Mlezi wetu alisema kliniki ya uzazi iko karibu na soko la mjini.

Mlezi can mean guardian, caregiver, attendant, or nurse/caretaker, depending on context.

In this sentence, it most likely means something like caregiver or attendant—someone responsible for helping or guiding people, especially in a medical or community setting.

It does not always mean exactly the same thing in every situation, so context matters.

In Swahili, possessives must agree with the noun they describe.

Here, wetu goes with mlezi.
So mlezi wetu = our caregiver/guardian.

A native English speaker may expect one single word for our, but in Swahili the form changes depending on the noun class. So the possessive is not completely fixed the way it is in English.

Alisema is in the simple past tense: said.

It breaks down like this:

• a- = he/she
• -li- = past tense marker
• -sema = say/speak

So alisema literally means he/she said.

Swahili does not mark gender here, so alisema can mean either he said or she said.

Swahili often leaves out kwamba (that) after verbs like said.

So:

• Mlezi wetu alisema kliniki ya uzazi iko karibu na soko la mjini.

is completely natural.

You could also say:

• Mlezi wetu alisema kwamba kliniki ya uzazi iko karibu na soko la mjini.

That version is also correct, but kwamba is often omitted when the meaning is already clear.

Literally, kliniki ya uzazi means clinic of childbirth/reproduction.

In natural English, it would usually be understood as something like:

• maternity clinic
• prenatal clinic
• maternal health clinic

depending on context.

The structure is:

• kliniki = clinic
• ya = of
• uzazi = childbirth, reproduction, maternity

So Swahili often expresses these kinds of noun combinations with an of structure, even when English prefers a compound noun.

This is because Swahili uses agreement based on noun classes.

The linking word in phrases like X of Y changes to match the first noun.

Examples from this sentence:

• kliniki ya uzazi
  The head noun is kliniki, so the connector is ya.

• soko la mjini
  The head noun is soko, so the connector is la.

So the connector does not stay the same the way English of does. It changes according to the noun class of the noun before it.

Iko is used here to show location: is located / is situated.

So:

• iko karibu na... = is near... / is located near...

By contrast, ni is usually used for identification or equation:

• Hii ni kliniki. = This is a clinic.

So the difference is roughly:

• ni = is in the sense of equals / is a
• iko = is in the sense of is located

That is why iko is the natural choice in this sentence.

Karibu na means near or close to.

So:

• iko karibu na soko la mjini = it is near the town market

Here, na does not mean and.
It is part of the fixed expression karibu na = near / close to.

This is a good example of why translating word-for-word can be misleading.

Mjini comes from mji = town, city.

The ending -ni often adds a locative meaning such as:

• in
• at
• to

So mjini means something like:

• in town
• in the city
• downtown, depending on context

In soko la mjini, the phrase means the town market or the market in town.

The -ni ending is very common in Swahili place expressions.

It can mean the town market or the market in town, and in many contexts it suggests the main market or central market.

The exact nuance depends on the situation. If speakers already know which market is being discussed, it may sound quite specific. In other contexts, it can simply describe a market located in town.

So it is best understood through context rather than as one rigid English phrase.

The overall word order is fairly understandable for an English speaker:

• Mlezi wetu = subject
• alisema = verb
• kliniki ya uzazi = subject of the reported clause
• iko karibu na soko la mjini = predicate

One important difference is that modifiers usually come after the noun in Swahili:

• mlezi wetu = caregiver our
• kliniki ya uzazi = clinic of maternity
• soko la mjini = market of town/in town

So even when the sentence order feels familiar, the internal structure of noun phrases is often different from English.

No. Alisema only tells you he/she said.

Swahili subject markers like a- do not distinguish between he and she. You usually learn the person’s gender from context, from another noun, or not at all if it is irrelevant.

That is very normal in Swahili.

A helpful rough pronunciation guide is:

Mlezi wetu alisema kliniki ya uzazi iko karibu na soko la mjini.

Approximate pronunciation:

m-leh-zi weh-tu ah-li-seh-ma kli-ni-ki yah oo-zah-zi ee-ko kah-ree-boo nah so-ko lah m-joe-nee

A few useful tips:

• Swahili vowels are usually pure and consistent:
  • a as in father
  • e as in bed but tenser
  • i as in machine
  • o as in go but shorter
  • u as in flute
• Stress is usually on the second-to-last syllable:
  • mlezi
  • wetu
  • alisema
  • kliniki
  • uzazi
  • karibu
  • soko
  • mjini

That regular stress pattern makes Swahili pronunciation easier than English in many cases.