Learn Hardcore Swahili: Utani wako ni mzuri, ila usitutie wivu kwa mafanikio yako. - Your jokes are good, but do not make us jealous with your success.

Utani wako = your joking / your sense of humor / your banter
It can range from simple jokes to sarcastic teasing, but the default feel is friendly.

Compared to another common word:

mzaha = joke, fun, playfulness
- kufanya mzaha – to joke, to be playful
utani is more like the style or relationship of joking/banter.

In the sentence, Utani wako ni mzuri = Your joking/jokes are good (you’re funny / your banter is nice).

How is utani wako formed, and why not utani yako?

Swahili possessives agree with the noun class of the thing owned, not with the person who owns it.

utani belongs to a class that uses w- for -a (of) constructions.
So -a
- wewe (you) with this noun class becomes wako.

Patterns:

utani wako – your joking
udongo wako – your soil
mwili wako – your body

If the noun were in a different class, you’d see a different form:

kitabu chako – your book (class 7 uses ch-)
rafiki yako – your friend (class 9 uses y-)

So utani wako is correct because utani takes the w- series: wangu, wako, wake, wetu, wenu, wao.

What is the role of ni in Utani wako ni mzuri? Could it be omitted?

Ni is the copula meaning is / are.

Utani wako ni mzuri = Your joking is good.

In casual speech, Swahili often drops the copula in the present tense, especially in short statements:

Utani wako mzuri – still understood as Your joking is good.

Both are acceptable. Using ni can sound a bit clearer and slightly more careful or explicit, but it’s not strictly required in normal conversation.

Why is the adjective mzuri used with utani? How does agreement work here?

Adjectives in Swahili agree with the class of the noun they describe by taking the right prefix.

The base adjective here is -zuri (good, nice, beautiful).

Some patterns:

mtu mzuri – good person (class 1)
miaka mizuri – good years (class 4)
kitabu kizuri – good book (class 7)

For utani, the agreeing form is mzuri:

utani mzuri – good/fun joking

So:

Utani wako ni mzuri literally: Your joking is good.
(utani
- mzuri, both matching in class agreement)

What’s the difference between ila and lakini as but?

Both ila and lakini can mean but, but they have slightly different feels:

lakini – the most common, neutral but
- Nataka kuja, lakini sina muda. – I want to come, but I don’t have time.
ila – often feels like but (just / only / except that) or however
- It can sound a bit softer or more concessive.

In Utani wako ni mzuri, ila usitutie wivu kwa mafanikio yako:

ila gives a feel like:
Your joking is good, but just don’t make us jealous of your success.
There’s praise, then a mild, half‑joking warning or request.

You could say lakini here and it would still be correct, just a bit more neutral: …lakini usitutie wivu…

How is the verb form usitutie built, step by step?

Usitutie is a negative command (negative subjunctive) with an object:

Base verb: -tia – to put (in), to cause to have
Structure: usi- + -tu- + -tie

Breakdown:

usi- – negative + you (singular) in a command/subjunctive
- usi-…-e = don’t (you) …
-tu- – us (1st person plural object infix)
-tie – subjunctive form of -tia (final -a changes to -e)

So usitutie ≈ don’t you put in us / don’t make us have.

With its object:

usitutie wivu – literally: don’t you put jealousy in us → don’t make us jealous.

What does usitutie wivu literally mean, and why is wivu after the verb?

Literally:

usi-tu-tie wivu
- usi- – don’t (you)
- -tu- – us
- -tie – put (subjunctive)
- wivu – jealousy

Word‑for‑word: don’t you put us (into) jealousy / don’t put jealousy into us.

In Swahili, full noun objects (like wivu) usually come after the verb:

usitutie wivu – don’t make us jealous
usitupatie shida – don’t give us trouble
usituletee matatizo – don’t bring us problems

If the object is a pronoun and you only need the pronoun, it comes inside the verb (as -tu-, -ni-, -wa-, etc.). Here we have both the pronoun -tu- (us) and the noun wivu (jealousy).

Does wivu mean jealousy or envy, or both?

Wivu covers the meanings of jealousy and envy in English; Swahili does not sharply separate those two the way English sometimes does.

Common phrases:

kuwa na wivu – to be jealous / to feel envy
kutia wivu – to cause jealousy / to make someone jealous

In the sentence:

usitutie wivu kwa mafanikio yako
= don’t make us feel jealous / envious about your success.

In English, you might choose either jealous or envious depending on nuance, but Swahili wivu works for both.

What exactly is mafanikio, and how is it related to the verb kufanikiwa?

Mafanikio is a noun meaning success / achievements / accomplishments.

It comes from the verb:

kufanikiwa – to succeed, to be successful

Pattern:

kufanikiwa → mafanikio (result/thing: success, achievements)

Even though mafanikio has a plural prefix ma-, it often behaves like an uncountable or collective noun:

Mafanikio yake ni makubwa. – His/Her success is great.
Amefurahi kwa mafanikio yake. – He/She is happy about his/her success.

It can also imply specific achievements, depending on context.

Why is it mafanikio yako (with y-) and not mafanikio wako?

This is another case of possessive agreement with noun class.

mafanikio belongs to the ma- noun class that takes the y- series for -a (of) forms.
So: -a
- wewe (you) in this class = yako.

Examples:

mawe yako – your stones
majibu yako – your answers
mafanikio yako – your success / your achievements

Compare with utani wako:

utani uses the w- series: wako, wangu, wake…
mafanikio uses the y- series: yako, yangu, yake…

So both utani wako and mafanikio yako are correct; they just follow different class patterns.

What does kwa express in kwa mafanikio yako? Could I use another preposition?

Here kwa introduces the reason / cause of the jealousy:

kwa mafanikio yako = because of your success / on account of your success

So:

usitutie wivu kwa mafanikio yako
≈ don’t make us jealous *because of your success.*

Other uses of kwa:

instrument: kuandika kwa kalamu – to write with a pen
manner: kuishi kwa amani – to live in peace
cause/reason: alilia kwa uchungu – he/she cried in pain

Could you use another preposition?

juu ya mafanikio yako – literally on/over your success
This is grammatical, but the idiomatic, standard way for cause here is kwa mafanikio yako. Kwa sounds most natural.

Is the sentence polite or playful? In what kind of situation would you say Utani wako ni mzuri, ila usitutie wivu kwa mafanikio yako?

The tone is friendly and playful, not harsh.

It sounds like something you’d say when:

Someone is joking about how successful they are.
You’re praising their sense of humor but also teasing them back.
You want to lightly tell them not to boast too much.

Emotionally, it feels like:

Your jokes are great, just don’t rub your success in our faces too much!
A mix of real compliment and joking warning.

It would normally be used among friends, colleagues, or peers, not in a very formal or serious context.

How would the sentence change if I were talking to more than one person (plural you)?

For plural you, you change the subject prefix and possessives:

Singular (original):

Utani wako ni mzuri, ila usitutie wivu kwa mafanikio yako.

Plural:

Utani wenu ni mzuri, ila msitutie wivu kwa mafanikio yenu.

Changes:

wako → wenu (your joking – plural you)
usi-… → msi-… (don’t you [sg] → don’t you [pl])
- usitutie → msitutie
yako → yenu (your success – plural you)

Meaning:
Your (plural) joking is good, but don’t make us jealous of your (plural) success.