Learn Hardcore Swahili: Katika majira ya baridi, watu hunywa supu moto kila jioni. - During the cold season, people drink hot soup every evening.

Literally, majira means “periods” or “seasons” and baridi means “cold.” So majira ya baridi = “periods of cold” (i.e. the cold season). Unlike English “winter,” Swahili treats majira as a pluralia-tantum—it always looks plural, even when referring to one season.

Why is there a ya between majira and baridi? Could it be wa or something else?

Majira belongs to noun class 6 (prefix ma-). The genitive/possessive connector for class 6 is ya. Hence majira ya baridi (“seasons of cold”). Using wa, la, or any other connector would break the noun-class agreement.

What role does katika play, and how else might you say “during the cold season”?

Katika is a preposition meaning “in” or “during.” Alternatives include:

wakati wa majira ya baridi (“at the time of the cold season”)
katika msimu wa baridi (using msimu “season” instead of majira)
But katika majira ya baridi is concise and very common.

Why is the verb hunywa used instead of wanakunywa or huwanywa?

Swahili has two main present-tense markers:

-na- for present continuous/indefinite (e.g. wanakunywa “they are drinking”)
hu- for habitual present (e.g. hunywa “they habitually/regularly drink”)
Because the sentence describes a repeated action (“every evening”), the hu- habitual marker is the correct choice.

What exactly does the hu- prefix in hunywa indicate, and why is there no separate subject prefix for “they”?

The prefix hu- signals the habitual aspect (an action done regularly). It does not encode person or number, so you must supply an explicit subject (here watu). In other words, hu- = “habitual,” not “they.” Without watu, hunywa would be ambiguous.

How do I know supu is the object, and why doesn’t moto change to match it?

Word order in Swahili is Subject–Verb–Object, so after hunywa comes supu, the direct object. Moto is an adjective (“hot”) that follows the noun (noun + adjective). Since supu is in noun class 9/10, most adjectives for that class remain in their bare form, hence supu moto.

Why is it kila jioni for “every evening,” and why is jioni singular?

Kila means “each” or “every” and always pairs with a singular noun. Thus kila jioni = “every evening.” You never pluralize jioni after kila. You could optionally say kwa kila jioni, but the kwa is usually omitted.

What’s the difference between jioni and usiku, and why choose one over the other?

Jioni = “evening” (late afternoon to dusk)
Usiku = “night” (after dusk through the early hours)
Since the routine happens each evening, kila jioni is more precise than kila usiku.

Can I put kila jioni at the start of the sentence instead of at the end?

Yes. Fronting time-expressions is common in Swahili for emphasis or style:
Kila jioni, watu hunywa supu moto katika majira ya baridi.
The meaning stays the same; only the focus shifts slightly.