Mlio wa feni ukibadilika ghafla baada ya stima kurudi, zima kifaa hicho na usiguse kioevu kilicho karibu nacho.

It literally means the sound of the fan.

• mlio = sound, noise
• wa = of
• feni = fan

A learner might expect the sentence to start with feni, but the grammatical subject here is actually mlio. The sentence is talking about the fan’s sound changing, not the fan itself changing.

Wa is the connective meaning of, and in Swahili it changes to agree with the first noun, not the second one.

So:

• mlio wa feni = the sound of the fan

Here, mlio belongs to a noun class that takes wa for this kind of connection. English speakers often look for a single unchanging word for of, but in Swahili this connector agrees with the noun before it.

Ukibadilika means if it changes or when it changes, depending on context.

It can be broken down like this:

• u- = subject marker for mlio
• -ki- = a marker often meaning if/when
• badilika = change, become different

So mlio wa feni ukibadilika means if/when the sound of the fan changes.

Also, badilika is intransitive: it means change on its own, not change something.

Because Swahili often puts that idea inside the verb itself. In ukibadilika, the -ki- part carries the meaning of if or when.

So instead of saying something like if the sound changes with a separate word for if, Swahili can simply say:

• ukibadilika = if/when it changes

This is very common in Swahili and is something English speakers often need time to get used to.

The u- matches mlio, which is the subject of the verb.

In Swahili, verbs usually show agreement with the subject. Since mlio is singular and belongs to a noun class that takes u- as its subject marker, the verb begins with u-.

So:

• mlio ... ukibadilika = the sound ... if it changes

Even though feni is nearby, the verb is agreeing with mlio, not with feni.

This part means after the power returns.

Breakdown:

• baada ya = after
• stima = electricity / power
• kurudi = to return, come back

After baada ya, Swahili often uses the infinitive form of the verb, especially in phrases like this. So baada ya stima kurudi is a normal way to say after the electricity comes back.

It may feel a little more literal to an English speaker, almost like after electricity to return, but this is natural Swahili structure.

Yes, both can refer to electricity, but they are used a little differently.

• umeme = electricity in a general sense
• stima = electric power, often in everyday contexts like outages, appliances, or the power supply

In a sentence about power going out and coming back, stima kurudi sounds very natural.

So a learner should recognize that stima often refers to mains power / electrical supply, not just the scientific idea of electricity.

Because positive and negative commands are formed differently in Swahili.

• zima = switch off / turn off
  This is a positive singular command.

• usiguse = do not touch
  This is a negative singular command.

For negative commands, Swahili commonly uses:

• usi-
  • verb stem

So:

• gusa = touch
• usiguse = don’t touch

English speakers often expect the negative to be formed by just adding a separate word like not, but in Swahili the negative is built into the verb form.

Kifaa hicho means that device.

• kifaa = device, appliance
• hicho = that

In Swahili, demonstratives such as this and that usually come after the noun, not before it as in English.

So:

• kifaa hicho = that device
• not hicho kifaa in normal neutral usage

Also, hicho agrees with kifaa in noun class. Swahili demonstratives change form depending on the noun they describe.

This means that is near it or which is near it.

It describes kioevu:

• kioevu = liquid
• kilicho karibu nacho = which is near it

Here, kilicho is a relative form meaning that is / which is, and it agrees with kioevu.

So the whole phrase:

• kioevu kilicho karibu nacho means
• the liquid that is near it

This is a relative clause, like English that is near it.

In this sentence, nacho refers to kifaa hicho — the device.

So the idea is:

• do not touch the liquid that is near the device

Nacho is built from na plus a pronoun that agrees with the noun class of the thing being referred to. In this context, karibu na means near, so karibu nacho means near it.

This can be confusing because both kifaa and kioevu belong to the same noun class, so the agreement form looks the same. You have to rely on meaning and context to see that it means the device, not the liquid.

Kioevu means liquid in a general sense. It is not as specific as water.

So it could refer to:

• water
• spilled drink
• cleaning fluid
• coolant
• any other liquid nearby

That general word makes sense in a safety instruction, because the warning is not limited to one particular kind of liquid.