Nitarudisha kamusi maktabani baada ya darasa.

Nitarudisha has three main parts:

• ni- = I
• -ta- = future tense, will
• -rudisha = return something / bring something back

So nitarudisha means I will return or I will bring back.

A very literal breakdown is:

• ni-ta-rudisha
• I-will-return something

This is a very common question because English uses return for both ideas, but Swahili often separates them:

• rudi = return / go back yourself
• rudisha = return something / take something back

So:

• Nitarudi = I will come back
• Nitarudisha kamusi = I will return the dictionary

In this sentence, the speaker is returning an object, so rudisha is the correct verb.

Here kamusi means dictionary, and in this sentence it is singular because the meaning tells us that.

A useful thing to know is that kamusi often stays the same in both singular and plural:

• kamusi = dictionary
• kamusi = dictionaries

So the form does not change. Context tells you whether it is singular or plural.

The ending -ni is a very common locative ending in Swahili. It often adds the idea of:

• in
• at
• to

So:

• maktaba = library
• maktabani = in/at/to the library

In this sentence, the meaning is to the library because the verb return suggests movement toward that place.

It can mean any of those, depending on context.

The locative -ni does not always match just one English preposition. English forces you to choose in, at, or to, but Swahili often leaves that to context.

So maktabani could mean:

• in the library
• at the library
• to the library

Here, because the sentence is about returning a dictionary, the natural English translation is to the library.

Baada ya means after.

It is a fixed expression:

• baada = after
• ya = a linking word often translated very literally as of

So baada ya darasa is literally something like after of class, but in natural English it is simply after class.

You should learn baada ya as one unit.

Examples:

• baada ya kazi = after work
• baada ya chakula = after food / after the meal
• baada ya darasa = after class

Darasa can mean class, and depending on context it may refer to:

• a lesson
• a school class
• a classroom

In baada ya darasa, the most natural meaning is after class or after the lesson, not after the classroom.

So context matters a lot.

Swahili does not use articles the way English does.

English says:

• the dictionary
• a dictionary
• the library

Swahili usually just says:

• kamusi
• maktaba / maktabani

The context tells you whether English should use a, an, the, or no article at all.

So in this sentence, kamusi can be understood as the dictionary or a dictionary, depending on the situation, but the intended translation usually makes that clear.

Mostly, yes. The sentence follows a very normal Swahili order:

• Nitarudisha = verb
• kamusi = object
• maktabani = place
• baada ya darasa = time

So the structure is roughly:

I will return + the dictionary + to the library + after class

That said, Swahili word order can be more flexible than English, especially for emphasis. But this sentence uses a very natural, neutral order.

Yes, often you could.

Both can express location, though they are not always identical in style or nuance:

• maktabani = at/in/to the library
• kwenye maktaba = in/at the library, sometimes also toward that location depending on context

In many everyday situations, both are acceptable. However, maktabani is a very compact and natural locative form, and it fits this sentence well.

Yes. If the dictionary has already been mentioned, Swahili can use an object marker.

Since kamusi belongs to the i-/zi- noun class, you can say:

• Nitairudisha = I will return it

That breaks down as:

• ni- = I
• -ta- = will
• -i- = it
• -rudisha = return

So:

• Nitarudisha kamusi maktabani = I will return the dictionary to the library
• Nitairudisha maktabani = I will return it to the library

This is a very common feature of Swahili.