Tunahitaji kupunguza gharama.

A helpful breakdown is:

• Tu- = we
• -na- = present tense / are / do
• -hitaji = need
• ku-punguza = to reduce / to lower
• gharama = cost, costs, expense, expenses

So the structure is basically:

Tunahitaji = we need
kupunguza = to reduce
gharama = costs

Tunahitaji can be divided into:

• tu- = subject prefix meaning we
• -na- = present tense marker
• -hitaji = verb stem meaning need

So:

tu + na + hitaji = tunahitaji
= we need / we are needing

In normal English, this is translated simply as we need.

In Swahili, ku- is the infinitive marker, like to in English verbs such as to reduce, to go, to eat.

So:

• punguza = reduce / lower
• kupunguza = to reduce

After a verb like need, Swahili often uses another verb in the infinitive:

• Tunahitaji kupunguza ... = We need to reduce ...

This is very similar to English need to + verb.

-punguza means reduce, lessen, lower, decrease.

Depending on context, it could be used for different things:

• kupunguza gharama = reduce costs
• kupunguza kasi = reduce speed
• kupunguza uzito = lose weight / reduce weight
• kupunguza bei = lower the price

So it has the general idea of making something smaller, lower, or less.

Gharama is one of those Swahili nouns that often stays the same in both singular and plural.

So:

• gharama can mean cost
• gharama can also mean costs

The meaning is understood from context.

In Tunahitaji kupunguza gharama, the natural English translation is usually We need to reduce costs or We need to reduce expenses.

Yes. This is a very natural Swahili sentence.

The order is:

• Tunahitaji = we need
• kupunguza = to reduce
• gharama = costs

So the pattern is roughly:

subject + verb + infinitive + object

This feels quite close to English:

We need to reduce costs.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

too-nah-hee-TAH-jee koo-poon-GOO-zah gha-RAH-ma

A few useful notes:

• Swahili vowels are usually pronounced clearly:
  • a as in father
  • e as in bed but often a bit purer
  • i as in machine
  • o as in go but pure
  • u as in rule
• Stress in Swahili is usually on the second-to-last syllable:
  • tunaHItaji
  • kupuNGUza
  • ghaRAma

Yes. The exact English wording can vary depending on context.

Possible translations include:

• We need to reduce costs.
• We need to lower costs.
• We need to cut costs.
• We need to reduce expenses.

All of these fit the Swahili sentence well. The core idea is that expenses/costs should become less.

Yes, sometimes gharama can refer to cost, expense, charge, or even price, depending on context.

For example:

• in business/accounting, it may mean costs or expenses
• in shopping, it can sometimes refer to price

In Tunahitaji kupunguza gharama, the most likely meaning is costs/expenses, not selling prices.

Yes. A very common alternative is:

Lazima tupunguze gharama.
= We must reduce costs.

This is slightly stronger than Tunahitaji kupunguza gharama, which means we need to reduce costs.

Compare:

• Tunahitaji kupunguza gharama = we need to reduce costs
• Lazima tupunguze gharama = we must reduce costs

Both are natural, but tunahitaji sounds a bit less forceful than lazima.