Sawa basi; tuahirishe hadi kesho. Nitakujulisha.

Sawa basi is a very natural conversational chunk meaning something like alright then, okay then, or fine, in that case.

• sawa = okay / fine / correct / alright
• basi = then / so / in that case / enough

Together, they often signal acceptance of a decision, a transition, or mild resignation depending on tone.

Examples:

• Sawa. = Okay.
• Sawa basi. = Alright then.

Yes, sawa by itself would already work. Adding basi gives the sentence a more complete conversational feel.

Compare:

• Sawa. = Okay.
• Sawa basi. = Alright then / Okay, in that case.

So basi helps show that the speaker is moving on to a conclusion or next step:

• Sawa basi; tuahirishe hadi kesho.
  = Alright then; let’s postpone until tomorrow.

Tuahirishe means let’s postpone.

It comes from:

• ahirisha = to postpone / delay
• tu- = we
• final -e = subjunctive ending

So:

• tu-ahirish-e = let us postpone

This is a very common way in Swahili to make suggestions involving let’s ...

Good question. These forms mean different things.

• tuahirishe = let’s postpone
  This is a suggestion or proposal.
• tutaahirisha = we will postpone
  This is a statement about the future.

So in this sentence, the speaker is proposing an action, not simply predicting it:

• Tuahirishe hadi kesho. = Let’s postpone until tomorrow.

That -e marks the subjunctive, which is very common in Swahili after suggestions, requests, wishes, and certain kinds of purpose expressions.

The verb dictionary form is:

• kuahirisha = to postpone

But in a suggestion like let’s postpone, Swahili uses the subjunctive:

• tuahirishe

A few similar examples:

• twende = let’s go
• tusubiri = let’s wait
• tuanze = let’s begin

So the -e here is not random; it signals a specific grammatical mood.

Because the verb stem begins with a-:

• ahirisha

When the subject prefix tu- is added, you get:

• tu + ahirishe → tuahirishe

So the a belongs to the verb stem, not to a separate tense marker.

Yes. Hadi commonly means until / up to / as far as.

So:

• hadi kesho = until tomorrow

Other examples:

• subiri hadi jioni = wait until evening
• kutoka hapa hadi mjini = from here up to town

In this sentence, hadi kesho tells us how long the postponement lasts.

Yes. Hadi and mpaka can both mean until / up to in many contexts.

So these are both natural:

• Tuahirishe hadi kesho.
• Tuahirishe mpaka kesho.

In everyday speech, both are common. Choice can depend on region, habit, or style more than meaning.

Swahili does not have articles like a, an, and the.

So:

• kesho can mean tomorrow
• there is no separate word corresponding to the

This is normal throughout Swahili:

• mtoto = child / the child / a child
• kesho = tomorrow

The exact meaning is understood from context.

Nitakujulisha breaks down like this:

• ni- = I
• -ta- = future tense (will)
• -ku- = you (singular object)
• julisha = inform / let know

So:

• ni-ta-ku-julisha = I will inform you / I will let you know

This kind of stacking is very typical in Swahili verbs.

The verb is julisha, which means inform or make known.

It is related to:

• jua = know
• julisha = inform / notify / let someone know

So Nitakujulisha literally has the sense of:

• I will make you know

But in natural English, the best translation is:

• I will let you know
• I will inform you

Usually, yes. In standard grammar:

• -ku- = you singular
• -wa- = you plural / them, depending on context and noun class agreement

So:

• Nitakujulisha = I will let you know (to one person)
• Nitawajulisha = I will let you know (to more than one person)

In real-life usage, politeness and regional habits can sometimes affect forms, but this is the basic rule learners should know.

Yes, depending on context, it often carries that kind of meaning.

Possible natural English translations include:

• I will let you know.
• I’ll inform you.
• I’ll tell you.
• I’ll get back to you. (more idiomatic in some situations)

The exact English wording depends on the situation, but the core idea is that the speaker will provide information later.

It is fairly neutral and natural. It works in many everyday situations.

• Sawa basi is conversational.
• tuahirishe hadi kesho is normal and polite.
• Nitakujulisha is very common and useful in both casual and more formal settings.

So the whole sentence sounds like natural everyday Swahili, not slang, and not overly formal.

A careful pronunciation guide would be:

• Sawa basi → SA-wa BA-si
• tuahirishe → tu-a-hi-RI-she
• hadi kesho → HA-di KE-sho
• Nitakujulisha → ni-ta-ku-ju-LI-sha

A few helpful points:

• Swahili vowels are usually clear and pure: a, e, i, o, u
• Stress often falls near the second-to-last syllable
• sh sounds like English sh in shoe
• j sounds like English j in jam

Sometimes, yes, in a loose sense. But the most direct meaning is let’s postpone.

• tuahirishe = a proposal including the speaker and listener
• we should postpone can sound slightly more advisory in English

So the best first translation is:

• let’s postpone

If the context is softer or more deliberative, we should postpone may also fit, but it is not the core grammatical meaning.

The semicolon is just punctuation showing a pause between two closely related parts:

• Sawa basi = acceptance or transition
• tuahirishe hadi kesho = the proposed action

In speech, this would simply sound like a short pause:

• Alright then ... let’s postpone until tomorrow.

So the punctuation is stylistic; it does not change the grammar of the Swahili.