Tukipita sokoni, tutanunua matunda.

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.

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.

Tutanunua breaks down like this:

• tu- = we
• -ta- = future tense marker
• nunua = buy

So tutanunua literally means we will buy.

This is a very common Swahili pattern:

• ni-ta-nunua = I will buy
• u-ta-nunua = you will buy
• tu-ta-nunua = we will buy

Soko means market.

When you add -ni, it becomes a locative form:

• soko = market
• sokoni = at the market, in the market, or sometimes to the market, depending on context

So in Tukipita sokoni, sokoni means something like by the market or at the market.

This -ni ending is very common with places:

• nyumbani = at home
• shuleni = at school
• dukani = at the shop/store

In Swahili, kupita already carries the idea of passing or going past, and the location can simply follow it.

So:

• kupita sokoni = to pass by the market / to go through the market area

Swahili often does not need an extra preposition where English does.

Because each verb usually shows its own subject.

So:

• tukipita = we pass / if we pass
• tutanunua = we will buy

Unlike English, where you can often mention the subject once and then rely on word order, Swahili normally marks the subject directly on each verb.

Swahili does not need a separate word for then here.

The relationship is already clear from the grammar:

• first clause: Tukipita sokoni = if/when we pass by the market
• second clause: tutanunua matunda = we will buy fruit

The combination of the -ki- form in the first clause and the future tense in the second clause naturally gives the meaning if/when this happens, we will do that.

Yes, Swahili can often change the order of clauses.

For example, you may also hear:

• Tutanunua matunda tukipita sokoni.

This still means essentially the same thing. The version with the conditional clause first, Tukipita sokoni, tutanunua matunda, is very natural because it sets up the condition before the result.

Because matunda is plural.

• tunda = a fruit
• matunda = fruits / fruit

In English, fruit can be singular-looking even when it refers to more than one item, but Swahili shows the plural clearly here.

This noun belongs to a noun class pattern where:

• singular often uses t-
• plural often uses ma-

It can work as fruits or fruit in a general sense, depending on context.

So tutanunua matunda could mean:

• we will buy fruit
• we will buy some fruits

English and Swahili do not always match exactly in how they treat these food words.

Swahili does not have articles like a, an, and the.

So sokoni simply means at/in/to the market depending on context. Whether English should use the market, a market, or just market is decided by the situation, not by a separate Swahili word.

The same is true for matunda:

• it does not explicitly say the fruit or some fruit
• context tells you what sounds best in English

It is actually fairly close in meaning, but the grammar works differently.

A very literal breakdown would be:

• Tukipita sokoni = If/when we-pass market-at
• tutanunua matunda = we-will-buy fruits

Natural English smooths that into:

• If we pass by the market, we will buy fruit
• or When we go by the market, we will buy some fruit

So the overall meaning is straightforward, even though the verb forms are more packed with information than in English.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• Tu-ki-pi-ta so-ko-ni, tu-ta-nu-nu-a ma-tun-da

A useful pronunciation rule in Swahili is that stress usually falls on the second-to-last syllable of each word:

• tu-ki-PI-ta
• so-KO-ni
• tu-ta-nu-NU-a
• ma-TUN-da

Swahili pronunciation is usually quite regular, so once you know the syllables, it is easier than English spelling.