Learn Hardcore Swahili: Kuna kozi mpya ya kompyuta itakayoanza muhula ujao chuoni. - There is a new computer course that will start next term at the university.

iko – “it is (located) / there is” for one thing in certain classes (e.g. iko kozi mpya is possible but sounds less neutral, more like “there is (located) a new course”).
yapo, zipo, vipo, etc. – “there are” but agreeing with noun class/number.

In everyday speech kuna is the default “there is/are” for almost everything, especially when introducing something new, as in this sentence.

Why is it kozi mpya ya kompyuta and not kozi ya kompyuta mpya?

Word order changes the most natural interpretation:

kozi mpya ya kompyuta
→ literally “new course of computer”
→ understood as “a new computer course” (the course is new).
kozi ya kompyuta mpya
→ literally “course of a new computer”
→ suggests the computer is new, which is not what is meant here.

So putting mpya right after kozi shows that “new” describes the course, not the computer.

What is the role of ya in kozi mpya ya kompyuta?

ya is a possessive/associative marker roughly meaning “of”, and it must agree with the noun class of the first noun.

Head noun: kozi (class 9/10 – the “N class”)
Possessive marker for class 9/10: ya

So:

kozi mpya ya kompyuta = course new of computer → a new computer course

If the head noun were different, the possessive would change:

kitabu cha kompyuta – a computer book (class 7 → cha)
mwalimu wa kompyuta – a computer teacher (class 1 → wa)

What noun class is kozi, and how does that affect the sentence?

kozi (course) is in noun class 9/10 (often called the N class). This affects agreement:

Adjective: kozi mpya (mpya stays the same for class 9/10)
Possessive: ya kompyuta (not wa/cha; ya agrees with class 9/10)
Subject marker in the verb: i- in itakayoanza (not a- or ki-)
Relative ending: -yo- in itakayoanza, again matching class 9/10.

So all those little pieces (ya, i-, -yo-) are “pointing back” to kozi.

How is itakayoanza formed, and what does it literally mean?

itakayoanza means “that will start / which will start” and refers back to kozi.

It’s built from:

i- – subject marker for class 9 (refers to kozi)
-ta- – future tense (“will”)
-kayo- – relative element for class 9/10 in the future (“that will / which will”)
anza – verb root “start, begin”

So itakayoanza ≈ “(course) it-will-that-start” → “which will start”.

Could I instead say ambayo itaanza instead of itakayoanza?

Yes. These are both correct, with a slight style difference:

Kuna kozi mpya ya kompyuta ambayo itaanza muhula ujao chuoni.
- Uses ambayo (“which/that”), then a normal verb itaanza (“will start”).
- Often feels a bit more explicit and is common in speech.
Kuna kozi mpya ya kompyuta itakayoanza muhula ujao chuoni.
- Packs the relative into the verb (itakayoanza).
- Feels more compact and is very natural in writing and more careful speech.

Meaning-wise, they’re the same: “a new computer course that will start…”

Why isn’t there a separate word for “that/which” before itakayoanza?

In Swahili, relative clauses can be formed:

Analytically: with words like ambayo, ambaye, ambao, e.g.
kozi … ambayo itaanza – course … that will start.
Inflectionally: by building the relative into the verb, e.g.
kozi … itakayoanza – course … it-will-that-start.

In the sentence you’re studying, the relative meaning “that/which” is baked into the verb form, so no separate word (like “ambayo”) is needed.

What does muhula ujao mean, and what is ujao?

muhula ujao means “next semester/term”.

muhula – semester, term (usually in an academic context)
ujao – literally “that is coming”, from the verb kuja (to come) used as an adjective.

So muhula ujao = the coming semester → “next semester”.

Other options you might hear:

muhula unaokuja – also “the coming semester” (more explicit, slightly longer)
muhula mwingine – “another semester” (not necessarily “next”).

What is chuoni, and how is it different from chuo or katika chuo?

chuo – college / university / institute.
chuoni = chuo + -ni, where -ni is a locative suffix meaning “at/in/on”.

So:

chuoni → “at the college/university”.
katika chuo also means “in/at the college”, but in this sentence chuoni is shorter and more idiomatic.

chuoni is the common way to say “at college / at the university” in Swahili.

Could the time expression muhula ujao go at the beginning of the sentence instead?

Yes, you can move the time phrase without changing the meaning:

Muhula ujao kutakuwa na kozi mpya ya kompyuta chuoni.
Muhula ujao, kuna kozi mpya ya kompyuta itakayoanza chuoni.

Swahili word order is flexible for elements like time and place. Moving muhula ujao to the front emphasizes “next semester”, but the basic meaning remains the same.

How would the sentence change if the course were starting now or had already started?

Change the tense/relative form in itakayoanza:

Starting now / currently starting
- Kuna kozi mpya ya kompyuta inayoanza muhula huu chuoni.
- inayoanza = “that is starting / which is starting” (present relative).
Already started
- Kuna kozi mpya ya kompyuta iliyoanza muhula uliopita chuoni.
- iliyoanza = “that started / which started” (past relative).

So the pattern is:
itakayoanza (will start) → inayoanza (is starting) → iliyoanza (started).

Is it okay to drop the relative part and just say the simpler version?

Yes, depending on how much detail you need:

Kuna kozi mpya ya kompyuta chuoni.
→ There is a new computer course at the college.
(No information about when it starts.)
Kuna kozi mpya ya kompyuta itaanza muhula ujao chuoni.
→ Slightly simpler than itakayoanza: here itaanza is just “will start”, not a relative form.
This is still acceptable colloquial Swahili, and many speakers would use it.

But if you want the precise “course that will start next semester”,
itakayoanza muhula ujao or ambayo itaanza muhula ujao is the most textbook-correct.

Is there anything in this sentence that especially shows “good Swahili” that I should copy in my own sentences?

Yes, a few useful patterns:

Kuna + [noun phrase] to introduce new things:
- Kuna kozi mpya… – “There is a new course…”
Noun + adjective + ya/wa/cha + noun structure for “X-type Y”:
- kozi mpya ya kompyuta – “new computer course”
Relative clauses built into the verb:
- itakayoanza – “that will start”
Locative -ni for places:
- chuoni – “at the college”

If you imitate these four patterns, your Swahili will sound much more natural.