Nitaenda famasi kununua dawa ya meno na sabuni ya kuosha mikono.

Nitaenda means I will go.

It breaks down like this:

• ni- = I
• -ta- = future marker, will
• -enda = go

So:

• ni + ta + enda → nitaenda = I will go

This is a very common Swahili verb pattern: subject prefix + tense marker + verb stem.

In Swahili, a destination can often come directly after a verb of motion like kwenda / enda.

So:

• Nitaenda famasi = I will go to the pharmacy

Swahili does not always need a separate word matching English to the. If a speaker wants to be more explicit, they might also say something like:

• Nitaenda kwenye famasi
• Nitaenda famasini

But the version in your sentence is natural and easy to understand.

Kununua means to buy.

Here it shows purpose:

• Nitaenda famasi kununua...
• I will go to the pharmacy to buy...

This is a very common Swahili structure:

• verb of going/movement + infinitive

For example:

• Ninaenda sokoni kununua matunda = I am going to the market to buy fruit

So kununua explains why the speaker is going.

Yes, dawa often means medicine, drug, or remedy. But in everyday Swahili, dawa ya meno is the normal way to say toothpaste.

Literally, it is something like:

• dawa = medicine/remedy/substance
• ya meno = of/for teeth

So the phrase can be understood as something for the teeth.

Languages often group things differently from English. English uses the single word toothpaste, while Swahili commonly uses a descriptive phrase.

Ya is a linking word. It often means something like:

• of
• for
• used for

So:

• dawa ya meno = tooth medicine / medicine for teeth → toothpaste
• sabuni ya kuosha mikono = soap for washing hands

Grammatically, ya is the agreement form used here because dawa and sabuni belong to a noun class that takes ya in this kind of construction.

So a learner can think of ya as a very common connector meaning of/for, while also remembering that its exact form depends on noun class.

Swahili often prefers descriptive phrases where English might use a short compound noun.

Here:

• sabuni = soap
• ya = for/of
• kuosha = to wash
• mikono = hands

So the whole phrase means:

• soap for washing hands

This is very natural Swahili. Instead of compressing everything into a compound like English often does, Swahili commonly spells out the function of the object.

Kuosha is the infinitive, meaning to wash.

After ya, the infinitive can describe the purpose or function of something:

• sabuni ya kuosha mikono = soap for washing hands
• literally: soap of washing hands

This pattern is very common in Swahili:

• kikombe cha kunywa chai = a cup for drinking tea
• maji ya kunywa = drinking water
• chumba cha kulala = bedroom / room for sleeping

So ya + infinitive is a useful pattern to learn.

Mkono means hand/arm in the singular.
Mikono is the plural: hands/arms.

In this sentence, the speaker means washing hands, so the plural is the natural choice:

• sabuni ya kuosha mikono = soap for washing hands

If you said mkono, it would mean one hand. That is possible in some specific context, but here the normal idea is both hands.

Na means and.

It links the two things the speaker wants to buy:

• dawa ya meno
• sabuni ya kuosha mikono

So:

• dawa ya meno na sabuni ya kuosha mikono
• toothpaste and hand-washing soap

Na is one of the most basic and useful Swahili words.

No, famasi is a loanword, ultimately from pharmacy.

This is very common in Swahili, especially for modern items, places, and technology. Swahili has many borrowed words from languages such as Arabic and English.

Depending on region and style, you may also hear another expression like:

• duka la dawa = pharmacy / drugstore

So famasi is understandable and common, but it is not the only way to express the idea.

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

So a phrase like:

• famasi
• dawa ya meno
• sabuni ya kuosha mikono

does not need separate words for a or the.

Whether something is understood as a pharmacy, the pharmacy, some toothpaste, or the toothpaste usually depends on context.

This is one of the biggest differences English speakers notice when learning Swahili.

Yes. In many contexts, nitaenda and nitakwenda can both mean I will go.

However, nitaenda is very common and simple, and it is perfectly natural here.

So:

• Nitaenda famasi...
• Nitakwenda famasi...

Both can work, though learners will often meet nitaenda very frequently in everyday Swahili.