Learn Hardcore Swahili: Mama huandaa orodha ya ununuzi kabla ya kwenda sokoni. - Mother prepares a shopping list before going to the market.

huandaa = she (usually) prepares / she tends to prepare / she always prepares
- hu- is the habitual marker in Swahili (no subject prefix). It describes something that happens regularly, as a habit or general truth.
anaandaa = she is preparing / she prepares (right now or around now)
- a- = she/he (3rd person singular subject)
- -na- = present tense marker

So:

Mama huandaa orodha… = Mother habitually prepares a list…
Mama anaandaa orodha… = Mother is preparing / is in the process of preparing a list… (or present in general, depending on context)

If hu- is the habitual marker, why doesn’t the verb show the subject (like a- for "she")?

In Swahili, hu- is a special prefix that replaces the normal subject–tense combination for habitual actions.

Normally: a-na-andaa (she + present + prepare) → anaandaa
Habitual: hu-andaa (habitual marker only) → huandaa

So:

You do not say ahuandaa, anahuandaa, etc.
The subject (here Mama) is understood from the noun in front of the verb, so Swahili doesn’t need the a- on the verb when using hu-.

This pattern is common:

Wanafunzi husoma kila siku. = Students (usually) study every day.
Juma hula wali mara nyingi. = Juma often eats rice.

Could I say Mama anaandaa orodha ya ununuzi kabla ya kwenda sokoni instead of Mama huandaa…? Would it still be correct?

Yes, it’s grammatically correct, but the nuance changes:

Mama huandaa… → focuses on a habitual routine (she always / usually does this).
Mama anaandaa… → sounds more like what is happening now or around now (Mother is preparing a shopping list before going to the market), unless context clearly makes it habitual.

So both are correct, but huandaa is the natural choice if you mean “she does this as a regular habit.”

Does Mama here mean specifically “my mother,” or just “a mother / the mother”?

It can mean either, depending on context:

Mama by itself can mean:
- “mother” in a general sense
- “Mum / Mom” (sometimes used like a name)
- “a woman / lady” in some contexts (e.g. mama wa kuuza matunda = the lady who sells fruits)

If the speaker clearly means my mother, Swahili often still just says Mama, exactly like in many families in English:

Mama yuko wapi? = Where is Mum?

To be explicit:

mama yangu = my mother
mama yao = their mother

In your sentence, with no extra context, the safest translation is Mother or Mum as a habitual subject.

What does orodha mean, and what noun class is it in?

Orodha means list.

It belongs to noun class 9/10 (often called the N-class).
Many loanwords and some native nouns with no visible m-/mi- or ki/vi- prefixes fall into this class.

Because it’s class 9, when you link it with another noun using ya, you use ya (not wa, la, etc.):

orodha ya ununuzi = list of shopping (shopping list)
orodha ya majina = list of names

What is ununuzi, and how is it related to the verb kununua?

Ununuzi is a noun meaning roughly buying / purchasing / shopping.

It’s derived from the verb -nunua (to buy):

kununua = to buy
ununuzi = buying, purchasing, shopping (the activity or process)

So:

orodha ya ununuzi = literally list of buying / purchasing → naturally translated as shopping list.

Why is it orodha ya ununuzi and not orodha ya kununua?

Both are possible, but they sound different:

orodha ya ununuzi = a shopping list (using the noun for the activity)
- This sounds like a fixed, natural expression.
orodha ya kununua = literally a list of to-buy
- Grammatically possible, but sounds less natural and more like a list of things to buy (and even then, Swahili would usually phrase that differently).

In everyday Swahili, ununuzi is the smooth, idiomatic choice for “shopping” in this expression.

What is the function of ya in orodha ya ununuzi and in kabla ya kwenda? It appears twice—are these the same thing?

They look the same but play slightly different roles:

In orodha ya ununuzi
- ya is the associative preposition “of,” agreeing with orodha (class 9).
- Pattern: [noun] + ya + [noun]
  - orodha ya ununuzi = list of shopping
In kabla ya kwenda
- ya is used because kabla (before) is treated like a noun that links to the following action with ya.
- Pattern: kabla ya + [verbal noun/infinitive]
  - kabla ya kwenda = before going

So in both cases it’s essentially an “of” / linking word, but:

In the first, it links two nouns.
In the second, it links kabla with a verb-as-noun (the infinitive).

Why is it kabla ya kwenda and not just kabla kwenda?

Standard Swahili uses kabla ya when a verb comes after kabla:

kabla ya kwenda = before going
kabla ya kula = before eating
kabla ya kuondoka = before leaving

Without ya, it sounds incomplete or non‑standard in most contexts.
You can, however, use kabla without ya when a full clause follows:

Kabla uende sokoni, piga simu. = Before you go to the market, call.

So:

Verb directly after → kabla ya + [infinitive]
Full clause with subject + verb → kabla + [clause]

Why is it kwenda here and not kuenda?

The basic infinitive is kuenda (to go), from the root -enda.

However, in actual usage, kuenda often becomes kwenda by a natural sound change:

/u/ + /e/ → we
- ku
  - enda → kwenda

Both kuenda and kwenda are understood, but kwenda is very common and generally preferred in running speech and writing.

So kabla ya kwenda sokoni is the usual, natural way to say “before going to the market.”

What does the -ni in sokoni mean?

-ni is a locative suffix, marking place.

soko = market
sokoni = at the market / in the market / to the market, depending on the verb and context

This locative -ni works with many nouns:

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

So kwenda sokoni naturally means to go to the market without needing a separate word for “to.”

Could I say kwenda kwenye soko or kwenda katika soko instead of kwenda sokoni? Would that change the meaning?

You can, but there are subtle differences:

kwenda sokoni
- Very natural and common.
- Means go to the market or go to the marketplace in general.
kwenda kwenye soko / kwenda katika soko
- Both mean go to the market, too.
- They sound a bit more explicit or formal, and may imply a specific physical market location.

In everyday speech, kwenda sokoni is the default, idiomatic choice.

Is the word order in Mama huandaa orodha ya ununuzi kabla ya kwenda sokoni flexible? Can I move parts around?

The basic order here is:

[Subject] + [verb] + [object] + [time phrase]

Mama (subject)
huandaa (verb)
orodha ya ununuzi (object)
kabla ya kwenda sokoni (time/when phrase)

You have some flexibility, but not complete freedom. For example:

Kabla ya kwenda sokoni, Mama huandaa orodha ya ununuzi.
- Completely correct, just emphasizes the “before going to the market” part first.

But you would not normally break up the chunks like:

✗ Mama kabla ya kwenda sokoni huandaa orodha ya ununuzi. (awkward)
✗ Mama huandaa kabla ya kwenda sokoni orodha ya ununuzi. (ungrammatical)

Keep logical units together:

orodha ya ununuzi as one unit
kabla ya kwenda sokoni as one unit

and you can move whole units for emphasis or style.