Learn Hardcore Swahili: Mhadhara utaanza saa nne kamili asubuhi. - The lecture will start at exactly ten o'clock in the morning.

Subject prefix: u-
- Used here for a class 3 noun (mhadhara).
- So: mhadhara utaanza = the lecture will start.
Tense marker: -ta-
- This is the future tense marker.
- Root verb: anza (to start/begin).

So, u + ta + anza → utaanza = will start.

Comparisons:

mhadhara unaanza = the lecture is starting / starts (now or generally)
mhadhara umeanza = the lecture has started
mhadhara utaanza = the lecture will start

In utaanza, is ta a separate word meaning “will”? Why is there no separate “will” in Swahili?

In Swahili, tense is built into the verb, not expressed with a separate word.

utaanza is one word, not uta anza.
- u- = subject prefix (it, for class 3)
- -ta- = future tense marker (will)
- anza = verb root (start)

So -ta- does the job that “will” does in English, but it’s attached inside the verb instead of standing alone.

What does saa nne literally mean, and why does it translate as “10 o’clock” in English?

Literally, saa nne is “four o’clock”:

saa = hour / o’clock
nne = four

However, Swahili commonly counts hours starting from approximately 6:00 a.m., which is treated as the first hour of the day. Roughly:

saa moja asubuhi = 7:00 a.m.
saa mbili asubuhi = 8:00 a.m.
saa tatu asubuhi = 9:00 a.m.
saa nne asubuhi = 10:00 a.m.

So even though saa nne literally means “four o’clock” in Swahili counting, it corresponds to 10:00 a.m. in standard Western/English time-telling.

Is saa nne always 10:00, or can it be something else?

In the common Swahili clock system:

Between about 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., you can think of the rule:
- Western hour = Swahili hour + 6
- So saa nne (4) + 6 = 10, so 10:00.

However, context and time-of-day words matter:

saa nne asubuhi = 10:00 in the morning
saa nne usiku = 10:00 at night

Both are called saa nne, but asubuhi / usiku / mchana / jioni tells you whether it’s morning, night, etc. In casual speech, people may omit the time-of-day word if context makes it obvious.

What does kamili mean in saa nne kamili, and can I leave it out?

Kamili means exact / complete, and in time expressions it corresponds to “sharp”, “on the dot”, or “exactly”.

saa nne kamili = exactly four o’clock → in English here: exactly 10:00 / 10 sharp
Without it, saa nne could be a bit looser, like “around four o’clock (10-ish)” in some contexts.

You can leave it out if exactness isn’t important:

Mhadhara utaanza saa nne asubuhi.
- The lecture will start at 10 a.m. (not necessarily stressing “on the dot”).

Kamili just adds the nuance of strict punctuality.

What is the role of asubuhi here? Could I say the sentence without it?

Asubuhi means in the morning.

In this sentence, it clarifies which 10:00 you’re talking about:

saa nne kamili asubuhi = 10:00 in the morning, sharp.

You can drop asubuhi if:

The context already makes it obvious it’s in the morning, or
You’ve already mentioned the time-of-day.

But if there’s any chance of confusion, it’s natural to keep asubuhi.

Why is there no word for “at” before saa nne? In English we say “at 10 o’clock”.

Swahili normally doesn’t use a preposition like “at” before clock times. The time expression simply follows the verb:

Mhadhara utaanza saa nne kamili asubuhi.
= literally: Lecture will-start four o’clock exactly morning.

The time phrase saa nne kamili asubuhi functions as an adverbial of time (answering “when?”) without needing an extra word like “at”.

Using a preposition like kwa here (kwa saa nne) would be incorrect for telling time.

Can I change the word order? For example, can I start with Asubuhi?

Yes, Swahili allows some flexibility in word order for emphasis, as long as the grammar stays correct. All of these are acceptable:

Mhadhara utaanza saa nne kamili asubuhi.
Asubuhi saa nne kamili, mhadhara utaanza.
Asubuhi, mhadhara utaanza saa nne kamili.

The most neutral and common order is the original one (subject → verb → time).
Placing asubuhi or the time at the beginning adds emphasis on when it happens.

How do you pronounce Mhadhara? The mh and dh look tricky.

Pronunciation tips:

mh: pronounce m followed by h in the same syllable, like m-hah very quickly. You don’t completely drop the m.
dh: usually pronounced like the “th” in “this” or “that” (a voiced th sound), not like d.

Broken down: mha-dha-ra

mha – nasal m
- ha
dha – voiced “th” sound + a
ra – rolled or tapped r
- a

Many learners initially simplify, but aiming for the voiced th in dh will make you sound more natural.

Why is the subject prefix u- in utaanza? Isn’t u- also “you (singular)”?

Yes, u- can represent “you (singular)” or agreement with certain noun classes, including class 3 (where mhadhara belongs).

So utaanza can mean:

you will start (if the subject is “you”)
it will start (if the subject is a class-3 noun like mhadhara)

Here, because the subject is mhadhara, it’s class-3 agreement, not “you”. Swahili relies on context and the noun class system to disambiguate this.

How would I say “Lectures will start at ten o’clock sharp in the morning” (plural)?

In the plural, mhadhara becomes mihadhara, and the subject agreement prefix changes accordingly:

Mihadhara = lectures
Class 4 subject prefix = i-

So you’d say:

Mihadhara yataanza saa nne kamili asubuhi.

Here:

yataanza = ya- (class 4 subject) + -ta- (future) + anza (start)
So: The lectures will start at ten o’clock sharp in the morning.