Mama anasema usikate nyusi zako kwa mkasi.

Because Swahili usually puts the subject inside the verb itself.

In anasema:

• a- = he/she
• -na- = present tense
• -sema = say

So anasema already means he/she says or he/she is saying.
The word Mama tells you who that she is.

It can mean either, depending on context.

The tense marker -na- often covers both:

• she says
• she is saying

So Mama anasema... can be understood as either Mom says... or Mom is saying... In natural English, Mom says... is often the best choice here.

Usikate is the negative command or negative subjunctive form for you (singular).

It comes from kukata = to cut.

Pattern:

• usi- = don’t you
• verb stem
• final -e

So:

• kukata → usikate
• meaning: don’t cut

This is the normal way to tell one person not to do something.

That final -e is a key sign of the subjunctive/negative command form.

Compare:

• kukata = to cut
• kata! = cut!
• usikate! = don’t cut!

So the -e is not random; it is part of the grammar of this form.

It is functioning as reported speech or reported instruction:

• Mama anasema usikate... = Mom says don’t cut...
• or Mom says that you shouldn’t cut...

Swahili often leaves out kwamba = that.

So you could also say:

• Mama anasema kwamba usikate nyusi zako kwa mkasi.

That is also grammatical, but leaving out kwamba is very common.

Because the object is already stated clearly after the verb:

• usikate nyusi zako

In Swahili, an object marker is often not required when the full object noun is present.

So this sentence is perfectly natural as it is.
The learner should get used to the fact that Swahili does not always put every possible marker into the verb.

Because Swahili possessives agree with the thing possessed, not with the person who owns it.

Here, the possessed thing is nyusi.
That noun takes the possessive agreement za-.

Then you add -ko for your:

• za-
  • -ko = zako

So:

• nyusi zako = your eyebrows

This is the same kind of pattern you see in other class 10 nouns, such as:

• nguo zako = your clothes
• ndizi zako = your bananas

For this sentence, the important point is that nyusi behaves like a class 10 noun.

That matters because agreement words must match that noun class.
That is why you get:

• nyusi zako
• not nyusi yako

So even if a learner does not fully master noun classes yet, they should notice this practical rule:

• nyusi → use za- agreement

Because kwa is commonly used to show the means, method, or instrument used to do something.

So:

• kwa mkasi = with scissors / using scissors

This is the natural way to express the tool.

By contrast, na often means:

• and
• with in the sense of together with

So for a tool, kwa is the better choice here.

Because Swahili and English categorize nouns differently.

In English, scissors is a plural-form word.
In Swahili, mkasi is the normal word for a pair of scissors.

So even though English says scissors, Swahili naturally says:

• mkasi

That is just a vocabulary difference between the two languages.

Yes.

That version means something like:

• Mom tells you not to cut your eyebrows with scissors

The difference is that anakuambia makes the person being told more explicit:

• a- = she
• -na- = present
• -ku- = you
• -ambia = tell/say to

So:

• Mama anasema usikate... = Mom says: don’t cut...
• Mama anakuambia usikate... = Mom tells you not to cut...

Both are natural, but anakuambia highlights the idea of speaking to you more directly.

Because Swahili does not normally use articles like English a or the.

So a sentence can be complete without anything corresponding to the.

For example:

• Mama can mean mother / the mother / mom
• mkasi can mean scissors / the scissors, depending on context

English forces you to choose an article more often than Swahili does.