Mwalimu anampa mwanafunzi kitabu.

The doer is mwalimu because:

• it comes first as the subject noun
• the verb begins with a-, a subject prefix meaning he/she in the singular
• that a- agrees with mwalimu (teacher)

So the teacher is the one giving. The mwanafunzi is the recipient, not the subject.

Anampa can be divided like this:

• a- = he/she
• -na- = present-time marker, often like is ...ing or sometimes simple present
• -m- = him/her object marker
• -pa = give

So anampa literally looks like he/she is giving him/her.

In this sentence, that -m- refers to mwanafunzi.

This is a very common Swahili pattern. The verb can include an object marker that agrees with the person or thing receiving the action.

Here:

• -m- = a singular human object marker
• mwanafunzi = student, also singular and human

So the verb already says to him/her, and then mwanafunzi makes it explicit who that person is.

English usually does not do this, but Swahili often does.

Because Swahili does not need a preposition here.

English says:

• give a book to the student
• or give the student a book

Swahili uses a structure like the second one. The recipient can come directly after the verb:

• anampa mwanafunzi kitabu

So mwanafunzi does not need a separate word meaning to.

Swahili normally does not use articles like English the and a/an.

So:

• mwalimu can mean the teacher or a teacher
• mwanafunzi can mean the student or a student
• kitabu can mean the book or a book

The exact meaning depends on context.

They are both nouns for people, and in Swahili many human nouns belong to the singular class 1, which often uses m-/mw- in the singular.

Their plurals are in class 2, usually with wa-:

• mwalimu → walimu = teacher → teachers
• mwanafunzi → wanafunzi = student → students

This noun class system is one of the biggest differences between Swahili and English.

Usually -na- is the general present marker.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• is giving
• gives
• sometimes even a regular/habitual present

So anampa can be understood as is giving him/her or gives him/her, depending on the situation. In a basic learning sentence like this, is giving is often the most natural translation.

The most natural order here is:

• Subject + Verb + Recipient + Thing given

So:

• Mwalimu anampa mwanafunzi kitabu

That is the normal, clear order. Swahili does allow some flexibility for emphasis, but for learners this is the safest pattern to use with -pa (give).

Yes, if the context already makes it clear who the recipient is.

Because anampa already contains -m- = him/her, the sentence:

• Mwalimu anampa kitabu

means:

• The teacher is giving him/her a book

So the full noun mwanafunzi is optional when the listener already knows who him/her is.

A fully plural version would be:

• Walimu wanawapa wanafunzi vitabu.

Breakdown:

• walimu = teachers
• wa- = they
• -na- = present
• -wa- = them
• -pa = give
• wanafunzi = students
• vitabu = books

So the noun classes and the verb markers all change together. That agreement is a central part of Swahili grammar.