Learn Hardcore Swahili: Jumanne ijayo, tutakuwa tukifanya mazoezi ya kusikiliza ujumbe wa sauti darasani. - Next Tuesday, we will be doing exercises of listening to voice messages in class.

Adjectives and many descriptors follow the noun in Swahili.
- Jumanne ijayo = Tuesday next
- Compare: mwaka ujao = next year, wiki ijayo = next week
Ijayo agrees with Jumanne in noun class.
- Jumanne is in noun class 9/10, which often takes i- for this kind of adjective/relative form, giving i-jayo.

You could also hear other versions for “next Tuesday,” like Jumanne inayokuja (“the Tuesday that is coming”), but Jumanne ijayo is very natural and common.

How is tutakuwa tukifanya different from just tutafanya?

Both talk about the future, but the aspect is different:

Tutafanya = we will do (simple future)
- Focus on the fact that the action will happen.
Tutakuwa tukifanya = we will be doing (future continuous/progressive)
- Focus on the action as ongoing at that time.

Breakdown:

tutakuwa = tu- (we) + -ta- (future) + -kuwa (be) → “we will be”
tukifanya = tu- (we) + -ki- (progressive/consecutive marker) + -fanya (do)

So tutakuwa tukifanya mazoezi… gives the idea that at that time on Tuesday, we will (already) be in the middle of doing listening practice, not just that it will occur at some point.

Is tukifanya here a separate clause meaning “while we do,” or is it part of the tense with tutakuwa?

In this sentence it functions as part of a compound tense with tutakuwa:

tutakuwa tukifanya = “we will be doing”

Elsewhere, -ki- can introduce a subordinate clause:

Tutapumzika tukifanya mazoezi madogo.
= “We will rest while doing small exercises.”

But in the pattern (subject) + kuwa + (subject)-ki-verb, it commonly marks a progressive/habitual aspect:

Niko nikisoma. = I am reading.
Tulikuwa tukisikiliza. = We were listening.
Tutakuwa tukifanya. = We will be doing.

So here, tukifanya is tightly linked to tutakuwa as one meaning unit: “will be doing.”

Could I say Jumanne ijayo, tutafanya mazoezi ya kusikiliza… instead of tutakuwa tukifanya? Would that be wrong?

It would not be wrong; it would just sound a bit different.

Jumanne ijayo, tutafanya mazoezi ya kusikiliza…
= We will do listening practice next Tuesday.
(Neutral future; says it will happen.)
Jumanne ijayo, tutakuwa tukifanya mazoezi ya kusikiliza…
= Next Tuesday, we will be doing listening practice.
(Emphasizes the ongoing activity at that time.)

In everyday speech, many speakers might just say tutafanya. The version with tutakuwa tukifanya is slightly more descriptive and is closer to English “we’ll be doing…”

Why is it mazoezi ya kusikiliza and not just kusikiliza?

Because the sentence is specifically talking about “listening practice / listening exercises,” not just the act of listening itself.

mazoezi = exercises, practice (as a thing you do to train)
mazoezi ya kusikiliza = listening exercises / listening practice

If you only said kusikiliza ujumbe wa sauti darasani, that would be more like:

“listening to a voice message in class”

Whereas mazoezi ya kusikiliza ujumbe wa sauti darasani suggests a structured activity—listening exercises using voice messages.

What is the role of ku- in kusikiliza here?

Ku- is the infinitive / verbal noun marker in Swahili.

kusikiliza = to listen / listening

In this structure, kusikiliza behaves like a noun (a type of exercise):

mazoezi ya kusikiliza
= exercises of listening

So ya kusikiliza is like “of listening” or “listening-type” in English.
Without ku-, the verb sikiliza would not work in this position.

Why is mazoezi plural when in English we usually say “listening practice” (uncountable)?

Mazoezi is the plural of zoezi:

zoezi = an exercise (e.g. one task in a textbook)
mazoezi = exercises / practice

In Swahili, it’s very common to use the plural form mazoezi to mean “practice / training” in general, even if in English you’d use an uncountable noun:

Ninahitaji mazoezi zaidi. = I need more practice.
Mazoezi ya kuandika = writing practice
Mazoezi ya kusikiliza = listening practice

You could say zoezi la kusikiliza if you meant one listening exercise, but mazoezi ya kusikiliza naturally means a practice session / several exercises / practice in general.

What does ujumbe wa sauti literally mean, and is this the normal way to say “voice message”?

Literally:

ujumbe = message
wa sauti = of sound/voice

So ujumbe wa sauti = “voice message / audio message.”

Yes, this is a very natural way to express “voice message” in standard Swahili, especially in a more neutral or formal style.

You may also hear more colloquial or borrowed forms like:

meseji ya sauti (from English “message”)
voisi n.k. in very casual speech

But ujumbe wa sauti is clear, standard, and good to learn.

Why is the possessive connector wa used in ujumbe wa sauti, and not ya sauti?

The possessive connector (the “of” word: wa, ya, la, cha, vya, etc.) must agree with the noun class of the first noun.

Here the first noun is ujumbe:

ujumbe is in noun class 11 (often written 11/14 in some charts)
Class 11 uses wa as its “of” connector

So we get:

ujumbe wa sauti = message of voice

If the first noun were in a different class, the connector would change. For example:

sauti ya simu = the sound/voice of the phone (first noun sauti, class 9 → ya)
kitabu cha mwanafunzi = the student’s book (first noun kitabu, class 7 → cha)

So wa is there because ujumbe belongs to a class that takes wa in possessive constructions.

What does darasani mean exactly, and why does darasa have -ni on the end?

Darasani means “in the classroom / in class.”

darasa = classroom, class (as a place)
darasani = in the classroom / in class

The ending -ni is a locative suffix. When you add -ni to certain nouns, it often means “in/at/on (that place).” For example:

nyumba → nyumbani = at home
shule → shuleni = at school
kanisa → kanisani = in church

So darasani is the natural way to say “in class / in the classroom.”

Could I say katika darasa instead of darasani? Is there any difference?

You can say katika darasa, and it is grammatically fine. The differences are:

darasani
- Shorter, very common, sounds natural and idiomatic.
- Often used for routine contexts: Kesho tutaandika insha darasani.
katika darasa
- Slightly more formal or explicit.
- Can be used if you want to emphasize the location more clearly, like “inside the classroom” as opposed to somewhere else at school.

In this sentence, darasani is the more typical, flowing choice.

Can darasani appear in a different position in the sentence, like at the beginning or right after Jumanne ijayo?

Yes. Swahili word order is more flexible than English, especially with time and place expressions. All of these are possible and natural, with small differences in emphasis:

Jumanne ijayo, tutakuwa tukifanya mazoezi ya kusikiliza ujumbe wa sauti darasani.
(Neutral: sets the time first, place at the end.)
Jumanne ijayo darasani, tutakuwa tukifanya mazoezi ya kusikiliza ujumbe wa sauti.
(Stronger focus on “next Tuesday in class…” as the setting.)
Darasani Jumanne ijayo, tutakuwa tukifanya mazoezi ya kusikiliza ujumbe wa sauti.
(Emphasis starts with “In class next Tuesday…”)

The version you gave is very standard and clear, but moving darasani is allowed and mostly changes emphasis, not basic meaning.

Is the comma after Jumanne ijayo necessary in Swahili?

It is not strictly required, but it is perfectly acceptable and often helpful.

Jumanne ijayo, tutakuwa…
The comma separates the time expression from the main clause, mirroring natural speech rhythm.

You could also write:

Jumanne ijayo tutakuwa tukifanya mazoezi…

In many modern texts, commas are used similarly to English: to separate introductory time/place phrases, but omission is common in informal writing. Your version with the comma is correct and clear.

How would the sentence change if I wanted to say “Last Tuesday” instead of “Next Tuesday”?

You would change the time phrase and the tense/aspect if you want to keep the same nuance:

Jumanne iliyopita, tulikuwa tukifanya mazoezi ya kusikiliza ujumbe wa sauti darasani.

Breakdown:

Jumanne iliyopita = last Tuesday
- iliyopita = “that passed / that has passed” (relative form of pita, to pass)
tulikuwa tukifanya = we were doing (past progressive)
- tu- (we) + -li- (past) + -kuwa (be)
- tuki-fanya (we-ki-do)

So you keep the same structure, but:

ijayo → iliyopita
tutakuwa tukifanya → tulikuwa tukifanya