Learn Hardcore Swahili: Juma anapenda kwenda chekechea kila siku. - Juma likes to go to kindergarten every day.

Subject prefix a- (3rd person singular “he/she”)
Present tense/aspect marker -na- (indicating present or habitual action)
Verb root penda (“to like/love”)
Put together, anapenda means “he likes” or “he is liking.”

Why is the prefix a- used here?

Because Juma is a 3rd person singular noun in noun class 1 (for people). In Swahili, every verb agrees with its subject via a prefix; a- signals “he/she.”

What role does the marker -na- play in anapenda?

-na- is the present tense/aspect marker. It can express an ongoing action (“he is liking,” though for penda English usually uses “likes”) or a habitual action (“he regularly likes”).

Why is kwenda used and what does it mean?

kwenda is the infinitive form of enda (“to go”), formed by adding the prefix ku-. Here it functions as the object of anapenda, so anapenda kwenda = “likes to go.”

I see it spelled kwenda – shouldn’t it be kuenda?

The standard infinitive prefix is ku-, so in careful writing you may see kuenda. In fast speech the u often merges with the following vowel e, giving kwenda. Both spellings are understood, though kuenda is strictly correct.

What kind of verb is chekechea, and why is it used here?

chekechea is an intransitive verb meaning “to frolic, to play around” (often used of children). In this sentence it completes the idea “go to play around.”

Why does chekechea have no subject or tense prefix?

In a serial-verb or verb-complement construction like kwenda chekechea, only the first verb (kwenda) carries the tense and subject prefixes. The second verb (chekechea) remains in its basic root/infinitive form.

What does kila siku mean, and why is it at the end?

kila siku means every day. It’s an adverbial time expression. Swahili allows flexibility in word order, but time phrases often come at the end for a neutral tone.

Can kila siku move to the front? Does it change the meaning?

Yes. Kila siku, Juma anapenda kwenda chekechea also means “Every day, Juma likes to go play.” Placing it first only shifts emphasis slightly onto the time frame.

How would you turn this into a negative sentence?

Replace the positive subject-tense prefix a-na- with the negative ha- and change the final -a of the root to -i. You get:
Juma hapendi kwenda chekechea kila siku.
This means “Juma does not like to go play every day.”

How do you form a question in Swahili with this sentence?

You can simply use rising intonation, or add Je at the beginning:
Je, Juma anapenda kwenda chekechea kila siku?
Both mean “Does Juma like to go play every day?”