Learn Hardcore Swahili: Sisi tunapumzika kwetu baada ya kazi.

Tunapumzika kwetu baada ya kazi. = We rest at our place after work.
Sisi tunapumzika kwetu baada ya kazi. = We (as opposed to others) rest at our place after work.

Adding sisi gives emphasis or contrast, like saying “We, for our part, rest at our place after work.”
Without a context that needs emphasis, many speakers would just say:

Tunapumzika kwetu baada ya kazi.

What exactly is inside the verb tunapumzika? How is it built?

Tunapumzika is made of several parts:

tu- = subject prefix for “we”
-na- = present tense marker (present progressive / general present)
-pumzika = verb root “to rest”

So:

tunapumzika = tu- (we) + -na- (present) + pumzika (rest)
= we are resting / we rest

The infinitive form of the verb is:

kupumzika = ku- (infinitive marker) + pumzika (rest)
= to rest

Does tunapumzika mean “we rest” or “we are resting”? Which one is correct?

Both translations are possible, depending on context.

The -na- tense usually covers:

Present progressive:
- Sasa tunapumzika kwetu.
  = We are resting at our place now.
General present / habitual action:
- Kila siku tunapumzika kwetu baada ya kazi.
  = Every day we rest at our place after work.

English separates these into “we rest” vs “we are resting”, but Swahili -na- can cover both. Context (words like sasa, kila siku, leo, etc.) shows which meaning is intended.

What does kwetu literally mean? Is it just “at home”?

Kwetu is a locative possessive pronoun:

ku- = locative prefix (“at/to/in” a place)
-etu = “our”

So kwetu literally means “at our place” / “to our place.”

In practice, it very often means:

our home
where we live
sometimes more broadly our area / our region / our country, depending on context.

In this sentence, tunapumzika kwetu naturally reads as “we rest at our place / at home.”

What’s the difference between kwetu and nyumbani kwetu?

Both are common, but there’s a nuance:

kwetu = at our place / at home (ours)
nyumbani kwetu = at our home/house (explicit “home” word)

Examples:

Tunapumzika kwetu baada ya kazi.
We rest at our place / at home after work.
Tunapumzika nyumbani kwetu baada ya kazi.
We rest at our home/house after work.

Often, kwetu alone is enough and sounds very natural. Nyumbani kwetu is just a bit more explicit about the idea of “home/house.”

If kwetu means “our place,” how do I say “at my place” or “at your place”?

You change the possessive ending:

kwangu = at my place
kwako = at your place (singular)
kwake = at his/her place
kwetu = at our place
kwenu = at your place (plural “you”)
kwao = at their place

So:

Mimi napumzika kwangu baada ya kazi.
I rest at my place after work.
Wao wanapumzika kwao baada ya kazi.
They rest at their place after work.

Could I leave out kwetu and just say Sisi tunapumzika baada ya kazi?

Yes, that is grammatically correct, but the meaning changes slightly.

Sisi tunapumzika baada ya kazi.
We rest after work. (No information about where.)
Sisi tunapumzika kwetu baada ya kazi.
We rest at our place after work.

So kwetu adds the location. Without it, you’re only saying what you do after work, not where you do it.

Why do we say baada ya kazi and not just baada kazi?

In Swahili, the word baada (“after”) normally takes ya before a noun:

baada ya kazi = after work
baada ya chakula = after food / after the meal
baada ya shule = after school

So the pattern is:

baada + ya + [noun]

If you follow baada ya with a verb, you use the infinitive form:

baada ya kufanya kazi = after working / after doing work
baada ya kula = after eating

So baada ya kazi is the standard, correct structure.

Can I change the word order and say Baada ya kazi, sisi tunapumzika kwetu?

Yes, that is perfectly correct and natural.

Both orders work:

Sisi tunapumzika kwetu baada ya kazi.
Baada ya kazi, sisi tunapumzika kwetu.

Moving baada ya kazi to the front puts extra emphasis on the time (“After work, we rest at our place”). The core grammar doesn’t change; Swahili word order is fairly flexible for adverbs like baada ya kazi.

Could I say Tunapumzika baada ya kazi kwetu instead of kwetu baada ya kazi?

You could say Tunapumzika baada ya kazi kwetu, and people will usually understand, but it’s less natural in this case.

More natural options:

Tunapumzika kwetu baada ya kazi.
Baada ya kazi tunapumzika kwetu.

Placing kwetu right after the verb (or near it) feels more idiomatic. Putting kwetu at the very end after baada ya kazi can sound a bit awkward in everyday speech, though it’s not strictly “wrong.”

Can I drop the tu- and just say napumzika kwetu baada ya kazi for “we rest at our place after work”?

No. In Swahili you must have a subject prefix on the verb, except in certain imperatives and a few special cases.

tunapumzika = tu- (we) + -na- (present) + pumzika
napumzika = ni- reduced to na-, meaning “I am resting” in many dialects/contexts.

So:

Napumzika kwetu baada ya kazi.
would usually be understood as: I rest at our place after work.

To say “we rest”, you need tunapumzika.

What is the infinitive form of tunapumzika, and how would I use it with baada ya?

The infinitive form is:

kupumzika = to rest

With baada ya + verb, you use the infinitive:

Baada ya kupumzika kwetu, tunarudi kazini.
After resting at our place, we go back to work.

Compare:

Baada ya kazi, tunapumzika kwetu.
After work, we rest at our place. (noun after baada ya)
Baada ya kupumzika kwetu, tunarudi nyumbani.
After resting at our place, we return home. (verb after baada ya)