Azimio lilikubaliwa jana.

Azimio means resolution, declaration, or sometimes formal decision, depending on context.

It is a noun in the JI/MA noun class. In the singular, many nouns in this class do not show an obvious class prefix, and azimio is one example. Its plural is maazimio.

Because it belongs to this noun class, the verb agrees with it using the subject marker li- in the sentence.

The first li- is the subject marker. It matches azimio, which is a singular noun in the JI/MA class.

So in lilikubaliwa:

• li- = it / agreement with azimio
• the rest of the verb tells you tense and meaning

A native English speaker may expect a separate word for it, but in Swahili that agreement is built into the verb.

They are doing two different jobs:

• li- = subject marker for azimio
• -li- = past tense marker

So:

• li- = it
• -li- = did / was in the past
• kubaliwa = be accepted / be agreed to

That is why lilikubaliwa breaks down as:

li- + -li- + kubaliwa

So the whole verb means something like it was accepted.

The base verb is kubali, meaning to accept or to agree to.

From that verb, Swahili forms the passive:

• kubali = to accept
• kubaliwa = to be accepted / to be agreed to

Then the sentence adds subject agreement and tense:

• li- = it
• -li- = past
• kubaliwa = be accepted

So lilikubaliwa means it was accepted.

Yes. It is passive.

The passive ending here is -w-, which appears in kubaliwa.

Compare:

• Walikubali azimio. = They accepted the resolution.
• Azimio lilikubaliwa. = The resolution was accepted.

In English, the passive uses was accepted. In Swahili, the passive is built directly into the verb form.

Jana means yesterday.

It is a time expression, telling you when the action happened. Even though the verb already has past tense, jana makes the time more specific.

So:

• lilikubaliwa = it was accepted
• jana = yesterday

Together: It was accepted yesterday.

Putting jana at the end is very natural in Swahili. Time words are often placed after the verb.

So Azimio lilikubaliwa jana is a normal, natural order.

In some contexts, Swahili can move time expressions for emphasis, but for a learner, the most useful pattern is:

subject + verb + time word

So this sentence is a good example of standard word order.

Yes, depending on context, that can be a very natural English translation.

Azimio can refer to a resolution, motion, or formal proposal, especially in meetings, politics, or official discussions. And kukela kubaliwa often means it was accepted or approved.

So possible English renderings include:

• The resolution was accepted yesterday.
• The motion was passed yesterday.
• The proposal was approved yesterday.

The best translation depends on the situation.

No. The sentence does not have an object because the main verb is in the passive.

In the active version, azimio would be the object:

• Walikubali azimio. = They accepted the resolution.

In the passive version, azimio becomes the grammatical subject:

• Azimio lilikubaliwa. = The resolution was accepted.

That shift from object to subject is exactly what the passive does.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

ah-zee-MEE-oh lee-lee-koo-bah-LEE-wah JAH-nah

A few helpful points:

• Swahili vowels are usually pure and consistent:
  • a = ah
  • i = ee
  • o = oh
  • u = oo
• Stress often falls near the second-to-last syllable:
  • a-zi-MI-o
  • li-li-ku-ba-LI-wa
  • JA-na

Try saying it smoothly in syllables:

A-zi-mi-o li-li-ku-ba-li-wa ja-na

Yes:

• Azimio = resolution / declaration / motion
• li- = it (subject agreement with azimio)
• -li- = past tense
• kubaliwa = be accepted / be approved
• jana = yesterday

So the full structure is:

Azimio + li- + -li- + kubaliwa + jana

Literally, it is something like:

Resolution it-past-be accepted yesterday

Natural English: The resolution was accepted yesterday.