Usitoke nje usiku bila sweta.

Usi- is the negative command form for you (singular) in Swahili.

So usitoke means don’t go out / don’t leave when speaking to one person.

A very useful pattern is:

• usi + verb stem + -e = negative command to one person
• msi + verb stem + -e = negative command to more than one person

Examples:

• Usiende. = Don’t go.
• Usiseme. = Don’t speak.
• Msitoke. = Don’t go out. (to several people)

Kutoka is the dictionary or infinitive form of the verb, meaning to go out / to leave.

When Swahili makes a negative command, the verb changes form:

• infinitive: kutoka
• verb stem: tok-
• negative command: usi + tok + e → usitoke

That final -e is very common in negative commands.

So:

• kutoka = to go out
• toka! = go out!
• usitoke! = don’t go out!

It is talking to one person.

The u- in usi- shows singular you.

If you were speaking to more than one person, you would say:

• Msitoke nje usiku bila sweta.

So the difference is:

• Usitoke... = Don’t go out... (one person)
• Msitoke... = Don’t go out... (more than one person)

Nje means outside or outdoors.

In this sentence, it works like an adverb of place:

• kutoka nje = to go outside
• kuwa nje = to be outside

So Usitoke nje means Don’t go outside.

English often uses extra words like to or out, but Swahili can simply use nje directly after the verb.

In Swahili, words for time often appear without a preposition.

So:

• usiku = at night / during the night
• asubuhi = in the morning
• mchana = during the day
• jioni = in the evening

That means nje usiku naturally means outside at night.

English needs at night, but Swahili usually just says usiku.

Bila means without.

It is followed directly by a noun:

• bila sweta = without a sweater
• bila maji = without water
• bila shida = without a problem / no problem

So in the sentence:

• Usitoke nje usiku bila sweta.
• Don’t go outside at night without a sweater.

Bila does not change here. It stays bila.

Sweta is a loanword, borrowed from English sweater.

Swahili has many borrowed words, especially for clothing, technology, and modern items.

A learner should know that loanwords often get adapted to Swahili spelling and pronunciation. For example:

• sweta from sweater
• shati from shirt
• baiskeli from bicycle

So sweta is perfectly normal Swahili, even though it comes from English.

Swahili does not have articles like English a and the.

So sweta can mean:

• a sweater
• the sweater

The exact meaning depends on context.

Also, if you want to say your sweater, Swahili usually adds a possessive:

• bila sweta yako = without your sweater

But in the original sentence, bila sweta is general and natural: without a sweater.

The order is very natural in Swahili:

• Usitoke = don’t go out
• nje = outside
• usiku = at night
• bila sweta = without a sweater

So the sentence builds step by step:

1. command
2. place
3. time
4. condition or accompaniment

Swahili word order is often flexible, but this version sounds clear and normal.

Yes. That would also be correct.

The difference is small:

• Usitoke nje... focuses on going out / leaving
• Usiende nje... focuses more generally on going

In many everyday situations, both can work.

But kutoka nje strongly matches the idea of going out(side), so Usitoke nje usiku bila sweta is very natural for this sentence.