Maisha katika Jamii
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Combine directions, transportation vocabulary, and locative expressions to help someone navigate a community.
- Discuss how weather affects a plan and adjust that plan using familiar conditional patterns with -ki-.
- Explain a basic health need, request assistance, and understand simple advice.
- Discuss work or school responsibilities and state a future task using -ta-.
- Give and understand basic instructions and polite requests in public-service settings.
- Express ability, inability, and necessity using -weza, lazima, and inabidi.
- Link a familiar action to its purpose using ili.
- Use confirmation, clarification, and repair expressions to solve a practical problem.
- Sustain a five- to seven-minute guided interaction that moves through more than one everyday scenario.
- Write a connected 120–150-word practical account or plan that draws on directions, weather, health, and work or school language.
Communication Scenario
It is a Tuesday morning. You wake up with a mild fever and need to see a doctor before you go to work. You do not know exactly where the nearest clinic is, and the sky looks like rain, which may affect how you get there. Once you arrive, you will need to explain your symptom, listen to simple advice, and then contact your workplace or school to explain why you will be late and to talk about when you can make up the missed time. This chapter brings together everything you studied in Unit III — directions, weather, health, and work or school responsibilities — so that you can handle a real, connected problem from beginning to end, entirely in Swahili.
- Think of a time you had to reschedule something because of an unexpected problem — illness, weather, or a delay. How many separate conversations did that involve? Notice, as you work through this chapter, how a single Swahili exchange can move smoothly from directions, to a health explanation, to a work update, using grammar you already control.
- This chapter introduces no major new grammar. Instead, it asks you to combine locatives, imperatives, ability and necessity, purpose clauses, and the conditional -ki- in longer, connected speech and writing — the way a fluent beginner actually uses the language.
Core Vocabulary
Mapitio — Usafiri na mwelekeo (Review: transportation and direction)
The table below reviews high-frequency transportation, building, and direction vocabulary from Chapter 11. You are not learning these words for the first time; you are retrieving them for use in this chapter's connected tasks.
| Swahili | Meaning | Chapter introduced |
|---|---|---|
| basi (pl. mabasi) | bus / buses | Ch. 11 |
| teksi | taxi | Ch. 11 |
| gari (pl. magari) | car / cars | Ch. 11 |
| hospitali | hospital | Ch. 11 |
| duka la dawa | pharmacy | Ch. 11 |
| ofisi | office | Ch. 11 |
| kulia / kushoto | right / left | Ch. 11 |
| moja kwa moja | straight ahead | Ch. 11 |
| karibu na / mbali na | near / far from | Ch. 11 |
| kwenda, kuja, kuingia, kutoka, kufika | to go, to come, to enter, to exit/come from, to arrive | Ch. 11 |
Mapitio — Hali ya hewa (Review: weather)
| Swahili | Meaning | Chapter introduced |
|---|---|---|
| mvua | rain | Ch. 12 |
| jua | sun | Ch. 12 |
| upepo | wind | Ch. 12 |
| mawingu | clouds | Ch. 12 |
| kunyesha | to rain | Ch. 12 |
| kwa sababu / kwa hiyo | because / therefore | Ch. 12 |
Mapitio — Afya na mwili (Review: health and the body)
| Swahili | Meaning | Chapter introduced |
|---|---|---|
| daktari (pl. madaktari) | doctor / doctors | Ch. 13 |
| dawa | medicine | Ch. 13 |
| homa | fever | Ch. 13 |
| maumivu | pain | Ch. 13 |
| kuumwa | to hurt; to be sick | Ch. 13 |
| -weza | can; to be able | Ch. 13 |
| lazima / inabidi | must; it is necessary | Ch. 13 |
Mapitio — Kazi na shule (Review: work and school)
| Swahili | Meaning | Chapter introduced |
|---|---|---|
| kazi | work; job | Ch. 14 |
| shule | school | Ch. 14 |
| mkutano (pl. mikutano) | meeting | Ch. 14 |
| ratiba | schedule | Ch. 14 |
| -ta- | future tense marker | Ch. 14 |
| ili | in order to; so that | Ch. 14 |
Maneno mapya — Huduma za umma na kutatua matatizo (New: public services and problem-solving)
These expressions are new to this chapter. They support the practical, connected tasks you will complete — asking for help, confirming information, and managing a small misunderstanding politely.
| Swahili | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Naomba msaada. | I would like some help, please. | Polite request frame; recycles naomba from Ch. 8 |
| Samahani, ninachelewa. | Excuse me, I am running late. | Formulaic; recognition of -chelewa as a lexical verb |
| Je, kuna nafasi? | Is there an available spot/appointment? | Recycles kuna from Ch. 6 |
| Tafadhali nisaidie. | Please help me. | Formulaic subjunctive-based request; productive as a fixed phrase |
| Sielewi vizuri. | I do not understand well. | Recycles negative si- pattern from Ch. 7 |
| Unaweza kusema tena? | Can you say that again? | Recycles -weza from Ch. 13 |
| Asante kwa msaada. | Thank you for the help. | Closing courtesy expression |
Maneno mapya — Miadi na ratiba (New: appointments and scheduling)
| Swahili | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| miadi | appointment | N-class; usually invariant in number |
| kuahirisha | to postpone | Recognition item; used in fixed phrases only |
| kubadilisha | to change | Productive with familiar object nouns, e.g. kubadilisha ratiba |
| Saa ngapi? | What time? | Reviews Swahili clock time from Ch. 7 |
| Lini? | When? | Question word; recognition from Ch. 3 question-word set, productive here |
This chapter does not introduce a new noun class or verb tense. The new items above are functional expressions and a small set of high-frequency verbs needed to sustain a public-service exchange. Continue to use PA/KU/MU locatives, present -na-, future -ta-, and imperatives exactly as taught in Chapters 3, 7, 11, and 14.
Pronunciation and Spelling
Toni katika maombi, maelekezo, na ufafanuzi — Intonation in requests, instructions, and clarification
This chapter's tasks require you to move quickly between different sentence functions in a single conversation: giving directions, making a request, explaining a symptom, and confirming a plan. Each function carries a distinct intonation pattern in careful Standard Swahili.
| Function | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Direction / instruction | Falling pitch on the final stressed syllable; even pacing between clauses | Nenda moja kwa moja, kisha kata kulia. |
| Polite request | Slightly rising pitch through tafadhali or naomba, falling at the end | Tafadhali, unaweza kunisaidia? |
| Clarification question | Rising pitch across the whole question | Sielewi vizuri — unaweza kusema tena? |
| Confirmation | Level pitch, slower pacing, brief pause before the confirmed detail | Sawa — Jumatatu, saa tatu asubuhi. |
Muundo wa sentensi zenye vishazi vingi — Multi-clause phrasing
As sentences grow longer in this chapter, pause briefly at each clause boundary rather than rushing through the whole sentence. This is especially important with conditional and purpose clauses, which contain two connected ideas.
Mvua ikinyesha, (pause) tutachukua teksi.
Ninaenda hospitalini (pause) ili nione daktari.
In connected speech, English speakers sometimes flatten the stress difference between present and future verb forms because both begin with a subject marker. Keep the penultimate stress rule active in every verb, regardless of tense: ni-na-KWEN-da (I am going) versus ni-ta-KWEN-da (I will go). The tense marker changes the meaning, but stress placement is calculated the same way in both — count back two syllables from the end of the complete word.
Kuandika maelekezo na miadi — Dictation of directions and appointments
Listen as your instructor, partner, or text-to-speech tool reads the sentences below aloud twice. Write what you hear, paying attention to word boundaries and prenasalized consonants.
- _____________________________________________
- _____________________________________________
- _____________________________________________
- _____________________________________________
(Dictation source sentences are provided in the Answer Key.)
Grammar Instruction
This chapter introduces no major new grammatical system. Instead, it reviews and combines locatives and motion, imperatives and requests, ability and necessity, present and future affirmative and negative forms, purpose with ili, and conditional -ki- — all previously taught — so that you can use them together in one connected exchange.
15.1 Locatives, motion, and imperatives — cumulative review
Review the PA/KU/MU locative concepts and motion verbs from Chapter 11, together with singular and plural imperatives.
- Hospitali iko wapi? — Where is the hospital? General location question with -ko
- Nenda moja kwa moja, kisha kata kushoto. — Go straight, then turn left. Singular imperative + sequencing word from Ch. 7
- Ingieni ofisini, tafadhali. — Please come into the office. (addressed to more than one person) Plural imperative + polite marker
- Hospitali iko karibu na benki. — The hospital is near the bank. Locative phrase with karibu na, Ch. 6 and Ch. 11
15.2 Ability and necessity — cumulative review
Review -weza for ability and lazima / inabidi for necessity, taught in Chapter 13.
- Siwezi kwenda kazini leo. — I cannot go to work today. Negative ability + infinitive complement
- Lazima nimwone daktari. — I must see a doctor. lazima + subjunctive-based verb, fixed pattern
- Inabidi nibadilishe ratiba yangu. — I need to change my schedule. inabidi + verb, controlled pattern
15.3 Present and future — affirmative and negative review
This chapter requires fluent, accurate switching between present -na- and future -ta-, in both affirmative and negative forms, according to the time context of each part of a longer exchange.
| Time | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Present | Ninaumwa. | Sijisikii vizuri. / Siwezi kufika. |
| Future | Nitafika saa nne. | Sitafika kazini asubuhi. |
15.4 Purpose clauses with ili — review and connected use
Review purpose clauses from Chapter 14. In this chapter, ili connects a motion or request to its reason within a longer, multi-clause sentence.
- Ninaenda hospitalini ili nione daktari. — I am going to the hospital in order to see a doctor. Motion verb + ili + purpose clause
- Nitampigia simu mwalimu wangu ili nimweleze tatizo. — I will call my teacher in order to explain the problem to him/her. Future verb + ili + purpose clause
15.5 Conditional -ki- — review in familiar patterns
Review conditional -ki- from Chapter 12. In this chapter, it links a weather or circumstantial condition to a practical decision.
- Mvua ikinyesha, tutachukua teksi. — If it rains, we will take a taxi. -ki- condition + future main clause
- Nikichelewa, nitampigia simu mkurugenzi. — If I am late, I will call the director. -ki- condition + future main clause
Placing a locative, a purpose clause, and a conditional in the same conversation does not require any new verb form. Each clause still follows the verb template you already know: subject marker + tense or aspect marker + object marker when needed + verb root + final vowel. What changes in this chapter is your ability to move between clauses smoothly and to select the correct connector — ili, -ki-, kwa sababu, kwa hiyo — for the relationship between two ideas.
Mazoezi A — Maelekezo na amri (Directions and imperatives):
Complete each direction using the cue given.
- (go straight) _____ hadi kwenye kona.
- (turn right, singular command) _____ kulia pale dukani.
- (enter, plural command) _____ ofisini, tafadhali.
- (the pharmacy is near the school) Duka la dawa _____ shuleni.
Mazoezi B — Uwezo na ulazima (Ability and necessity):
Rewrite each sentence using the cue in parentheses.
- Nitafika kazini saa mbili. (add: siwezi — I cannot)
- Ninahitaji kumwona daktari. (rewrite using lazima)
- Anabadilisha ratiba yake. (rewrite using inabidi)
Mazoezi C — Sasa na wakati ujao (Present and future):
Give both the present and future, affirmative and negative, forms of each cue.
- mimi / kwenda kazini
- yeye / kuumwa
- sisi / kufika saa tatu
Mazoezi D — Kusudi na sharti (Purpose and condition):
Combine the two ideas using ili or -ki-, as indicated.
- Ninaenda dukani. + Ninataka kununua dawa. (ili)
- Mvua inanyesha. + Tutakaa nyumbani. (-ki-)
- Ninampigia simu mwalimu. + Ninataka kumweleza tatizo. (ili)
- Ninachelewa. + Nitampigia simu mkurugenzi. (-ki-)
Model Dialogue
Muktadha: Neema anatembea mtaani asubuhi. Anaumwa kidogo na anahitaji kufika hospitalini. Anamwuliza Elias, jirani yake, maelekezo. Baadaye, anampigia simu mkurugenzi wa ofisi yake kueleza kwamba atachelewa.
(Setting: Neema is walking in the neighborhood in the morning. She feels somewhat unwell and needs to reach the hospital. She asks Elias, her neighbor, for directions. Afterward, she calls her office director to explain that she will be late.)
(Baadaye, hospitalini. / Later, at the hospital.)
Vocabulary note: badala ya = instead of; ikiwezekana = if possible (recognition item, related to -weza); usijali = don't worry (negative command, recognition item); mzima = well, healthy. These recognition items support natural dialogue without requiring productive control at this stage.
Maswali ya ufahamu — Comprehension questions:
- Kwa nini Neema anahitaji kwenda hospitalini? (Why does Neema need to go to the hospital?)
- Elias anampa Neema maelekezo gani? (What directions does Elias give Neema?)
- Neema atafanya nini mvua ikinyesha? (What will Neema do if it rains?)
- Neema anampigia simu nani, na kwa nini? (Who does Neema call, and why?)
- Mkurugenzi anasema atafanya nini kuhusu mkutano wa asubuhi? (What does the director say he will do about the morning meeting?)
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.
Mazungumzo A — Kuuliza njia
"Samahani, naomba msaada. Ninatafuta kituo cha polisi. Kiko wapi? — Kituo cha polisi kiko mbali kidogo. Nenda moja kwa moja hadi kwenye taa za barabarani, kisha kata kushoto. Kituo kiko karibu na benki. — Asante sana kwa msaada."
Mazungumzo B — Tatizo la afya
"Ninaumwa tumbo tangu asubuhi. Sina nguvu. Lazima nimwone daktari leo. Inabidi nibadilishe miadi yangu ya kazi. Nitampigia simu mkurugenzi wangu ili nimweleze hali yangu."
Mazungumzo C — Mpango wa hali ya hewa
"Leo mawingu mengi yapo angani. Mvua ikinyesha mchana, hatutaweza kutembea kwenda sokoni. Tutachukua basi badala yake. Jua likitoka, tutatembea kama kawaida."
Kazi A — Maelekezo (Directions): Listen to Mazungumzo A. Write down each direction step in the order given, and identify the destination.
Kazi B — Tatizo na suluhisho (Problem and solution): Listen to Mazungumzo B. Write down the health problem, the necessity expressed, and the plan of action.
Kazi C — Sharti na mpango (Condition and plan): Listen to Mazungumzo C. Write down both conditional sentences and the plan connected to each condition.
Listening Script for Instructor, Partner, or Text-to-Speech Use. See Answer Key for expected responses.
Reading
Read the following short texts. Look for locatives, ability and necessity expressions, purpose clauses, and conditional sentences as you read.
Maandishi 1 — Tangazo la hospitali (A clinic notice)
Karibu katika Hospitali ya Jamii ya Mwanga. Kliniki inafunguliwa saa mbili asubuhi hadi saa kumi na mbili jioni, Jumatatu hadi Jumamosi. Wagonjwa wanaohitaji miadi wanaweza kupiga simu kabla ya kufika. Ikiwa unahisi vibaya sana, njoo moja kwa moja bila miadi. Kliniki iko karibu na kituo cha basi cha katikati ya mji, kando ya Barabara ya Uhuru.
Vocabulary note: kliniki = clinic (receptive variant of hospitali in this context); wagonjwa = patients; kando ya = beside; kabla ya = before. These are recognition items.
Maandishi 2 — Ujumbe kwa mwalimu (A message to a teacher)
Habari, Mwalimu Juma.
Samahani kwa kuchelewa kukujulisha. Ninaumwa homa tangu jana usiku, na leo asubuhi lazima nimwone daktari. Siwezi kuja shuleni leo. Ninaomba nafasi ya kufanya mtihani kesho, ikiwa inawezekana.
Nitakuwa shuleni kesho, mvua isiponyesha. Mvua ikinyesha sana, nitampigia simu rafiki yangu ili anieleze kazi niliyoikosa.
Asante kwa uelewa wako.
Kwa heshima,
Doreen
Vocabulary note: kukujulisha = to inform you; mtihani = exam; isiponyesha = if it does not rain (negative conditional, recognition item); niliyoikosa = that I missed (recognition item); uelewa = understanding. These are recognition items supporting an authentic message.
Maswali ya ufahamu — Comprehension questions:
- Kliniki inafunguliwa saa ngapi, na siku gani? (What hours and days is the clinic open?)
- Mgonjwa anayehisi vibaya sana anapaswa kufanya nini? (What should a patient who feels very unwell do?)
- Kwa nini Doreen hawezi kuja shuleni? (Why can Doreen not come to school?)
- Doreen atafanya nini mvua ikinyesha sana? (What will Doreen do if it rains heavily?)
- Find one purpose clause with ili and one conditional clause with -ki- in Maandishi 2. Write each and explain what it connects.
Writing Workshop
- Soma mfano. Reread Maandishi 2 (Ujumbe kwa mwalimu) above. Underline every locative expression, box every ability/necessity expression, circle the purpose clause, and highlight the conditional clause.
- Panga mawazo yako. Imagine a practical problem that involves at least three of the following: a location or direction, a weather condition, a health or personal need, and a work or school responsibility. Note the key facts for each part.
- Andika rasimu yako ya kwanza. Write a connected 120–150-word account or plan. Include: at least one locative or motion expression, one ability or necessity expression, one purpose clause with ili, and one conditional clause with -ki-.
- Kagua kwa orodha hapa chini. Check your draft against the editing checklist below before writing a final version.
- Andika nakala safi. Produce a clean final version to include in your portfolio or share with a partner.
Orodha ya ukaguzi — Editing checklist:
- Locative and motion expressions are accurate and match the intended meaning (general, specific, or interior location).
- Ability and necessity forms — -weza, lazima, inabidi — are used correctly and match the intended meaning.
- Present -na- and future -ta- forms are used consistently with the time frame of each sentence.
- The purpose clause with ili correctly links an action to its reason.
- The conditional clause with -ki- correctly links a circumstance to a planned response.
- Connectors such as kwa sababu, kwa hiyo, and kisha are used where they improve cohesion.
- Spelling, capitalization, and sentence punctuation are correct throughout.
Kazi ya ziada — Additional task: Write a short message (five to seven sentences) to an employer, teacher, or classmate explaining a schedule change caused by a practical problem. Use the format of Maandishi 2 as a model for opening and closing an informal message.
Speaking Practice
Mazoezi ya msingi — Controlled practice
With a partner, take turns giving and following a set of directions to three different community locations (a hospital, a market, and an office). Use imperatives, locative expressions, and at least one karibu na or mbali na phrase for each destination.
Mchezo wa maswali — Question game
Take turns asking and answering these questions. Give full-sentence answers in Swahili.
- Hospitali iliyo karibu na nyumbani kwako iko wapi?
- Ukiumwa, unafanya nini kwanza?
- Mvua ikinyesha kesho, utafanya nini?
- Ni lini ulilazimika kubadilisha ratiba yako ya kazi au shule?
- Unamweleza nani ukichelewa kazini au shuleni?
Uwasilishaji mfupi — Short presentation
Without using your notes, describe a five- to seven-minute connected scenario: you need directions to a location, you have a health or practical need, weather affects your plan, and you must explain a schedule change to a work or school contact. Your partner listens and then asks at least two follow-up questions using patterns from this chapter.
Mbadala wa kujifunza peke yako — Solo alternative
Record yourself narrating the same multi-stage scenario alone, taking both roles in any exchange (for example, asking for directions and giving them). Listen back and check: Did you use locatives, ability/necessity, purpose with ili, and conditional -ki- accurately? Did you keep present and future forms distinct?
Culture and Communication
Interactions in clinics, offices, schools, and other public-service settings generally open with a greeting before any request or explanation of a problem, even when the situation is urgent. Beginning directly with a request or complaint, without any greeting, can come across as abrupt in many East African settings. A short greeting such as Habari or Hujambo, followed by a polite request such as Naomba msaada, is a natural and respectful way to open such an exchange.
Titles and respectful forms of address — for a teacher, a director, a nurse, or an official — are commonly used in these settings. This chapter's dialogue models Mwalimu and Mkurugenzi as respectful address forms; learners should use comparable titles when addressing someone in a professional or institutional role.
The right level of directness in explaining a problem — such as illness, a delay, or a missed appointment — depends on the relationship, the setting, and the seriousness of the situation. Among close friends or family, a direct and detailed explanation is often welcome. In more formal or institutional settings, a brief, respectful explanation, followed by a clear practical request (for example, changing a schedule), is often more appropriate than a long personal account. These are general tendencies, not fixed rules, and learners should observe context carefully.
Transportation systems, clinic and hospital procedures, school schedules, and workplace expectations vary considerably across Tanzania, Kenya, and other Swahili-speaking communities, and even within a single country between urban and rural areas. A word such as daladala (a common minibus term in Tanzania) or matatu (a common minibus term in Kenya) may be used regionally alongside the more general basi. This textbook uses general Standard Swahili terms as the productive default; learners traveling to a specific community should expect to encounter and learn local institutional vocabulary and procedures.
Common Mistakes
Error: Ninaweza kumwona daktari. when the intended meaning is obligation, not ability
Correction: Lazima nimwone daktari. — -weza expresses ability or possibility ("I am able to"), while lazima expresses obligation or necessity ("I must"). Check whether your sentence describes what someone is capable of doing or what they are required to do before choosing between these forms.
Error: Ninaenda hospitalini kesho. (using present -na- for a clearly future event marked by kesho)
Correction: Nitaenda hospitalini kesho. — Even though Swahili verb morphology can carry meaning that a time expression later confirms, the productive beginner pattern taught in this course uses future -ta- for events explicitly placed in future time. Check the time expression in your sentence and match the tense marker to it.
Error: Ili ninaenda hospitalini nione daktari. (placing ili before the main clause)
Correction: Ninaenda hospitalini ili nione daktari. — Ili introduces the purpose clause and normally follows the main action it explains. Similarly, the -ki- conditional clause may come first or second in the sentence, but the condition and the result must remain in separate clauses, each with its own complete verb: Mvua ikinyesha, tutachukua teksi.
Error: Opening a request for help with only Nataka msaada (I want help) and no greeting
Correction: Habari — naomba msaada, tafadhali. — A brief greeting before a request is expected in most East African public-service interactions, even when time is short. Pair naomba with a greeting rather than opening abruptly with a bare statement of want.
Error: Running a locative, a purpose clause, and a conditional together as one unbroken sentence without clear breaks: Ninaenda hospitalini ili nione daktari mvua ikinyesha nitachukua teksi
Correction: Ninaenda hospitalini ili nione daktari. Mvua ikinyesha, nitachukua teksi. — Keep each connected idea as its own sentence or clearly punctuated clause. Longer connected speech and writing should still respect sentence boundaries, even as you combine more information.
Chapter Review
Sehemu A — Msamiati (Vocabulary)
1. Write the Swahili word for: hospital, pharmacy, appointment, schedule, fever, meeting.
2. Give the Swahili expressions for: "I need help, please" / "Can you say that again?" / "I don't understand well."
3. Write in Swahili: "I must see a doctor." / "I need to change my schedule." / "I cannot come to work."
4. What is the difference in meaning between -weza and lazima? Give one example sentence with each.
5. Write the Swahili expressions for: "If it rains, we will take a taxi." / "I am going to the office in order to explain the problem."
Sehemu B — Sarufi (Grammar)
1. Complete each sentence with the correct locative or motion form.
- Hospitali _____ wapi? (is located)
- _____ moja kwa moja hadi kwenye kona. (go, singular command)
- Ofisi _____ karibu na benki. (is located)
2. Choose -weza, lazima, or inabidi to complete each sentence correctly.
- _____ nimwone daktari leo.
- Si_____ kufika kazini asubuhi.
- _____ nibadilishe miadi yangu.
3. Combine each pair of sentences using ili or -ki- as indicated.
- Ninaenda sokoni. + Ninataka kununua chakula. (ili)
- Ninachelewa. + Nitampigia simu mwalimu wangu. (-ki-)
4. Identify and correct the error in each sentence.
- Ninaenda hospitalini kesho. (Is this correct for a clearly future event? If not, correct it.)
- Ili ninaenda hospitalini nione daktari.
5. Translate into Swahili: "If it rains tomorrow, I will not be able to walk to work."
Sehemu C — Usomaji (Reading)
1. In Maandishi 2 (Ujumbe kwa mwalimu), find and list every locative, ability/necessity, purpose, and conditional expression. Label each by type.
2. What does Doreen ask her teacher for, and under what condition does her plan change?
3. In Maandishi 1, where is the clinic located, and what should a patient do if they feel very unwell?
Sehemu D — Uandishi (Writing)
1. Write a connected 120–150-word practical account or plan that includes a locative or motion expression, an ability or necessity expression, a purpose clause with ili, and a conditional clause with -ki-.
Sehemu E — Kuzungumza (Speaking)
1. Without notes, narrate a five- to seven-minute connected scenario involving directions, a practical need, a weather-related decision, and a schedule change. Then answer two follow-up questions from a partner (or from yourself, if working independently).
Mapitio ya Kitengo cha III — Unit III Review
Before completing the Unit III Performance Task, demonstrate control of:
- Directions, transportation, and location (Ch. 11)
- Weather and conditional plans with -ki- (Ch. 12)
- Health, requests, ability, and necessity (Ch. 13)
- Work, school, future plans, and purpose with ili (Ch. 14)
- Present and future verb construction, affirmative and negative
- Cumulative noun-class agreement across M-WA, KI-VI, N, M-MI, JI-MA, and U classes
1. Give directions from your home to three real or imagined community locations.
2. Describe how weather would change one of your plans this week, using -ki-.
3. Explain a simple health problem and request assistance.
4. Describe one work or school responsibility you have this month, using future -ta- and a purpose clause with ili.
Mapitio ya jumla — Cumulative review (from Chapters 1–14)
1. Greet a partner appropriately, then ask them for directions to a place in your own town or neighborhood.
2. Describe a family member (Ch. 4) who lives in a different city, and explain how you would travel there (Ch. 11).
3. Order a meal (Ch. 8) you would eat before an important meeting (Ch. 14), and explain why using ili.
Unit III Performance Task
Kazi ya Utendaji ya Kitengo cha III
Tatizo Katika Jamii — A Community Problem-Solving Scenario
Complete a multi-stage scenario that requires directions to an appointment, an explanation of a practical need, and discussion of future work or school responsibilities. Work with a partner or complete each stage independently.
- Stage 1 — Directions: Ask for and receive directions to an appointment (a clinic, an office, or a school). Confirm the directions using a clarification expression from this chapter.
- Stage 2 — Practical need: Explain a health or practical problem that makes the appointment necessary. Use at least one ability or necessity expression.
- Stage 3 — Weather-related decision: State how the weather could affect your plan, using a conditional clause with -ki-.
- Stage 4 — Work or school responsibilities: Contact a work or school connection to explain the situation and discuss a future task or rescheduled responsibility, using future -ta- and a purpose clause with ili.
- Speaking: Perform all four stages as a connected five- to seven-minute guided interaction.
- Writing: Submit a connected 120–150-word written account or plan covering all four stages, following the Writing Workshop editing checklist.
If you are studying independently: record yourself performing all four stages, taking every role in any exchange. In your written account, add a closing sentence describing how the situation was resolved.
Answer Key / Ufunguo wa Majibu
Dictation Source Sentences
- Hospitali iko karibu na benki.
- Nenda moja kwa moja, kisha kata kulia.
- Mvua ikinyesha, tutachukua teksi.
- Lazima nimwone daktari kesho asubuhi.
Mazoezi A — Maelekezo na amri (Directions and imperatives)
- Nenda moja kwa moja hadi kwenye kona.
- Kata kulia pale dukani.
- Ingieni ofisini, tafadhali.
- Duka la dawa liko karibu na shuleni.
Mazoezi B — Uwezo na ulazima (Ability and necessity)
- Siwezi kufika kazini saa mbili.
- Lazima nimwone daktari.
- Inabidi abadilishe ratiba yake.
Mazoezi C — Sasa na wakati ujao (Present and future — model answers)
- Ninakwenda kazini. / Sikwendi kazini. / Nitakwenda kazini. / Sitakwenda kazini.
- Anaumwa. / Haumwi. / Ataumwa. / Hataumwa.
- Tunafika saa tatu. / Hatufiki saa tatu. / Tutafika saa tatu. / Hatutafika saa tatu.
Mazoezi D — Kusudi na sharti (Purpose and condition)
- Ninaenda dukani ili nunue dawa.
- Mvua ikinyesha, tutakaa nyumbani.
- Ninampigia simu mwalimu ili nimweleze tatizo.
- Nikichelewa, nitampigia simu mkurugenzi.
Other accurate, well-formed sentences are equally acceptable. Check clause order, connector choice, and tense agreement carefully.
Dialogue Comprehension
- Neema anahitaji kwenda hospitalini kwa sababu anaumwa na ana homa. (Neema needs to go to the hospital because she is unwell and has a fever.)
- Elias anamwambia aende moja kwa moja hadi kwenye kona, kisha akate kulia. Hospitali iko karibu na duka la dawa. (Elias tells her to go straight to the corner, then turn right. The hospital is near the pharmacy.)
- Mvua ikianza kunyesha, Neema atachukua teksi badala ya kutembea. (If it starts to rain, Neema will take a taxi instead of walking.)
- Neema anampigia simu mkurugenzi wake ili amweleze kwamba atachelewa kazini. (Neema calls her director to explain that she will be late for work.)
- Mkurugenzi anasema watabadilisha ratiba ya mkutano wa asubuhi. (The director says they will change the schedule of the morning meeting.)
Listening Responses
Kazi A (Mazungumzo A): Nenda moja kwa moja hadi kwenye taa za barabarani → kata kushoto → kituo cha polisi kiko karibu na benki. Destination: kituo cha polisi.
Kazi B (Mazungumzo B): Problem: maumivu ya tumbo tangu asubuhi. Necessity: lazima amwone daktari leo; inabidi abadilishe miadi ya kazi. Plan: atampigia simu mkurugenzi wake ili amweleze hali yake.
Kazi C (Mazungumzo C): Condition 1: Mvua ikinyesha mchana → hawataweza kutembea, watachukua basi. Condition 2: Jua likitoka → watatembea kama kawaida.
Reading Comprehension
- Kliniki inafunguliwa saa mbili asubuhi hadi saa kumi na mbili jioni, Jumatatu hadi Jumamosi. (The clinic is open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday.)
- Mgonjwa anayehisi vibaya sana anapaswa kuja moja kwa moja bila miadi. (A patient who feels very unwell should come directly without an appointment.)
- Doreen hawezi kuja shuleni kwa sababu ana homa na lazima amwone daktari. (Doreen cannot come to school because she has a fever and must see a doctor.)
- Mvua ikinyesha sana, Doreen atampigia simu rafiki yake ili amweleze kazi aliyoikosa. (If it rains heavily, Doreen will call her friend to explain the work she missed.)
- Purpose clause: nitampigia simu rafiki yangu ili anieleze kazi niliyoikosa — connects the phone call to its reason. Conditional clause: mvua isiponyesha / mvua ikinyesha sana — connects the weather condition to Doreen's plan.
Chapter Review — Sehemu B
Question 1 (locatives): iko; Nenda; iko.
Question 2 (ability/necessity): Lazima; Siwezi; Inabidi.
Question 3 (combination):
- Ninaenda sokoni ili nunue chakula.
- Nikichelewa, nitampigia simu mwalimu wangu.
Question 4 (error correction):
- Ninaenda hospitalini kesho — Not accurate for a clearly future event marked by kesho. Correction: Nitaenda hospitalini kesho.
- Ili ninaenda hospitalini nione daktari — Error: ili is placed before the main clause. Correction: Ninaenda hospitalini ili nione daktari.
Question 5: Mvua ikinyesha kesho, sitaweza kutembea kwenda kazini.
Looking Ahead
Unachojua sasa — What you know now
You can now combine several Swahili systems in one connected exchange: asking for and following directions, expressing ability and necessity, linking an action to its purpose with ili, and describing how a condition such as weather affects a plan with -ki-. You have practiced moving smoothly between present and future forms according to the time context of each part of a longer conversation, and you have used public-service and scheduling language to solve a realistic community problem from beginning to end. This completes Unit III: Community and Travel.