Learn Hardcore Swahili: Juma alipika mwenyewe; ilhali dada yake alitayarisha meza. - Juma cooked by himself; whereas his sister prepared the table.

mwenyewe is an emphatic reflexive meaning “himself/herself,” highlighting that the subject personally did it.
The reflexive prefix ji- makes the subject both doer and receiver of the action. With pika, kujipika would literally mean “to cook oneself” (nonsensical here). If you want “cook for oneself,” use the applicative: kujipikia. So:
- alipika mwenyewe = he did the cooking himself (no help/delegation).
- alijipikia = he cooked for himself (he was the beneficiary).

What’s the difference between mwenyewe and peke yake?

mwenyewe emphasizes the doer: “he himself did it.”
peke yake emphasizes being alone: “by himself/alone.” Examples:
Alijibu mwenyewe = He answered himself (no intermediary).
Alikuja peke yake = He came alone.
Alipika mwenyewe = He himself did the cooking.
Alipika peke yake = He cooked with no one else around/assisting.

Could I say Juma mwenyewe alipika instead? Does word order change the emphasis?

Yes. Juma mwenyewe alipika brings focus to the subject (“Juma himself”), while Juma alipika mwenyewe focuses on the action being done by himself. Both are acceptable, with slightly different emphasis.

What does ilhali mean, and how does it compare to lakini, huku, wakati, or ingawa?

ilhali = whereas/while (contrasting), often a bit formal/literary.
lakini = but (plain contrast).
huku = while (simultaneous actions, often same subject/location).
wakati (huo) = when/while (time), neutral.
ingawa/ijapokuwa = although/even though (concession). In this sentence, ilhali sets up a contrast: Juma did X, whereas his sister did Y.

Is the semicolon before ilhali correct?

Yes. A semicolon is fine to link two closely related independent clauses. You could also use a comma or a period:

Juma alipika mwenyewe, ilhali dada yake alitayarisha meza.
Juma alipika mwenyewe. Ilhali dada yake alitayarisha meza. (Less common in English style, but acceptable in Swahili writing.)

Why is it dada yake (with yake) and not dada wake?

Because dada is an N-class (class 9/10) noun; its possessive concord is ya-, giving yake (his/her). Human nouns in the N-class (like dada “sister,” rafiki “friend”) typically take y- in possessives:

dada yake = his/her sister
rafiki yake = his/her friend

Does yake mean “his” or “her” here? How do we know it refers to Juma?

yake is gender-neutral “his/her” for third person singular. Context tells you it’s “his” (Juma is male) and that the possessor is Juma, the salient referent in the first clause.

Is alitayarisha meza the most natural way to say “set the table”?

It’s correct, but you’ll also commonly hear:

kuandaa meza = set/prepare the table (very common)
kupanga meza = arrange/set the table
kutandaza meza (if laying out a cloth) All are fine; kuandaa meza is perhaps the most idiomatic everyday choice.

Why is there no object marker in alitayarisha meza? Could I say aliitayarisha meza?

No object marker is needed because the object meza is expressed right after the verb.
You can add the class 9 object marker i- (aliitayarisha) when the object is definite/topical (“he prepared it, the table”), especially if the object has been mentioned or is fronted. In neutral word order with a new/generic object, you usually omit the object marker.

Can I reverse the clause order, or start a sentence with ilhali?

Yes on both counts:

Dada yake alitayarisha meza, ilhali Juma alipika mwenyewe.
Ilhali dada yake alitayarisha meza, Juma alipika mwenyewe. Starting with ilhali is acceptable and highlights the contrast from the outset.

Could I use aka- to link the second action instead of ilhali?

aka- is a narrative linker (“and then/and”), not a contrastive linker, so it would change the meaning:

Juma alipika mwenyewe, kisha/halafu akaandaa meza… = Juma cooked himself, then he set the table… To keep contrast between different doers, stick with ilhali/lakini/whereas.

Pronunciation tips: any pitfalls in ilhali, mwenyewe, and alitayarisha?

ilhali: pronounce the “h”; it’s il-HA-li.
mwenyewe: mw-EN-ye-we (the ny is a palatal nasal, like “ñ” in Spanish).
alitayarisha: a-li-ta-ya-RI-sha; the “sh” is like English “sh.”