Learn Hardcore Swahili: Ni Juma ndiye aliyenipa penseli ndefu asubuhi. - It is Juma who gave me a long pencil in the morning.

It’s a cleft/focus construction that singles out Juma as the specific person. In English you’d render it as “It was Juma who …”. Here, ni is the copula “it is/was,” and ndiye means “he/she is the one,” followed by a relative clause.

What exactly is ndiye and why that form?

Ndiye is the focus/copular pronoun that agrees with noun class 1 (people, singular), meaning “he/she is the one.” It matches Juma. For a plural human subject you’d use ndio (“they are the ones”): e.g., “Wazazi wangu ndio walionipa …”. Other noun classes have their own forms (e.g., class 7: ndicho; class 10: ndizo).

Do I need both ni and ndiye? Could I say “Juma ndiye …” or “Ni Juma aliyenipa …” instead?

All three are acceptable:

“Juma ndiye aliyenipa …”
“Ni Juma aliyenipa …”
“Ni Juma ndiye aliyenipa …” (extra emphatic) Using both is common for strong focus; the versions without one of them are also natural.

How is aliyenipa built morphologically?

It’s: a- li- ye- ni- pa

a- = subject marker (class 1: he/she)
li- = past tense
-ye- = relative marker for class 1 (“who”)
ni- = object marker (“me”)
pa = verb “give” So, “aliyenipa” = “who gave me.” The non-relative past would be “alinipa” (“he gave me”).

Could I use ambaye instead of the -ye- relative? As in “ambaye alinipa …”?

Yes. “Juma ndiye ambaye alinipa …” is also correct. Ambaye is the fuller relative pronoun (“who”), while -ye- is the short relative marker. Both are fine; the short form is common in everyday speech.

Why is it penseli ndefu and not “penseli refu” or “mrefu”?

Because penseli is class 9 (N-class), and adjectives agreeing with class 9 take an n- prefix that triggers sound changes. The base adjective “-refu” (long) becomes ndefu (n + refu → ndefu). Similar patterns: zuri → nzuri, dogo → ndogo, bovu → mbovu.

What noun class is penseli, and how do I make it plural?

It’s class 9/10 (N-class). Singular and plural usually look the same: penseli can mean “pencil” or “pencils.” Agreement and/or context show number. To make “one long pencil” explicit: penseli ndefu moja. For several: penseli ndefu (and you can add a numeral: penseli ndefu mbili = two long pencils).

Why is there no preposition before asubuhi? Can it go elsewhere in the sentence?

Time words like asubuhi function adverbially on their own, so no preposition is needed for “in the morning.” Placement is flexible: end-position is common, but fronting is fine for emphasis, e.g., Asubuhi, ni Juma ndiye aliyenipa penseli ndefu.

If the event is in the past, why do we see present-looking ni?

Ni is a tenseless copula used for identification/focus. The past is expressed inside the relative clause (-li- in aliyenipa). In English you’ll normally translate the whole as past: “It was Juma who …”

Is the object marker ni (“me”) required? Could I drop it?

If you drop ni, you lose the “me” meaning. Aliyenipa specifically means “who gave me.” Without it (e.g., “aliye(pa) penseli”), the recipient is unspecified or the result is ungrammatical/unnatural in this context. Use the object marker to encode pronominal objects like “me.”

How would the sentence change if the subject were plural (“they”)?

Use class-2 agreement and the plural focus form:

Ni wazazi wangu ndio walionipa penseli ndefu asubuhi. Here, ndio = “they are the ones,” and the relative is wali-o-ni-pa → walionipa (“who gave me”).

Can I focus the time or the object using the same pattern?

Yes.

Focus on time: Ni asubuhi ndipo Juma alinipa penseli ndefu. (ndipo = “it is then/there that …” for locative/time focus)
Focus on object (class 9): Ni penseli ndefu ndiyo aliyonipa Juma asubuhi. (ndiyo agrees with class 9; relative -yo-: ali-yo-ni-pa)

Can the adjective come before the noun (e.g., “ndefu penseli”)?

No. In Swahili descriptive adjectives follow the noun: penseli ndefu, not “ndefu penseli.”

How should I pronounce the initial “nd” in ndiye and ndefu?

Pronounce the “n” and “d” together as a cluster: [n̪d]. So ndiye ≈ “n-dee-yeh” and ndefu ≈ “n-deh-foo.” Keep the “n” audible; don’t drop it.