Learn Hardcore Swahili: Mwalimu alisema tutakapomaliza mtihani, majibu yataonyeshwa ukutani kwa kila darasa. - The teacher said that when we finish the exam, the answers will be shown on the wall for each class.

In many grammars this is called a future relative form, used for things like when we finish, when you arrive, etc., referring to the future.

Why is it tutakapomaliza and not tukimaliza? Don’t they both mean when we finish?

Both forms are possible in Swahili, but they differ in time reference:

tukimaliza mtihani
- Uses the present/future subjunctive-like form.
- Often means when/if we finish the exam in a more general way (could be present or near future, or hypothetical).
tutakapomaliza mtihani
- Explicit future relative: when we (will) have finished the exam.
- Very clearly anchors the action in the future relative to the time of speaking (or, here, to the time of alisema).

In this sentence, the teacher is talking about a future moment after the exam, so tutakapomaliza is more precise.

Can you break down majibu yataonyeshwa word by word?

Yes:

majibu = answers, plural of jibu (answer). Noun class 5/6 (ji-/ma-).
ya- = subject prefix that agrees with class 6 (plural ma- nouns). So majibu takes ya- as its subject marker.
-ta- = future tense (will)
-onyesha = verb stem show (active)
-w- / -wa (here absorbed into the final -wa) = passive marker
Final -a = normal final vowel for a verb

Spelled together as yataonyeshwa, it means they will be shown, where they refers to majibu.

So majibu yataonyeshwa = the answers will be shown.

Why is the subject prefix in yataonyeshwa ya- instead of wa-, since majibu is plural?

Swahili does not mark subjects only by singular/plural; it uses noun classes.

jibu (answer) is class 5 (ji-/li-):
- singular agreements: li- (subject), lo-, etc.
majibu (answers) is class 6 (ma-):
- plural agreements: ya- (subject), yo-, etc.

So:

majibu yataonyeshwa (class 6 → ya-) = the answers will be shown
You would not use wa- here; wa- is for class 2 (people-plural, like walimu, wanafunzi, etc.).

What exactly does ukutani mean, and how is it different from ukuta?

ukuta = wall (plain noun, class 11/14 in many descriptions)
Adding -ni to many location nouns makes a locative form, meaning in/on/at that place.

So:

ukuta = wall
ukutani = on the wall / at the wall

In this sentence ukutani means on the wall, so majibu yataonyeshwa ukutani = the answers will be shown on the wall.

You could also say kwenye ukuta or katika ukuta, but ukutani is very natural and compact.

What does kwa kila darasa literally mean, and why is darasa singular after kila?

kwa is a very flexible preposition. Here it means for (as in for each class).
kila means every / each.
In Swahili, after kila the noun almost always remains singular, even though the meaning is plural overall.

So:

darasa = class (one class)
kila darasa = each class / every class
kwa kila darasa = for each class

Even though in English we think for each class involves many classes, Swahili keeps darasa in the singular after kila. You would not say kila madarasa.

Why is there no word for when like wakati or mara? How does tutakapomaliza express when?

Swahili very often builds when into the verb itself using relative markers like -po-, -ki-, -cho-, etc.

Here:

tutakapomaliza already contains the idea when we (will) finish.
You could say, more explicitly:
- Mwalimu alisema kwamba wakati tutakapomaliza mtihani, …
  but the extra wakati (time/when) is not necessary.

So the sentence is fully natural and complete with just tutakapomaliza and no separate word for when.

Why is it Mwalimu alisema tutakapomaliza… and not Mwalimu alisema kwamba tutakapomaliza…? Is kwamba missing?

kwamba (roughly that) is optional in many reported-speech constructions in Swahili.

Both are correct:

Mwalimu alisema tutakapomaliza mtihani, majibu yataonyeshwa…
Mwalimu alisema kwamba tutakapomaliza mtihani, majibu yataonyeshwa…

Native speakers often omit kwamba when the embedded clause is clear without it, especially in speech. Including it can sound a bit more formal or explicit, but it is not required here.

Why is the first verb in the future (tutakapomaliza) instead of a present form like tunapomaliza when English says when we finish?

English often uses a present form to refer to future time in clauses like when we finish, after you arrive, etc.

Swahili normally keeps the future sense explicit:

tunapomaliza = when we finish / whenever we finish (more general, not clearly tied to a particular future event)
tutakapomaliza = when we (will) finish / when we have finished (a specific moment in the future)

Because the teacher is talking about one particular exam in the future, tutakapomaliza fits better than tunapomaliza.

Why is mtihani singular here and not mitihani? Does it matter?

mtihani = exam/test (singular, class 3/4)
mitihani = exams/tests (plural)

In this sentence, the idea is when we finish the exam (one specific exam they are doing). So mtihani is appropriate.

If the context were whenever we finish exams, you might see mitihani, but that would change the meaning.

Could the sentence order be changed to start with Majibu yataonyeshwa… instead?

Yes, Swahili word order is fairly flexible. You could say:

Majibu yataonyeshwa ukutani kwa kila darasa tutakapomaliza mtihani.

This is grammatically correct, but it slightly shifts the emphasis:

Original: Mwalimu alisema [tutakapomaliza mtihani], [majibu yataonyeshwa…].
- Emphasis: the condition/time first (finishing the exam).
Reordered: Majibu yataonyeshwa… tutakapomaliza mtihani.
- Emphasis: the action of showing the answers first.

Both are acceptable; the original is very natural when focusing on after we finish the exam….

What is the function of the passive yataonyeshwa instead of an active form like wataonyesha majibu?

Using the passive focuses on what happens to the answers, not on who does the showing:

Majibu yataonyeshwa ukutani…
- The answers will be shown on the wall…
- Doer is irrelevant or obvious (the teacher, the school, etc.), so it is left unstated.

An active version would be:

Wataonyesha majibu ukutani kwa kila darasa.
- They will show the answers on the wall for each class.

The passive is very common in announcements and instructions in Swahili. It sounds neutral and formal, which fits a teacher’s statement.

Why is there a comma after mtihani in writing? Does it reflect a real pause in speech?

The comma marks the boundary between:

The time clause: tutakapomaliza mtihani (when we finish the exam), and
The main clause: majibu yataonyeshwa ukutani kwa kila darasa (the answers will be shown…).

In natural speech, you normally do make a small pause after mtihani. Swahili writing conventions often use a comma here, just like English does in When we finish the exam, the answers will be shown….

Could you give a quick word-by-word gloss of the whole sentence?

Sure, in a simplified way:

Mwalimu – teacher
alisema – said
tutakapomaliza – when-we-will-finish / when we finish (future)
mtihani – the exam
majibu – (the) answers
yataonyeshwa – they-will-be-shown
ukutani – on-the-wall
kwa – for
kila – each / every
darasa – class

Putting it together:

Mwalimu alisema [tutakapomaliza mtihani], [majibu yataonyeshwa ukutani kwa kila darasa].
= The teacher said that when we finish the exam, the answers will be shown on the wall for each class.