Learn Hardcore Swahili: Siku ya mvua tulichukua bajaji, wala hatukutembea kwa miguu. - On the rainy day we took a tuk-tuk, and we did not walk on foot.

wala means “and not”/“nor.” It links to a negative clause and emphasizes exclusion of an alternative.
na simply means “and,” with no contrast or negation.
lakini means “but,” introducing contrast, not necessarily negation.

In this sentence, wala highlights that walking (on foot) was explicitly not done, presenting it as an excluded alternative to taking the bajaji. You could say:

… na hatukutembea … = and we didn’t walk (neutral)
… lakini hatukutembea … = but we didn’t walk (contrast)
… wala hatukutembea … = nor did we walk / and definitely not on foot (stronger exclusion)

Can wala follow a positive clause, or must the previous clause be negative?

It can follow a positive clause, as in this sentence. While wala often pairs two negatives (e.g., sikuenda wala sikula = I didn’t go nor did I eat), it’s also used after an affirmative to strongly exclude another option: “We took a bajaji, nor did we walk.” It sounds a bit more emphatic or literary than na.

Why is it hatukutembea and not something like hatulitembea?

The negative past in Swahili uses the negative subject prefix plus the past negative marker -ku-, not -li-. So:

Affirmative past: tulitembea (we walked) = tu- (we) + -li- (past) + tembea
Negative past: hatukutembea (we didn’t walk) = hatu- (we, negative) + -ku- (past negative) + tembea

Can you break down the verbs tulichukua and hatukutembea?

tulichukua = tu- (we) + -li- (past) + chukua (take)
hatukutembea = hatu- (we, negative) + -ku- (past negative) + tembea (walk)

How do I form the negative past for other subjects?

Pattern: negative subject prefix + -ku- + verb.

I didn’t go: sikuenda
You (sg.) didn’t eat: hukula
He/She didn’t read: hakusoma
We didn’t see: hatukuona
You (pl.) didn’t sleep: hamkulala
They didn’t come: hawakukuja

What’s the difference between the negative past and the negative present?

Negative past uses -ku- and keeps the final -a: hatukutembea (we didn’t walk).
Negative present drops -na- and changes final -a to -i: hatutembei (we are not walking / we don’t walk [habitual]).

Why is it kwa miguu? Could I say kwa mguu, or just omit it?

kwa miguu literally “by feet/on foot,” with miguu (plural of mguu, foot/leg). This is the idiomatic way to say “on foot.”
Some speakers say kwa mguu, but kwa miguu is more standard.
You can omit it if context already makes “on foot” clear: hatukutembea already means “we didn’t walk,” but kwa miguu explicitly contrasts walking vs. taking transport.

Isn’t tembea already “walk”? Isn’t tembea kwa miguu redundant?

It’s partly redundant semantically, but idiomatic. kwa miguu makes the contrast explicit (on foot vs. by vehicle). In contexts where multiple modes of moving are possible, Swahili often states the manner with kwa.

What exactly is a bajaji?

A bajaji is a three-wheeled motorized rickshaw (often called a tuk-tuk). The word comes from the Bajaj brand. In Tanzania you’ll hear bajaji; in Kenya tuktuk is common.

What’s the plural and agreement for bajaji?

It’s usually treated as noun class 9/10, with the same form in singular and plural. For modifiers, use 9/10 agreement:

one tuk-tuk: bajaji moja
three tuk-tuks: bajaji tatu
many tuk-tuks: bajaji nyingi

Is tulichukua bajaji the most natural way to say “we took a tuk-tuk,” or should I use a different verb?

All are acceptable, with nuance:

tulichukua bajaji = we took/hired a bajaji (common, modeled on English “take a taxi”).
tulipanda bajaji = we boarded/rode a bajaji (very natural with vehicles).
tulikodi bajaji = we hired/chartered a bajaji (emphasizes paying to hire).

Does Siku ya mvua mean “on a rainy day” or “on the rainy day”? How do I make it clearly specific?

Alone, Siku ya mvua can be generic or specific from context. To make it clearly specific, add a demonstrative:

Siku ile ya mvua / Siku hiyo ya mvua = that rainy day. For general/habitual: Siku za mvua (on rainy days).

Why is there no word for “on” before siku?

Time expressions often appear without a preposition in Swahili: Jana tulienda, Kesho tutarudi, Siku ya mvua tulichukua… If you want, you can use katika or siku ya…, but it’s not required.

Why is it ya in siku ya mvua and not wa, la, or cha?

The linker “of” agrees with the first noun’s class. siku is class 9, whose genitive linker is ya. So:

siku ya mvua (day of rain) If the head noun were class 1 (mtu), you’d use wa; if class 5 (gari), la; if class 7 (chumba), cha, etc.

Can I move the time phrase to the end: Tulichukua bajaji, wala hatukutembea kwa miguu, siku ya mvua?

Yes, that’s grammatical. Fronting Siku ya mvua sets the time as the frame/topic. Placing it at the end puts more focus on the actions, with the time as an afterthought. Both are fine.

How would I say “Instead of walking on foot, we took a bajaji”?

Two natural options:

Badala ya kutembea kwa miguu, tulichukua/tulipanda bajaji.
Tulichukua/tulipanda bajaji badala ya kutembea kwa miguu.

Is hatukuenda kwa miguu also possible instead of hatukutembea kwa miguu?

Yes. kwenda (go) is commonly used with kwa miguu to mean “go on foot.” So:

hatukuenda kwa miguu = we didn’t go on foot.
hatukutembea (kwa miguu) = we didn’t walk (on foot). Both are idiomatic; choose based on whether you want “go” or “walk.”

Any pronunciation tips for words like mvua and bajaji?

Swahili stress is on the second-to-last syllable: síku, mvú-a (two syllables: m-vu-a; the v is pronounced), bajáji, walá, hatukutembéa.
In mvua, pronounce both consonants: m + v; don’t insert a vowel between them.