Mama na mlezi walienda kliniki ya uzazi kwa uchunguzi wa mtoto.

Because the subject is Mama na mlezi = Mother and the caregiver, which is plural.

In Swahili, the verb usually agrees with the subject:

• alienda = he/she went
• walienda = they went

Since two people are doing the action, Swahili uses the plural subject marker wa-:

• wa-li-enda
  • wa- = they
  • -li- = past tense
  • -enda = go

So walienda literally means they went.

Na means and here.

So:

• Mama na mlezi = Mother and the caregiver

This is one of the most common uses of na. It can also mean with in other contexts, but here it is clearly joining two nouns, so it means and.

In Swahili, verbs of motion like kwenda (to go) often do not need a separate word for to before a place.

So:

• walienda kliniki = they went to the clinic

English needs to, but Swahili often just places the destination directly after the verb.

You may also sometimes see locative marking in other sentences, but with a place noun after kwenda, this direct structure is very common.

Walienda can be broken down like this:

• wa- = subject marker for they
• -li- = past tense
• -enda = verb root go

So:

• walienda = they went

This is a very useful pattern in Swahili. For example:

• nilienda = I went
• ulienda = you went
• alienda = he/she went
• tulienda = we went
• mlienda = you all went
• walienda = they went

Mlezi means something like caregiver, guardian, or carer, depending on context.

It belongs to the noun class for many human nouns:

• singular: mlezi
• plural: walezi

This class often has:

• singular prefix m-
• plural prefix wa-

Examples:

• mtoto / watoto = child / children
• mwalimu / walimu = teacher / teachers
• mlezi / walezi = caregiver / caregivers

Because ya is the correct connector for the noun kliniki.

In Swahili, words like of are often expressed with a connecting form that agrees with the first noun. This is sometimes called the genitive or associative construction.

Here:

• kliniki ya uzazi = clinic of maternity / maternity clinic

Since kliniki is treated as a noun that takes the connector ya, the phrase becomes:

• kliniki ya uzazi

So ya agrees with kliniki, not with uzazi.

Uzazi refers to childbirth, reproduction, or maternity depending on context.

In kliniki ya uzazi, it is best understood as something like:

• maternity clinic
• reproductive health clinic
• maternal clinic

The exact English wording depends on context, but it is connected with bearing children / maternity / childbirth.

Kwa here means something like for, for the purpose of, or for an occasion/event.

So:

• kwa uchunguzi wa mtoto = for the child’s examination/check-up

This use of kwa often shows purpose or reason.

Compare:

• alikuja kwa msaada = he/she came for help
• walienda hospitali kwa matibabu = they went to the hospital for treatment

So in this sentence, kwa tells us why they went.

Uchunguzi means examination, inspection, investigation, or check-up, depending on context.

In a medical sentence like this, it most naturally means:

• medical examination
• check-up

So:

• uchunguzi wa mtoto = the child’s examination / the baby’s check-up

This is another of construction.

• uchunguzi = examination
• wa mtoto = of the child

So:

• uchunguzi wa mtoto = the child’s examination

The connector is wa because it agrees with uchunguzi.

This can feel unusual to English speakers, because English often uses apostrophe-s instead of of:

• the child’s examination
• literally in Swahili: examination of the child

Because the connector changes to agree with the noun before it.

In this sentence:

• kliniki ya uzazi
• uchunguzi wa mtoto

The head nouns are different:

1. kliniki takes ya
2. uchunguzi takes wa

So the connector is not a single unchanging word like English of. It changes according to noun class.

That is a very important feature of Swahili grammar.

It can mean both child and baby, depending on context.

In a clinic context, mtoto could refer to:

• a baby
• a young child

So uchunguzi wa mtoto could be translated as:

• the baby’s check-up
• the child’s examination

The surrounding situation decides which English word sounds best.

Because Swahili does not usually have articles like English a, an, and the.

So a noun like mama can mean:

• a mother
• the mother
• sometimes just mother

The exact meaning depends on context.

That is why a single Swahili sentence can be translated into English in slightly different ways depending on the situation.

Yes. The word order is very normal for Swahili.

The basic structure is:

• Mama na mlezi = subject
• walienda = verb
• kliniki ya uzazi = destination
• kwa uchunguzi wa mtoto = purpose/reason

So the pattern is roughly:

Subject + Verb + Place + Purpose

This is a very natural Swahili sentence structure.

Yes. Even if the basic meaning stays the same, English may phrase it differently.

Possible translations include:

• Mother and the caregiver went to the maternity clinic for the child’s examination.
• The mother and the caregiver went to the maternal clinic for the baby’s check-up.
• Mom and the caregiver went to the maternity clinic for the child’s check-up.

The Swahili grammar stays the same, but English choices like mother / mom, child / baby, and examination / check-up can vary with context.