Hatuhitaji teksi leo, kwa sababu tunatembea kwa miguu.

Hatuhitaji can be broken down as:

• hatu- = we do not
• -hitaji = need

So the whole verb means we do not need.

A useful comparison is:

• tunahitaji = we need
• hatuhitaji = we do not need

In the present negative, Swahili uses a negative subject form like hatu- instead of the usual present marker -na-.

Because Swahili usually builds negation into the verb itself.

In English, you say:

• we do not need

In Swahili, the idea of we + not is packed into hatu-.

So instead of using a separate helper word like do, Swahili changes the verb form.

Tunatembea breaks down like this:

• tu- = we
• -na- = present tense marker
• -tembea = walk

So tunatembea means we are walking or we walk, depending on context.

This is a very common Swahili verb pattern:

• subject prefix + tense marker + verb stem

Kwa sababu means because.

You can learn it as a set expression. It introduces a reason:

• Hatuhitaji teksi leo, kwa sababu tunatembea kwa miguu.
• We do not need a taxi today, because we are going on foot.

You may also see sababu by itself meaning reason or cause, but kwa sababu is the common phrase for because.

Literally, kwa miguu means by feet.

In natural English, that becomes on foot.

Parts:

• kwa = by / with / via / in the manner of
• miguu = feet

So kutembea kwa miguu is the normal way to say to go on foot or to walk on foot.

Because the expression uses the plural: feet, not foot.

• mguu = foot / leg
• miguu = feet / legs

So kwa miguu is the idiomatic way to say on foot.

Even though English uses singular in on foot, Swahili uses the plural expression.

Not always.

Tunatembea by itself already means we are walking. But kwa miguu adds emphasis and makes the mode of travel very explicit: on foot, not by taxi, bus, bicycle, etc.

So in this sentence, kwa miguu helps explain why no taxi is needed. It highlights the contrast with using transport.

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

So teksi can mean:

• a taxi
• the taxi

The exact meaning depends on context.

That is very normal in Swahili. You do not need to add anything equivalent to English articles.

Usually teksi stays the same in both singular and plural.

So you may see:

• teksi moja = one taxi
• teksi mbili = two taxis

This is common with many borrowed words in Swahili. The noun often does not visibly change form.

Because kwa is a very common word with several uses.

In this sentence:

• kwa sababu = because
• kwa miguu = on foot / by foot

So even though the same word appears twice, it is part of two different expressions.

This is normal and not awkward in Swahili.

Yes. Swahili word order is somewhat flexible, especially with time words like leo.

These are all natural:

• Hatuhitaji teksi leo, kwa sababu tunatembea kwa miguu.
• Leo hatuhitaji teksi, kwa sababu tunatembea kwa miguu.
• Hatuhitaji teksi, kwa sababu tunatembea kwa miguu leo.

But the first version is very natural and clear: it puts today near the first idea, we do not need a taxi today.

Yes.

You can also say:

• Kwa sababu tunatembea kwa miguu, hatuhitaji teksi leo.

This means the same thing, but the focus changes slightly. Starting with kwa sababu gives the reason first.

Both orders are correct.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

ha-tu-hi-TA-ji TEK-si LE-o, kwa sa-BA-bu tu-na-tem-BE-a kwa mi-GU-u

A few helpful points:

• Swahili vowels are usually pure and consistent:
  • a as in father
  • e as in bed or a clean eh
  • i as in machine
  • o as in go but shorter
  • u as in rule
• Stress is usually on the second-to-last syllable.
• j sounds like the j in jam.

So the sentence is pronounced smoothly and fairly regularly once you know the vowel sounds.