Learn Hardcore Swahili: Kama angekuwa mgonjwa, daktari angemshauri apumzike nyumbani. - If he/she were sick, the doctor would advise him/her to rest at home.

In conditional sentences, Swahili often uses kama at the beginning of the if‑clause, but it is not strictly required. Your sentence could also be:

Angekuwa mgonjwa, daktari angemshauri apumzike nyumbani.

The meaning remains “If he/she were sick …”.
Using kama makes the condition explicit and is very common and clear, but in many everyday sentences speakers simply start with the ange- form without kama.

How is the verb angekuwa built, and what exactly does it mean?

Angekuwa can be broken down like this:

a- = 3rd person singular subject prefix (he/she)
-nge- = conditional marker (often translated as would or were in “if”-clauses)
-kuwa = verb kuwa (to be)

So angekuwa literally is he/she-would-be.

In context:
Kama angekuwa mgonjwa = If he/she were sick (unreal or hypothetical situation).

Why is it angekuwa mgonjwa and not just angekuwa without mgonjwa?

Angekuwa by itself only means he/she would be.
You need a complement to say what he/she would be.

mgonjwa = sick / a sick person / a patient

So:

Angekuwa mgonjwa = He/She would be sick.
Without mgonjwa, the idea is incomplete: He/She would be… (what?)

In Swahili, adjectives like mgonjwa can also function as nouns (a sick person), but here it plays the role of describing the state: to be sick.

What is the difference between angekuwa mgonjwa and alikuwa mgonjwa?

Angekuwa mgonjwa
- a- (he/she) + -nge- (conditional) + kuwa (be)
- Meaning: if he/she were sick, would be sick (hypothetical, not assumed real).
Alikuwa mgonjwa
- a- (he/she) + -li- (past) + kuwa (be)
- Meaning: he/she was sick (plain past fact).

So:

Kama angekuwa mgonjwa... = If he/she were sick… (but we don’t assume that is true).
Kama alikuwa mgonjwa... = If he/she was sick… (e.g. we’re unsure about a past event, not a hypothetical condition).

What does daktari angemshauri mean, and how is angemshauri formed?

Daktari angemshauri means the doctor would advise him/her.

Breakdown of angemshauri:

a- = he/she (subject: the doctor)
-nge- = conditional marker (would)
-m- = object marker (him/her)
-shauri = verb root from kushauri (to advise)

So:
a-nge-m-shauri → angemshauri = he/she would advise him/her.

Putting it together:

daktari angemshauri = the doctor would advise him/her.

Who does the -m- in angemshauri refer to?

The -m- is the object marker for a single person (3rd person singular), meaning him or her.

In this sentence, it refers back to the person who might be sick:

Kama angekuwa mgonjwa, daktari angemshauri...
= If *he/she were sick, the doctor would advise him/her*.

Swahili does not mark gender here; -m- is neutral: him/her.

Why is it angemshauri apumzike and not angemshauri kupumzika?

Both are possible, but they have slightly different feel:

angemshauri apumzike nyumbani
- apumzike is a finite verb in the subjunctive.
- Literally: he/she would advise him/her (that he/she) rest at home.
- This is the most natural after verbs of advising, asking, wanting, etc.
angemshauri kupumzika nyumbani
- kupumzika is the infinitive (“to rest”).
- Literally: he/she would advise him/her to rest at home.
- Also understandable and used, but with a slightly more “neutral”/infinitive flavor.

Swahili very commonly uses the subjunctive (apumzike) after verbs like kushauri, kutaka, kuuambia to express what someone should/ought to do.

How is apumzike formed, and what does the form tell us?

Apumzike comes from pumzika = to rest.

Breakdown:

a- = 3rd person singular subject prefix (he/she)
pumzik- = verb root
-e = subjunctive final vowel (instead of -a)

So apumzike is the subjunctive form: (that) he/she rest.

It is used here because mshauri (advise) introduces what the doctor wants/recommends, not a simple fact. So:

angemshauri apumzike = he/she would advise him/her to rest / would advise that he/she rest.

Why is it nyumbani and not just nyumba?

nyumba = house (plain noun)
nyumbani = at home / in the house

The -ni ending often marks a location. With nyumba, nyumbani is a very common, almost lexicalized form meaning at home, not just any house.

So:

apumzike nyumbani = (that) he/she rest at home
apumzike nyumba would be ungrammatical; you need the locative element (nyumbani, nyumbani kwake, etc.) to express the place.

Could we say apumzike nyumbani kwake instead of just nyumbani?

Yes.

nyumbani = at home (often understood as their own home from context)
nyumbani kwake = at his/her home (explicitly “his/her place”)

So:

daktari angemshauri apumzike nyumbani kwake
= the doctor would advise him/her to rest at his/her home.

Both are grammatically correct; nyumbani alone is usually enough when the owner is obvious from context.

Is the word order fixed? Could I put the if‑clause second, like in English?

You can put the clauses in either order. Both are correct:

Kama angekuwa mgonjwa, daktari angemshauri apumzike nyumbani.
= If he/she were sick, the doctor would advise him/her to rest at home.
Daktari angemshauri apumzike nyumbani kama angekuwa mgonjwa.
= The doctor would advise him/her to rest at home if he/she were sick.

The meaning and grammar stay the same; only emphasis and flow change slightly, just as in English.

What type of conditional is this in Swahili, and how does it compare to English conditionals?

This is a hypothetical / unreal conditional (often called the “second conditional” in English).

Structure:

If‑clause: Kama angekuwa mgonjwa
- angekuwa (conditional: would be / were)
Main clause: daktari angemshauri apumzike nyumbani
- angemshauri (conditional: would advise)
- apumzike (subjunctive: that he/she rest)

Comparable to English:

If he/she were sick, the doctor would advise him/her to rest at home.

Swahili shows this “unreal” meaning mainly through -nge- in both clauses (angekuwa, angemshauri), instead of using past tense as English does in the if‑clause.

Can kama mean anything other than “if”?

Yes. Besides “if”, kama can also mean:

“like / as”:
- Anaimba kama mwimbaji maarufu.
  = He/She sings like a famous singer.
In phrases like kama vile or kama kwamba (as if, as though).

In your sentence, context makes it clearly conditional:

Kama angekuwa mgonjwa… = If he/she were sick…