Bila spana sahihi, baba hawezi kukaza bolti na nati za kiti hiki.

Bila means without. It introduces what is missing or unavailable.

So Bila spana sahihi means without the correct wrench/spanner.

In Swahili, this kind of phrase can come at the beginning of the sentence for emphasis, just like Without the right tool, ... in English. You could also place it later in some contexts, but sentence-initial position is very natural.

Spana means spanner or wrench. It is a loanword, ultimately from English.

Like many borrowed tool names in Swahili, it often behaves quite simply in the sentence and may not show obvious singular/plural changes in everyday use. Context usually tells you whether one tool or several are meant.

Here, spana sahihi means the correct wrench/spanner.

Because sahihi is one of those adjectives in Swahili that is often used without changing much for noun class agreement in ordinary usage.

Sahihi means correct, right, or proper.

So:

• spana sahihi = the correct wrench
• jibu sahihi = the correct answer

Not every descriptive word behaves exactly the same way in Swahili. Some adjectives clearly agree with noun class, while others, especially common Arabic-origin words like sahihi, are often used more uniformly.

Swahili does not have articles like English a, an, and the.

Whether something is a father, the father, a bolt, or the bolt is understood from context.

So:

• baba can mean father, a father, or the father
• bolti can mean bolt or the bolt(s) depending on context

That is very normal in Swahili.

Hawezi means he/she cannot or he/she is not able.

It can be broken down like this:

• ha- = negative subject marker for he/she
• -wezi = from the verb -weza, meaning be able

So:

• anaweza = he/she can
• hawezi = he/she cannot

Because the subject here is baba, hawezi means father cannot.

After hawezi (cannot), Swahili normally uses the infinitive form of the next verb.

So:

• hawezi kukaza = cannot tighten
• anaweza kukaza = can tighten

Here:

• ku- = infinitive marker, like English to
• -kaza = tighten

So kukaza literally corresponds to to tighten.

Here kukaza means to tighten.

More generally, -kaza has the idea of making something tight, firm, or tense. Depending on context, it can be used for things like tightening screws, pulling something taut, or making a grip firmer.

In this sentence, because the objects are bolti na nati, the meaning is clearly tighten the bolts and nuts.

Yes. Both are common borrowed technical terms:

• bolti = bolt
• nati = nut

Swahili often uses borrowed vocabulary for mechanical or modern technical items. This is completely normal.

So:

• bolti na nati = bolts and nuts

The na between them simply means and.

Za is a possessive linker meaning of or belonging to, and it agrees with the noun it refers to.

Here it refers to bolti na nati, which are being treated as a plural noun-class grouping that takes za.

So:

• bolti na nati za kiti hiki = the bolts and nuts of this chair
• more naturally in English: the bolts and nuts for this chair or the chair’s bolts and nuts

The key idea is that za links bolti na nati to kiti hiki.

Because kiti belongs to a noun class that takes the demonstrative hiki for this.

So:

• kiti hiki = this chair

Swahili demonstratives must agree with the noun class of the noun:

• kiti hiki = this chair
• viti hivi = these chairs

That is why hiki is correct here, not hii.

Grammatically, it is most directly of this chair.

But in natural English, depending on context, it may be better translated as:

• the bolts and nuts of this chair
• the bolts and nuts for this chair
• this chair’s bolts and nuts

In practical usage, Swahili often allows this kind of possessive link where English might choose a more flexible wording.

The comma separates the introductory phrase Bila spana sahihi from the main clause baba hawezi kukaza...

It works much like in English:

• Without the right wrench, father cannot tighten...

In Swahili writing, punctuation generally follows familiar international conventions, so this comma helps readability.

Yes. Swahili allows some flexibility.

For example, you could also say:

• Baba hawezi kukaza bolti na nati za kiti hiki bila spana sahihi.

This has essentially the same meaning:

• Father cannot tighten the bolts and nuts of this chair without the correct wrench.

The version with Bila spana sahihi at the beginning puts more emphasis on the missing tool.