Nitachelewa kidogo; samahani kwa kuchelewa.

I will be a little late

Breakdown of Nitachelewa kidogo; samahani kwa kuchelewa.

• samahani kwa kuchelewa: sorry for being late

Questions & Answers about Nitachelewa kidogo; samahani kwa kuchelewa.

What does nitachelewa break down into?

Nitachelewa can be broken into these parts:

• ni- = I
• -ta- = future marker, will
• -chelewa = be late / delay

So nitachelewa literally means I will be late.

Why doesn’t Swahili use a separate word for I here?

In Swahili, the subject is usually built into the verb itself. The ni- at the beginning already means I, so you do not need a separate pronoun.

That is why:

• nitachelewa = I will be late

and not something like mimi nitachelewa unless you want extra emphasis. Mimi nitachelewa would sound more like I will be late with emphasis on I.

What does kidogo mean in this sentence?

Kidogo means a little, a bit, or slightly.

So:

• Nitachelewa kidogo = I’ll be a little late / I’ll be slightly late

In everyday speech, kidogo is very common for softening statements, just like a bit in English.