Pumpu ikiharibika, tutatumia ndoo kubeba maji.

Ikiharibika can be broken down as:

• i- = subject marker for it
• -ki- = if/when marker
• haribika = get damaged / break down

So pumpu ikiharibika means if the pump breaks down or when the pump breaks down.

A very literal gloss would be something like the pump, if-it-breaks.

Because kuharibika is intransitive, while kuharibu is transitive.

• kuharibika = to become damaged / to break down
• kuharibu = to damage / to break something

In this sentence, the pump itself is the thing that stops working, so Swahili uses kuharibika.

Compare:

• Pumpu imeharibika = The pump has broken down
• Mtu ameiharibu pumpu = Someone has damaged the pump

In Swahili, if is often expressed by putting -ki- inside the verb.

So instead of using a separate word, the language often says:

• i-ki-haribika = if it breaks / when it breaks

This is a very common pattern. English speakers often expect a separate word like if, but Swahili frequently builds that meaning into the verb itself.

A separate word such as kama can also be used in some contexts, but -ki- is very natural here.

Because Swahili usually does not put the future marker in this kind of if/when clause. The conditional meaning is already shown by -ki-.

So the pattern is:

• if/when clause: -ki-
• main clause: often future tense

That is why you get:

• Pumpu ikiharibika, tutatumia ndoo...
• If the pump breaks, we will use a bucket...

This is actually similar to English, which also says:

• If it breaks, we will...

not normally:

• If it will break, we will...

Tutatumia breaks down like this:

• tu- = we
• -ta- = future marker
• tumia = use

So tutatumia means we will use.

This is a very useful verb pattern to recognize in Swahili:

• subject marker + tense marker + verb stem

For example:

• nitatumia = I will use
• utatumia = you will use
• watatumia = they will use

Because pumpu is treated as a noun in the N class (often called class 9/10), and singular agreement for this class often uses i- in verb agreement.

So:

• pumpu = pump
• ikiharibika = if it breaks down

Many borrowed nouns in Swahili fall into this class.

A learner may expect the agreement to match the first sound of the noun, but in Swahili agreement depends on the noun class, not just the shape of the word.

Swahili does not have articles like English a/an/the.

So:

• pumpu can mean a pump or the pump
• ndoo can mean a bucket or the bucket

The exact meaning comes from context.

In this sentence, English naturally translates ndoo as a bucket, but Swahili itself does not have to mark that difference.

Here kubeba is an infinitive meaning to carry.

So:

• ndoo = bucket
• kubeba maji = to carry water

Together, tutatumia ndoo kubeba maji means:

• we will use a bucket to carry water

The infinitive ku- form is often used to show purpose.
So the structure is basically:

• use X to do Y

This is a very common Swahili pattern.

Here it is most naturally understood as singular: a bucket.

But ndoo is one of those nouns whose singular and plural can look the same. Context usually tells you which one is meant.

For example, if other words around it showed agreement, that could make the number clearer. In this sentence, the most natural interpretation is just one bucket.

Yes. The -ki- form can cover both if and when, depending on context.

So Pumpu ikiharibika could be understood as:

• if the pump breaks down
• when the pump breaks down

If the event is uncertain, English usually prefers if.
If the speaker sees it as more expected, English may prefer when.

In many real situations, the difference is decided by context rather than by a different Swahili form.

Maji is a very common Swahili noun that already has a fixed form meaning water. It belongs to a noun class that often contains mass nouns or nouns that look plural in form.

So learners should usually just memorize:

• maji = water

Even though it may not behave exactly like an ordinary English singular noun, in translation it is simply water.

The sentence follows this pattern:

• conditional clause first: Pumpu ikiharibika
• main clause second: tutatumia ndoo kubeba maji

So the overall meaning is:

• If the pump breaks down, we will use a bucket to carry water.

This order is very natural in Swahili, just as it is in English. The condition comes first, and the result follows.