Tukipita sokoni, tutanunua matunda.

we

Breakdown of Tukipita sokoni, tutanunua matunda.

• soko: the market
• kununua: to buy
• tunda: the fruit

Questions & Answers about Tukipita sokoni, tutanunua matunda.

What does tukipita mean, and how is it built?

Tukipita can be broken into three parts:

• tu- = we
• -ki- = a marker often used for if or when
• pita = pass, go past, or go by

So tukipita literally means something like if we pass or when we pass by.

In this sentence, it introduces the condition or situation for what happens next.

Does -ki- mean if or when?

It can mean either, depending on context.

In many Swahili sentences, -ki- expresses a general conditional or time relationship that English might translate as:

• if
• when
• whenever
• as

So Tukipita sokoni could be understood as:

• If we pass by the market
• When we pass by the market

English forces you to choose one, but Swahili is often a little broader here.

Why is tutanunua translated as we will buy?