Learn Hardcore Swahili: Alfajiri, kengele ya simu ilinifanya niamke haraka. - At dawn, the phone’s bell made me wake up quickly.

Alfajiri is dawn or the very early morning, roughly before sunrise. Asubuhi is the broader morning period after sunrise. Using alfajiri is more specific and earlier than asubuhi.

Why is Alfajiri placed at the beginning, and why the comma?

Swahili often fronts time or place expressions. Starting with Alfajiri sets the time frame. The comma just marks that introductory phrase in writing; it’s optional and doesn’t change the meaning.

Is kengele ya simu the usual way to say a phone’s alarm?

Yes. kengele means a bell/alarm sound, simu means phone, so kengele ya simu is clear and standard. In everyday speech you’ll also hear borrowings like alarm/alaramu ya simu, and for an alarm clock: saa ya kengele. All are widely understood.

Why is it ya in kengele ya simu, not wa/la/cha?

The linker -a agrees with the head noun (kengele), which is class 9, and class 9 takes ya. Some common patterns:

Class 1/2 (m-/wa-): wa — e.g., rafiki wa mtoto
Class 5/6 (ji-/ma-): la/ya — e.g., gari la mama, magari ya mama
Class 7/8 (ki-/vi-): cha/vya — e.g., kiti cha mbao, viti vya mbao
Class 9/10 (N class, like kengele, simu): ya — e.g., kengele ya simu

How is ilinifanya built morphologically?

It’s one verb complex: subject marker + tense + object marker + verb stem.

i- = subject marker for class 9 (kengele)
-li- = past tense
-ni- = object marker (me)
fanya = verb stem (do/make) Together: i-li-ni-fanya → ilinifanya = it made me.

Why is the subject marker i- and not a-?

Because the subject is kengele (class 9), which uses i-. a- is for class 1 (he/she).

Why does it use niamke (final -e) instead of niamka?

niamke is the subjunctive. After verbs of causing, wanting, asking, etc., Swahili typically uses the subjunctive for the action someone is to do:

ilinifanya niamke = it made me wake up.
alinitaka niende = he wanted me to go.

Could I say iliniamsha instead of ilinifanya niamke?

Yes. kuamsha = to wake someone up (causative of kuamka). Kengele ya simu iliniamsha haraka is natural and a bit more direct. Both versions are fine.

Can I use the infinitive kuamka after ilinifanya, as in ilinifanya kuamka?

It’s understood but less idiomatic. Prefer:

... ilinifanya niamke ... (subjunctive), or
... ilinifanya nikaamka ... (sequential: it made me, and so I woke up). With an explicit cause verb, you can also say ... ilisababisha niamke ....

What role does haraka play? Do I need kwa?

haraka acts adverbially: quickly/in a hurry. Both are correct:

... niamke haraka (most common)
... niamke kwa haraka (a bit more formal/emphatic)

Where should haraka go?

Default is at the end of the clause it modifies: ... niamke haraka. Other positions are possible for emphasis, but ... haraka niamke is marked and less common.

Why does ni- appear twice (in ilinifanya and niamke)?

They’re different functions:

In ili‑ni‑fanya, -ni- is the object marker (me).
In ni‑amke, ni- is the subject marker (I). So the alarm affects me, and then I am the subject of the waking action.

Can I drop the comma or move Alfajiri?

Yes:

Alfajiri kengele ya simu ilinifanya niamke haraka. (no comma)
Kengele ya simu ilinifanya niamke haraka alfajiri. (time at the end; acceptable, though fronting time is more typical)

Does simu control any agreement in kengele ya simu?

No. The agreement on -a is with the head noun (kengele) only, hence ya. simu is just the possessor.

Are there register or regional notes about the vocabulary?

kengele ya simu and alarm/alaramu ya simu are both common in speech; kengele ya simu reads more nativized/neutral in formal writing.
haraka is neutral; upesi is a common synonym meaning quickly.

How would I express repeated/ongoing past action, like “kept making me wake up”?

Use a progressive/habitual past: Alfajiri, kengele ya simu ilikuwa ikinifanya niamke haraka.