Tusitupe mabaki ya chakula; tunaweza kuyaweka kwenye jokofu.

tusitupe can be broken into:

• tu- = we
• -si- = negative marker
• -tup- = verb root from kutupa (to throw)
• -e = subjunctive ending

So tusitupe means let us not throw or more naturally let’s not throw away.

This is a very common Swahili way to make a negative let’s... form.

Yes—more specifically, it is a negative hortative form.

That means it is used when the speaker includes themself in the instruction:

• tusitupe = let’s not throw away
• not don’t throw away said to one person
• not don’t throw away said to several people unless the speaker is also included

Compare:

• usitupe = don’t throw away (to one person)
• msitupe = don’t throw away (to more than one person)
• tusitupe = let’s not throw away

Because this is a subjunctive/hortative form, not the basic dictionary form.

The dictionary verb is:

• kutupa = to throw away

But in forms like let’s throw, let’s not throw, so that we throw, the verb often ends in -e:

• tutupe = let’s throw away
• tusitupe = let’s not throw away

So the -e is part of the grammar of this kind of form.

Literally, it means leftovers of food or remains of food.

Breakdown:

• mabaki = leftovers / remains
• ya = of
• chakula = food

So:

• mabaki ya chakula = food leftovers

In natural English, we usually just say leftovers.

ya is a connector often translated as of.

So:

• mabaki ya chakula = leftovers of food

In Swahili, this connector changes to match the noun class of the first noun, not the second one.

Because mabaki belongs to class 6, the connector is ya.

You will see similar patterns elsewhere:

• kitabu cha mwanafunzi = the student’s book / book of the student
• nyumba ya mwalimu = the teacher’s house / house of the teacher
• mabaki ya chakula = food leftovers

mabaki is in noun class 6.

That matters because class 6 controls agreement in other words connected to it. In this sentence, you can see that in:

• ya in mabaki ya chakula
• -ya- in kuyaweka

That -ya- means them, agreeing with mabaki.

So Swahili is not just saying put them; it is saying put them with a form that matches the noun class of mabaki.

kuyaweka can be broken into:

• ku- = infinitive marker, to
• -ya- = object marker for class 6, them
• -wek- = verb root from kuweka, to put/place
• -a = final vowel

So kuyaweka means to put them.

In this sentence, them refers back to mabaki ya chakula.

Because after tunaweza (we can), Swahili normally uses the infinitive.

So:

• tunaweza kuweka = we can put
• tunaweza kuyaweka = we can put them

The ku- is the same to you see in dictionary forms like:

• kuweka = to put
• kula = to eat
• kununua = to buy

Because once the leftovers have already been mentioned, Swahili often uses an object marker instead of repeating the full noun.

So this sentence says:

• Tusitupe mabaki ya chakula; tunaweza kuyaweka kwenye jokofu.
• Let’s not throw away the leftovers; we can put them in the fridge.

The -ya- in kuyaweka means them, referring back to mabaki.

You could also repeat the noun, for example:

• tunaweza kuweka mabaki ya chakula kwenye jokofu

That is grammatical too, but the original version sounds more natural because it avoids unnecessary repetition.

Here, kwenye means in.

So:

• kwenye jokofu = in the fridge

More generally, kwenye can mean in, on, or at, depending on context. It is very common in everyday Swahili.

You may also see katika, which can also mean in/inside, but kwenye is often more conversational and natural in sentences like this one.

jokofu is a standard Swahili word for refrigerator/fridge.

You may also hear:

• friji

That is a common borrowed form from English and is widely used in everyday speech.

So both can be understood, but:

• jokofu = more standard/native-style Swahili
• friji = very common in casual speech

Yes, you could.

These are close in meaning:

• mabaki ya chakula = food leftovers
• chakula kilichobaki = the food that remained / leftover food

The first sounds a bit more like the noun leftovers. The second describes the food more explicitly as food that is left over.

Both are natural; mabaki ya chakula is just a very direct way to say leftovers.

Because each finite verb normally shows its own subject.

So:

• tu-si-tupe = let’s not throw away
• tu-na-weza = we can

Even though English might not repeat we so explicitly, Swahili grammar does it through the subject marker on each verb.

Breakdown of tunaweza:

• tu- = we
• -na- = present tense
• -weza = be able / can

So tunaweza means we can.

Yes, that is a fairly literal translation, and it helps show the structure.

But in natural English, a better translation would usually be:

• Let’s not throw away the leftovers; we can put them in the fridge.

That sounds more idiomatic in English while keeping the same meaning as the Swahili.