Mwombaji wa kazi amefika mapema.

Mwombaji means applicant or person who asks/applies.

It comes from the verb -omba, which means to ask for, to request, or in many contexts to apply. The ending -ji often turns a verb into a person who does that action.

So:

• -omba = to ask / apply
• mwombaji = applicant / requester

The m- / mw- at the beginning is a noun class prefix for a singular person.

Yes, literally wa kazi means of work.

In this sentence, mwombaji wa kazi means job applicant. Swahili often connects nouns this way:

• X wa Y = X of Y

So:

• mwombaji wa kazi = applicant of work = job applicant

Here, wa is the connector that agrees with mwombaji, which belongs to the m-/wa- noun class for people.

Because Swahili connectors must agree with the noun class of the first noun.

Since mwombaji is a singular person noun in the m-/wa- class, the possessive/linking form is wa.

Compare:

• mwombaji wa kazi = job applicant
• kitabu cha mwanafunzi = student’s book
• gari la mwalimu = teacher’s car

So the connector changes depending on the noun class of the noun before it.

Amefika means has arrived or sometimes simply arrived depending on context.

It breaks down like this:

• a- = he/she subject marker
• -me- = perfect marker, often like has
• fika = arrive

So:

• amefika = he/she has arrived

In this sentence, it refers back to mwombaji wa kazi, so it means the job applicant has arrived.

The a- is the subject marker for he/she.

Swahili verbs usually include a subject marker, so you do not need a separate word like he or she.

Examples:

• amefika = he/she has arrived
• wamefika = they have arrived
• nimefika = I have arrived
• umefika = you have arrived

Because mwombaji is singular and refers to a person, the verb uses a-.

Swahili does not mark gender in this verb. Amefika can mean:

• he has arrived
• she has arrived

You usually learn the gender from context, not from the grammar.

So mwombaji wa kazi amefika mapema could refer to a male or female job applicant.

Mapema means early.

In this sentence, it works like an adverb, describing when the applicant arrived:

• amefika mapema = has arrived early

It does not change form here.

Examples:

• Nimeamka mapema = I woke up early
• Walifika mapema = They arrived early

Swahili usually does not have separate articles like the or a/an.

So mwombaji wa kazi can mean:

• the job applicant
• a job applicant

The exact meaning depends on context.

That is very normal in Swahili. If the meaning is already clear from the situation, no article is needed.

This is normal Swahili word order.

The sentence follows:

• Subject: Mwombaji wa kazi
• Verb: amefika
• Adverb: mapema

So:

• Mwombaji wa kazi = the job applicant
• amefika = has arrived
• mapema = early

This is similar to English: The job applicant has arrived early.

Yes, depending on context.

The form -me- often corresponds to the English present perfect, so amefika is very often has arrived. But in natural translation, English may use the simple past:

• The job applicant has arrived early
• The job applicant arrived early

Both can work, depending on what sounds most natural in the situation.

The plural of mwombaji is waombaji.

So the sentence becomes:

Waombaji wa kazi wamefika mapema.

Breakdown:

• waombaji = applicants
• wa kazi = of work / job
• wamefika = they have arrived
• mapema = early

So it means The job applicants have arrived early.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

mwohm-BAH-jee

A few notes:

• mw is pronounced together, not as two separate syllables
• stress is usually on the second-to-last syllable in Swahili, so -ba- gets the stress
• j sounds like the j in jam

And the full sentence is roughly:

Mwohm-BAH-jee wa KAH-zee ah-meh-FEE-kah mah-PEH-mah