Mtoto akianza kutapika tena, mama atampeleka famasi au kliniki mara moja.

Akianza comes from the verb -anza, meaning to begin / start.

It breaks down like this:

• a- = he/she subject marker
• -ki- = if/when
• -anza = begin

So akianza literally means if/when he or she begins.

In this sentence, it refers to mtoto, so it means if/when the child begins.

It can mean either if or when, depending on context.

The -ki- form in Swahili is often used for:

• if
• when
• sometimes whenever

So here:

• Mtoto akianza kutapika tena...
  can be understood as
  If the child starts vomiting again...
  or
  When the child starts vomiting again...

English usually chooses one, but Swahili often leaves that slightly more open.

Because after -anza (to begin/start), Swahili normally uses another verb in the infinitive form with ku-.

So:

• kuanza = to begin
• kutapika = to vomit

Together:

• kuanza kutapika = to begin to vomit / to start vomiting

This works much like English start to vomit.

Tena means again.

So:

• kutapika tena = to vomit again

Its position is normal. In Swahili, words like tena often come after the verb or verb phrase they modify.

Compare:

• anasoma tena = he/she is reading again
• kutapika tena = to vomit again

Atampeleka can be broken into parts:

• a- = she/he subject marker
• -ta- = future tense
• -m- = him/her object marker
• -peleka = take / bring to

So atampeleka means she/he will take him/her.

In this sentence:

• a- refers to mama
• -m- refers to mtoto

So the meaning is the mother will take the child.

Because in Swahili, finite verbs normally include a subject marker even when the full subject noun is stated.

So:

• mama atampeleka
  is literally something like
  mother she-will-take-him/her

That is completely normal in Swahili. The subject marker is not optional here in standard grammar; it is part of the verb.

This is called agreement between the noun and the verb.

It can mean either him or her.

Swahili usually does not mark gender in the way English does for third-person singular people.

So:

• mtoto = child (not specifically boy or girl)
• m- object marker = him/her

You only know the gender from context, not from the grammar here.

Because the verb -peleka already includes the idea of taking someone/something to a place.

So Swahili can say:

• atampeleka kliniki = she will take him/her to the clinic

without needing a separate word exactly matching English to.

This is very natural with -peleka.

Famasi means pharmacy. It is a borrowed word.

A learner may also hear other expressions depending on region and situation, such as:

• duka la dawa = drugstore / pharmacy
• kliniki = clinic

So famasi is understandable, but it is good to know there may be local variation in what people commonly say.

Literally, mara moja means one time / once:

• mara = time/occasion
• moja = one

But as a fixed expression, mara moja very often means:

• immediately
• right away
• at once

So in this sentence, it means right away, not just one time.

Because Swahili generally does not use articles like English a/an and the.

So:

• mtoto can mean a child or the child
• mama can mean a mother or the mother
• kliniki can mean a clinic or the clinic

Context tells you which one is meant.

That is why the English translation may include the, even though there is no separate word for it in the Swahili sentence.