Jiko likitengenezwa leo, mama atapika chakula usiku.

Likitengenezwa is a single verb form meaning if/when it is repaired.

It can be broken down like this:

• li- = subject marker for jiko
• -ki- = if/when marker
• tengenez = verb root meaning repair / make / fix
• -w- = passive marker, giving the idea be repaired
• -a = final vowel

So:

jiko likitengenezwa = if/when the stove is repaired

Because jiko belongs to noun class 5, the verb uses li- to agree with it.

The li- is not a past tense marker here. It is a subject agreement marker that matches jiko.

In Swahili, verbs often agree with the noun they go with. Since jiko is in noun class 5, the subject marker is li-.

So:

• jiko → class 5
• class 5 subject marker → li-

That is why we get li-kitengenezwa.

It can mean either if or when, depending on context.

In this sentence:

Jiko likitengenezwa leo, mama atapika chakula usiku.

it could be understood as:

• If the stove is repaired today, mother will cook tonight, or
• When the stove is repaired today, mother will cook tonight

The Swahili -ki- often covers both ideas. English forces you to choose more clearly between if and when, but Swahili can leave it slightly more open.

The form tengenezwa is passive because of -w-.

Compare:

• kutengeneza = to repair / to make
• kutengenezwa = to be repaired / to be made

So:

• Jiko linatengenezwa = The stove is being repaired
• Jiko likitengenezwa = If/when the stove is repaired

The sentence focuses on the stove receiving the action, not on who repairs it.

Swahili does not always need a separate word like English is.

English says:

• the stove is repaired
• the stove is being repaired

But in Swahili, that idea is often built directly into the verb itself. So likitengenezwa already carries the meaning of it is repaired / it gets repaired / it is being repaired in a conditional sense.

Swahili often packs a lot of information into one verb.

Atapika means she will cook.

It breaks down like this:

• a- = subject marker for he/she
• -ta- = future tense
• pik = verb root meaning cook
• -a = final vowel

So:

mama atapika = mother will cook

Even though mama is a noun, when it refers to a person it usually takes the agreement used for animate nouns, the same pattern used for he/she.

So:

• mama anapika = mother is cooking
• mama atapika = mother will cook

This is normal for people in Swahili, regardless of the noun’s form.

Chakula literally means food, but in context it can also mean a meal.

So:

mama atapika chakula usiku can be understood as:

• mother will cook food tonight, or
• mother will cook a meal tonight

Both are natural interpretations.

Usiku means at night / in the night / tonight, depending on context.

Since the sentence already includes leo (today), the meaning becomes naturally time-specific:

• leo = today
• usiku = at night / tonight

So together, the sentence strongly suggests:

If the stove is repaired today, mother will cook tonight.

The sentence follows a very common Swahili pattern:

[condition], [result]

So:

• Jiko likitengenezwa leo = condition
• mama atapika chakula usiku = result

This is similar to English:

If the stove is repaired today, mother will cook tonight.

The basic word order is quite natural in Swahili.

Yes. You could reorder it, for example:

Mama atapika chakula usiku jiko likitengenezwa leo.

But the original order is clearer and more natural if you want to present the condition first.

Putting the condition first helps the listener understand the situation before hearing the result.

Jiko often means stove, cooker, or cooking place/fireplace, depending on context.

In modern everyday usage, stove is a very natural translation here. But in some contexts it can refer more generally to a place or device used for cooking.

So in this sentence, stove is a good, natural meaning.

If you want an active version, you could say something like:

Mtu akilitengeneza jiko leo, mama atapika chakula usiku.

That means:

If someone repairs the stove today, mother will cook tonight.

Here:

• mtu = person / someone
• akilitengeneza = if he/she repairs it

The original sentence uses the passive because the identity of the person doing the repair is not important.

It can function as both.

With -ki-, Swahili often expresses:

• a true condition: if
• a time relationship: when

So the sentence can mean either:

• If the stove gets repaired today, mother will cook tonight
• When the stove gets repaired today, mother will cook tonight

The exact nuance depends on context and what the speaker wants to imply.

Only roughly. A word-for-word guide would be:

• Jiko = stove
• li-ki-tengenez-w-a = it-if/when-repair-passive-final vowel
• leo = today
• mama = mother
• a-ta-pik-a = she-will-cook
• chakula = food
• usiku = at night / tonight

A natural English translation is better than a strict word-for-word one:

If the stove is repaired today, mother will cook tonight.