Chokaa ikikauka vizuri, vigae vitashika vizuri sakafuni.

It breaks down as:

• i- = subject prefix agreeing with chokaa
• -ki- = if/when
• -kauka = dry

So ikikauka literally means if it dries or when it dries.

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

So instead of using a separate word, Swahili says:

• i-ki-kauka = if/when it dries

You can use words like kama for if in other sentences, but here -ki- already does the job.

It can mean either, depending on context.

The marker -ki- often covers both:

• if it dries
• when it dries

In a sentence like this, English could naturally translate it either way. The idea is that the drying of the mortar/lime is the condition for the tiles sticking properly.

Because chokaa belongs to noun class 9 in Swahili, and that class commonly uses i- as the subject agreement marker.

This is important because many class 9 nouns do not show an obvious noun prefix on the noun itself, so learners often have to memorize their agreement pattern.

So:

• chokaa → class 9
• class 9 subject marker → i-
• therefore: ikikauka

Vigae is a plural noun in class 8.

Its singular form is:

• kigae = one tile

Its plural is:

• vigae = tiles

Because it is class 8 plural, the verb agrees with it using vi-:

• vi-ta-shika = they will stick/hold

It breaks down as:

• vi- = subject prefix for vigae
• -ta- = future tense
• -shika = hold / catch / stick

So vitashika means they will stick, they will hold, or they will attach firmly, depending on context.

Yes, the basic meaning of shika is hold, grasp, or catch.

But in this construction context, it has a more natural English meaning like:

• stick
• adhere
• bond
• set firmly

So vigae vitashika vizuri means the tiles will stick well or hold firmly, not that they are physically grabbing something.

Because it modifies two different verbs:

• ikikauka vizuri = if/when it dries well
• vitashika vizuri = the tiles will stick well

Swahili often repeats the adverb where English might sometimes avoid repetition. Here the repetition is completely natural and makes both parts clear.

No. Here vizuri is an adverb, meaning well or properly.

Adverbs do not change to agree with noun classes the way subject prefixes on verbs do.

So it stays vizuri in both places.

It means on the floor, at the floor, or in the floor area, depending on context.

It comes from:

• sakafu = floor
• -ni = locative ending

So sakafuni is a locative form meaning something like on/at the floor. In this sentence, the most natural English is on the floor or to the floor.

The ending -ni makes a noun locative, meaning it expresses place or location.

For example:

• sakafu = floor
• sakafuni = on/at/in the floor area

This -ni ending is very common in Swahili and often corresponds to English expressions like:

• in
• at
• on

The exact English preposition depends on context.

Yes, you often could.

Both can express location:

• sakafuni
• kwenye sakafu

In this sentence, sakafuni is a compact and natural way to say on the floor. Kwenye sakafu would also be understandable and natural in many contexts.

Chokaa can refer to different building materials depending on region and context, such as:

• lime
• whitewash
• mortar
• a cement-like mixture

In this sentence about tiles sticking to a floor, it most likely refers to the mortar/cement mixture used to fix the tiles in place.

The sentence has two parts:

1. Chokaa ikikauka vizuri
   = if/when the mortar dries properly

2. vigae vitashika vizuri sakafuni
   = the tiles will stick well on the floor

So the pattern is:

• condition/time clause
  • main result clause

This is a very common Swahili sentence pattern.