Tulichelewesha mkutano kidogo ili tusimwache mwalimu msaidizi nyuma.

We delayed the meeting a little so that we would not leave the assistant teacher behind.

Breakdown of Tulichelewesha mkutano kidogo ili tusimwache mwalimu msaidizi nyuma.

• sisi: we
• ili: so that
• mkutano: the meeting
• kidogo: a little
• mwalimu msaidizi: the assistant teacher
• kuchelewesha: to delay
• kuacha: to leave
• nyuma: behind

Questions & Answers about Tulichelewesha mkutano kidogo ili tusimwache mwalimu msaidizi nyuma.

In the verb tulichelewesha, what does each part (tu- li- chelew-esh- a) mean?

tulichelewesha can be broken down like this:

• tu- = we (subject prefix, 1st person plural)
• -li- = past tense marker (simple past)
• chelew- = root from chelewa = to be late
• -esh- = causative extension = make/cause (something) to be late
• -a = final vowel that marks a normal (indicative) verb form

So tulichelewesha (mkutano) literally means “we caused (the meeting) to be late”, i.e. “we delayed the meeting.”

What is the difference between tulichelewesha mkutano and tulichelewa mkutanoni?

• tulichelewesha mkutano

  • chelewesha is transitive (“to delay something”).
  • Meaning: we delayed the meeting / we made the meeting start late.

• tulichelewa mkutanoni

  • chelewa is intransitive (“to be late”).
  • mkutanoni = at the meeting (locative form of mkutano).
  • Meaning: we were late for the meeting.

So the first sentence talks about what we did to the meeting, and the second talks about our own lateness.

How does kidogo work here, and where can it go in the sentence?

In this sentence, kidogo means “a little / a bit / slightly / for a short time.”
It modifies the verb phrase tulichelewesha mkutano:

• Tulichelewesha mkutano kidogo… = We delayed the meeting a little…

Common possible placements:

• Tulichelewesha mkutano kidogo… (most natural here)
• Tulichelewesha kidogo mkutano… (also possible, but less common in this exact sentence)

Putting kidogo before the verb (kidogo tulichelewesha mkutano) is also possible in speech, but it sounds more like emphasis: “Just a bit, we delayed the meeting…”

What does ili mean, and what kind of clause does it introduce?

ili means “so that / in order that / in order to” and introduces a purpose clause.

In …ili tusimwache mwalimu msaidizi nyuma, the part starting with ili explains the reason/purpose for delaying the meeting:

• Tulichelewesha mkutano kidogo = We delayed the meeting a bit
• ili tusimwache mwalimu msaidizi nyuma = so that we wouldn’t leave the assistant teacher behind

After ili, Swahili normally uses the subjunctive (or negative subjunctive), as in tuende, aone, tusimwache, etc.

Can you break down tusimwache and explain what each part means?

tusimwache can be analysed as:

• tu- = we (subject prefix, 1st person plural)
• -si- = negative marker (for present/subjunctive)
• -mw- = object marker = him/her (class 1 person; here: “the assistant teacher”)
• ach- (from acha) = leave
• -e = subjunctive ending

So tusimwache means “that we not leave him/her” or more naturally “so that we don’t leave him/her.”
The him/her refers to mwalimu msaidizi mentioned right after the verb.

Why does acha change to ache in tusimwache?

The change from -a to -e is because of the subjunctive mood, which is used after ili:

• Normal (indicative): tunamwacha = we leave / we are leaving him/her
• Subjunctive (wish, command, purpose): tumnwache = that we (should) leave him/her
• Negative subjunctive: tusimwache = that we should not leave him/her

So -e at the end signals subjunctive, and the -si- before the object marker makes it negative.

Why is the object marker mw- used here, and can it also be mu-?

The object marker for a singular human in noun class 1 is written as m-, but before a vowel it is pronounced (and usually written) as mw-.

• Root of the verb: acha (starts with a, a vowel)
• So m-
  • acha → mwacha (spelled mwacha, pronounced mwacha)

With the subject and negative marker added:

• tu- + -si- + -mw- + -ach- + -e → tusimwache

You might sometimes see tusimuache in some informal or non-standard writing, but tusimwache is the standard form here, matching mw- before the vowel of acha.

If mw- already means “him/her,” why do we still say mwalimu msaidizi after tusimwache?

Swahili often “doubles” the object:

1. With an object marker on the verb (mw- = him/her), and
2. With a full noun phrase (mwalimu msaidizi = the assistant teacher).

So:

• tusimwache = so that we don’t leave him/her
• tusimwache mwalimu msaidizi = so that we don’t leave the assistant teacher behind

This doubling is very common and natural, especially when:

• You want to be clear who you’re talking about.
• You want to emphasize or reintroduce the object in the sentence.

You could say ili tusiache mwalimu msaidizi nyuma without the object marker, and it would still be correct. Using both is just more typical and sounds very natural.

What does the phrase mwalimu msaidizi mean grammatically? Why is msaidizi after mwalimu?

mwalimu msaidizi literally means “assistant teacher”, i.e. “a teacher who is an assistant.”

• mwalimu = teacher
• msaidizi = helper/assistant (from saidia = to help)

In Swahili, describing words (including “noun-like adjectives” such as msaidizi) usually come after the main noun:

• mwalimu mkuu = head teacher
• mwalimu mzuri = good teacher
• mwalimu msaidizi = assistant teacher

You could also say msaidizi wa mwalimu = assistant of the teacher, but mwalimu msaidizi is a very common set phrase meaning assistant teacher.

What is nyuma doing at the end of the sentence, and does it always mean “behind”?

nyuma is an adverb meaning “behind / at the back / back.”
In this sentence:

• …tusimwache mwalimu msaidizi nyuma = so that we don’t leave the assistant teacher behind.

So nyuma here has the sense of “left behind,” “not caught up with the group.”

Other uses of nyuma:

• nyuma ya nyumba = behind the house
• angalieni nyuma = look back / look behind

Position-wise, it is natural for nyuma to appear at the end of the clause in this kind of expression: kumwacha mtu nyuma = to leave someone behind.