Hali ya Hewa na Majira

Chapter Objectives

Communication Scenario

Core Vocabulary

Hali ya hewa — Weather

The nouns and expressions below describe common weather conditions. Several of the nouns belong to noun classes you have already studied; their class is noted so you can apply the agreement patterns you know.

Vitenzi vya hewa — Weather verbs and expressions

Note: nyesha (to fall, of rain) is used almost exclusively with mvua. Learn Mvua inanyesha as a fixed productive pattern rather than analyzing -nyesha as a general verb you can apply elsewhere.

Majira na misimu — Seasons and time of year

masika and vuli are receptive terms referring to specific rain periods. Their exact timing varies by region and year; treat the months given as general guidance, not a fixed rule. Months of the year (Januari, Februari, and so on) were not formally taught in earlier chapters and are presented here for recognition only, following the standard Swahili calendar names.

Maumbile ya asili — Natural features (review and expansion)

mlima and mto belong to the M-MI class you studied in Chapter 6. Their plurals — milima and mito — take M-MI plural agreement, not the M-WA animate agreement used for people.

Mavazi na shughuli — Clothing and activities (review)

Sababu na matokeo — Cause and result

Pronunciation and Spelling

Sauti za mv, ny, na j — The combinations mv, ny, and j

Weather vocabulary in this chapter introduces several useful sound combinations. Practice them carefully, since they appear in some of your most frequently used new words.

Kiimbo cha sentensi yenye sharti — Intonation in conditional sentences

Sentences using -ki- to express a condition have two parts: the condition and the result. In natural speech, there is a brief pause between the two parts, and the voice often rises slightly at the end of the condition clause before falling across the result clause.

Mvua ikinyesha, (pause, slight rise) tutakaa nyumbani. (fall)

Practice reading the conditional sentences in this chapter aloud, pausing clearly after the comma.

Kusoma utabiri wa hewa — Reading short forecasts

Practice reading the following short phrases aloud, paying attention to penultimate stress and to the prenasalized and ny sounds you just studied.

1. Leo kuna jua na joto.
2. Kesho mvua itanyesha mchana.
3. Wiki hii kuna upepo mkali pwani.
4. Asubuhi kuna ukungu, lakini mchana kuna jua.

Grammar Instruction

12.1 Talking about weather without "it"

Purpose: describe weather conditions using the Swahili structures that replace the English dummy subject "it."

English describes weather with the placeholder subject "it" — "it is raining," "it is cold," "it is sunny." Swahili has no equivalent placeholder. Instead, Swahili weather expressions use one of two familiar structures you have already studied: kuna (there is/are) for conditions expressed as a noun that exists, or ni (is) for conditions expressed as a description.

Pattern 1 — kuna + weather noun, used when the condition is described as something present:

• Kuna jua. It is sunny. (Literally: There is sun.)
• Kuna upepo. It is windy. (Literally: There is wind.)
• Kuna mawingu. It is cloudy. (Literally: There are clouds.)

Pattern 2 — ni + descriptive noun, used for temperature and general conditions:

• Ni joto leo. It is hot today.
• Ni baridi asubuhi. It is cold in the morning.

Pattern 3 — noun subject + verb, used when rain or a similar phenomenon is the grammatical subject of its own sentence:

• Mvua inanyesha. It is raining. (Literally: Rain is falling.) mvua (N-class, i- subject marker) + -na- + nyesha

Mazoezi A — Hali ya hewa ni nini? (What is the weather?):

Look at each description and write a complete Swahili sentence describing the weather.

1. sunny and hot
2. raining
3. cold and windy
4. cloudy

12.2 Noun-class subject agreement with natural phenomena

Purpose: apply the noun-class subject markers you already know to weather and nature nouns.

Weather and nature nouns belong to the same noun classes you have already studied, and they follow the same subject-marker rules. This section is a review and application of agreement, not a new grammatical system.

Jua linawaka and Upepo unavuma are recognition items that show the subject-marker pattern in action; you are not required to produce these specific verbs yet. Focus your productive control on Mvua inanyesha and on adjective agreement with weather and nature nouns, such as Mlima ni mrefu and Bahari ni kubwa, which use M-MI and N-class adjective agreement you studied in Chapters 6 and 9.

12.3 Introductory conditional with -ki-

Purpose: express a simple real condition — "if X happens, Y will happen" — in high-frequency, transparent weather and planning contexts.

Swahili expresses a real condition — one that is genuinely possible — using the marker -ki- in the verb of the condition clause. The structure is similar to the verb template you already know, with -ki- taking the position of the tense marker:

subject marker + -ki- + verb root + final vowel

The main clause — the result — uses a tense marker you already know, most often the future -ta-.

• Mvua ikinyesha, tutakaa nyumbani. If it rains, we will stay home. mvua + i-ki-nyesh-a, tu-ta-ka-a nyumbani
• Jua likiwaka, tutaenda baharini. If the sun comes out, we will go to the sea. (recognition)
• Ukipenda, twende kesho. If you like, let's go tomorrow.

Mazoezi B — Sharti na matokeo (Condition and result):

Complete each sentence with a logical result clause using the future tense.

1. Mvua ikinyesha, _____.
2. Kukiwa na jua, _____.
3. Ukipenda kuogelea, _____.
4. Kukiwa na baridi sana, _____.

12.4 Cause and result: kwa sababu and kwa hiyo

Purpose: connect two related ideas by explaining why something happens or what results from it.

kwa sababu ("because") introduces a reason. kwa hiyo ("therefore," "so") introduces a result. Both connectors join two complete clauses.

• Tunakaa nyumbani kwa sababu mvua inanyesha. We are staying home because it is raining.
• Mvua inanyesha. Kwa hiyo, tunakaa nyumbani. It is raining. Therefore, we are staying home.
• Ninavaa koti kwa sababu ni baridi. I am wearing a coat because it is cold.

Notice that kwa sababu typically joins two clauses within one sentence, while kwa hiyo often begins a new sentence that follows the reason. Both orders are natural in connected speech and writing.

Mazoezi C — Muundo kamili (Full sentences):

Translate these sentences into Swahili, using vocabulary and patterns from this chapter.

1. It is sunny and hot today.
2. If it rains tomorrow, we will stay home.
3. The mountain is tall and beautiful.
4. I am wearing a hat because it is cold.
5. It is windy near the coast.
6. If you like, let's go swimming.
7. It is raining hard. Therefore, we are not traveling today.
8. In the rainy season, there is a lot of rain.

Model Dialogue

Vocabulary note: Hali ya hewa ikoje? = What is the weather like? (fixed receptive question pattern); daima = always; wanasema = they say; kutakuwa na = there will be (future existence, recognition item); kwa sababu ya = because of (followed by a noun rather than a clause); Tuonane kesho = See you tomorrow (literally: let's see each other tomorrow); Safari njema = Safe travels. These are recognition items at this stage except where they reuse patterns already taught.

Maswali ya ufahamu — Comprehension questions:

1. Hali ya hewa ikoje Mombasa leo? (What is the weather like in Mombasa today?)
2. Hali ya hewa ikoje Nairobi leo? (What is the weather like in Nairobi today?)
3. Mvua itanyesha lini kesho? (When will it rain tomorrow?)
4. Watafanya nini ikiwa mvua itanyesha jioni? (What will they do if it rains in the evening?)
5. Kwa nini Zawadi anamwambia Amara alete mwavuli na kofia? (Why does Zawadi tell Amara to bring an umbrella and a hat?)

Listening

Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following short passages aloud, twice each. Complete the tasks below as you listen.

Kazi A — Andika hali ya hewa (Write the weather): Listen to Utabiri A and Utabiri B. For each city, write down the weather conditions mentioned and the time of day or period associated with each.

Kazi B — Sharti na matokeo (Condition and result): Listen to Mazungumzo C. Write the plan for Saturday and the conditional plan for Sunday.

Kazi C — Sababu (Reasons): Listen to all three passages again. Find one sentence that uses kwa hiyo and explain in English what cause and result it connects.

Listening Script for Instructor, Partner, or Text-to-Speech Use. See Answer Key for expected responses.

Reading

Read the following short texts. Look for weather expressions, conditional sentences, and cause-and-result connectors as you read.

Maswali ya ufahamu — Comprehension questions:

1. Tanzania ina misimu mingapi mikuu? Itaje. (How many major seasons does Tanzania have? Name them.)
2. Mvua za masika hutokea lini? Mvua za vuli hutokea lini? (When do the long rains occur? When do the short rains occur?)
3. In Maandishi 1, find one sentence using -ki-. Identify the condition clause and the result clause.
4. In Maandishi 2, why did Tariq wear a coat and hat in the morning?
5. What is Tariq's conditional plan for climbing the mountain? Write both possibilities in English.

Writing Workshop

1. Soma mfano. Reread Maandishi 2 (the message from Tariq) above. Underline every weather expression. Circle every conditional sentence using -ki- or ikiwa.
2. Panga mawazo yako. Choose a real or imagined place and a two-day period. Note the weather you expect for each day, one activity that depends on good weather, and one backup plan for bad weather.
3. Andika rasimu yako ya kwanza. Write a short forecast and conditional plan of 80–100 words. Describe the weather for both days, state at least one conditional sentence using the -ki- pattern from this chapter, and use kwa sababu or kwa hiyo at least once.
4. Kagua kwa orodha hapa chini. Check your draft against the editing checklist below before writing a final version.
5. Andika nakala safi. Produce a clean final version to include in your portfolio or share with a partner.

Orodha ya ukaguzi — Editing checklist:

• Weather expressions use the correct pattern: kuna + noun, ni + descriptive noun, or a weather noun as the subject of its own verb.
• The -ki- condition clause and the future-tense result clause are both correctly formed and separated by a comma.
• kwa sababu introduces a reason and kwa hiyo introduces a result; they are not used interchangeably.
• Subject agreement on adjectives describing nature nouns (mountain, sea, and so on) matches the correct noun class.
• mv and ny combinations are spelled correctly with no extra inserted vowel.
• Each sentence ends with a full stop and begins with a capital letter.
• The text falls within the 80–100 word target range.

Kazi ya ziada — Additional task: Write a short message (five to seven sentences) to an imaginary friend describing the typical weather pattern where you live across the seasons. Use vocabulary from this chapter and at least one sentence describing how the weather affects what people wear or do.

Speaking Practice

Culture and Communication

Common Mistakes

Chapter Review

Chapter Performance Task

Looking Ahead