Learn Hardcore Swahili: Tafadhali weka nyama kwenye friza ili igande vizuri. - Please put the meat in the freezer so that it freezes well.

Plural (to more than one person): wekeni
Negative singular: usiweke
Negative plural: msiweke To soften a command, many speakers use the subjunctive instead of the bare imperative: Tafadhali uweke nyama...

Where can I place Tafadhali? Do I need a comma?

Tafadhali can appear at the beginning, middle, or end:

Tafadhali weka...
Weka, tafadhali, ...
Weka ... tafadhali. The comma is optional and stylistic.

Why is kwenye used, and what are natural alternatives for “in the freezer”?

kwenye is a general locative preposition (in/at/on). Common alternatives:

frizani (locative suffix -ni): very idiomatic and concise.
ndani ya friza: emphasizes “inside.”
katika friza: slightly more formal. Avoid kwa friza for physical location in this context.

Is friza the same as friji?

No. friji is a refrigerator; friza is a freezer (either a separate unit or the freezer compartment). You may also hear people say friza ya friji for the freezer section of a fridge.

What does ili do in this sentence?

ili means “so that/in order that” and it triggers the subjunctive mood in the following verb. That’s why you see igande (final -e), not iganda.

Why does igande begin with i-?

The noun nyama is class 9. Class 9 takes the subject marker i-, so you get i-gande. If the subject were class 10 (plural), you’d use zi-: nyama zigande.

Why is it igande and not iganda or itaganda?

After ili, you use the subjunctive form, which ends in -e: gande. You don’t use tense markers like ta- (future) in that purpose clause.

How do I say “so that it doesn’t freeze”?

Use the negative subjunctive by adding si- to the subject marker: ili isigande.

How can I say “Please put it in the freezer” without repeating nyama?

Switch to the subjunctive and add the object marker for class 9:

Tafadhali uiweke kwenye friza. Here u- = “you” (singular), -i- = “it” (class 9, referring to nyama), and -weke = “put.” You can’t attach an object marker to the bare imperative weka, which is why the subjunctive is used.

Could I drop the purpose clause and just give the command?

Yes: Tafadhali weka nyama kwenye friza. The ili igande vizuri part simply states the purpose.

What does vizuri add? Can I replace it with something else?

vizuri is an adverb meaning “well/properly.” Alternatives (with slightly different nuances):

vizuri sana = very well
kabisa = completely (e.g., igande kabisa)
haraka = quickly (different idea: speed, not quality)
sawasawa = evenly/OK (context-specific)

Could I use gandisha instead of ganda?

Not in this structure. kugandisha is transitive (“to cause to freeze”): Friza inagandisha nyama (The freezer freezes the meat). Here the meat is undergoing freezing, so the intransitive kuganda is right: ili igande.

How do I say “The meat has frozen / is frozen”?

Result/perfect: Nyama imeganda (It has frozen / is frozen).
If you want to emphasize that something/someone caused it: Nyama imegandishwa (It has been frozen).

Is nyama countable? How do I say “a piece of meat” or make agreement with “pieces”?

nyama is typically a mass noun (class 9/10). To count portions, use a classifier:

kipande cha nyama = a piece of meat (class 7)
vipande vya nyama = pieces of meat (class 8) Agreement follows the classifier, e.g.:
Weka vipande vya nyama frizani ili vigande vizuri.

Can I say the same thing using the locative suffix instead of kwenye?

Yes. Weka nyama frizani is fully natural and means “put the meat in the freezer.” Using -ni on a place noun is a very common way to mark location.

Why does the imperative drop ku- (as in weka, not kuweka)?

The bare positive imperative is formed by removing the infinitive prefix ku- and using the verb stem: weka! This is why you see weka in commands but kuweka when citing the verb or using it as a noun (the act of putting).