Learn Hardcore Swahili: Ukitegemea wazazi wako kila siku, unaweza kukosa kupanga ratiba yako. - If you depend on your parents every day, you may fail to plan your own schedule.

u- = subject prefix for “you (singular)”
-ki- = a marker that often means “when / if / whenever” (a conditional or time marker)
-tegemea = verb root “depend / rely on”

So ukitegemea literally means “when/if you depend (on…)”.

Does ukitegemea mean “if you depend” or “when you depend”?

It can mean either, depending on context:

“If you depend on your parents every day…” (a conditional)
“When you depend on your parents every day…” (a general situation)

Swahili -ki- in this kind of clause covers both “if” and “when/whenever”. The presence of kila siku (every day) makes the idea more habitual, so both “if” and “when” are reasonable translations.

Why is there a comma after kila siku? Is it required in Swahili?

The comma is used there just like in English to separate the “if/when” clause from the main clause:

Ukitegemea wazazi wako kila siku, (if/when you depend on your parents every day,)
unaweza kukosa kupanga ratiba yako. (you may fail to plan your schedule.)

It is not grammatically required. Many Swahili texts would also write it without a comma. The meaning does not change; the comma just aids readability.

Why is it wazazi wako but ratiba yako? What’s the difference between wako and yako?

Both mean “your” (singular), but they must agree with the noun class of the thing owned:

wazazi wako
- wazazi (parents) is noun class 2 (plural of mzazi, class 1).
- Class 1/2 uses wa- in the possessive.
- So wa- + -ko → wako → “your (parents)”.
ratiba yako
- ratiba (schedule) is class 9.
- Class 9/10 uses ya- in the possessive.
- So ya- + -ko → yako → “your (schedule)”.

So:

wako = your (for class 1/2 nouns, like mtoto wako, wazazi wako)
yako = your (for class 9/10 nouns, like ratiba yako, nyumba yako)

Could kila siku go in another position, or must it be Ukitegemea wazazi wako kila siku?

Word order is fairly flexible. You could say, for example:

Kila siku ukitegemea wazazi wako, unaweza kukosa kupanga ratiba yako.
Ukitegemea wazazi wako, kila siku unaweza kukosa kupanga ratiba yako.

All are understandable. The differences are subtle:

Putting kila siku earlier (Kila siku ukitegemea…) slightly emphasizes the frequency first.
Putting kila siku in the main clause (…kila siku unaweza kukosa…) can imply you might fail every day.

The original order is very natural and probably the clearest for learners.

How does unaweza kukosa kupanga ratiba yako work grammatically? Why are there three verbs in a row?

Breakdown:

unaweza = “you can / you may” (verb -weza, fully conjugated: subject u-, tense -na-)
kukosa = “to miss / to fail (to do something)” (infinitive)
kupanga = “to plan / to arrange” (infinitive)

Structure:

unaweza (finite verb, carries subject and tense)
followed by infinitive kukosa, which then itself takes another infinitive kupanga as its complement.

Meaning: “you can/might fail to plan your schedule”.

In Swahili, it’s normal to have:

[conjugated verb] + [infinitive verb] (+ possibly another infinitive)
e.g. naanza kuandika, napenda kusoma, unaweza kukosa kupanga.

Why is it unaweza kukosa kupanga instead of just unakosa kupanga or utakosa kupanga?

All of these are possible with slightly different nuances:

unaweza kukosa kupanga
- literally “you can/may fail to plan”
- suggests possibility or risk, not certainty.
unakosa kupanga ratiba yako
- present habitual: “you (usually) fail to plan your schedule”
- sounds more like a statement of fact about your current habits.
utakosa kupanga ratiba yako
- future: “you will fail to plan your schedule”
- predicts something more definite.

The sentence uses unaweza to give a more cautious, probable meaning: depending on your parents every day can lead to not planning your own schedule.

Why doesn’t kukosa have a subject prefix (like unakosa) after unaweza?

Because after a verb like kuweza (unaweza), the next verb typically stays in the infinitive form:

unaweza kusoma – you can read
unaweza kuandika – you can write
unaweza kukosa kupanga – you can fail to plan

Only the first verb (unaweza) is fully conjugated with subject and tense. The following verb(s) keep the ku- infinitive, so you do not say:

✗ unaweza unakosa kupanga (unnatural here)

You just say:

unaweza kukosa kupanga.

Could I say kukosa kuipanga ratiba yako instead of kukosa kupanga ratiba yako?

Yes, kuipanga is grammatically correct:

ku- (infinitive) + -i- (object marker for ratiba, class 9) + -panga (root).

So:

kupanga ratiba yako = to plan your schedule
kuipanga ratiba yako = to plan it, your schedule

In many cases, Swahili does not require the object marker when the object follows immediately:

anapanga ratiba (he/she plans the schedule)
anaipanga ratiba (he/she plans it, the schedule) – a bit more emphatic/explicit.

In your sentence, kukosa kupanga ratiba yako is natural and clear, so the object marker -i- is not needed.

Can I say ukitegemea kwa wazazi wako or do I just say ukitegemea wazazi wako?

You should say ukitegemea wazazi wako without kwa.

The verb -tegemea takes a direct object:

nategemea wazazi wangu – I depend on my parents
anategemea kazi yake – he/she depends on his/her job

Adding kwa (ukitegemea kwa wazazi wako) is not standard and sounds ungrammatical in normal Swahili. The idea of “on” or “upon” is already included in -tegemea.

Does kila siku mean “every day” or “all day”?

Kila siku means “every day” (frequency, how often).

For “all day” (duration, how long), Swahili usually uses siku nzima:

Ninajifunza Kiswahili kila siku. – I study Swahili every day.
Nilikuwa kazini siku nzima. – I was at work all day.

So in the sentence, kila siku describes a daily habit, not being with your parents all day long.