Ninaandaa bajeti leo.

ninaandaa can be divided into:

• ni- = I
• -na- = present tense / ongoing action
• -andaa = prepare

So ni-na-andaa literally means I am preparing or I prepare.

The verb is kuandaa = to prepare.

When Swahili prefixes are added, you get:

• ni-
  • -na-
    • -andaa

This becomes ninaandaa.

The double aa is normal here. It comes from the structure of the verb and is pronounced clearly, not reduced away. So you should say something like:

• ni-na-an-da-a

Very often, yes, but not only that.

In many everyday sentences, -na- is used for:

• an action happening now: I am preparing
• a general present: I prepare

So ninaandaa can mean:

• I am preparing
• I prepare

The exact meaning depends on context. With leo (today), the sentence strongly suggests a present/current action: I am preparing a budget today.

The dictionary form is kuandaa, which means to prepare, to arrange, or to organize, depending on context.

In Swahili, dictionary verb forms usually begin with ku-, which is the infinitive marker, like English to in to prepare.

So:

• kuandaa = to prepare
• ninaandaa = I am preparing

Bajeti means budget. It is a loanword, ultimately from English.

In this sentence, it functions as the object of the verb:

• Ninaandaa bajeti = I am preparing a budget

Because it is a loanword, its form stays the same in singular in this sentence.

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

So bajeti can mean:

• a budget
• the budget

Context tells you which one is intended.

That means Ninaandaa bajeti leo could be understood as:

• I am preparing a budget today
• I am preparing the budget today

Leo means today.

It tells you when the action happens:

• Ninaandaa bajeti leo = I am preparing a budget today

It is an adverb of time.

This is the most neutral and natural order:

• Verb + object + time
• Ninaandaa bajeti leo

But Swahili is somewhat flexible, especially with time words. You may also hear:

• Leo ninaandaa bajeti = Today I am preparing a budget

Putting leo first gives it a little more emphasis.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• Ni-na-an-da-a ba-je-ti le-o

A few helpful points:

• Swahili vowels are usually pronounced clearly and separately.
• leo is le-o, not like English lee-oh blended too much.
• bajeti is roughly ba-JE-ti, with clear vowels.

Swahili pronunciation is generally more regular than English spelling.

In practice, yes, learners often think of the stem as andaa, but in grammar explanations you will often see -andaa with a hyphen.

The hyphen shows that this is a verb stem used with prefixes:

• ni-na-andaa
• u-na-andaa
• a-na-andaa

So:

• kuandaa = full infinitive form
• -andaa = verb stem used in conjugation

Not usually in the most natural reading.

Because bajeti is singular in form and there is no extra context, the normal interpretation is:

• I am preparing a budget today or
• I am preparing the budget today

If you wanted a clearly plural idea like budgets, you would normally need context or a different structure.

You change the subject prefix:

• Ninaandaa bajeti leo = I am preparing a budget today
• Unaandaa bajeti leo = You are preparing a budget today
• Anaandaa bajeti leo = He/She is preparing a budget today

The pattern is:

• ni- = I
• u- = you
• a- = he/she

The rest stays the same.