Tunapofanya kazi pamoja nyumbani, tunafurahi sana.

When we work together at home, we are very happy.

Breakdown of Tunapofanya kazi pamoja nyumbani, tunafurahi sana.

• sisi: we
• nyumba: the home
• kwenye: at
• kazi: the work
• pamoja: together
• kufurahi: to be happy
• sana: very
• tunapofanya: when we do

Questions & Answers about Tunapofanya kazi pamoja nyumbani, tunafurahi sana.

What does tunapofanya mean, and how is it different from tunafanya?

Both come from the verb -fanya (to do, to work).

• tunafanya = we do / we are doing / we work
• tunapofanya = when(ever) we do / when(ever) we work / as we work

The extra -po- inside tuna/po/fanya turns it into a “when/whenever/as” clause. So:

• Tunafanya kazi – We work / We are working.
• Tunapofanya kazi – When(ever) we work / As we work.

In this sentence, tunapofanya kazi pamoja nyumbani means “when we work together at home.”

How is the word tunapofanya built up morphologically?

You can break tunapofanya into parts:

• tu- = we (subject prefix, 1st person plural)
• -na- = present tense marker (general present / habitual / near future)
• -po- = when / while / as (time-relative marker)
• -fanya = verb root do / work

So: tu-na-po-fanya → tunapofanya = when(ever) we are doing / when(ever) we do.

What is the function of -po- in tunapofanya, and are there related forms?

-po- is a relative tense marker of time/place, commonly translated as “when / where / as” depending on context.

With present -na-, you often get a “whenever / when / as (habitually or generally)” meaning.

There are related forms:

• -po- – often “when / where (specific point)”
• -ki- – often “when / if / whenever, with a more conditional or ongoing feel”
• -po-, -ki-, -ko- differ subtly in nuance; in practice, tunapofanya and tukifanya can both mean “when we work”, but tunapofanya sounds a bit more neutral/“whenever”, while tukifanya often feels more conditional (“if/when we work…”).

In this sentence, tunapofanya comfortably reads as “when(ever) we work / as we work.”

Could I instead say Tukifanya kazi pamoja nyumbani, tunafurahi sana? Would it mean the same thing?

Yes, that is grammatically correct and would be understood.

Subtle difference:

• Tunapofanya kazi… – fairly neutral “when(ever) we work…”
• Tukifanya kazi… – often “if / when / whenever we work…”, with a slightly more conditional feel.

In everyday conversation, both can be used and the difference is small. Many speakers would treat them as near-equivalents here.

Why do we have tunafurahi instead of tuna furaha? Are both correct?

Both are correct, but they’re built differently:

1. tunafurahi

   • Root: -furahi = to be happy / rejoice.
   • tunafurahi = we are happy / we rejoice / we feel happy (verb).

2. tuna furaha

   • tuna = we have
   • furaha = happiness (noun)
   • tuna furaha = we have happiness / we are happy.

So:

• Tunapofanya kazi pamoja nyumbani, tunafurahi sana.
• Tunapofanya kazi pamoja nyumbani, tuna furaha sana.

Both are natural; the first uses a verb “to be happy”, the second uses “to have happiness.”

What does pamoja mean exactly, and how is it used here?

Pamoja means “together” or “in one group / united.”

In this sentence:

• kazi pamoja = work together.

You’ll see it in phrases like:

• Kwa pamoja – together, jointly
• Tuko pamoja – we are together / we are united / we’re on the same side.

Here, pamoja modifies the way the work is done: they are working together, not separately.

What does nyumbani mean, and why isn’t there a separate word for “at” or “in”?

Nyumbani comes from nyumba (house, home) plus a locative ending -ni.

• nyumba – house
• nyumbani – at home / in the house / to home (depending on context)

Swahili often builds the location into the noun with -ni, so you usually don’t need a separate “at/in/to” preposition:

• shuleni – at school (from shule, school)
• kanisani – at church (from kanisa, church)
• nyumbani – at home.

So nyumbani already means “at home”, without needing a separate preposition like “at.”

Is the word order kazi pamoja nyumbani fixed, or could we change it?

Swahili word order in such adverbial phrases is fairly flexible. All of these are possible:

• Tunapofanya kazi pamoja nyumbani, …
• Tunapofanya kazi nyumbani pamoja, …
• Tunapofanya kazi nyumbani kwa pamoja, …

The original order kazi pamoja nyumbani is very natural:
kazi (work) + pamoja (together) + nyumbani (at home).

You generally keep the verb + object close together (fanya kazi) and then add adverbs/locatives (like pamoja, nyumbani) after. Minor reordering usually doesn’t change the meaning, just style/emphasis.

Why is the subject prefix tu- repeated in both tunapofanya and tunafurahi? Could we omit it in the second verb?

In Swahili, each finite verb normally carries its own subject prefix, even when the subject is the same:

• Tunapofanya …, tunafurahi …
  (We when-we-work…, we are-happy…)

You cannot drop tu- in the second verb; something like:

• ✗ Tunapofanya kazi pamoja nyumbani, furahi sana.

is wrong, because furahi without a subject prefix sounds like an imperative (“Be happy!”). So you must repeat tu- on tunafurahi to show “we are happy.”

What tense or time reference does this sentence express? Is it present, habitual, or something else?

The main tense marker inside tunapofanya and tunafurahi is -na-, the present marker. With -na- plus -po- you typically get a general / habitual sense:

• Tunapofanya kazi pamoja nyumbani, tunafurahi sana.

This can mean:

• Whenever / when we work together at home, we are (very) happy.
• It describes a general, repeated situation, not just one specific moment.

In the right context, it can also include a near-future or typical behaviour feeling, but the default reading is present habitual.

Could sana be omitted, and what exactly does it contribute?

Sana means “very”, “a lot”, or “so much.”

• tunafurahi – we are happy
• tunafurahi sana – we are very happy / we’re so happy

If you omit it:

• Tunapofanya kazi pamoja nyumbani, tunafurahi.

It’s still correct; it just sounds less emphatic. Sana intensifies the emotion.

How would this sentence change if I wanted to say “When I work together at home, I am very happy” instead of “we”?

You only need to change the subject prefix from tu- (we) to ni- (I):

• Ninapofanya kazi pamoja nyumbani, ninafurahi sana.

Breakdown:

• ninapofanya = ni- (I) + -na- (present) + -po- (when) + fanya (do/work)
• ninafurahi = ni- (I) + -na- (present) + furahi (be happy)

So simply:

• tu- → ni- in both verbs.