Learn Hardcore Swahili: Mama anasafisha sakafu kama unavyoweza kuona, kwa taulo na maji ya uvuguvugu. - Mother is cleaning the floor as you can see, with a towel and lukewarm water.

“is cleaning” (progressive, right now), or
“cleans” (habitual), depending on context. Here, because of “as you can see,” it clearly means “is cleaning.” Morphology: a- (she/he) + -na- (present) + safish (clean/make clean) + -a (final vowel).

Why isn’t there a separate subject pronoun like “yeye” for “she”/“he”?

Swahili encodes the subject on the verb. a- already means “she/he,” so a separate pronoun (yeye) is only added for emphasis or contrast. “Mama anasafisha …” is fully complete without an extra pronoun.

What does “kama unavyoweza kuona” literally mean, and how is it built?

Literally: “as you are able to see.” Breakdown:

u- (you, singular) + -na- (present) + -vyo- (relative marker for “the way/how”) + -weza (can/be able) + the infinitive kuona (to see). Altogether: “the way you can see,” idiomatically “as you can see.”

Can I say “kama unavyoona” instead of “kama unavyoweza kuona”? Any difference?

Yes. kama unavyoona = “as you see.” It’s shorter and very natural. kama unavyoweza kuona is slightly more formal/explicit (“as you are able to see”) but both are common and correct.

What exactly is the role of the element -vyo- here?

-vyo- is the relative marker for manner/degree (“the way/how”). With verbs it forms clauses like:

unavyoona = “the way you see”
anavyofanya = “the way s/he does [it]” It slots after the tense marker and before the verb root.

Why is it “kwa taulo na maji …” instead of just “na taulo na maji …”? What does kwa do?

kwa marks means/instrument, i.e., “using/by means of.” So kwa taulo signals the tool used. The following na simply links the two items (“towel and warm water”). The understood scope is “using a towel and (using) warm water.”

Could I also say “kwa taulo na kwa maji ya uvuguvugu” or “na taulo na maji ya uvuguvugu”?

kwa taulo na kwa maji … is grammatical but a bit heavier; most speakers say kwa taulo na maji … once.
na taulo na maji … can be understood as “with a towel and water,” but na can also mean “and,” so kwa is clearer when you want to highlight the instrument.

Why is it “maji ya uvuguvugu” and not “maji wa uvuguvugu”?

Because maji is noun class 6, whose associative (“of”) agreement is ya. So:

class 6: ya → maji ya …
(for comparison) class 11/14: wa, class 7: cha, class 8: vya, etc. The agreement follows the head noun (maji), not the describing word.

Does uvuguvugu mean “warm” or “lukewarm”? Any nuance?

It usually means “lukewarm” or “tepid” (somewhere between cold and hot). For plainly “warm,” people still use (maji) ya uvuguvugu, but if you want clearly hot, use maji ya moto; for cool/cold, maji baridi.

Are there other natural ways to say “warm water”?

Common options:

maji ya uvuguvugu (standard, very common)
maji vuguvugu (also heard colloquially)
maji ya moto kidogo (“slightly hot,” i.e., warm)

Is sakafu the direct object here? Could I use the locative sakafuni?

Yes, sakafu is the direct object (“the floor” being cleaned). sakafuni is locative (“on the floor/at the floor”).

anasafisha sakafu = she is cleaning the floor (the floor is the thing being cleaned).
anasafisha sakafuni ≈ she is cleaning (there) on the floor; it focuses on the location rather than treating “floor” as the object. For “clean the floor,” the non-locative sakafu is the default.

If I want to say “this floor/that floor,” what demonstratives agree with sakafu?

sakafu is class 9. Use:

sakafu hii = this floor
sakafu ile = that floor Example: Mama anasafisha sakafu hii.

Can I omit “Mama” and just say “Anasafisha sakafu …”?

Yes. The subject is recoverable from the verb prefix a- (“she/he”). You include Mama to specify who it is or for clarity/emphasis.

Does Mama mean “my mom,” “a mother,” or just “a woman” here?

It can mean any of these, depending on context:

“Mom/Mother” (often speaker’s mother, especially capitalized in translations).
A respectful way to refer to or address an adult woman (“ma’am,” “madam”). Context decides. Without a possessive like mama yangu (“my mother”), it’s general.

How would I make the sentence negative (“is not cleaning the floor”)?

Use the negative subject prefix ha- with the present and change the final vowel to -i:

Mama hasafishi sakafu … = “Mom is not cleaning the floor …” / “Mom does not clean the floor …” (The exact sense—progressive vs habitual—again depends on context.)

Is there a more specific verb than “kusafisha” for cleaning floors?

Yes, depending on the action:

kufagia = to sweep
kupanguza = to wipe
kupiga deki = to scrub/mop the floor (very common idiom) So you could say: Mama anapiga deki, or Mama anapanguza sakafu, etc.

Could I use an object marker, like “Mama anaisafisha (sakafu)”?

The class-9 object marker is -i-, so anaisafisha = “she is cleaning it.” You typically use the object marker when the object is known/topical or not stated. Saying both the object marker and the full noun (Mama anaisafisha sakafu) is grammatical but tends to imply emphasis/topicalization of the object; in a neutral sentence, just use anasafisha sakafu.

Is the comma before “kwa taulo …” necessary? Can I move the “as you can see” clause?

The comma is optional and used for readability. You can place the clause in different positions:

Mama anasafisha sakafu, kama unavyoweza kuona, kwa taulo …
Kama unavyoweza kuona, Mama anasafisha sakafu kwa taulo …
Mama, kama unavyoweza kuona, anasafisha sakafu kwa taulo … All are acceptable; choose what reads most naturally in your context.