Jedwali la alama liko hapa.

A word-by-word breakdown is:

• jedwali = table, chart, or table/list
• la = of
• alama = marks, scores, grades, signs, or symbols, depending on context
• liko = is here / is located / is present
• hapa = here

So the structure is basically:

jedwali + la alama + liko hapa
= table of marks/scores + is here

Swahili usually does not use articles like English a, an, or the.

So jedwali can mean:

• a table
• the table

The exact meaning depends on context. The same is true for the whole phrase jedwali la alama.

In Swahili, the connector meaning of changes to match the first noun, not the second one.

Here, the first noun is jedwali, which belongs to noun class 5, so the correct connector is la.

That is why you get:

• jedwali la alama = table of marks

Compare:

• kitabu cha alama = book of marks
• meza ya alama = table of marks
• watoto wa shule = children of the school

So the form of of depends on the noun class of the thing being described.

Jedwali is a class 5 noun in the singular.

That matters because class 5 controls agreement in the sentence. Two things in this sentence agree with jedwali:

• la in la alama
• li- in liko

So the sentence is grammatically tied together by noun-class agreement.

Its plural is usually majedwali in class 6. In the plural, the sentence would change to:

Majedwali ya alama yako hapa.
= The tables of marks are here.

Notice how both the connector and the verb form change:

• la → ya
• liko → yako

Liko is a location form meaning something like it is here/there or it is located.

It contains the class-5 agreement prefix li-, which matches jedwali.

So:

• jedwali ... liko hapa = the table is here

This is a very common Swahili pattern for talking about where something is.

Compare:

• kitabu kiko hapa = the book is here
• meza iko hapa = the table is here
• watu wako hapa = the people are here

The beginning of the word changes to match the noun class.

Because ni and liko do different jobs.

• ni is mainly used for identification or equivalence:
  Hiki ni jedwali la alama. = This is a score table.
• liko is used for location:
  Jedwali la alama liko hapa. = The score table is here.

So if you want to say what something is, ni is common.
If you want to say where something is, forms like iko, kiko, liko, wako, etc. are common.

It can be a little tricky, because alama often has the same form in singular and plural.

Depending on context, alama can mean:

• a mark / a score / a sign
• marks / scores / signs

In jedwali la alama, it is usually understood collectively, so in natural English it often comes out as table of marks, score table, or grade chart.

If you want to make number clearer, context or modifiers help:

• alama moja = one mark
• alama nyingi = many marks

Yes. Alama has a fairly broad meaning. It can mean things like:

• mark
• grade
• score
• sign
• symbol
• indication

So jedwali la alama could mean slightly different things depending on context. In a school context, it will probably mean something like a table of grades/marks. In another context, it might mean a symbol chart or a table of signs.

The word order is very natural for Swahili:

Jedwali la alama + liko + hapa
subject/topic + location verb + place word

So literally it is something like:

The marks table is here.

This is the standard, neutral way to say it.

You may see other word orders for emphasis, but this version is the most straightforward one for learners.

Yes, but it is not exactly the same.

• Jedwali la alama liko hapa = The score table is here.
• Hapa kuna jedwali la alama = There is a score table here.

The first one talks about the location of a specific thing.
The second one introduces or points out that such a thing exists in that place.

Both are correct, but they have slightly different focuses.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

je-DWA-li la a-LA-ma LI-ko HA-pa

A few helpful points:

• Swahili vowels are usually clear and consistent:
  • a as in father
  • e as a clean eh
  • i as ee
  • o as a clean oh
  • u as oo
• Stress usually falls on the second-to-last syllable of each word.

So:

• jedwali → dwa is stressed
• alama → la is stressed
• liko → li is stressed
• hapa → ha is stressed

Yes. You normally need it.

Without la, the relationship between the two nouns would be unclear or ungrammatical. La is the connector that tells you alama belongs with jedwali in the sense of table of marks.

So:

• jedwali la alama = correct
• jedwali alama = not the normal form

That little word is very important in Swahili noun phrases.