Kama kisukari kisipodhibitiwa, daktari anaweza kupendekeza chakula maalum na matembezi ya kila siku.

Here kama means if and introduces a condition:

• Kama kisukari kisipodhibitiwa = If diabetes is not controlled

Be aware that kama can also mean like/as in other sentences, but in this sentence it is clearly the conditional if.

The first ki- is just part of the noun kisukari.

The second ki- in kisipodhibitiwa is a subject marker on the verb. Swahili verbs agree with the noun class of their subject, and kisukari takes the class 7 singular subject marker ki-.

So the verb begins with ki- to match kisukari.

A helpful breakdown is:

ki-si-po-dhibiti-w-a

• ki- = subject marker for kisukari
• -si- = negative
• -po- = conditional/time marker often used in if/when clauses
• dhibiti = control
• -w- = passive
• -a = final vowel

So kisipodhibitiwa means something like:

• if it is not controlled
• literally, if it not-be-controlled

Because kisukari is the thing being controlled, not the thing doing the controlling.

• Active idea: someone controls diabetes
• Passive form: diabetes is controlled

That is why Swahili uses the passive ending -w- here:

• dhibiti = control
• dhibitiwa = be controlled

Anaweza means he/she can, he/she may, or he/she is able to.

It breaks down like this:

• a- = he/she
• -na- = present tense
• weza = be able, can

Then kupendekeza is the infinitive to recommend:

• ku- = to
• pendekeza = recommend, suggest

So:

• daktari anaweza kupendekeza = the doctor can/may recommend

This is very normal after weza: the next verb stays in the ku- infinitive form.

Swahili normally does not use articles like a, an, or the.

So:

• daktari can mean a doctor or the doctor
• chakula can mean food, a diet, or the food/diet
• matembezi can mean walks, walking, or the walks

The exact meaning comes from context.

Maalum means special, specific, or particular, and it often behaves like an invariable adjective, meaning it does not change much for noun class.

So:

• chakula maalum = special food / a special diet

Also, in medical contexts, chakula can mean not just food in general but also diet.

Literally, it is something like:

• walks of every day

More naturally, it means:

• daily walks
• walking every day

The parts are:

• matembezi = walks / walking
• ya = a linker meaning of, agreeing with matembezi
• kila siku = every day / daily

So ya connects matembezi with kila siku.

The connector changes to match the noun that comes before it.

Here the noun is matembezi, which takes the connector ya.

So:

• matembezi ya kila siku = daily walks

This is a common Swahili pattern:

• noun + agreeing connector + descriptive phrase

Yes, matembezi looks like a class 6 plural noun, but in real usage it often works as a general activity noun meaning:

• walking
• a walk
• walks
• strolling/exercise by walking

So even though it is plural in form, it does not always feel strictly plural in English. In this sentence, it is best understood as daily walks or daily walking.

Not necessarily. Anaweza makes it less absolute.

So the sense is:

• the doctor may recommend
• the doctor can recommend

It is softer than a direct statement like the doctor recommends or the doctor will recommend.