Tukirudi kutoka sokoni, mama atakata tango na kutengeneza kachumbari, halafu tutakula mtindi.

Because tukirudi means when we return or if we return, not simply we will return.

Breakdown:

• tu- = we
• -ki- = a marker often meaning if/when
• -rudi = return

So tukirudi kutoka sokoni means when we come back from the market in this context.

By contrast, tutarudi would just mean we will return as a main future statement.

Grammatically, -ki- can often mean either if or when. The context tells you which one is more natural.

In this sentence, it is most naturally understood as when:

• Tukirudi kutoka sokoni... = When we return from the market...

If the situation were more uncertain, English might translate it as if.

Soko means market, while sokoni means at the market / to the market / from the market, depending on context.

The ending -ni is a locative ending. It marks a place.

So:

• soko = market
• sokoni = at/in/to/from the market

After kutoka (from), Swahili normally uses the locative form:

• kutoka sokoni = from the market

Kutoka means to come from / from.

In this sentence, it introduces the place someone is returning from:

• tukirudi kutoka sokoni = when we return from the market

So kurudi gives the idea of returning, and kutoka sokoni tells you the place of origin: from the market.

In Swahili, the verb usually still includes a subject marker even when the subject noun is stated.

So in:

• mama atakata

you have:

• mama = mother / mom
• a- = she
• -ta- = future
• -kata = cut

So atakata literally contains she will cut. This is normal Swahili grammar. The noun mama does not replace the subject marker; it comes in addition to it.

Atakata breaks down like this:

• a- = she
• -ta- = future marker
• -kata = cut

So atakata means she will cut.

This same pattern appears again in:

• tutakula
  • tu- = we
  • -ta- = future
  • -kula = eat

After one verb has already established the subject and tense, Swahili can use an infinitive for the next action, especially when the same subject continues.

So:

• mama atakata tango na kutengeneza kachumbari

means:

• mom will cut the cucumber and make kachumbari

Here kutengeneza is the infinitive to make.

Using na atatengeneza is also possible in many contexts, but na kutengeneza is a smooth way to link the second action to the first when the subject is still mama.

Here tango most commonly means cucumber.

Useful noun-class pair:

• tango = one cucumber
• matango = cucumbers

So mama atakata tango means she will cut a cucumber or the cucumber, depending on context, since Swahili has no articles like a or the.

Kachumbari is an East African fresh salad or relish, often made with things like:

• tomatoes
• onions
• chili
• cucumber

So it is not just any salad; it refers to a specific kind of simple fresh mixture commonly eaten in the region.

Halafu means then, after that, or next. It links one event to the following event in a sequence.

So the sentence structure is:

1. When we return from the market
2. mom will cut cucumber and make kachumbari
3. then we will eat yogurt

It helps show the order of actions.

Tutakula breaks down as:

• tu- = we
• -ta- = future
• -kula = eat

So tutakula means we will eat.

This is the regular future pattern in Swahili:

• subject marker + -ta-
  • verb stem

Mtindi usually means yogurt or soured milk.

Swahili does not normally use articles like a, an, or the. So:

• mtindi can mean yogurt, the yogurt, or some yogurt

The exact meaning depends on context.

Yes. It is very natural to begin with the time clause:

• Tukirudi kutoka sokoni... = When we return from the market...

Then the main actions follow:

• mama atakata...
• halafu tutakula...

This order is common when setting the scene first and then describing what will happen next.

Because tukirudi is not a simple future main verb. It is part of a subordinate clause meaning when we return.

The main events of the sentence are future actions:

• mama atakata = mom will cut
• (na) kutengeneza = make
• tutakula = we will eat

So tukirudi sets the time, while the other verbs describe the future actions that happen after that point.

It can mean mother or mom, depending on context and translation style.

In everyday use, mama is very common and can sound natural as mom. In other contexts it may be translated more neutrally as mother. Swahili does not make exactly the same distinction in tone that English does.