Learn Hardcore Swahili: Daktari alimwambia apunguze bia ili abaki na afya njema. - The doctor told him to reduce beer so that he stays healthy.

alimwambia = a- (3rd person singular subject prefix “he/she”)
+ li- (past-tense marker)
+ m- (object marker “him/her”)
+ -wambia (verb root “tell”)
Altogether, alimwambia means “he/she told him/her.”

What verb form is apunguze, and how do we form the subjunctive here?

apunguze is the 3rd person singular subjunctive of kupunguza (“to reduce”). Formation steps:

Start with the infinitive kupunguza.
Drop ku- and the final -a, leaving punguz-.
Add the subjunctive vowel -e, giving punguze.
Attach the subject prefix a- (“he/she”), producing apunguze.

Why is the subjunctive used after alimwambia and ili, and how can I tell?

In Swahili, subordinate clauses triggered by verbs of telling/advising (like alimwambia) or by the purpose conjunction ili always take the subjunctive. Here both apunguze and abaki are subjunctives. Note that verbs ending in -a change to -e (as in apunguze), while those ending in -i or -u (like abaki) keep their final vowel.

What is the role of ili in this sentence?

ili is a subordinating conjunction meaning “so that” or “in order that.” It introduces the purpose clause ili abaki na afya njema (“so that he/she remains in good health”). Verbs after ili must be in the subjunctive.

What does the phrase abaki na afya njema mean literally, and why is na used?

Literally, abaki na afya njema is “remain with good health.”

abaki = 3rd person singular subjunctive of kubaki (“to remain”)
na = preposition “with,” indicating possession or accompaniment
afya njema = “good health”

Could we say awe na afya njema or kuwa na afya njema instead of abaki na afya njema? What’s the nuance?

Yes.

awe na afya njema (subjunctive of kuwa) and kuwa na afya njema (infinitive) both mean “have good health.”
abaki na stresses “remaining” or “staying” in good health, whereas kuwa na simply states the condition of having it.

Why does bia stand alone without an object marker on apunguze?

Because bia (“beer”) is explicitly stated as the object immediately after the verb apunguze. Swahili does not require an object prefix on the verb when the object is given as a separate word. (You would only use an object marker if you omitted bia itself.)

How do we know who is supposed to reduce the beer and who is meant to stay healthy?

Daktari is the subject of alimwambia (the doctor is doing the telling).
The m- in alimwambia refers to the person being told.
That same person is then the subject of both apunguze and abaki, marked by the prefix a- on each.
So the patient (the “him/her” in alimwambia) must reduce the beer to stay healthy.

Why is njema used here instead of mzuri when describing afya?

Both njema and mzuri can mean “good,” but njema is the standard adjective for abstract or uncountable nouns like afya (“health”), amani (“peace”) or habari (“news”). afya njema is the usual collocation for “good health.”

Where in apunguze and abaki is the subject “he/she” indicated, and why aren’t separate pronouns used?

Swahili verbs encode subject person and number in prefixes. In apunguze and abaki, the prefix a- marks 3rd person singular (“he/she”). Separate pronouns like yeye are omitted unless you want to add emphasis.