Learn Hardcore Swahili: Kesho tutakuwa tukirudia msamiati ule ule, lakini tutatunga sentensi tofauti. - Tomorrow we will be reviewing the same vocabulary, but we will create different sentences.

Kesho tutarudia msamiati…
= Tomorrow we will repeat / go over the vocabulary.
→ Simple future: focuses on the fact that the action will happen.
Kesho tutakuwa tukirudia msamiati…
= Tomorrow we will be (busy) repeating the vocabulary / we will be in the process of repeating the vocabulary.
→ Future continuous / progressive: suggests an ongoing, possibly repeated or extended activity, not just a single, one‑off act.

So tutakuwa tukirudia gives a sense of we’ll be in the middle of doing this, perhaps as an exercise over some time, whereas tutarudia is more neutral: we’ll repeat it (no special focus on the process).

How is tutakuwa tukirudia built, and what does each part mean?

You actually have two verb forms working together:

tutakuwa – we will be
- tu- = we (subject prefix, 1st person plural)
- -ta- = future tense marker
- kuwa = to be
  → tutakuwa = we will be
tukirudia – (while) we are repeating / we will be repeating
- tu- = we (same subject)
- -ki- = -ki- marker (often “while/when” or progressive/habitual)
- rudia = repeat (verb stem rudi-
  - final -a)

When you put them together:

tutakuwa tukirudia msamiati…
literally: we will be (while we are) repeating the vocabulary…
functionally: we will be repeating / going over the vocabulary…

This kuwa + -ki- construction is a very common way of expressing progressive or continuous action in Swahili.

Why is ule repeated (ule ule) after msamiati? What does that add?

Repeating the demonstrative makes the idea of sameness stronger.

msamiati ule = that vocabulary (there / that one we mentioned)
msamiati ule ule = that very same vocabulary / exactly that same vocabulary again

So ule ule emphasizes that it is exactly the same vocabulary as before, not new but different material. It’s similar to English contrasts like:

that vocabulary vs. that same vocabulary
that book vs. that very same book

You see this pattern a lot:

kitabu kile kile – that same book
mtu yule yule – that same person
mji ule ule – that same town

What is the function of ule here in terms of definiteness? Where is the?

Swahili does not have separate words for a or the. Definiteness is expressed mostly by:

context
demonstratives (like huyu, huyo, yule, huu, hiyo, ile, etc.)

In msamiati ule ule:

msamiati = vocabulary
ule ule = that same (one)

Together, they mean the same vocabulary in English. The definite idea of the is built into ule ule, not into a separate article.

So English the same vocabulary is best matched by msamiati ule ule, not by adding any word for the.

What exactly does msamiati mean, and is it singular or plural?

msamiati means vocabulary, usually in the sense of:

a set/list of words you are learning
a stock of words in a language

It belongs to noun class 3/4:

singular: msamiati
plural: misamiati

In many learning contexts, msamiati refers to a specific list or set (like the unit’s vocabulary list), even though English often treats vocabulary as uncountable.

In this sentence, msamiati is singular: it’s that same vocabulary list you have already studied.

How does tutatunga express will make up / will compose without a separate word for will?

In Swahili, tense is usually marked inside the verb with prefixes, not with separate words like will or did.

Verb root: tunga = compose, create, make up
Subject prefix tu- = we
Future marker -ta- = will (future)
Final vowel -a

Put together:

tuta-tung-a → tutatunga = we will compose / we will make up

So the English will is represented by the -ta- inside the verb, not as a standalone word.

What does the verb kutunga normally mean, and is it the usual verb to use with sentensi?

kutunga means to compose or to make up, often for:

sentensi – sentences
mashairi – poems
hadithi – stories
nyimbo – songs
shairi – a poem/verse

In an exercise like:

“Make sentences using this vocabulary.”

Swahili would naturally say:

Tunga sentensi ukitumia msamiati huu.
Compose/make up sentences using this vocabulary.

So in your sentence, tutatunga sentensi tofauti fits very well:
we will make up/compose different sentences (using that same vocabulary).

Why is it sentensi tofauti and not something like sentensi tofauti tofauti?

Both exist but they are slightly different in nuance:

sentensi tofauti
= different sentences (a simple statement that the sentences will not be the same as before)
sentensi tofauti tofauti
= various different sentences or lots of different sentences (often suggests variety, several different ones, or emphasis on diversity)

In this context, sentensi tofauti is enough to convey the idea:

same vocabulary, but the sentences themselves will be different from the previous ones.

The teacher is just saying: same vocabulary, but different sentences this time—no extra emphasis on many or very varied sentences is required.

Does tofauti agree with sentensi in class or number?

sentensi is a class 9/10 noun (borrowed from English sentence).

In many adjectives, you would see an agreement prefix for this class (like -a, ya, etc.), but tofauti is one of those adjectives/nouns that is often used without changing form:

sentensi tofauti – different sentences
maneno tofauti – different words
mitazamo tofauti – different viewpoints

So:

tofauti itself does not change form here; it is used the same way whether the noun is singular or plural.
The number is understood from sentensi and context, not from a change in the word tofauti.

Can the word order change, for example could we say Tutatunga sentensi tofauti kesho… instead of starting with Kesho?

Yes. Swahili word order is flexible with time expressions like kesho:

Kesho tutakuwa tukirudia msamiati ule ule…
Tutarudia msamiati ule ule kesho…
Kesho tutatunga sentensi tofauti.
Tutatunga sentensi tofauti kesho.

All are grammatical.

Placing Kesho at the beginning:

Kesho tutakuwa…

gives extra emphasis to tomorrow as the topic:
As for tomorrow, we’ll be repeating…

Placing kesho later is more neutral.

Could the sentence be simplified to Kesho tutarudia msamiati ule ule, lakini tutatunga sentensi tofauti? What difference would that make?

Yes, that is perfectly correct:

Kesho tutarudia msamiati ule ule, lakini tutatunga sentensi tofauti.

This version:

uses tutarudia (simple future) instead of tutakuwa tukirudia (future progressive)
sounds slightly simpler and more textbook-like
focuses on the fact that the repetition will happen, not so much on the idea of an ongoing activity

The original tutakuwa tukirudia adds a nuance of activity in progress; your simplified version is fully natural but a bit less descriptive of that continuous/exercise feel.

Is there anything special about the comma before lakini, and could we leave it out?

The comma before lakini corresponds closely to English punctuation before but:

…, lakini … = , but …

In writing:

It is common and stylistically neat to put a comma before lakini when it joins two full clauses.
In shorter or more informal texts, you may sometimes see it omitted:
Kesho tutakuwa tukirudia msamiati ule ule lakini tutatunga sentensi tofauti.

Both are readable, but the comma helps show the pause and contrast:

first clause: Kesho tutakuwa tukirudia msamiati ule ule
contrast: lakini
second clause: tutatunga sentensi tofauti