Baba alipogusa sufuria ya moto, aliondoa mkono wake haraka.

It breaks down as:

• a- = he/she
• -li- = past tense
• -po- = when / at the time that
• -gusa = touch

So alipogusa means when he touched or when she touched. In this sentence, the subject is Baba, so it means when Father/Dad touched.

Because in Swahili, the verb normally carries a subject marker even when the full subject noun is stated.

So:

• Baba aliondoa... = literally Father he removed...

This is completely normal Swahili grammar. The noun Baba does not replace the subject prefix on the verb.

Because of -po-. In this kind of verb form, -po- creates a time relationship, often meaning when, at the time when, or sometimes after/as soon as depending on context.

So:

• aligusa = he touched
• alipogusa = when he touched

That extra -po- is the key difference.

Here ya moto describes the pot as hot.

Literally:

• sufuria = pot
• moto = fire / heat
• ya = a linking word that agrees with sufuria

So sufuria ya moto is literally something like pot of heat/fire, but in normal English we translate it as hot pot.

This is a common Swahili pattern: a noun phrase can describe a quality instead of using an adjective exactly the way English would.

Because sufuria belongs to a noun class that uses ya as its associative/linking form.

In other words, ya agrees with sufuria, not with moto.

This is part of the noun class system in Swahili. English speakers often notice ya here because it can look mysterious at first, but it is just the correct agreement form for this noun.

The basic noun moto means fire or heat. But in expressions like ya moto, it often gives the meaning hot in English.

So in this sentence, you should understand sufuria ya moto as a hot pot.

This is one of those places where Swahili and English package meaning differently.

Aliondoa comes from -ondoa, which means remove, take away, move away, or get rid of.

In this sentence, a natural English translation is:

• he removed his hand
• he pulled his hand away
• he withdrew his hand

English often prefers pulled his hand away, while Swahili can use the broader verb -ondoa.

Because Swahili possessives agree with the thing possessed, not with the owner.

Here, the possessed thing is mkono (hand), and mkono is in a noun class that takes the possessive form wake.

So:

• mkono wake = his hand / her hand

Compare with a different noun class:

• nyumba yake = his house / her house

So the choice between wake, yake, chake, etc. depends on the noun being possessed.

It can mean either his or her.

Swahili does not normally mark gender in the third person singular the way English does. So:

• wake = his / her
• a- on the verb = he / she

You figure out which one is meant from context. In this sentence, because the subject is Baba, English will usually translate it as his.

Haraka means quickly, fast, or in a hurry in this context.

So:

• aliondoa mkono wake haraka = he removed his hand quickly

Even though haraka is historically a noun related to speed/hurry, it is very commonly used adverbially, the way English uses quickly.

You may also see:

• kwa haraka = quickly

Both are common, though haraka by itself is very natural here.

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

So:

• sufuria can mean a pot or the pot
• mkono can mean a hand or the hand

Context tells you which one is most natural. In this sentence, English naturally uses the hot pot and his hand, but Swahili does not need separate words for the.

Yes, depending on context.

The form with -po- often means when, but in a sentence like this, where one action immediately triggers another, English may also naturally say:

• When Father touched the hot pot, he quickly pulled his hand away
• As soon as Father touched the hot pot, he pulled his hand away
• After Father touched the hot pot, he pulled his hand away

The Swahili form is flexible enough for these time-related meanings, and the exact English choice depends on the situation.

Yes, if the context already makes the subject clear.

You could say:

• Alipogusa sufuria ya moto, aliondoa mkono wake haraka.

That would mean When he/she touched the hot pot, he/she quickly removed his/her hand.

Adding Baba makes the subject explicit. Leaving it out is also grammatical if the listener already knows who is being talked about.