Mimi ninajaribu kufurahisha marafiki zangu.

Yes. In ninajaribu, the prefix ni- already marks the subject as I, so mimi is often optional.

• Ninajaribu kufurahisha marafiki zangu = I am trying to make my friends happy
• Mimi ninajaribu kufurahisha marafiki zangu adds emphasis, like I am the one trying to make my friends happy or me, I’m trying...

So mimi is there for emphasis, contrast, or clarity.

Ninajaribu can be broken down like this:

• ni- = I
• -na- = present tense / ongoing action
• jaribu = try

So ni-na-jaribu literally means I am trying.

This subject-tense-verb pattern is very common in Swahili.

The prefix ku- marks the infinitive, which is the basic to + verb form in English.

So:

• furahisha = make happy / please
• kufurahisha = to make happy / to please

After jaribu (try), Swahili commonly uses the infinitive:

• ninajaribu kufurahisha... = I am trying to please / make happy...

This works much like English try to do something.

Furahisha means to make happy, to delight, or to please.

It is related to the idea of happiness:

• furaha = happiness, joy
• -furahi- = be happy / rejoice
• furahisha = cause someone to be happy

So in this sentence, the speaker is not saying I am happy with my friends. They are saying I am trying to make my friends happy.

Yes, very different.

• kufurahi = to be happy / to rejoice
• kufurahisha = to make someone happy / to please

The ending -isha is a causative form here. It often adds the idea of causing something to happen.

So:

• Ninafurahi = I am happy
• Ninawafurahisha = I am making them happy
• Ninajaribu kufurahisha marafiki zangu = I am trying to make my friends happy

Marafiki means friends. The singular is usually rafiki.

So:

• rafiki = friend
• marafiki = friends

This noun belongs to a noun class where the plural is marked with ma- in this case.

In Swahili, possessives usually come after the noun, not before it.

So:

• marafiki zangu = my friends
• literally: friends my

This is normal Swahili word order.

A few more examples:

• kitabu changu = my book
• nyumba yangu = my house
• wazazi wangu = my parents

Swahili possessives agree with the noun class of the thing possessed.

The stem for my is -angu, but the beginning changes depending on the noun class:

• kitabu changu = my book
• wazazi wangu = my parents
• marafiki zangu = my friends

Here, marafiki takes the possessive agreement za-, so za + angu = zangu.

This agreement system is very important in Swahili grammar.

Yes, absolutely.

You can say:

• Ninajaribu kufurahisha marafiki zangu.

This is a perfectly natural sentence. In many cases, this is the more neutral form.

Adding mimi just gives extra emphasis.

Sometimes, depending on context, kufurahisha can overlap with ideas like to please, to delight, or to cheer up. But its core meaning is to make happy.

If the intended sense is specifically to entertain, Swahili may use other expressions depending on context. In this sentence, the safest understanding is I am trying to make my friends happy / please my friends.

It could, but it does not have to.

Swahili often allows an object marker inside the verb when the object is clear or definite. For example, you might see something like:

• Ninajaribu kuwafurahisha marafiki zangu

Here:

• kuwa- includes the object marker wa- for them referring to people

That version can sound more explicit about making them happy. But Ninajaribu kufurahisha marafiki zangu is also correct and natural.

The sentence follows a common Swahili order:

• Mimi = subject pronoun
• ninajaribu = verb
• kufurahisha = infinitive complement
• marafiki zangu = object phrase

So the overall structure is:

Subject + verb + infinitive + object

That is why it maps neatly to English:

I + am trying + to make happy + my friends

In many beginner explanations, -na- is taught as the present tense or present continuous marker. In practice, it often covers both simple present and ongoing present, depending on context.

So ninajaribu can mean:

• I try
• I am trying

In this sentence, I am trying is the most natural English translation.