Learn Hardcore Swahili: Leo tumekubaliana kutuma ujumbe mfupi kwa mwalimu tukimaliza zoezi. - Today we have agreed to send a short message to the teacher when we finish the exercise.

So here it feels like “Today we’ve (now) agreed / decided…”, a decision that is current and valid at the moment of speaking, not just something that happened in the past and is over.

Why is tumekubaliana used instead of a simple past like tulikubaliana?

Both are grammatically possible but have different nuances:

tumekubaliana
- Uses the -me- perfect.
- Focuses on the current result of the agreement: “We have now agreed / We have decided.”
- Implies the agreement is recent or relevant right now.
tulikubaliana
- Uses the -li- past.
- Means “we agreed (at some time in the past).”
- Feels more like a past event with less emphasis on its present relevance, unless context makes it obvious.

In this sentence, tumekubaliana fits well because it’s talking about a plan for today that is in effect now.

What is the difference between kubali and kubaliana?

Both come from the same root, but they differ slightly:

kubali = to accept, to agree (to something)
- More one‑directional:
  - Nimekubali pendekezo lako. = I have accepted your proposal.
kubaliana = to agree with each other
- Has the reciprocal suffix -ana, which often implies “each other”.
- Suggests mutual agreement:
  - Tumekubaliana kuhusu mpango huu. = We have agreed (with each other) about this plan.

In the sentence, tumekubaliana emphasizes that “we” reached a joint agreement, not just that one person accepted something.

Why is the infinitive kutuma used after tumekubaliana, and could we instead say tumekubaliana tutume?

After verbs of liking, wanting, planning, agreeing, etc., Swahili often uses the infinitive with ku-:

tumekubaliana kutuma ujumbe
= we have agreed *to send a message*

This structure is very natural:
[verb of mental state] + [infinitive ku‑verb]

You could hear something like tumekubaliana kwamba tutume ujumbe, which literally is:

We have agreed that we should send a message.

Differences:

tumekubaliana kutuma ujumbe
- Shorter, more neutral, very common.
tumekubaliana kwamba tutume ujumbe
- Slightly more explicit/formal, uses subjunctive (tutume) with kwamba (“that”).

Both are correct, but the original kutuma version is simpler and more typical in everyday speech.

How does ujumbe mfupi work grammatically, and why is it mfupi?

ujumbe mfupi = a short message.

Breakdown:

ujumbe = message (noun, class 11)
mfupi = short (adjective agreeing with the noun)

In Swahili, adjectives agree with the noun class.
For class 11 nouns like ujumbe, the adjective typically takes the m- prefix:

ujumbe mfupi = short message
ujumbe mrefu = long message
ujumbe mzuri = good message

So mfupi (not just fupi) shows agreement with ujumbe.

Does ujumbe mfupi specifically mean an SMS / text message, or just any “short message”?

Literally, ujumbe mfupi just means “a short message.”

In practice:

In many contexts it can indeed refer to an SMS or text message, because those are typically short.
However, without extra context, it could also mean any brief message, written or spoken.

If you want to be very explicit about SMS, people might say:

ujumbe mfupi wa maandishi (a short written message)
or simply meseji in informal speech (from “message” in English).

What does kwa mean in kwa mwalimu, and why not use something like hadi mwalimu?

kwa is a very flexible preposition. In kwa mwalimu it means “to the teacher”.

Common meanings of kwa include:

to / towards:
- Nenda kwa mwalimu. = Go to the teacher.
at / at the place of:
- Niko kwa mwalimu. = I am at the teacher’s (place/office).
for / on behalf of:
- Fanya hivyo kwa mwalimu. = Do that for the teacher.
by (agent) in some passive constructions.

In this sentence, kutuma ujumbe mfupi kwa mwalimu is naturally understood as “to send a short message to the teacher.”

hadi usually means “up to / until / as far as” and is not used for the idea of sending to someone. That’s why kwa mwalimu is appropriate here, not hadi mwalimu.

How does tukimaliza zoezi work? What does the -ki- mean in tukimaliza?

tukimaliza is:

tu- = we (subject prefix)
-ki- = a consecutive / “when/if/while” marker
-maliza = finish (verb stem)

So tukimaliza zoezi means roughly “when we finish the exercise” (or “once we finish the exercise”).

The -ki- marker is often used in subordinate clauses to mean:

when:
- Nikifika, nitakupigia simu. = When I arrive, I’ll call you.
while:
- Tulikuwa tukicheza. = We were (while) playing.
if (in some contexts).

Here, combined with the context Leo tumekubaliana…, tukimaliza zoezi is understood as “when we (will) finish the exercise today.”

What is the difference between tukimaliza zoezi and tutakapomaliza zoezi?

Both can translate as “when we finish the exercise”, but they differ slightly in form and nuance:

tukimaliza zoezi
- Uses -ki-.
- Often sounds a bit more colloquial / simpler.
- Time reference comes a lot from context, so with Leo tumekubaliana… it’s understood as a future “when”.
tutakapomaliza zoezi
- Uses -takapo-, a future “when/at the time that” marker.
- More explicitly future and often slightly more formal or precise.

So:

Leo tumekubaliana kutuma ujumbe mfupi kwa mwalimu tukimaliza zoezi.
Leo tumekubaliana kutuma ujumbe mfupi kwa mwalimu tutakapomaliza zoezi.

Both are correct. The second sounds a bit more formal and clearly future-oriented, but in everyday speech tukimaliza is very common.

Why does the clause tukimaliza zoezi still have the subject prefix tu- even though “we” is already clear from tumekubaliana?

In Swahili, each finite verb normally takes its own subject prefix, even in subordinate clauses.

So you have:

tumekubaliana … tukimaliza zoezi

Both verbs show tu-:

tumekubaliana = we have agreed
tukimaliza = when we finish

Unlike English, Swahili generally does not drop the subject marker just because the subject is already known from a previous verb. Each verb “carries” its own subject information for clarity and agreement.

Can leo appear in other positions in the sentence, and does that change the meaning?

Yes, leo (“today”) is fairly flexible in position. All of these are possible and natural:

Leo tumekubaliana kutuma ujumbe mfupi kwa mwalimu tukimaliza zoezi.
Tumekubaliana leo kutuma ujumbe mfupi kwa mwalimu tukimaliza zoezi.
Tumekubaliana kutuma ujumbe mfupi kwa mwalimu leo tukimaliza zoezi.

The basic meaning “today we have agreed to send…” remains the same, but the focus can shift slightly:

At the very beginning (Leo tumekubaliana…):
- Highlights today as the context of the whole statement.
After the verb (Tumekubaliana leo…):
- Emphasizes that the agreeing happened today, possibly contrasting with other days.
Later in the sentence (…kwa mwalimu leo…):
- Can sound like “to the teacher today”, focusing on the time of sending.

All are grammatical; the original just clearly sets “today” as the time frame right away.