Tafadhali weka mtungi wa maji mezani.

Tafadhali means please.

It is often placed at the beginning of a request to make it polite, just like in English. In Swahili, it can also appear elsewhere, but sentence-initial position is very common:

• Tafadhali weka mtungi wa maji mezani.
• Weka mtungi wa maji mezani, tafadhali.

Both are polite, though the first is a very standard way to say it.

Yes. Weka is the singular imperative form of the verb kuweka, which means to put, to place, or to set.

So weka means:

• put!
• place!

In this sentence, it is telling one person to do something.

In Swahili, commands usually do not need an explicit subject pronoun.

So instead of saying something like you put..., Swahili simply uses the imperative verb:

• Weka = Put!

The you is understood from the command form itself.

Kuweka is the dictionary form or infinitive of the verb, meaning to put / to place.

Weka is the command form used when telling someone to do it.

Compare:

• kuweka = to put
• weka = put!

This is similar to English to go versus go!

Mtungi is a container word. Depending on context, it can mean something like:

• jug
• pitcher
• jar
• water container

In this sentence, mtungi wa maji is most naturally understood as water jug or jug of water.

Swahili commonly links nouns with a connector that often means of.

So:

• mtungi wa maji = literally jug of water

Here, wa is the connector.

This construction is very common in Swahili:

• kikombe cha chai = cup of tea
• chupa ya maji = bottle of water
• mtungi wa maji = jug of water

Because the connector agrees with the first noun, mtungi, not with maji.

Mtungi belongs to a noun class that takes wa in this kind of of construction when singular.

So:

• mtungi wa maji = jug of water

If the first noun were from a different noun class, the connector would change:

• kikombe cha chai = cup of tea
• meza ya kuni = wooden table / table of wood

This agreement system is a major feature of Swahili grammar.

Swahili does not usually have separate words for the and a/an like English does.

So mtungi wa maji can mean:

• the water jug
• a water jug
• the jug of water
• a jug of water

The exact meaning depends on context.

English forces you to choose the or a, but Swahili often leaves that unstated.

Mezani means at the table or on the table, depending on context.

It comes from:

• meza = table
• -ni = a locative ending, often meaning in / at / on

So:

• meza = table
• mezani = at/on the table

In this sentence, English naturally translates it as on the table.

Not in a very narrow, mechanical way. The ending -ni is a general locative marker, so it can cover ideas like:

• at
• in
• on

The exact English preposition depends on context.

With a table, English usually says on the table, so that is the normal translation here. If you wanted to be extra explicit about on top of the table, Swahili can also use:

• juu ya meza = on top of the table

But mezani is perfectly normal in many contexts.

Yes, sometimes, but the basic order here is very natural:

• Tafadhali
  • verb
    • object
      • location

So:

• Tafadhali weka mtungi wa maji mezani.

That is a clear, standard way to say it.

You may also hear small variations such as:

• Weka mtungi wa maji mezani, tafadhali.

But for learners, the original word order is a very good model.

You would usually change the imperative from weka to wekeni.

So to address several people:

• Tafadhali wekeni mtungi wa maji mezani.

So:

• weka = command to one person
• wekeni = command to more than one person

A simple approximate pronunciation is:

• ta-fa-DHA-li WE-ka m-TU-ngi wa MA-ji me-ZA-ni

A few helpful notes:

• dh in tafadhali sounds like th in this
• Swahili usually stresses the second-to-last syllable
• mtungi begins with an m + t cluster, which may feel unusual for English speakers

So the rhythm is quite regular and smooth once you get used to it.