Tusipokuwa na muda, hatutaenda sokoni.

There is no separate word for if here. In Swahili, the idea of if is often built into the verb itself.

In tusipokuwa:

• tu- = we
• -si- = negative
• -po- = conditional idea, like if/when
• kuwa = to be

So tusipokuwa na muda means something like if we are not with time, which naturally means if we do not have time.

A helpful breakdown is:

• tu- = we
• -si- = not
• -po- = conditional marker, giving the sense of if
• kuwa = to be

So:

• tusipokuwa = if we are not

Then Swahili adds na muda:

• na = with / have
• muda = time

Altogether:

• tusipokuwa na muda = if we do not have time

Swahili often expresses to have as to be with.

So:

• kuwa na = literally to be with
• but in normal English translation, it usually means to have

Examples:

• Nina pesa = I have money
• Tuna muda = We have time

So in this sentence, kuwa na muda is the normal way to say to have time.

Hatutaenda means we will not go.

It breaks down like this:

• ha- = negative marker
• tu- = we
• -ta- = future
• enda = go

So:

• hatutaenda = we will not go

This is the normal negative future pattern in Swahili.

Because the first clause is not a plain statement. It is a condition.

• hatutakuwa na muda = we will not have time
• tusipokuwa na muda = if we do not have time

So hatutakuwa na muda simply says what will happen. But tusipokuwa na muda sets up the condition for the main clause.

That is why Swahili uses the conditional form here instead of an ordinary future negative form.

The ending -ni is a very common locative ending in Swahili. It often gives a meaning like:

• in
• at
• to

So:

• soko = market
• sokoni = at/in/to the market

With a verb of motion like kwenda (to go), sokoni is understood as to the market.

It can mean either, depending on the verb and context.

The locative -ni does not always match just one English preposition.

For example:

• with kwenda (to go) → sokoni usually means to the market
• with kuwa (to be) → sokoni usually means at the market

So in hatutaenda sokoni, it means we will not go to the market.

Swahili normally does not use articles like English a, an, or the.

So:

• muda can mean time or the time, depending on context
• soko can mean market or the market
• sokoni can mean at/to the market

English requires articles much more often than Swahili does, so when translating, you often add them naturally in English even though they are not separate words in Swahili.

Yes, that is also possible.

• Kama hatuna muda, hatutaenda sokoni = If we don’t have time, we won’t go to the market

This version uses kama as a separate word meaning if.

The original sentence, Tusipokuwa na muda, hatutaenda sokoni, is a more verb-based way of expressing the condition.

Both are understandable, but the original sentence is a very natural example of how Swahili often builds conditional meaning directly into the verb.

Yes.

You can say:

• Tusipokuwa na muda, hatutaenda sokoni.
• Hatutaenda sokoni tusipokuwa na muda.

Both are possible.

When the conditional clause comes first, a comma is commonly used in writing, just as in English. When it comes second, the comma is often not needed.

A natural positive version would be:

• Tukiwa na muda, tutaenda sokoni.

This means If we have time, we will go to the market.

Compare the two:

• Tukiwa na muda = if we have time
• Tusipokuwa na muda = if we do not have time

And:

• tutaenda = we will go
• hatutaenda = we will not go

This is a very useful pair for learning how Swahili handles both conditionals and negation.