Tutatandika shuka kitandani kabla ya wageni kufika.

It breaks down like this:

• tu- = we
• -ta- = future marker, will
• -tandika = spread, lay out, or in this context make/spread the bed sheet

So tutatandika means we will spread/lay out.

Because Swahili normally puts the subject inside the verb. In tutatandika, the prefix tu- already means we.

You could add sisi for emphasis, but it is not necessary:

• Sisi tutatandika shuka... = We will spread the sheet...

Without emphasis, tutatandika by itself is enough.

Here shuka means bed sheet or sheet(s).

A useful thing to know is that many nouns in this class have the same form in singular and plural. So shuka can mean:

• a sheet
• the sheet
• sheets

The context tells you which is intended.

The ending -ni is a locative ending.

• kitanda = bed
• kitandani = on the bed / in bed / at the bed

In this sentence, the natural meaning is on the bed.

So kitandani tells you the location where the action happens.

Not necessarily just one or the other. The locative -ni is broader than English prepositions like in, on, and at.

So kitandani can mean:

• in bed
• on the bed
• at the bed

Here, because the verb is -tandika and the object is shuka, the most natural interpretation is on the bed.

kabla ya is a fixed expression meaning before.

You should learn it as one unit:

• kabla ya chakula = before food / before the meal
• kabla ya kuondoka = before leaving
• kabla ya wageni kufika = before the guests arrive

In other words, ya is part of the normal expression kabla ya. Learners usually do best by memorizing the whole phrase.

After kabla ya, Swahili often uses an infinitive phrase.

So:

• kabla ya wageni kufika

literally works like before the guests arriving, and naturally means before the guests arrive.

Using kufika after kabla ya is a very common and natural structure.
A form like wageni wafike is a different kind of clause and is not the normal pattern here.

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

So nouns such as shuka, kitanda, and wageni do not need separate words for that. Whether English uses a, the, or no article at all depends on context.

For example:

• shuka could be a sheet, the sheet, or sheets
• wageni could be guests or the guests

Yes. If the sheet has already been mentioned, Swahili can use an object marker on the verb.

For shuka, the object marker is typically i-, so you may see:

• Tutaitandika = We will spread it

But when the noun itself is stated, as in:

• Tutatandika shuka

the object marker is usually left out. That is completely normal.

They belong to different noun classes:

• shuka: class 9/10
• kitanda: class 7, plural vitanda in class 8
• mgeni / wageni: class 1/2

This matters because noun class affects agreement elsewhere in the language, such as adjectives, pronouns, and some verb-related forms.

For this sentence, the most useful thing is to recognize the forms:

• mgeni = guest
• wageni = guests
• kitanda = bed
• kitandani = on/in/at the bed

Yes. The order is very natural:

• Tutatandika = verb
• shuka = object
• kitandani = location
• kabla ya wageni kufika = time clause

So the pattern is basically:

verb + object + place + time expression

That is a very common and useful Swahili sentence pattern for learners.