Mji upi ungependa kutembelea?

In Swahili, the noun usually comes first, and the word for which follows it. So mji upi is the normal pattern and literally looks like city which?

This same pattern appears in many similar phrases:

• kitabu kipi = which book?
• watu gani = which people?/what kind of people?

Upi is the form of which that agrees with mji.

Swahili nouns belong to noun classes, and words connected to them often have to match that class. Mji is a singular noun in the m-/mi- class, so which becomes upi.

A useful comparison:

• mji upi = which city?
• miji ipi = which cities?

You may also hear mji gani, since gani can also mean which/what kind of, but mji upi is a very standard agreeing form.

Ungependa can be broken into:

• u- = you
• -nge- = a conditional/polite marker, often like would
• -penda = like / want

So ungependa means something like you would like.

Ungependa sounds softer and more polite, like would you like in English.

Compare:

• unataka = you want
• ungependa = you would like

So in a question, ungependa is often the more natural and courteous choice.

After a verb like ungependa, Swahili often uses the next verb in the infinitive form.

• ku- = the infinitive marker, like English to
• tembelea = visit

So kutembelea means to visit.

Swahili does not need a separate word for to here; the ku- already does that job.

This is an important difference:

• kutembelea = to visit
• kutembea = to walk / to go for a walk

So if you want to say visit a city, kutembelea is the correct verb.

Because the u- at the beginning of ungependa already means you.

In Swahili, subject markers are built into the verb, so a separate pronoun like wewe is often unnecessary unless you want emphasis.

So:

• ungependa = you would like
• wewe ungependa = you would like with extra emphasis on you

Yes. That is also a natural Swahili sentence.

Both are possible:

• Mji upi ungependa kutembelea?
• Ungependa kutembelea mji upi?

The version starting with mji upi puts the focus immediately on which city.

If you want cities instead of city, change mji upi to miji ipi:

• Miji ipi ungependa kutembelea? = Which cities would you like to visit?

If you are asking more than one person, change the verb:

• mngependa = you all would like

So:

• Mji upi mngependa kutembelea? = Which city would you all like to visit?
• Miji ipi mngependa kutembelea? = Which cities would you all like to visit?

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation guide is:

Mji upi ungependa kutembelea
m-jee OO-pee oo-ngeh-PEN-dah koo-tem-beh-LEH-ah

A few helpful notes:

• j is pronounced like the j in jam
• ng in ungependa is a hard ng sound
• Swahili stress usually falls on the second-to-last syllable, so:
  • un-ge-PEN-da
  • ku-tem-be-LE-a