Mguu wangu unaweza kuumia kama nitakimbia sana leo.

My leg can get hurt if I run too much today.

Breakdown of Mguu wangu unaweza kuumia kama nitakimbia sana leo.

• leo: today
• sana: a lot
• wangu: my
• kuweza: to be able
• kama: if
• kukimbia: to run
• mguu: the leg
• kuumia: to get hurt

Questions & Answers about Mguu wangu unaweza kuumia kama nitakimbia sana leo.

Why is it mguu wangu and not mguu yangu?

In Swahili, possessive adjectives (my, your, his, etc.) must agree with the noun class.

• mguu (leg) is in noun class 3 (m-/mi-).
• The class‑3 form of -angu (my) is wangu in the singular and yangu in the plural.

Examples:

• mguu wangu – my leg (class 3, singular)
• miguu yangu – my legs (class 4, plural)

So mguu wangu is correct; mguu yangu would be ungrammatical.

Why is the verb unaweza and not anaweza?

The subject of the verb here is mguu wangu (my leg), not “he/she”.

In Swahili, the subject prefix on the verb must agree with the noun class of the subject:

• Class 1 (mtu, mwanafunzi, etc.): a- → anaweza (he/she can)
• Class 3 (mguu, mti, mto, etc.): u- → unaweza (it can)

Since mguu is class 3, the correct subject prefix is u-, giving unaweza.
Literally: mguu wangu unaweza... = my leg can / is able to ...

What exactly does unaweza kuumia mean? Is it “can get hurt” or “might get hurt”?

Literally, unaweza kuumia means “is able to get hurt / can get hurt.”

But in natural Swahili, -weza (can) is often used for possibility, not just ability.
So unaweza kuumia is usually understood as:

• might get hurt
• could get hurt

Context decides whether it feels more like pure “ability” or “possibility”.
In this sentence, with kama nitakimbia sana leo (if I run a lot today), the meaning is clearly “might get hurt” rather than “has the ability to get hurt”.

What is the difference between kuumia and kuumiza?

Both are related to “hurt”, but they work differently:

• kuumia – to get hurt / to be hurt / to be injured (intransitive, happens to the subject)

  • Mguu wangu umeumia. – My leg is hurt / has been injured.
  • Alianguka, akaumia. – He fell and got hurt.

• kuumiza – to hurt (someone/something) (transitive, you cause pain to something else)

  • Usiniuumize. – Don’t hurt me.
  • Alikuumiza mkono. – He hurt your arm.

In the sentence mguu wangu unaweza kuumia, the leg itself may get hurt, so kuumia (be/get hurt) is the right verb, not kuumiza (hurt something else).

Why not use kuuma instead of kuumia for pain?

kuuma and kuumia are both related to pain, but they’re used differently:

• kuuma

  • main meaning: to bite
  • also: to ache / to hurt (used a lot with body parts that ache)
  • Examples:
    • Mbwa anamuuma. – The dog is biting him.
    • Kichwa changu kinauma. – My head hurts / aches.

• kuumia

  • main meaning: to be injured / to get hurt
  • Example: Alianguka, akiumia mguu. – He fell and injured his leg.

So:

• Mguu wangu unaweza kuuma – My leg might ache.
• Mguu wangu unaweza kuumia – My leg might get injured / be hurt.

Given the conditional “if I run a lot today”, kuumia (get injured) is the more natural choice.

How is nitakimbia formed? What do the parts mean?

nitakimbia breaks down like this:

• ni- = I (1st person singular subject prefix)
• -ta- = future tense marker (“will”)
• kimbia = run

So ni-ta-kimbia → nitakimbia = “I will run.”

Compare:

• nakimbia – I am running / I run (present)
• nilkimbia – (colloquially nilkimbia or standard nilikimbia) – I ran (past)
• nitakimbia – I will run (future)

Could we say nikikimbia sana leo instead of kama nitakimbia sana leo? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

• Mguu wangu unaweza kuumia nikikimbia sana leo.

The differences:

1. kama nitakimbia

   • literally: if I will run
   • quite direct, simple if condition.
   • Often sounds like you’re unsure whether you’ll run.

2. nikikimbia (ni-ki-kimbia)

   • -ki- forms a conditional/temporal “when/if”:
   • when I run / if I run / whenever I run
   • often used for general or more natural-sounding conditionals.

Both are grammatically correct. Many speakers might actually find Nikikimbia sana leo, mguu wangu unaweza kuumia a bit more natural in everyday speech.

What does kama mean here? Is it “if” or “like/as”?

kama has two common uses:

1. Conditional “if” – that’s the use in your sentence.

   • Mguu wangu unaweza kuumia kama nitakimbia sana leo.
     → My leg might get hurt if I run a lot today.

2. Comparative “like/as”

   • Anaimba kama mwanamuziki. – He sings like a musician.
   • Ni kama filamu. – It’s like a movie.

So here kama clearly means “if”, because it introduces a condition.

Where can leo and sana go in the sentence? Can I move them around?

Yes, there is some flexibility, but not every position sounds natural.

Your version:

• Mguu wangu unaweza kuumia kama nitakimbia sana leo.
  (My leg might get hurt if I run a lot today.)

Other natural options:

• Leo nikikimbia sana, mguu wangu unaweza kuumia.
• Mguu wangu unaweza kuumia leo nikikimbia sana.

Notes:

• sana (a lot/very much) usually comes after the verb it modifies:
  
  • nitakimbia sana – I will run a lot.
• leo (today) can move to the front, middle, or end of the clause without changing the basic meaning; it’s just a matter of emphasis:
  • Leo nitakimbia sana. – Today I’ll run a lot.
  • Nitakimbia sana leo. – I’ll run a lot today.

But combinations like sana leo nitakimbia are unusual and would sound awkward.

Can we change the word order and start with the “if”-clause?

Yes. In Swahili, as in English, you can put the conditional clause first or second:

• Mguu wangu unaweza kuumia kama nitakimbia sana leo.
• Kama nitakimbia sana leo, mguu wangu unaweza kuumia.

Both are correct and mean the same thing.
Any pause/comma is just for clarity in writing; it doesn’t change the grammar.