Kama utarudisha peni hiyo mapema, kaka hatakasirika.

Kama here means “if”. It introduces a condition:

• Kama utarudisha peni hiyo mapema = If you return that pen early…

Is it required?
Not always. You can have conditionals:

1. With kama

   • normal tense:
   • Kama utarudisha peni hiyo mapema, kaka hatakasirika.

2. Without kama, using the -ki- conditional on the verb:

   • Ukirudisha peni hiyo mapema, kaka hatakasirika.

Both are natural. The kama + future pattern is very common and straightforward for learners, and it feels a bit more “explicit”: If you will return…. The -ki- form (ukirudisha) is also very common and often sounds a bit more “native-like” and compact: If you return…

Both can translate as “if you return”, but grammatically they’re different:

• utarudisha = u‑ta‑rudish‑a

  • u‑ = you (singular)
  • ‑ta‑ = future tense marker
  • rudisha = return (cause to go back)
    → literally “you will return”

• ukirudisha = u‑ki‑rudish‑a

  • u‑ = you (singular)
  • ‑ki‑ = conditional (“when/if”)
  • rudisha = return
    → literally “if/when you return”

So you get two common patterns:

• Kama utarudisha peni hiyo mapema, kaka hatakasirika.
• Ukirudisha peni hiyo mapema, kaka hatakasirika.

Meaning-wise here, they’re very close: If you return that pen early, brother won’t get angry.
The -ki- form slightly emphasizes the condition inside the verb itself, while kama utarudisha is a bit more transparent for beginners.

In Swahili, the subject is usually built into the verb as a prefix instead of using a separate pronoun:

• u‑tarudisha → u‑ = “you (sg)”
• a‑tarudisha → a‑ = “he/she”
• wa‑tarudisha → wa‑ = “they”

So utarudisha already means “you will return”; adding wewe is only for emphasis or contrast:

• Wewe utarudisha peni hiyo mapema.
  You (as opposed to someone else) will return that pen early.

Utarudisha is:

• u‑ta‑rudish‑a

Pieces:

• u‑ – subject prefix for “you (singular)”
• ‑ta‑ – future tense marker (will)
• rudisha – verb stem meaning “to return (something), to give back”
  (it’s a causative form built from rudi “to return / go back”)
• ‑a – final vowel on most verb forms

So utarudisha = “you will return (it)” or “you will give (it) back.”

Peni is a loanword from English “pen.” It means a (ballpoint) pen.

• peni – usually specifically a pen
• kalamu – more general: pen, pencil, or writing instrument, depending on context

In many contexts, you could also say:

• Kama utarudisha kalamu hiyo mapema, kaka hatakasirika.

Both are understandable; peni points more clearly to a pen, while kalamu is broader and slightly more formal or traditional in feel.

The normal word order in Swahili is:

• noun + demonstrative (this/that)

So:

• peni hii – this pen (near me)
• peni hiyo – that pen (near you / that one we both know)
• peni ile – that pen over there / that one far away

You can put the demonstrative before the noun (hiyo peni) but that’s usually for emphasis or in specific stylistic contexts (poetry, strong contrast, etc.). The neutral, everyday order is:

• peni hiyo, mtoto huyu, vitabu vile, etc.

Hiyo is the “that” form for class 9/10 nouns (like peni), and it usually indicates:

• Something near the listener, or
• Something already known or mentioned by both speaker and listener.

So peni hiyo often means:

• that particular pen we’ve just been talking about, or
• that pen by you / in your hand / that you borrowed.

For comparison:

• peni hii – this pen (near me / I’m holding it)
• peni hiyo – that pen (near you / the known one)
• peni ile – that pen (over there, farther away / more distant in context)

Mapema means “early” or “ahead of time”, sometimes also “soon” depending on context.

Examples:

• Nimeamka mapema. – I woke up early.
• Rudi mapema kesho. – Come back early tomorrow.

In your sentence, it’s placed after the object:

• utarudisha peni hiyo mapema

You could also say:

• Kama utarudisha mapema peni hiyo, kaka hatakasirika.
• Kama utairudisha peni hiyo mapema, kaka hatakasirika.

All are grammatical; the default, natural order is verb + object + adverb, as in the original: utarudisha peni hiyo mapema.

Kaka primarily means “older brother”, but there are a few nuances:

1. Literal family relationship

   • Kaka yangu anaishi Dar es Salaam. – My older brother lives in Dar es Salaam.

2. Polite / friendly form of address to a male
   A shop assistant, a stranger, a young man might be addressed as kaka:

   • Samahani, kaka, bei ni gani? – Excuse me, brother, what’s the price?

3. It does not mark younger brother – that’s usually ndugu mdogo or context-specific wording.

In kaka hatakasirika, it could mean:

• My older brother won’t get angry (if context already makes it clear whose brother), or
• (This) brother / that guy / that male person won’t get angry, depending on situation.

Swahili often omits possessive markers with kinship terms when the relationship is clear from context. So:

• kaka anakuja
  can mean my older brother is coming if we’re talking about my family.

If you need to be explicit, you add the possessive:

• kaka yangu hatakasirika – my older brother will not get angry
• kaka yako hatakasirika – your older brother will not get angry

In everyday conversation, if it’s obvious whose brother is meant, kaka hatakasirika is enough.

Hatakasirika breaks down as:

• ha‑ta‑kasirik‑a

Pieces:

• ha‑ – negative subject prefix for he/she (3rd person singular)
• ‑ta‑ – future tense marker (“will”)
• kasirika – verb stem meaning “to get angry, to become angry”
• ‑a – final vowel

Compare with the positive future:

• Atakasirika. – He/she will get angry. (a‑ta‑kasirik‑a)

So:

• Atakasirika. – He will get angry.
• Hatakasirika. – He will not get angry.

The negative future uses special negative subject prefixes:

• sitasoma – I will not read (si‑ta‑som‑a)
• hutasoma – you (sg) will not read (hu‑ta‑som‑a)
• hatasoma – he/she will not read (ha‑ta‑som‑a)
• hatutasoma – we will not read (hatu‑ta‑som‑a)
• hamtasoma – you (pl) will not read (ham‑ta‑som‑a)
• hawatasoma – they will not read (hawa‑ta‑som‑a)

Hatakasirika follows exactly this pattern with the verb kasirika.

No, they’re different.

• hatakasirika (one word) = ha‑ta‑kasirika
  → “he/she will not get angry.”

• hata kasirika (two words) would normally be read as:

  • hata = “even / up to”, or rarely a mis-split negative,
  • kasirika = imperative “get angry!” (or a bare stem)

  So hata kasirika is either ungrammatical in this context or means something like “even, get angry…”, which is not what you want.

For the negative future, always keep it as one word:

• hatasoma, hatakwenda, hatachelewa, hatakasirika

• kasirika – to get angry, become angry (intransitive)

  • Alikasirika. – He got angry.

• kasirikia – to be angry at/with (someone/something) (transitive)

  • Alikasirikia mtoto. – He was angry with the child.
  • Usinikasirikie. – Don’t be angry with me.

In your sentence:

• kaka hatakasirika = brother will not get angry (in general, emotionally).

  If you want to say he won’t be angry with you, you could say:

• Kama utarudisha peni hiyo mapema, kaka hatakukasirikia.
  (literally “will not be-angry-with-you.”)

Yes, with some flexibility. Some options:

1. Original:

   • Kama utarudisha peni hiyo mapema, kaka hatakasirika.

2. Move mapema before the object:

   • Kama utarudisha mapema peni hiyo, kaka hatakasirika.

3. Front mapema for emphasis:

   • Mapema ukirudisha peni hiyo, kaka hatakasirika.

All are grammatical. The most neutral and common in everyday speech is like the original: verb + object + adverb:

• utarudisha peni hiyo mapema

It’s not a grammar requirement, but it’s good writing style.

Swahili uses punctuation similarly to English. With conditional sentences, a comma after the “if” clause is common and makes reading easier:

• Kama utarudisha peni hiyo mapema, kaka hatakasirika.
• Ukirudisha peni hiyo mapema, kaka hatakasirika.

In informal writing (chats, texts), people often omit it, but in careful writing it’s recommended.