Ukiona doa kwenye shati, lisugue kwa sabuni mpaka povu lionekane.

Ukiona = u-ki-ona.

• u- = you (singular)
• -ki- = if / when
• -ona = see

So ukiona literally means if you see or when you see.

In sentences like this, Swahili often uses the same form for both if and when, and context tells you which feels more natural.

Because Swahili can build the idea of if/when directly into the verb.

Instead of using a separate word like English if, Swahili often uses the marker -ki- inside the verb:

• ukiona = if/when you see
• ukisoma = if/when you read
• ukifika = if/when you arrive

This is a very common pattern, so it is worth getting used to early.

Doa is a noun meaning stain or spot.

It belongs to noun class 5 in the singular. Its plural is usually madoa.

That matters because class 5 nouns often trigger li- agreement in verbs and object markers. That is why later in the sentence you see li-.

In lisugue, the li- is an object marker meaning it.

So:

• sugua = scrub!
• lisugue = scrub it!

Here, it refers to the thing being scrubbed. From the meaning of the sentence, that is the stain.

A useful detail: li- is used for singular nouns of class 5, such as doa.

Because when Swahili uses an object marker in this kind of command, it normally uses the subjunctive form.

Compare:

• sugua! = scrub!
• lisugue! = scrub it!

So the -e ending is not random. It is part of the verb form used for commands like do it, take it, wash it, etc.

You will see this pattern a lot:

• leta = bring
• lete = bring...
• nipe = give me
• lisugue = scrub it

From the meaning, it refers to the stain.

However, a learner might notice something important: both doa and shati are nouns that can take class 5 agreement, so li- could look ambiguous on paper.

In real use, context usually makes the intended meaning clear. Here, the natural meaning is scrub the stain with soap, not scrub the shirt in general.

Kwenye shati means on the shirt here.

Kwenye is a very common location word that can mean:

• in
• on
• at

depending on context.

So Swahili often uses kwenye where English would choose between in, on, or at.

Here:

• doa kwenye shati = a stain on the shirt

You could sometimes say something more physically specific in other contexts, but kwenye is natural and common here.

Literally, kwa sabuni means with soap or using soap.

The word kwa often shows:

• the means of doing something
• the instrument used
• the manner in which something is done

So here it tells you what you use to scrub the stain:

• kwa sabuni = with soap

Mpaka means until.

It introduces the point where the action should continue up to:

• lisugue kwa sabuni mpaka povu lionekane
• scrub it with soap until foam appears / becomes visible

So the idea is: keep scrubbing, and stop at the point when there is visible foam.

Lionekane comes from the verb onekana, which means be seen, be visible, or appear.

Breakdown:

• li- = subject marker agreeing with povu
• -onekane = subjunctive form of onekana

So povu lionekane means something like:

• until foam becomes visible
• until foam appears
• until foam can be seen

A key point: the li- here is a subject marker, not an object marker. It agrees with povu.

Because povu is also a class 5 singular noun.

So just like doa, it triggers li- agreement.

That is why:

• doa can be referred to with object marker li-
• povu can take subject marker li-

This is a good example of how important noun classes are in Swahili. The agreement markers often tell you which class a noun belongs to.

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

So:

• doa can mean a stain or the stain
• shati can mean a shirt or the shirt
• povu can mean foam or the foam

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

This is normal in Swahili, so English speakers often need time to stop expecting a separate word for the.

Yes. The main action lisugue is a command: scrub it.

So the sentence has this structure:

• Ukiona doa kwenye shati... = If/when you see a stain on the shirt...
• ...lisugue kwa sabuni mpaka povu lionekane. = ...scrub it with soap until foam appears.

This kind of sentence is very common in instructions, cleaning advice, recipes, and manuals.

The likely plural forms are:

• doa → madoa = stains
• shati → mashati = shirts
• povu → mapovu = foams / suds / bubbles

Even if you do not need the plurals yet, learning them helps you recognize the noun classes and agreement patterns more easily.