Learn Hardcore Swahili: Ukikula chakula kichafu sokoni, unaweza kupata ugonjwa. - If you eat dirty food at the market, you can get a disease.

ukikula
- u- = you (singular subject prefix)
- -ki- = conditional marker (“if / when”)
- kula = to eat
  → ukikula = “if/when you eat”
chakula = food (noun, class 7: ki-/ch-)
kichafu = dirty
- ki- = class 7 agreement (matching chakula)
- -chafu = dirty
  → chakula kichafu = dirty food
sokoni = at the market
- soko = market
- -ni = locative suffix “in/at/to”
  → sokoni = “at the market”
unaweza
- u- = you (singular subject prefix)
- -na- = present tense (“are / do”)
- weza = be able / can
  → unaweza = “you can / you are able to / you may”
kupata = to get / obtain
ugonjwa = disease, illness, sickness

Whole structure:
[Conditional clause] Ukikula …, [main clause] unaweza kupata ugonjwa.
“If/when you eat dirty food at the market, you can get a disease.”

What does the -ki- in ukikula mean, and how is it different from just saying unakula?

The -ki- is the conditional marker. It turns the verb into an “if/when” clause.

unakula = “you are eating / you eat” (normal present)
ukikula = “if/when you eat” (conditional)

So:

Unakula chakula. = “You are eating food.”
Ukikula chakula… = “If/when you eat food…”

The -ki- clause is typically followed by another clause showing the result:

Ukikula chakula kichafu, unaweza kupata ugonjwa.
“If/when you eat dirty food, you can get sick.”

Without -ki-, it would just describe what is happening, not a condition.

Does ukikula talk about the present or the future?

Ukikula with -ki- usually expresses a general, open condition that can refer to:

general truths / habits: “whenever you eat…”
future situations: “if you (ever) eat…”

In this sentence, the meaning is:
“If (at any time, especially in the future) you eat dirty food at the market, you can get sick.”

Swahili doesn’t need a separate future marker here; the conditional -ki- plus context gives the future-ish meaning.

Can I also say kama ukikula chakula kichafu sokoni to mean “if you eat dirty food at the market”?

You can hear kama ukikula…, but it is usually considered redundant or informal because:

kama = if
-ki- = if/when

So kama ukikula is like saying “if if you eat”.

More standard options are:

Use -ki- alone (very common and natural):
- Ukikula chakula kichafu sokoni, unaweza kupata ugonjwa.
Use kama with a normal tense (no -ki-):
- Kama unakula chakula kichafu sokoni, unaweza kupata ugonjwa.
  “If you eat dirty food at the market, you can get sick.”

For learners, it’s safest to choose one: either -ki- or kama, but not both together.

Where is the word “you” in the sentence? I don’t see a separate word for it.

In Swahili, the subject pronoun is normally built into the verb as a prefix.

In ukikula:
- u- = “you” (singular)
- so ukikula = “if you eat”
In unaweza:
- u- = “you” (singular)
- so unaweza = “you can / you are able”

Swahili usually doesn’t use an independent word like wewe (“you”) unless you want to emphasize it:

Wewe ukikula chakula kichafu sokoni, unaweza kupata ugonjwa.
“YOU, if you eat dirty food at the market, you can get sick.” (emphasis on “you”)

Why is it chakula kichafu and not just chakula chafu? What is the ki- in kichafu doing?

Chakula belongs to noun class 7 (ki-/ch-). In standard Swahili, adjectives agree with the noun class by taking the same prefix.

Noun: chakula (class 7)
Adjective stem: -chafu (dirty)
Agreement prefix: ki- (for class 7)

So:

chakula kichafu = dirty food
- cha- / ki- → class 7
- -chafu → dirty

You may sometimes hear people say chakula chafu in everyday speech, but chakula kichafu is the fully agreed, textbook form and a good model for learning noun–adjective agreement.

What exactly does sokoni mean, and how is it different from soko or katika soko?

soko = market (plain noun)
sokoni = at the market / in the market / to the market

-ni is a locative suffix that often means “in, at, on, to” depending on context:

nyumba = house
nyumbani = at home / to home
shule = school
shuleni = at school

So:

Ukikula chakula kichafu sokoni…
“If you eat dirty food at the market…”

You could also say katika soko (“in/at the market”), but sokoni is shorter and more natural here.

Does sokoni describe where the food is, or where I am eating it?

In this sentence, sokoni can logically be understood both ways:

Place where you eat:
“If you eat dirty food at the market…”
Place the food comes from (pragmatic reading):
“If you eat dirty food (that you buy) at the market…”

Swahili often leaves such details to context. In practice, most listeners will understand that we are talking about food that is bought or eaten at the market, and that is dirty or unhygienic.

What does unaweza add to the meaning compared with utapata ugonjwa?

utapata ugonjwa = “you will get a disease”
- sounds like a strong prediction / warning (quite certain).
unaweza kupata ugonjwa = “you can get a disease / you may get sick”
- expresses possibility (it can happen, not guaranteed).

So:

Ukikula chakula kichafu sokoni, utapata ugonjwa.
“If you eat dirty food at the market, you will get sick.” (very definite)
Ukikula chakula kichafu sokoni, unaweza kupata ugonjwa.
“If you eat dirty food at the market, you can/might get sick.” (warning about risk)

The sentence you gave is softer and talks about the risk rather than a guaranteed outcome.

Does ugonjwa mean “a disease”, “disease” in general, or “to be sick”?

ugonjwa is a noun meaning:

disease
illness
sickness

It can be:

general:
- Ana ugonjwa. = “He/she is sick / has an illness.”
specific (with context):
- ugonjwa wa malaria = malaria
- ugonjwa wa moyo = heart disease

It does not mean “to be sick”; for that you need a verb phrase, e.g.:

Kuugua = to be ill / to fall ill
Kuumwa = to hurt / to be in pain (often with a body part)

In this sentence:

kupata ugonjwa = “to get a disease / to become sick.”

Could I say Ukikula chakula kichafu sokoni, utaumwa instead of unaweza kupata ugonjwa?

Yes, but the meaning and nuance change slightly.

utaumwa (from kuumwa) = “you will be in pain / you will be sick / you will feel ill”
- often suggests feeling unwell or having pain, not necessarily naming a disease.

So:

Ukikula chakula kichafu sokoni, utaumwa.
“If you eat dirty food at the market, you will feel sick / you’ll be in pain (e.g. stomachache).”
Ukikula chakula kichafu sokoni, unaweza kupata ugonjwa.
“If you eat dirty food at the market, you can get a disease / you might get sick.”

Both are grammatical; the original sentence focuses more on getting an illness, while utaumwa focuses more on the experience of pain/sickness.