Chai yako itakuwa tamu ukiongeza maziwa na sukari kidogo.

Your tea will be sweet if you add milk and a little sugar.

Breakdown of Chai yako itakuwa tamu ukiongeza maziwa na sukari kidogo.

• chai: the tea
• maziwa: the milk
• kuwa: to be
• yako: your
• na: and
• kidogo: a little
• sukari: the sugar
• tamu: sweet
• ukiongeza: if you add

Questions & Answers about Chai yako itakuwa tamu ukiongeza maziwa na sukari kidogo.

What does yako mean, and why does it come after chai instead of before it?

Yako means your (singular) and shows possession.

In Swahili, possessives normally come after the noun they describe:

• chai yako = your tea
• rafiki yako = your friend
• kitabu chako = your book

So you say chai yako, not your chai and not yako chai. The order is:

[noun] + [possessive]

Also, yako is the form of -ako that agrees with chai, which is in noun class 9 (the ya- class). That is why it is yako, not ako or wako here.

How is itakuwa formed, and why does it start with i-?

Itakuwa is made from the verb kuwa (to be) in the future tense, with a subject prefix that matches chai.

Breakdown:

• i- = subject prefix for class 9 nouns (like chai)
• -ta- = future tense marker (will/shall)
• -kuwa = be

So:

• itakuwa = it (class 9) will be

Because chai is class 9, the verb must also take the class 9 subject prefix i-. If the subject were mtoto (child, class 1), you’d see:

• mtoto atakuwa mkubwa = the child will be big
  (a-ta-kuwa, not i-ta-kuwa)

Why is there no separate word for will or is in the sentence?

Swahili usually puts tense and the idea of be directly inside the verb form.

• English: will be
• Swahili: ita-ku-wa (all in one word)

There is no separate word for will. The future tense marker -ta- and the verb -kuwa are combined with the subject prefix into one verb: itakuwa.

For a simple present is/are, Swahili often just uses the noun and adjective without any word like is:

• Chai yako tamu. = Your tea is sweet.
  (no explicit is)

What exactly does ukiongeza mean, and how is it built?

Ukiongeza means if/when you add.

Breakdown:

• u- = subject prefix for you (singular)
• -ki- = special marker often meaning when / if / while
• -ongez- = verb stem of ongeza (to add)
• -a = final vowel

So ukiongeza literally carries the ideas you + when/if + add.

That is why the whole sentence means something like:

• Your tea will be sweet if/when you add milk and a little sugar.

Why is there no separate word like if (for example kama) in the sentence?

Swahili has two common ways to say if/when:

1. Using -ki- inside the verb:

   • ukiongeza maziwa… = if/when you add milk…

2. Using kama plus a normal verb:

   • kama utaongeza maziwa… = if you will add milk…

In this sentence the -ki- form (ukiongeza) already covers the meaning if/when, so you don’t need to add kama. Both are correct, but ukiongeza is shorter and very natural here.

Could I say kama utaongeza maziwa na sukari kidogo instead of ukiongeza maziwa na sukari kidogo?

Yes, you can. Both are grammatically correct:

• Chai yako itakuwa tamu ukiongeza maziwa na sukari kidogo.
• Chai yako itakuwa tamu kama utaongeza maziwa na sukari kidogo.

The meaning is very similar (your tea will be sweet if you add…).
Subtle difference:

• ukiongeza (with -ki-) feels a bit more like when/if you add, quite natural and smooth.
• kama utaongeza focuses a little more strongly on the if idea.

In everyday speech, the -ki- form is extremely common in this kind of conditional sentence.

Where is the word for you in ukiongeza? Why don’t we see wewe?

The idea you is built into the verb as a prefix.

• u- in ukiongeza = you (singular subject)

Swahili usually does not need a separate pronoun like wewe unless you want to emphasize:

• Ukiongeza maziwa… = If/when you add milk…
• Wewe ukiongeza maziwa… = If/when you (specifically you) add milk…

So wewe is optional emphasis; u- is the normal way to express you in the verb.

Does maziwa mean milks? Why does it look plural?

Maziwa looks plural because it belongs to noun class 6, which often has the ma- prefix. But maziwa normally means milk as a substance, not milks.

Some mass or uncountable nouns in Swahili use a ma- form even when we think of them as singular in English:

• maziwa = milk
• maji = water

So in this sentence, maziwa is simply milk, not multiple separate milks.

What does na mean here – and or with?

Here na is most naturally understood as and:

• maziwa na sukari kidogo = milk and a little sugar

Na in Swahili can mean:

• and (linking two nouns or phrases)
  
  • chai na kahawa = tea and coffee
• with (accompaniment or having something)
  
  • chai na maziwa = tea with milk

In this sentence, you are adding two things, so the and sense is the clearest.

Why is kidogo after sukari instead of before it?

Kidogo means a little / a small amount. When it describes a noun like sukari (sugar), it usually comes after the noun:

• sukari kidogo = a little sugar
• pesa kidogo = a little money
• maziwa kidogo = a little milk

The normal pattern is:

[noun] + kidogo

Putting kidogo before the noun (like kidogo sukari) is not natural in this meaning.

Does tamu ever change form to agree with chai, like becoming something else for different noun classes?

In this sentence, tamu is an adjective meaning sweet (in taste). With chai, you just use tamu; it does not change form here:

• chai tamu = sweet tea
• chai yako itakuwa tamu = your tea will be sweet

Some adjectives in Swahili take different prefixes for different noun classes (for example -zuri, -kubwa), but tamu is generally used in the same form with many classes, especially in common phrases about taste.

For everyday use, you can safely remember:

• With foods and drinks like chai, kahawa, wali etc., just use tamu to mean sweet/tasty.