Leo tunapika mchicha pamoja na mihogo ya kuchemsha.

Tunapika can be divided into:

• tu- = we
• -na- = present tense
• -pika = cook

So tunapika means we cook or we are cooking. In this sentence, because of leo (today), it is most naturally understood as we are cooking today.

Leo means today. Swahili often puts time words near the beginning of the sentence, just like English can do:

• Leo tunapika... = Today we are cooking...

This placement sounds very natural. You could also sometimes move time expressions around, but putting leo first is very common.

It can mean either one. The Swahili present tense with -na- often covers both:

• we cook
• we are cooking

Context tells you which is meant. With leo (today), the sentence usually sounds like a present action or plan for today: Today we are cooking...

Mchicha usually refers to a leafy green vegetable. In East African usage, it often means amaranth greens, although English translations sometimes give spinach because that is the nearest familiar word for many learners.

So if you were shown the meaning as spinach, that is a useful practical translation, but culturally mchicha is often not exactly the same plant as European spinach.

When talking about food or vegetables as ingredients, Swahili often treats them like mass nouns, similar to English words such as rice, spinach, or bread.

So mchicha here means the ingredient in a general sense, not one leaf or many leaves. That is why it appears as mchicha, not as an explicitly plural form.

Pamoja na means together with, along with, or simply with.

So:

• mchicha pamoja na mihogo ya kuchemsha

means:

• spinach together with boiled cassava
• spinach with boiled cassava

It is a very common way to join two things.

Mihogo is the plural form of muhogo, meaning cassava.

So:

• muhogo = one cassava root / singular form
• mihogo = cassava roots / plural form

In food contexts, English often just says cassava without worrying much about singular versus plural, but Swahili still shows the noun class and number.

The ya links mihogo to kuchemsha.

• mihogo = cassava
• ya = a connector that agrees with the noun class of mihogo
• kuchemsha = to boil

So mihogo ya kuchemsha literally means something like:

• cassava for boiling
• cassava of boiling

In natural English, this usually becomes boiled cassava or cassava to be boiled, depending on context.

It is used because mihogo belongs to a noun class that takes ya in this kind of construction.

This is part of Swahili noun-class agreement. The connector changes depending on the noun.

For example:

• muhogo wa kuchemsha = cassava root for boiling
• mihogo ya kuchemsha = cassava roots for boiling

So the change from wa to ya is due to noun class and number.

Literally, ya kuchemsha is closer to for boiling or of boiling. But in real translation, it often corresponds to English phrases like:

• boiled cassava
• cassava to boil
• cassava for boiling

The most natural English choice depends on context. In a cooking sentence like this, many learners will understand it best as boiled cassava or cassava to be boiled.

Kuchemsha is the infinitive form of the verb to boil.

• ku- = infinitive marker, like to
• -chemsha = boil

So kuchemsha = to boil

This infinitive can act like a noun or verbal idea in Swahili, which is why it can appear after ya in mihogo ya kuchemsha.

Swahili does not have articles like English the, a, or some.

So mchicha can mean:

• spinach
• the spinach
• some spinach

And mihogo can mean:

• cassava
• the cassava
• some cassava roots

The exact meaning depends on context.

The basic order here is very natural:

• Leo = time expression
• tunapika = verb
• mchicha = object
• pamoja na mihogo ya kuchemsha = added phrase

Swahili word order is often fairly flexible, but this sentence uses a common and straightforward pattern. For a learner, this is a good model to follow.

Yes, you could, but usually sisi is unnecessary because tu- in tunapika already means we.

So:

• Leo tunapika... = normal and natural
• Leo sisi tunapika... = more emphatic, like Today, we are the ones cooking...

Swahili often leaves out separate subject pronouns unless they are needed for emphasis or contrast.

A natural translation would be:

• Today we are cooking spinach with boiled cassava.

Depending on context, you might also say:

• Today we’re cooking mchicha together with boiled cassava.
• Today we’re making spinach and boiled cassava.

The exact English wording can vary, but the Swahili structure is clear and natural.