Leo jioni, tutaangalia mchezo wa mpira wa kikapu nyumbani.

This evening, we will watch a basketball game at home.

Breakdown of Leo jioni, tutaangalia mchezo wa mpira wa kikapu nyumbani.

• sisi: we
• nyumbani: at home
• kuangalia: to watch
• leo jioni: this evening
• mchezo wa mpira wa kikapu: the basketball game

Questions & Answers about Leo jioni, tutaangalia mchezo wa mpira wa kikapu nyumbani.

Why does the sentence start with Leo jioni? Could I also put the time at the end?

In Swahili it is very common (and natural) to put the time expression at the beginning of the sentence:

• Leo jioni, tutaangalia … = This evening, we will watch …

You can move the time expression:

• Tutaangalia mchezo wa mpira wa kikapu nyumbani leo jioni.
• Tutaangalia mchezo wa mpira wa kikapu leo jioni nyumbani.

These are still correct, but the most typical order in everyday speech is:

Time → (Subject) → Verb → Object → Place

So Leo jioni at the start feels very natural and neutral in Swahili. Putting it later is possible but can sound a bit heavier or more emphatic, depending on context.

What is the difference between leo jioni and jioni ya leo? Are both correct?

Both are correct, but they feel slightly different:

• leo jioni

  • Literally: today evening
  • Very common, casual, and natural.
  • Direct equivalent of this evening.

• jioni ya leo

  • Literally: the evening of today.
  • Sounds a bit more formal, explicit, or literary.
  • You might see it in announcements, news, speeches, or writing.

In everyday conversation, learners will get the most mileage from leo jioni.

How is the verb tutaangalia formed, and how does the future tense work here?

tutaangalia breaks down like this:

• tu- = we (subject prefix for we)
• -ta- = future tense marker
• -angalia = verb stem meaning look at / watch

So:

tutaangalia = we – future – watch → we will watch

Other persons follow the same pattern:

• nitaangalia = I will watch (ni-
  • -ta-
    • -angalia)
• utaangalia = you (sing.) will watch
• ataangalia = he/she will watch
• tutaangalia = we will watch
• mtaangalia = you (pl.) will watch
• wataangalia = they will watch

So the future tense in Swahili is very regular: subject prefix + ta + verb stem.

Why is there no separate word for we in the sentence? Where is we?

The we is built into the verb as the subject prefix tu- in tutaangalia.

• tu- = we
• tutaangalia = we will watch

Swahili usually does not need a separate pronoun like sisi (we). The verb already tells you who the subject is.

You only add sisi for emphasis or contrast:

• Sisi tutaangalia mchezo wa mpira wa kikapu nyumbani.
  → We (as opposed to others) will watch the basketball game at home.

In the neutral sentence, tutaangalia alone is enough.

What is the literal meaning of mchezo wa mpira wa kikapu? Why are there two wa?

Breakdown:

• mchezo = game / match / play
• wa = of (associative/possessive marker)
• mpira = ball / ball game / sport
• wa = of
• kikapu = basket

So literally:

mchezo wa mpira wa kikapu
= game of ball of basket
≈ a game of the sport called basketball → a basketball game

About the two wa:

• The first wa links mchezo (game) to mpira (ball/sport):
  mchezo wa mpira = a ball game / ball sport.
• The second wa links mpira (ball/sport) to kikapu (basket):
  mpira wa kikapu = the sport of basket-ball.

Swahili builds these long X of Y of Z chains using repeated wa (or other class-appropriate connectors).

Why do we say mchezo wa mpira wa kikapu instead of just mpira wa kikapu?

Both expressions are used, but they are not identical:

• mpira wa kikapu

  • Literally: basket-ball
  • Refers to the sport of basketball in general.

• mchezo wa mpira wa kikapu

  • Literally: game of the sport of basketball
  • Refers to a specific game / match of basketball.

So in English terms:

• mpira wa kikapu ≈ basketball (as a sport)
• mchezo wa mpira wa kikapu ≈ a basketball game / match

In your sentence, mchezo wa mpira wa kikapu fits well because you are watching a particular game. In casual speech, many people might simply say:

• Leo jioni, tutaangalia mpira wa kikapu nyumbani.

The meaning will still be understood as watch a basketball game.

What noun classes are involved in mchezo, mpira, and kikapu, and is that why we use wa?

Yes, the choice of wa is driven by noun classes. Rough outline:

• mchezo (game) → noun class 3 (singular), plural michezo (class 4)
• mpira (ball/sport) → noun class 3, plural mipira (class 4)
• kikapu (basket) → noun class 7, plural vikapu (class 8)

The of connector (associative) agrees with the first noun in each link:

• Class 3/4 uses wa for of:
  • mchezo wa mpira (game of ball)
  • mpira wa kikapu (ball/sport of basket)

If the head noun were class 7 instead, you would not use wa; you’d use cha (for singular class 7):

• kikapu cha matunda = basket of fruit

In your example, both mchezo and mpira are class 3 nouns, so they both take wa when linking.

What is the difference between nyumbani and nyumba? Why do we use nyumbani here?

• nyumba = house (just the noun itself)
• nyumbani = at home / at the house / home (locative form)

nyumbani is formed by adding -ni to nyumba, marking location:

• nyumbani can mean:
  • at home (location)
  • home (as a destination, depending on context)

In your sentence:

• nyumbani = at home / at the house (where we live)

If you said … mchezo wa mpira wa kikapu nyumba, it would sound wrong or incomplete, because the locative -ni is missing. You need nyumbani to express the idea of at home.

Can nyumbani go in a different place in the sentence, or must it come at the end?

You have some flexibility. All of these are grammatically correct:

• Leo jioni, tutaangalia mchezo wa mpira wa kikapu nyumbani.
• Leo jioni, tutaangalia nyumbani mchezo wa mpira wa kikapu. (less common)
• Leo jioni, nyumbani tutaangalia mchezo wa mpira wa kikapu.

Typical, neutral word order is to put place after the object, as in your original sentence. Moving nyumbani to the front:

• Leo jioni, nyumbani tutaangalia mchezo wa mpira wa kikapu.

adds emphasis to at home, as if contrasting it with other possible locations.

Could this sentence use kuona instead of kuangalia? What is the difference between tutaona and tutaangalia here?

Both verbs can appear in similar contexts, but they are not identical:

• kuona = to see
  
  • More passive: your eyes receive an image.
• kuangalia = to look at / watch
  
  • More active: you deliberately pay attention with your eyes.

In your sentence, tutaangalia is more natural:

• tutaangalia mchezo wa mpira wa kikapu
  = we will watch a basketball game (planned, intentional watching)

If you say:

• tutaona mchezo wa mpira wa kikapu
  = we will see a basketball game

it is still understood, but it can sound a bit less specific: you will encounter or see a game (maybe by chance, maybe not actively watching). For TV or live sports you choose to follow, kuangalia is usually the better verb.

Is the comma after Leo jioni necessary in Swahili?

It is not strictly required for grammatical correctness, but it is often used in writing to:

• visually separate the time expression (Leo jioni)
• make the sentence easier to read

You will see both:

• Leo jioni tutaangalia mchezo…
• Leo jioni, tutaangalia mchezo…

Spoken Swahili does not care about the comma; it just reflects a natural pause that many speakers would make after the time phrase.