Learn Hardcore Swahili: Ni muhimu mechi hii kuchezwa uwanjani mchana. - It is important for this match to be played on the field in the afternoon.

Swahili often does not use a separate subject like English “it” in impersonal sentences. Instead of saying “It is important that …”, Swahili just says Ni muhimu … and then continues with the thing that is important.

So:

Ni muhimu mechi hii kuchezwa…
≈ It is important (for) this match to be played…

The “it” is simply understood from the structure and is not represented by a word.

Why is mechi hii placed right after ni muhimu, instead of at the end like “to play this match”?

In Swahili, it is common to put the topic or focus of the sentence early, after phrases like Ni muhimu…, Ni lazima…, Ni vizuri…, etc.

mechi hii = this match
Word order: Ni muhimu mechi hii kuchezwa…
Literally: “Is important this match to-be-played…”

This structure is natural in Swahili:

Ni muhimu mechi hii kuchezwa… = It is important for this match to be played…

Placing mechi hii earlier makes it clear what exactly is important. Putting it at the end would sound odd or confusing in Swahili.

What exactly is kuchezwa? Is it an infinitive or a passive form or both?

kuchezwa is both:

An infinitive: the ku- at the beginning marks the infinitive, like “to play / to be played”.
A passive form: the -w- (here merged in -zwa) is the passive marker.

Breakdown:

Root: chez- = play
Passive: chez → chez
- w → chezwa = be played
Infinitive: ku-chezwa = to be played

So kuchezwa = “to be played” (passive infinitive).

Why is kuchezwa (passive) used instead of an active form like kucheza (“to play”)?

The focus of the sentence is on what happens to the match, not on who plays it.

kucheza mechi = to play a match (active)
kuchezwa (mechi) = for (the match) to be played (passive)

In English too, we say:

It is important *for this match to be played in the stadium…*

We do not normally say “It is important this match play in the stadium…”.

Swahili uses the passive kuchezwa in exactly this way: to say that the event of the match being played is important, without specifying the players.

Could we also say Ni muhimu mechi hii ichezwe uwanjani mchana? If yes, what is the difference from kuchezwa?

Yes, Ni muhimu mechi hii ichezwe uwanjani mchana is also correct.

kuchezwa = passive infinitive (to be played)
ichezwe = passive subjunctive form of kucheza (that it be played)

Nuance:

Ni muhimu mechi hii kuchezwa…
Sounds more like “It is important for this match to be played…” (using an infinitive structure).
Ni muhimu mechi hii ichezwe…
Sounds more like “It is important that this match be played…” (a subordinate clause with a finite verb).

In practice, this difference is subtle; both are natural and commonly used.

What does uwanjani mean exactly, and how is it formed?

uwanjani means “in/on the field” or “at the stadium/field”.

It comes from:

uwanja = field, sports ground, pitch, stadium
-ni = locative suffix meaning in / at / on

So:

uwanja → uwanjani
= in/at the field / in the stadium

The -ni ending is a very common way in Swahili to indicate location.

Why is it uwanjani and not katika uwanja? Are both possible?

Both are possible but slightly different in style:

uwanjani = a single word using the locative suffix -ni
- Common, compact, and very natural in everyday Swahili.
katika uwanja = in the field with the preposition katika
- Slightly more formal or explicit; also correct.

So you could say:

Ni muhimu mechi hii kuchezwa uwanjani mchana.
Ni muhimu mechi hii kuchezwa katika uwanja mchana.

The first is more typical; the meaning is essentially the same.

What does mchana mean here? Is it “day”, “daytime”, or “afternoon”?

mchana can mean several related things depending on context:

daytime in general (as opposed to usiku = night)
often more specifically afternoon / mid‑day hours (roughly 10:00–16:00 in everyday speech)

In this sentence:

uwanajani mchana
= in the stadium during the day / in the daytime / in the afternoon

A natural English translation might choose “in the afternoon” or “during the day”, depending on context.

Is mechi a Swahili word or a borrowing from English, and how does its plural work?

mechi is a borrowing from English “match” (sports match).

In Swahili:

Singular: mechi = match
Plural: mechi = matches

So the form does not change between singular and plural; you know the number from context or from agreement elsewhere (e.g. mechi hii vs mechi hizi).

Examples:

mechi hii = this match (singular)
mechi hizi = these matches (plural)

Why is it mechi hii and not hii mechi? Can the demonstrative come before the noun?

The normal, neutral order in Swahili is:

Noun + Demonstrative
e.g. mechi hii = this match

Putting the demonstrative before the noun (e.g. hii mechi) is non‑standard and generally incorrect in standard Swahili.

So:

✅ mechi hii
❌ hii mechi (unnatural/wrong in standard usage)

The post‑noun demonstrative is a core pattern in Swahili grammar.

Why is there no word for “for” as in “It is important for this match to be played…”?

English uses the preposition “for” in structures like:

It is important *for this match to be played…*

In Swahili, this relationship is usually expressed by word order and infinitive use, not by a direct equivalent of “for”.

So:

Ni muhimu mechi hii kuchezwa…
literally: Is important this match to‑be‑played…
= It is important for this match to be played…

There is no need for a separate word meaning “for”; the connection is understood from the structure [Ni muhimu] [mechi hii] [kuchezwa …].

Could we add kwamba to make it more like “that this match be played…”? For example, Ni muhimu kwamba mechi hii ichezwe uwanjani mchana?

Yes, that is grammatically correct and natural:

Ni muhimu kwamba mechi hii ichezwe uwanjani mchana.
= It is important that this match be played in the stadium during the day.

Here:

kwamba = that (introducing a subordinate clause)

Difference:

Ni muhimu mechi hii kuchezwa…
Uses an infinitive structure; somewhat simpler and very common.
Ni muhimu kwamba mechi hii ichezwe…
Uses a full clause with kwamba and a subjunctive verb; a bit more explicit/formal.

Both mean essentially the same thing in most contexts.

If I wanted to say “It is important that we play this match in the stadium during the day”, how would I change the sentence?

You would switch from a passive to an active form and include “we” in the verb:

Ni muhimu tucheze mechi hii uwanjani mchana.

Breakdown:

Ni muhimu = It is important
tucheze = that we play (subjunctive of kucheza with subject tu- = we)
mechi hii = this match
uwanjani = in the field/stadium
mchana = during the day / in the afternoon

So you’ve moved from “for the match to be played” (passive) to “that we play the match” (active).