Ukipiga chafya mara nyingi darasani, tafadhali tumia kitambaa na ukae mbali kidogo na wengine.

Ukipiga chafya means if you sneeze.

A very literal breakdown is:

• uki- = if you
• -piga = hit/do
• chafya = a sneeze / sneezing

In Swahili, kupiga chafya is the normal expression for to sneeze, even though piga often means hit in other contexts. This is a common kind of verb-noun expression in Swahili, so it is best learned as a set phrase:

• kupiga chafya = to sneeze

Uki- is a very common Swahili conditional form meaning if you.

So:

• ukipiga chafya = if you sneeze
• ukila = if you eat
• ukifika = if you arrive

Here is the structure:

• u- = subject marker for you (singular)
• -ki- = conditional marker, often if/when
• verb stem = the action

So u-ki-piga literally means if you do/hit.

By itself, ukipiga chafya just means if you sneeze. The idea of repetition comes from mara nyingi, which means many times / often / frequently.

So the full phrase:

• ukipiga chafya mara nyingi = if you sneeze frequently

Without mara nyingi, it would simply be if you sneeze.

Mara nyingi means many times, often, or frequently.

• mara = time / occasion
• nyingi = many

So together:

• mara nyingi = many times

Examples:

• Ninaenda huko mara nyingi. = I go there often.
• Anachelewa mara nyingi. = He/She is often late.

The ending -ni is often a locative ending in Swahili. It can mean something like in, at, or to a place, depending on context.

So:

• darasa = class / classroom
• darasani = in class / in the classroom

Other examples:

• nyumbani = at home
• shuleni = at school
• mezani = on the table / at the table

So darasani tells you the location where the sneezing is happening.

No. Tafadhali is not a verb. It means please.

It is used to make a request more polite:

• tafadhali tumia kitambaa = please use a cloth/tissue
• tafadhali kaa hapa = please sit here

It can appear at the beginning of a sentence, which is very common, but it can also appear in other positions depending on style and emphasis.

Tumia is the singular imperative, meaning use!

So:

• tumia = use
• leta = bring
• kaa = sit/stay
• fungua = open

In this sentence, the speaker is giving an instruction directly to one person, so the imperative is natural.

You may also see forms like utumie, which can sound more like you should use or a subjunctive/polite instruction depending on context. But tumia is a straightforward command: use.

This is a very good question because it is a common pattern in Swahili.

• kaa = sit / stay (imperative)
• ukae = a subjunctive-style form, often used after na in connected instructions, especially after a conditional or another command

So:

• tumia kitambaa na ukae mbali kidogo na wengine

means something like:

• use a cloth/tissue and stay a little away from others

Using na ukae helps link the second action smoothly to the first. It can sound more natural and slightly more instructional than a plain sequence of bare imperatives.

A learner can think of it as:

• and then stay
• and also stay

Kitambaa literally means cloth. Depending on context, it can mean things like:

• a cloth
• a handkerchief
• a piece of fabric
• sometimes something used to cover the mouth or nose

In this sentence, the intended meaning is probably a cloth, handkerchief, or tissue-like covering used when sneezing.

If someone wanted to be very specific about tissue paper, they might use other wording, but kitambaa is perfectly understandable here as something you use to cover your sneeze.

This phrase means a little away from others or somewhat apart from others.

Breakdown:

• mbali = far / away
• kidogo = a little
• na = here it helps express the idea of from in relation to others
• wengine = others

So the whole phrase means:

• away from others
• more literally, a little far from others

It sounds natural in Swahili even though the English translation may need slight smoothing.

Yes, na very often means and or with, but in some expressions it can also help connect words in ways that English would translate differently.

In mbali na wengine, the meaning is away from others or apart from others.

So although na often means with, you should learn this phrase as a unit:

• mbali na = far from / away from

Examples:

• Anaishi mbali na shule. = He/She lives far from school.
• Kaa mbali na moto. = Stay away from the fire.

Wengine means others.

It comes from -engine, which refers to other or another, depending on agreement and context. Here it is used for people, so wengine means other people / the others.

Examples:

• watu wengine = other people
• wengine walikuja = others came

In this sentence, it refers to the other people in the classroom.

It is talking to one person.

You can tell from forms like:

• uki- = if you (singular)
• tumia = singular imperative
• ukae = singular you form

If you wanted to address more than one person, the sentence would change. For example, the plural forms would include things like:

• mkipiga chafya = if you all sneeze
• tumieni = use! (plural)
• mkae = stay! / you all stay

So the original sentence is clearly directed at one person.

Yes, that is a very natural English translation.

Because of mara nyingi, the sentence suggests repeated sneezing, so good English versions could include:

• If you sneeze frequently in class, please use a tissue/cloth and stay a little away from others.
• If you keep sneezing in class, please use a tissue/cloth and sit a little apart from others.

The exact English wording can vary, but the Swahili structure stays the same.

Yes. The politeness mainly comes from tafadhali (please).

The sentence gives instructions, but it does so politely:

• tafadhali softens the command
• the structure with na ukae also sounds orderly and instructional rather than abrupt

So it sounds like a polite classroom or public-health instruction, not a rude command.