Nikifaulu mtihani huu, mimi nitaandika shajara yangu kwa furaha.

If I pass this exam, I will write in my diary with joy.

Breakdown of Nikifaulu mtihani huu, mimi nitaandika shajara yangu kwa furaha.

• mimi: I
• kuandika: to write
• yangu: my
• huu: this
• kwa: with
• mtihani: the exam
• furaha: the happiness
• shajara: the diary
• nikifaulu: if I pass

Questions & Answers about Nikifaulu mtihani huu, mimi nitaandika shajara yangu kwa furaha.

What exactly does Nikifaulu mean, and how is this word built?

Nikifaulu is one word made of three parts:

• ni- = subject marker for “I”
• -ki- = conditional / “when/if” marker
• faulu = verb root “to pass / to succeed”

So nikifaulu literally means “when/if I pass / if I succeed.”

The -ki- marker is very common in Swahili for clauses like:

• Nikisoma, nitaelewa. = If/when I study, I will understand.
• Akija, tutaanza. = When/if he comes, we will start.

Why is the first verb nikifaulu but the second one nitaandika with -ta-? Why not use -ta- in both parts?

The sentence has a typical Swahili conditional structure:

• If-clause (condition): nikifaulu
  – uses -ki- to mean “if/when [this happens]”
• Main clause (result): nitaandika
  – uses -ta- future to mean “I will write”

So the pattern is:

[niki- + verb], [subject + -ta- + verb]
If/when X happens, Y will happen.

Examples:

• Nikisoma sana, nitafaulu.
  If/when I study a lot, I will pass.

• Akifanya kazi, atapata pesa.
  If/when he works, he will get money.

Using -ki- in the first clause and -ta- in the second is very natural Swahili.

Can I also say Kama nitafaulu mtihani huu, nitaandika shajara yangu kwa furaha? How is that different from Nikifaulu…?

Yes, you can say:

• Kama nitafaulu mtihani huu, nitaandika shajara yangu kwa furaha.

This is also correct and understandable.

Differences in feel:

• Nikifaulu…
  – More compact and very idiomatic Swahili.
  – The -ki- form itself already means “if/when,” so you don’t need kama.

• Kama nitafaulu…
  – Uses kama = “if” explicitly.
  – The verb nitafaulu is just normal future: ni- + -ta- + faulu.

So:

• Nikifaulu mtihani huu, nitaandika…
• Kama nitafaulu mtihani huu, nitaandika…

Both are fine; the first feels a bit more “Swahili-ish” and fluent, especially in speech.

Why is mimi used in mimi nitaandika if nitaandika already means “I will write”? Isn’t that redundant?

In Swahili, the subject is normally shown by the subject prefix on the verb (here ni-), so you do not need the independent pronoun mimi.

• Nitaandika shajara yangu… = I will write my diary… (already complete)

When you add mimi, it adds emphasis:

• Mimi nitaandika shajara yangu…
  = I will write my diary… (with a sense of “I, personally” / “I, not someone else”)

So mimi here is used for:

• contrast: I will do it (maybe others will not), or
• emphasis: stressing the subject.

Grammatically, mimi is optional in this sentence.

Is mimi nitaandika the only correct word order, or can I also say nitaandika mimi?

Both are grammatically possible, but they feel slightly different:

• Mimi nitaandika shajara yangu kwa furaha.
  – Normal way to put emphasis on “I”.
  – Very common.

• Nitaandika mimi shajara yangu kwa furaha.
  – Also possible, but the focus is a bit more on who is doing the writing at the end, like:
  I will write, me.
  – Often used in answers or contrasts, e.g.:
  Nani ataandika shajara? – Nitaandika mimi.
  Who will write the diary? – I will.

For a neutral full sentence with emphasis, Mimi nitaandika … is more common than Nitaandika mimi ….

Why is it mtihani huu and not huu mtihani? What is the normal position of huu?

In standard Swahili, the demonstrative (this/that) normally comes after the noun:

• mtihani huu = this exam
• mtihani ule = that exam (over there)

So the usual order is:

[noun] + [demonstrative]

Like:

• kitabu hiki = this book
• mwalimu huyu = this teacher
• gari hili = this car

You can sometimes see huu mtihani in speech, but it is marked and often used for special contrast or style. The neutral, textbook-correct order here is mtihani huu.

How does huu agree with mtihani? Which noun class is this?

Mtihani (exam/test) is in the M-/MI- (class 3/4) noun class:

• Singular: mtihani
• Plural: mitihani

The demonstrative for “this” in class 3/4 (singular) is huu.

So:

• mtihani huu = this exam (class 3)
• mitihani hii = these exams (class 4, demonstrative changes)

A mini pattern:

• mti huu / miti hii = this tree / these trees
• mlango huu / milango hii = this door / these doors
• mtihani huu / mitihani hii = this exam / these exams

Why is it shajara yangu and not yangu shajara? What is the rule for possessives like “my” in Swahili?

In Swahili, possessives such as -angu (my), -ako (your), -ake (his/her), etc., follow the noun:

[noun] + [possessive]

So:

• shajara yangu = my diary / my journal
• rafiki yangu = my friend
• gari lako = your car
• kitabu chake = his/her book

Putting the possessive before the noun (like yangu shajara) is incorrect in standard Swahili.

What does kwa furaha literally mean, and is it the usual way to say “happily”?

Literally:

• kwa = by / with / in (a very general preposition)
• furaha = happiness / joy

So kwa furaha = “with happiness,” “in happiness,” i.e. happily / joyfully.

It is a very normal and natural way to express manner:

• Aliimba kwa furaha. = She sang happily.
• Walicheza kwa hasira. = They played angrily.
• Alizungumza kwa upole. = He spoke gently.

Alternatives for “happily”:

• kwa furaha sana = very happily
• kwa moyo wa furaha = with a joyful heart (more expressive)

Could I leave out mimi or shajara yangu and still have a correct sentence?

Yes, you can omit some parts, depending on what you want to say.

1. Leaving out mimi:

• Nikifaulu mtihani huu, nitaandika shajara yangu kwa furaha.
  Still fully correct; subject “I” is already in ni-. This is the most neutral form.

2. Leaving out shajara yangu:

• Nikifaulu mtihani huu, nitaandika kwa furaha.
  Literally: If I pass this exam, I will write happily.
  – Grammatically fine, but now you do not say what you will write; it is only clear from context.

3. Both mimi and shajara yangu are optional in the sense that the sentence can still be grammatical; they just add information or emphasis:

• mimi → emphasis on the subject
• shajara yangu → specifies the object (my diary)

Does Nikifaulu mean only “if I pass,” or can it also mean “when I pass”?

Nikifaulu can mean either:

• if I pass (condition)
• when I pass (time)

The exact meaning depends on context and tone:

• Neutral / uncertain:
  Nikifaulu mtihani huu, nitaandika shajara yangu…
  → usually understood as If I pass this exam, I will write…

• Confident / expecting success:
  Said with a confident tone, it can sound like When I pass this exam…

Swahili -ki- often covers both “if” and “when”, with context deciding which is intended.

How would I say “If I passed this exam, I would write my diary happily” (a hypothetical situation) in Swahili?

For a more hypothetical / unreal condition (like English “If I passed…, I would write …”), Swahili commonly uses -nge- in both verbs, often with kama:

• Kama ningefaulu mtihani huu, ningeandika shajara yangu kwa furaha.

Breakdown:

• ningefaulu = ni- + -nge- + faulu → I would pass / if I passed
• ningeandika = ni- + -nge- + andika → I would write

Meaning:
If I passed this exam (but I probably won’t / it’s imaginary), I would write my diary happily.

Compare:

• Nikifaulu mtihani huu, nitaandika shajara yangu kwa furaha.
  → Real, likely: If/when I pass this exam, I will write…

• Kama ningefaulu mtihani huu, ningeandika shajara yangu kwa furaha.
  → Hypothetical: If I passed this exam, I would write…