Maktaba iko mbali, lakini tutakwenda kwa miguu.

Because iko is the natural form for saying that something is in a place or is at some distance/location.

So:

• Maktaba iko mbali = The library is far away
• ni is more for identity or classification

Compare:

• Maktaba ni jengo = A library is a building
• Maktaba iko mjini = The library is in town
• Maktaba iko mbali = The library is far away

So in this sentence, iko is the better choice because the speaker is talking about the library's location/distance, not what it is.

The i- agrees with maktaba.

In Swahili, nouns belong to noun classes, and verbs often have to agree with the noun's class. Maktaba is normally treated as a class 9 singular noun, so the verb uses the class 9 subject marker i-.

That is why you get:

• Maktaba iko mbali = The library is far
• If it were plural, the agreement would usually change:
  • Maktaba ziko mbali = The libraries are far

A useful thing to remember is that some borrowed nouns like maktaba often look the same in singular and plural, but the agreement on the verb shows whether they are singular or plural.

Lakini means but or however.

It connects two ideas that contrast with each other:

• Maktaba iko mbali = the library is far away
• lakini tutakwenda kwa miguu = but we will go on foot

So the whole sentence has this structure:

• statement 1
• lakini
• contrasting statement 2

Its position is very similar to English but.

Tutakwenda can be broken down like this:

• tu- = we
• -ta- = future tense (will)
• (kw)enda = go

So tutakwenda means we will go.

This is a very common Swahili pattern:

• nita-... = I will ...
• uta-... = you will ...
• ata-... = he/she will ...
• tuta-... = we will ...

For example:

• Nitasoma = I will read
• Tutakwenda = We will go

Yes, both are used to mean we will go.

Many learners first meet tutaenda, which is very common in everyday Swahili. Tutakwenda is also acceptable and clearly understood.

So if you see either of these, the meaning is basically the same:

• Tutakwenda kwa miguu
• Tutaenda kwa miguu

Both mean We will go on foot.

Literally, kwa miguu means something like by feet/legs.

In natural English, the best translation is:

• on foot
• walking

The parts are:

• kwa = by, with, via, by means of
• miguu = feet/legs

So Swahili expresses the idea as by means of the feet, where English says on foot.

Because this expression normally uses the plural: kwa miguu.

The singular is:

• mguu = foot/leg

The plural is:

• miguu = feet/legs

When Swahili talks about walking, it usually uses the plural form, since the idea is movement using one's feet/legs in general. So:

• kwa miguu = on foot

Using kwa mguu would sound unusual unless you were talking about something very specific involving one foot.

Because Swahili does not usually use articles like a, an, and the.

So maktaba can mean:

• a library
• the library

The exact meaning depends on context.

In this sentence, English would normally say the library because both speaker and listener probably already know which library is being discussed. But Swahili does not need a separate word for the.

This is a very normal word order.

The sentence is arranged like this:

• Maktaba — subject
• iko mbali — predicate about its location/distance
• lakini — connector
• tutakwenda — verb
• kwa miguu — manner/means

So the structure is very natural:

• The library is far, but we will go on foot

You can sometimes move parts around for emphasis, especially in conversation, but the version here is straightforward and idiomatic.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

mahk-TAH-bah EE-koh m-BAH-lee, lah-KEE-nee too-tah-KWEN-dah kwah mee-GOO

A few helpful points:

• Swahili pronunciation is usually very regular.
• Vowels are generally pure:
  • a as in father
  • e as in bed but often a bit clearer
  • i as in machine
  • o as in go but without a strong glide
  • u as in flute
• mb in mbali is pronounced together, not separated.
• kw in kwenda and kwa is also pronounced together.

If you say each vowel clearly and keep a steady rhythm, you will already sound much closer to natural Swahili.