Nitumie ujumbe kesho.

Send me a message tomorrow.

Breakdown of Nitumie ujumbe kesho.

• kesho: tomorrow
• nitumie ujumbe: send me a message

Questions & Answers about Nitumie ujumbe kesho.

What does nitumie break down into?

Nitumie comes from the verb -tuma = to send.

In nitumie:

• ni- = me
• tum = the verb root from -tuma
• -ie / -e = the ending used here for a request/command form

So nitumie means send me.

This is a very common pattern in Swahili when giving a command that includes an object like me, him/her, us, etc.

Why is it nitumie and not tuma?

Tuma is the basic imperative: Send!

But when you add an object marker like ni- (me), Swahili normally uses the subjunctive-style ending -e in commands:

• Tuma = send!
• Nitumie = send me!

So the -e ending is expected here because the command includes me.

Where is the word for you in this sentence?

It is not stated separately, because Swahili commands usually do not need a subject word.

In English, we say Send me a message tomorrow, and the you is understood.
Swahili works the same way here:

• Nitumie ujumbe kesho. = Send me a message tomorrow.

So the person being spoken to is understood from the command form.