Mhariri atairudisha makala kwa mwandishi kwa barua pepe kesho asubuhi.

It has several parts:

• a- = he/she (the subject marker for a singular person, matching mhariri)
• -ta- = future tense
• -i- = it (an object marker referring to makala)
• -rudisha = return / send back

So atairudisha literally works like he/she will return it.

That -i- is an object marker referring to makala.

In Swahili, it is very common to mark the object inside the verb even when the full noun is also stated. This often makes the object sound more specific, known, or more tightly connected to the verb.

So:

• atairudisha makala = he/she will return the article
• The -i- points back to makala

English does not usually do this, so it can feel unusual at first.

Because rudi and rudisha do different jobs:

• rudi = return / go back yourself
  
  • Example: Nitarudi kesho. = I will return tomorrow.
• rudisha = return something / send something back
  • Example: Nitarudisha kitabu. = I will return the book.

In this sentence, the editor is returning the article, so Swahili needs the transitive verb rudisha.

Kwa is a very flexible preposition in Swahili. It can mean things like to, for, by, with, or via, depending on context.

In this sentence:

• kwa mwandishi = to the writer
• kwa barua pepe = by/via email

So the two kwa phrases do different things:

1. one shows the recipient
2. one shows the means/method

That is normal in Swahili.

We know from the verb and the context.

Since rudisha means return/send back something, the phrase kwa mwandishi is naturally understood as the person receiving it: to the writer.

Swahili often relies on context this way. The preposition kwa itself is broad, but the rest of the sentence makes the meaning clear.

The main noun classes here are:

• mhariri = class 1 singular (editor)
• mwandishi = class 1 singular (writer)
• makala = class 9 singular (article)

These classes matter because they affect agreement:

• mhariri is a singular person, so the subject marker is a-
• makala is class 9, so the object marker is -i-

This is why the verb is a-ta-i-rudisha.

No.

Swahili nouns like mhariri and mwandishi are not marked for natural gender the way English often is. Also, the subject marker a- can mean he or she.

So the sentence does not tell us whether the editor or writer is male or female unless extra context is added.

Because Swahili does not normally use articles like English the and a/an.

Whether something is the article or an article is usually understood from:

• context
• word order
• object marking
• what has already been mentioned

Here, the object marker -i- helps make makala sound like a specific article, not just any article.

It means tomorrow morning.

• kesho = tomorrow
• asubuhi = morning

Putting them together gives the time expression kesho asubuhi. This is a very natural way to say tomorrow morning in Swahili.

The basic order here is very natural:

• Mhariri = subject
• atairudisha = verb
• makala = object
• then extra information: recipient, method, time

So this order is straightforward and common.

But Swahili does allow some flexibility, especially with time expressions. For example:

• Kesho asubuhi, mhariri atairudisha makala kwa mwandishi kwa barua pepe.

That still works. Moving kesho asubuhi to the front just gives it extra emphasis.

Yes, it functions as one set expression meaning email.

Literally:

• barua = letter
• pepe = electronic / of electricity

So barua pepe is literally something like electronic letter, but in normal usage it just means email.

In this sentence, kwa barua pepe means by email or via email.