Learn Hardcore Swahili: Moyo unapopiga haraka, pumua polepole ili utulie. - When your heart is beating fast, breathe slowly so that it calms down.

courage/bravery – e.g. kuwa na moyo = to have courage
inner feelings / “heart” in a figurative sense – e.g. moyo wangu unauma = my heart hurts (emotionally)

So context tells you whether it’s physical or emotional. In Moyo unapopiga haraka, it’s clearly the physical heart beating fast.

How is unapopiga built, and what exactly does it mean?

Unapopiga is made of several parts stuck together:

u- = subject prefix for class 3 nouns (like moyo)
-na- = present tense marker (continuous / current)
-po- = relative marker for when / at the time that (location in time or place)
piga = verb root piga = to beat, to hit

So moyo unapopiga by itself would be the heart is beating.
With -po- in unapopiga, it becomes more like when the heart is beating (fast) or when your heart beats fast.

Literally: moyo u-na-po-piga haraka = when the heart is beating fast.

Why is it unapopiga and not something like una piga with a space?

In Swahili, subject prefixes, tense markers, and many relative markers attach directly to the verb; they are not written as separate words.

So we don’t write:

✗ u na po piga
We do write:
✓ unapopiga

Everything before the root (piga) stays glued to it as one verb word. That’s the normal spelling rule.

What is the difference between unapopiga and ukipiga? Both can mean “when it beats,” right?

Yes, both can often be translated as when it beats, but they have a slightly different feel:

unapopiga
- Built from u-na-po-piga
- Has a sense of at the time when it is beating (more neutral / descriptive)
- Often sounds a bit more formal or “textbook” and can suggest a real, likely, or general situation.
ukipiga
- Built from u-ki-piga
- -ki- often has a when/if/whenever meaning
- More common in everyday speech, can sound a bit more conditional: if/when it beats.

In this sentence, you could also say:

Moyo ukipiga haraka, pumua polepole ili utulie.

That would still be natural and mean almost the same thing.

What does haraka mean here? Is it an adverb like “quickly”?

Haraka literally means speed or hurry.

In Swahili, many words are used both as nouns and as adverbs without any change. So haraka here functions like quickly / fast:

Moyo unapopiga haraka = The heart is beating fast.

Some patterns with haraka:

haraka = fast / quickly / in a hurry
haraka sana = very fast
Kwa haraka = quickly (more literally with speed)

So yes, you can think of it here as an adverb “fast / quickly.”

What is pumua exactly? Is that an imperative form?

Yes. Pumua is the imperative form of the verb kupumua = to breathe.

(wewe) pumua = breathe! (telling one person)

In positive commands to you (singular), Swahili usually just uses the bare verb stem:

kaa – sit!
simama – stand!
andika – write!
pumua – breathe!

So pumua polepole = breathe slowly.

Why isn’t there a word for “you” in pumua polepole? How do we know it means “you breathe slowly”?

In Swahili, an imperative directed at one person normally does not use an explicit “you” pronoun. The subject “you” is understood from the context and from the verb form.

So:

Pumua polepole = (You) breathe slowly.
Sikiliza kwa makini = (You) listen carefully.

If you want to be very explicit or address someone politely/plurally, you might see forms like mpumue, but for a simple direct command to one person, pumua alone is standard.

What does polepole mean, and do I need to change its form to agree with anything?

Polepole means slowly or gently.

It does not change form for gender, number, or noun class.
It’s used as an adverb-like word:

Examples:

Endesha polepole. = Drive slowly.
Tembea polepole. = Walk slowly.
Pumua polepole. = Breathe slowly.

So you never have to make it agree with moyo, wewe, etc. Polepole just stays polepole.

What does ili do in this sentence?

Ili introduces a purpose or result clause: so that / in order that.

So in:

pumua polepole ili utulie

we have:

pumua polepole = breathe slowly
ili = so that / in order that
utulie = you may calm down

Together: breathe slowly so that you (can) calm down.

Ili is very commonly used to introduce in order to / so that clauses.

Why is it utulie and not utulia or unatulia? What form is utulie?

Utulie is the subjunctive form of kutulia = to calm down / to settle / to become quiet.

For wewe (you singular), the subjunctive is built like:

u- (you) + verb root ending in -e

So:

utulie – that you calm down / may calm down
uende – that you go / may go
unywe – that you drink / may drink

The subjunctive is used after ili to show purpose or desired result:

Pumua polepole ili utulie. = Breathe slowly so that you may calm down.

If you said unatulia, that would be ordinary present tense:

Unatulia = you are calming down / you calm down (as a statement, not a purpose).

Could the sentence say Moyo wako unapopiga haraka instead? Do we need wako for “your heart”?

Yes, you can say:

Moyo wako unapopiga haraka, pumua polepole ili utulie.
= When your heart beats fast, breathe slowly so that you calm down.

That makes the possession explicit: your heart.

Without wako, moyo can be understood in a more general way:

When the heart beats fast... (describing a general situation, or it can still be understood as “your heart” from context).

Both versions are possible; adding wako just makes it clearly personal.

Could I also say Pumua polepole ili moyo utulie? Does that sound natural?

Yes, that is grammatically fine and natural, but it slightly shifts the focus:

Pumua polepole ili utulie.
- Focus: you calm down.
Pumua polepole ili moyo utulie.
- Focus: the heart calms down.

The original emphasizes your overall calming down (mentally and physically). The alternative emphasizes the heart itself calming down, which is also logical in this context. Both would be understood.

Is the comma necessary between Moyo unapopiga haraka and pumua polepole? How does punctuation work here?

The comma is stylistically helpful but not strictly grammatical in the Swahili sense. It separates:

The when-clause (condition / situation):
- Moyo unapopiga haraka – when the heart beats fast
The main instruction:
- pumua polepole ili utulie – breathe slowly so that you calm down

You will often see a comma in such “When X, do Y” structures in written Swahili, just like in English. Without it, it is still understandable, but the comma improves readability:

Moyo unapopiga haraka, pumua polepole ili utulie. ✔️
Moyo unapopiga haraka pumua polepole ili utulie. (less clear visually)