Learn Hardcore Swahili: Wakirekebisha bomba jikoni, sisi tutapika chakula tena. - When they repair the pipe in the kitchen, we will cook food again.

wa- = subject prefix for they (3rd person plural)
-ki- = a tense/aspect marker often called the ki-tense, usually meaning when / if / while
rekebisha = to fix / to repair / to correct

So wakirekebisha literally means something like “when/if they fix (are fixing)”.

Compare:

wanarekebisha = they are fixing (right now)
watarekebisha = they will fix
wakirekebisha = when/if they fix / while they are fixing

Does wakirekebisha mean “when they fix” or “if they fix”? How do I know which one?

The -ki- form can mean either “when” or “if”. Context usually decides:

If the speaker sees the action as expected or routine, it’s understood as “when”:
- Wakirekebisha bomba jikoni, sisi tutapika chakula tena.
  → We assume the pipe will be fixed, so it feels like “when they fix…”.
If the action is uncertain or conditional, it’s understood as “if”:
- Wakileta pesa, tutanunua nyama.
  → Could be “If they bring the money, we’ll buy meat.”

If you want to make “if” very explicit, you can also use ikiwa:

Ikiwa watarekebisha bomba jikoni, tutapika chakula tena.
= If they fix the pipe in the kitchen, we will cook food again.

Why do we say sisi tutapika? Isn’t tutapika already “we will cook”?

Yes, tutapika already contains “we”:

tu- = we
-ta- = future (will)
-pika = cook

So tutapika by itself means “we will cook.”

Adding sisi makes the subject more explicit and usually adds emphasis or contrast:

Tutapika chakula tena.
= We will cook food again. (neutral)
Sisi tutapika chakula tena.
= We will cook food again. (as opposed to someone else; or stressing “we”)

In everyday speech, people often drop sisi unless they want that emphasis. Both forms are correct.

Could the sentence start with Sisi tutapika chakula tena, and then wakirekebisha bomba jikoni come second?

Yes, you could also say:

Sisi tutapika chakula tena wakirekebisha bomba jikoni.

The meaning is basically the same: we will cook food again when/if they fix the pipe in the kitchen.

However, it is very common and natural in Swahili to put the time/condition clause first:

Wakirekebisha bomba jikoni, sisi tutapika chakula tena.

Starting with the wakirekebisha… clause highlights the condition/time more strongly, which is why your original word order sounds especially natural.

Is jikoni “kitchen” or “in the kitchen”? Why is there no word for “in”?

Jikoni already includes the idea of “in/at the kitchen”:

jiko = stove / kitchen
-ni = locative suffix meaning in / at / on

So:

jiko = kitchen / stove
jikoni = in the kitchen / at the stove

Because -ni adds the location meaning, you don’t need a separate word for “in” here.

You can also hear phrases like katika jikoni or kwenye jikoni, but jikoni by itself is simple and very common.

What exactly does bomba mean here? A pipe, a tap, or something else?

In Swahili, bomba is a general word that can mean:

a water tap (the thing you turn on/off)
a pipe (especially for water)
a pump in some contexts

In a house context, bomba jikoni will usually be understood as the kitchen tap or the pipe/tap in the kitchen. The exact English choice (pipe vs tap) depends on the situation you imagine.

Why is it bomba jikoni and not bomba la jikoni?

Both are possible, but they feel slightly different:

bomba jikoni
= the pipe/tap in the kitchen (just locating it: the pipe that is in the kitchen)
bomba la jikoni
= the kitchen’s pipe / the pipe of the kitchen (stronger idea of “belonging to” that kitchen)

In everyday speech, bomba jikoni is very natural: noun + place. The listener understands it as “the pipe that is located in the kitchen.”

What does tena add here, and where can it go in the sentence?

Tena has a few common meanings:

again
- Tutapika chakula tena. = We will cook food again.
any more / anymore in negative sentences
- Hatutapika tena. = We will not cook anymore.
also / moreover (linking ideas)
- Tena, tuna wageni. = Also / moreover, we have guests.

In your sentence, tena clearly means “again”.

Position:

Tutapika chakula tena.
Tutapika tena chakula.

Both are possible. Rough nuance (not very strong in practice):

chakula tena → you hear food again as a phrase
tutapika tena chakula → you slightly highlight we will cook again

In normal conversation, both word orders would be easily understood as “we will cook food again.”

Why is it chakula (singular) and not vyakula (plural)? What’s the difference?

Chakula and vyakula are related but not used the same way:

chakula (singular) = food / a meal in a general or mass sense
- Tutapika chakula. = We will cook food / our meal.
vyakula (plural) = foods / kinds of food / dishes
- Tunapenda vyakula vya Kiafrika. = We like African foods/cuisines.

In Tutapika chakula tena, you are talking about “the food / the meal” in a general, mass sense, so chakula is the natural choice.

Where is the word “will” in tutapika? Why doesn’t Swahili use a separate word?

Swahili does not use a separate word for “will”. Instead, future tense is shown by the infix -ta- inside the verb:

tu- = we
-ta- = future (will)
-pika = cook

So:

tupika (theoretically) = we cook
tutapika = we will cook

Similarly:

nitapika = I will cook (ni- = I)
atapika = he/she will cook (a- = he/she)

The tense is built into the verb, so you don’t need an extra word like will.

Why is there no word for “the” in wakirekebisha bomba jikoni? How do we know it’s the pipe?

Swahili does not have separate words for “a” or “the”. There are no articles.

bomba can mean a pipe or the pipe
chakula can mean food / the food

Definiteness is understood from context:

Here, in a house with a known broken kitchen pipe, bomba jikoni naturally means “the pipe in the kitchen”.
If you needed to make it very explicit, you could add a demonstrative:
- bomba lile jikoni = that pipe in the kitchen
- chakula hiki = this food

But in most real situations, plain bomba and chakula are enough, and the listener uses context to decide whether it’s “a” or “the.”