Mwanasheria atamshtaki mwajiri kwa uhalifu.

You can split atamshtaki into these parts:

• a- = he/she as the subject
• -ta- = future tense, will
• -m- = him/her as the object
• -shtaki = accuse / sue / prosecute / charge

So the verb as a whole means he/she will accuse/sue/prosecute him/her.

Swahili verbs often pack a lot of information into one word, much more than English verbs do.

A- is the subject marker for third-person singular when the subject is a person, meaning he or she.

The subject here is mwanasheria. Since that is a singular human noun, the verb uses a-.

So:

• mwanasheria a-ta-m-shtaki
• the lawyer he/she-will-him/her-accuse

Even though English uses separate words like he or she, Swahili usually shows that information directly on the verb.

The -m- is an object marker. It means him/her, referring to a singular person.

So in this sentence, -m- refers to mwajiri.

Swahili can do both of these at the same time:

• mark the object on the verb with -m-
• also say the full noun mwajiri

This is very normal, especially with people and with specific/known objects. So the verb already hints at him/her, and then mwajiri makes it explicit.

There are two main clues:

• Word order: Swahili normally follows Subject – Verb – Object
• Verb marking: the verb begins with a-, agreeing with the subject mwanasheria

So the structure is:

• Mwanasheria = subject
• atamshtaki = verb
• mwajiri = object
• kwa uhalifu = extra phrase explaining the reason/basis

That means the lawyer is acting on the employer, not the other way around.

Because both are singular nouns referring to people.

In Swahili, many human nouns belong to the m-/wa- noun class pattern:

• singular often begins with m-
• plural often begins with wa-

For example:

• mwanasheria → wanasheria
• mwajiri → waajiri

This m- does not mean masculine. It does not tell you the person is male. It is a noun-class feature, not grammatical gender like in some European languages.

No. Mwanasheria can refer to a lawyer of any gender.

Swahili generally does not mark nouns like this for male versus female in the way English sometimes does with words like actor/actress. If you need to make gender explicit, you usually add extra words, but the basic noun itself is not restricted to men.

The same applies to the subject marker a-: it can mean he or she, depending on context.

-Shtaki is a legal word with a range that overlaps several English verbs, including:

• accuse
• charge
• sue
• prosecute

The best English choice depends on context.

In this sentence, because of kwa uhalifu meaning something like for a crime or on a criminal charge, the sense is probably closer to accuse, charge, or prosecute rather than a purely civil sue.

This is a very common issue when learning Swahili: one verb may cover a wider area than any single English verb.

Kwa is a very common preposition in Swahili. Depending on context, it can mean things like:

• for
• because of
• by
• with
• concerning

Here, kwa uhalifu means something like:

• for a crime
• on account of a crime
• in relation to criminal conduct

So kwa links the legal action to the reason or basis for it.

The u- in uhalifu is part of the noun itself and is typical of many abstract nouns in Swahili.

Uhalifu means crime, criminality, or criminal conduct. It refers to an abstract idea, not a person or concrete object.

This is a common pattern:

• u- often appears in nouns for states, qualities, or abstract concepts

So a learner should notice that uhalifu is not a person like mwanasheria or mwajiri; it is an abstract noun.

Swahili does not normally use articles like English the and a/an.

So:

• mwanasheria can mean a lawyer or the lawyer
• mwajiri can mean an employer or the employer

The exact meaning depends on context.

This is very normal in Swahili, so learners have to get used to understanding definiteness from the situation rather than from a separate article.

The normal order here is:

• Subject + Verb + Object + Other phrase

So:

• Mwanasheria atamshtaki mwajiri kwa uhalifu.

That is the most straightforward and neutral order.

Swahili can sometimes change word order for focus or style, but for learners, this basic SVO pattern is the safest one to follow. In this sentence, the standard order clearly shows who is acting and who is affected.