Learn Hardcore Swahili: Mara nyingi baada ya somo, wanafunzi wanahisi kiu na njaa. - Often after the lesson, students feel thirst and hunger.

Mara nyingi baada ya somo, ...
Baada ya somo, wanafunzi mara nyingi wanahisi ...
Wanafunzi wanahisi ... mara nyingi baada ya somo. You’ll also hear mara kwa mara (“frequently/repeatedly”); mara nyingi suggests “most of the time,” a bit stronger than “frequently.”

Why is it nyingi (not ingi/wengi/vingi)?

Adjectives agree with noun class. mara is N-class (9/10), so -ingi takes the N-class form nyingi:

mara nyingi (many times) Compare:
masomo mengi (many lessons; class 6)
watu wengi (many people; class 2)

What does baada ya mean, and why is it ya here?

baada ya = “after.” It’s a fixed prepositional expression; keep ya regardless of the following noun’s class: baada ya somo, baada ya masomo, baada ya darasa. Don’t switch it to la/cha/wa. Contrast baadaye (“later”), which is not followed by ya.

What’s the difference between somo, masomo, and darasa?

somo = a single lesson/subject.
masomo = lessons/studies (plural or “schooling” in general). baada ya masomo ≈ “after classes/after school.”
darasa = class/classroom or a class session. baada ya darasa = “after the class (meeting).” Use whichever matches your intended meaning.

How does wanafunzi control the verb form wanahisi?

wanafunzi (“students”) is class 2 (human plural). The subject prefix for “they” is wa-, and the present marker is -na-, so: wa- + -na- + hisi → wanahisi (“they feel”).

Is this present simple or progressive? Could I use hu-?

-na- covers present/ongoing and often habitual by context. For a neutral general habit, use the habitual marker hu- (no subject prefix before it):

Wanafunzi huhisi kiu na njaa baada ya somo. (“Students generally feel ...”) You can still keep Mara nyingi for emphasis: Mara nyingi ... huhisi ...

Could I say wanasikia njaa/kiu or wana njaa/kiu instead of wanahisi?

Yes:

wanasikia njaa/kiu = “they feel hunger/thirst” (very common).
wana njaa/kiu = “they are hungry/thirsty” (literally “have hunger/thirst”; very idiomatic).
wanahisi is fine too, a bit more formal/neutral for sensations.

Are kiu and njaa adjectives or nouns? Do they pluralize?

They’re nouns (“thirst,” “hunger”), typically uncountable and not pluralized. You can modify them:

njaa kali (severe hunger), kiu kali (intense thirst). Idiomatic “be hungry/thirsty” uses kuwa na njaa/kiu: nina njaa, ana kiu, etc.

Why is there a comma after somo? Is it required?

Optional. Swahili punctuation broadly follows English norms. The comma just sets off the introductory time phrase; you can omit it: Mara nyingi baada ya somo wanafunzi wanahisi ...

Pronunciation tips for mara nyingi, wanahisi, njaa?

Stress the second-to-last syllable: ma-RA NYIN-gi; wa-na-HI-si; N-JAA.
ny in nyingi is one sound [ɲ] (like Spanish ñ).
nj in njaa is [ndʒ]/[ɲdʒ] depending on region—think an “n” before the “j” in “enjoy.”
All vowels are pronounced; njaa has a long “aa.”

How do I negate the sentence?

Two common options:

Verb negation: Wanafunzi hawahisi kiu wala njaa baada ya somo. (“Students do not feel thirst or hunger...”) Use hawa- + verb stem + final -i; wala = “nor.”
Possession negation: Wanafunzi hawana njaa wala kiu baada ya somo. (“Students don’t have hunger or thirst...”)

Can I switch the order to njaa na kiu?

Yes. Both kiu na njaa and njaa na kiu are fine. You’ll hear njaa na kiu slightly more often; meaning doesn’t change.

Can baadaye replace baada ya here?

Use them differently:

baada ya X = “after X” (must be followed by a noun or verbal noun): baada ya somo, baada ya kula.
baadaye = “later” (no ya after it). You can say: Baadaye, wanafunzi wanahisi ... if “later” is clear, but not baadaye ya somo.

How would I say “after the Swahili lesson” or “after my lesson”?

Keep baada ya, and show agreement inside the noun phrase:

baada ya somo la Kiswahili (“after the Swahili lesson”; la agrees with class 5 somo)
baada ya somo langu (“after my lesson”; langu agrees with class 5) The ya after baada doesn’t change.

Can you break the sentence down morphologically?

Mara nyingi = “many times/often” (mara “time(s)” + -ingi → nyingi for class 9/10)
baada ya = “after”
somo = “lesson” (class 5; plural masomo, class 6)
wanafunzi = “students” (class 2; singular mwanafunzi, class 1)
wanahisi = wa- (they) + -na- (present) + hisi (feel)
kiu = “thirst”; njaa = “hunger”
na = “and/with”