Baba anataka kuharibu nyumba yetu kabla ya kujenga nyumba mpya.

anataka can be analyzed like this:

• a- = he/she
• -nataka = want

So anataka means he/she wants.

In this sentence, Baba anataka... means Father wants...

Swahili verbs usually include the subject inside the verb, so you do not need a separate word for he.

Because Swahili often puts the subject marker directly on the verb.

In anataka:

• a- already means he/she

So Baba anataka literally works like:

• Father he-wants

But in natural English, we just say Father wants.

This is very common in Swahili. The noun (Baba) is stated, and the verb still keeps its subject marker.

The prefix ku- is the infinitive marker, similar to to in English.

So:

• kuharibu = to destroy / to spoil / to ruin
• kujenga = to build

After a verb like anataka (wants), Swahili normally uses the infinitive:

• anataka kuharibu = wants to destroy

And after kabla ya (before), Swahili can also use an infinitive:

• kabla ya kujenga = before building / before to build

In natural English, this becomes before building or before he builds depending on context.

Because the usual pattern is kabla ya + noun/infinitive.

So:

• kabla ya chakula = before food / before the meal
• kabla ya kuondoka = before leaving
• kabla ya kujenga = before building

The ya is part of this structure. It is the normal connector after kabla.

It can naturally suggest before building a new house, and in context it is usually understood that the subject is the same person as in the main clause unless something else is stated.

So here, the likely meaning is:

• Father wants to destroy our house before building a new house

That usually implies before he builds a new house.

If you wanted to state the subject more explicitly, Swahili could use a fuller clause, but the infinitive construction here is very normal and natural.

In Swahili, possessives usually come after the noun, not before it.

So:

• nyumba yetu = house our = our house
• kitabu changu = book my = my book
• rafiki yako = friend your = your friend

This is one of the big word-order differences from English.

Swahili possessives agree with the noun class of the noun they describe.

nyumba belongs to noun class 9/10, and the possessive form used with our in that class is yetu.

So:

• nyumba yetu = our house
• nyumba zao = their house / their houses
• nyumba yangu = my house

You do not just use one unchanged word for our with every noun. The possessive changes depending on noun class.

In Swahili, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• nyumba mpya = house new = new house

This is normal Swahili word order.

Also, adjectives agree with noun class. With nyumba (class 9/10), -pya appears as mpya.

Other examples:

• kitabu kipya = new book
• mtoto mpya = new child / newcomer
• nyumba mpya = new house

It may feel repetitive in English, but it is completely natural in Swahili.

The sentence literally says:

• our house
• new house

Swahili often repeats the noun instead of replacing it with something like one.

English might say:

• Father wants to destroy our house before building a new one

But Swahili commonly keeps the noun:

• ...nyumba yetu... nyumba mpya

That is normal and clear.

Not always. kuharibu is a broad word meaning things like:

• to spoil
• to damage
• to ruin
• to destroy

So in this sentence, it can mean destroy or ruin, but if you specifically mean demolish a building, another very common verb is kubomoa.

For example:

• Baba anataka kubomoa nyumba yetu... = Father wants to demolish our house...

So kuharibu is understandable, but kubomoa can sound more specific for tearing down a house.

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

So:

• nyumba can mean house, a house, or the house
• the exact meaning depends on context

That means:

• nyumba yetu = our house
• nyumba mpya = a new house or the new house, depending on context

English must choose an article, but Swahili usually does not mark that distinction directly.

Baba literally means father, but in many contexts it can also feel like dad depending on tone and situation.

It is a very common everyday word.

It can also be used more broadly in respectful address, depending on context, but in a sentence like this, a learner will usually understand it as father/dad.

A simple rough pronunciation is:

BA-ba a-na-TA-ka ku-ha-RI-bu NYUM-ba YE-tu ka-BLA ya ku-JENG-a NYUM-ba MPYA

A few helpful notes:

• ny sounds like the ny in canyon
• j is like English j in job
• vowels are usually clear and pure:
  • a as in father
  • e as in bed but often tenser
  • i as in machine
  • o as in more but pure
  • u as in rule
• stress is usually on the second-to-last syllable:
  • anataka
  • kuharibu
  • kabla
  • kujenga

Some parts can move for emphasis, but the given order is the most straightforward and natural for a learner.

The basic structure is:

• Baba = subject
• anataka = main verb
• kuharibu nyumba yetu = infinitive phrase
• kabla ya kujenga nyumba mpya = time phrase

So the sentence is neatly organized as:

Father wants to destroy our house before building a new house.

You could rearrange parts in some contexts for emphasis, but this version is clear and standard.