Akianza kulia tena, mama atambembeleza.

Akianza can be broken down as:

• a- = he/she (class 1 singular subject marker)
• -ki- = if/when
• anza = begin/start

So akianza means if/when he or she starts.

Because Swahili often builds this meaning into the verb itself. The marker -ki- inside akianza gives the sense of if or when.

So instead of a separate word like English if, Swahili can say it as part of the verb:

• a-ki-anza = if/when he or she starts

It can mean either if or when, depending on context.

In a sentence like this, both are natural:

• If he/she starts crying again, mother will soothe him/her.
• When he/she starts crying again, mother will soothe him/her.

English forces you to choose one word, but Swahili -ki- can cover both ideas.

Because after kuanza (to begin/start), Swahili normally uses the infinitive form of the next verb.

So:

• kuanza kulia = to start crying

Here:

• anza = start
• kulia = to cry

This works much like English start crying.

The subject marker a- in akianza means he/she. Swahili does not mark gender here, so it could refer to:

• a boy
• a girl
• a baby
• any previously understood person in context

So the sentence itself does not tell you exactly who it is; the context does.

Tena here means again.

So:

• kulia tena = cry again

In other contexts, tena can sometimes have meanings like also or furthermore, but in this sentence again is the natural meaning.

Atambembeleza can be broken down as:

• a- = he/she (here it agrees with mama)
• -ta- = future marker, will
• -m- = him/her object marker
• bembeleza = soothe, pacify, comfort, coax gently

So atambembeleza means he/she will soothe him/her, and with mama as the subject, it means mother will soothe him/her.

That m is the object marker -m-, meaning him/her.

So the verb already includes the object:

• atambembeleza = she will soothe him/her

This is very common in Swahili. A verb can include:

• the subject
• the tense
• the object
• the verb stem

all in one word.

Because in Swahili, the verb usually still keeps its subject marker even when the full subject noun is stated.

So:

• mama atambembeleza literally has both mother and she will soothe him/her

That is normal Swahili, not unnecessary repetition. The noun mama identifies exactly who a- refers to.

Only partly.

• mama is specifically mother
• but a- and -m- do not distinguish he from she

So the person who starts crying, and the person being soothed, could be male or female. Swahili does not show that difference here.

Usually, yes—that is the most natural interpretation.

So the sentence is normally understood as:

• If/when the child starts crying again, mother will soothe that same child.

However, grammatically, Swahili does not force that interpretation. In a different context, the subject of akianza and the object -m- in atambembeleza could refer to different people. Context tells you which reading is intended.

The comma separates the introductory if/when clause from the main clause:

• Akianza kulia tena, = If/when he/she starts crying again,
• mama atambembeleza. = mother will soothe him/her.

It works much like English punctuation in a sentence such as:

• If he cries again, mother will soothe him.