return home.”
alirudi nyumbani simply states “she returned home.” Both are fine; the original highlights the means and purpose.

Is na the best way to link the two clauses? What about halafu, kisha, or the -ka- tense?

na = “and.” Neutral connector: …, na dada yangu…
halafu/kisha = “then/after that,” add a sense of sequence: …, halafu/kisha dada yangu…
-ka- sequential: Tulipanda bajaji tukaenda kazini, dada yangu akaendesha skuta akarudi nyumbani. This feels like a narrative sequence of events.

Why kazini but not kazi, and why nyumbani but not nyumba?

kazi (work as a noun). kazini (at/to work as a place).
nyumba (house). nyumbani (home/at home/to home). The -ni suffix turns the bare noun into a locative.