Learn Hardcore Swahili: Binti anapenda kusoma kitabu jioni. - The girl likes to read a book in the evening.

Binti: a human noun meaning girl/daughter; it triggers human agreement (class 1).
a-na-pend-a: subject prefix a- (he/she), present/habitual marker -na-, verb root pend- (like/love), final vowel -a.
ku-som-a: infinitive marker ku-
- verb root som- (read/study) + final vowel -a.
kitabu: noun class 7 (ki-/vi-), meaning book; plural vitabu.
jioni: time-of-day adverb meaning in the evening; no preposition is needed.

Why is it anapenda and not something like “is liking”?

Swahili -na- marks present/habitual; anapenda maps to English simple present: she likes (or loves). English progressive is not used with stative verbs like like, but Swahili happily uses -na- with statives. For progressive with an activity verb you’d say, for example, anasoma (she is reading).

Why is there ku- before soma?

ku- makes the infinitive/verbal noun: kusoma = to read / reading. After verbs of liking/wanting (e.g., -pende(a), -taka, -penda), Swahili commonly uses the infinitive: anapenda kusoma (she likes to read/reading).

Does kusoma mean “to read” or “to study”?

Both, depending on context:

Without an object, anapenda kusoma ≈ she likes studying/reading (general).
With an object, kusoma kitabu clearly means read a book.
To emphasize study (academics), you can add context: kusoma darasani (study in class), kusoma kwa ajili ya mtihani (study for an exam).

Where are the English articles? How do I say “a book” vs “the book”?

Swahili has no articles. kitabu can be a/the book depending on context. To be specific:

this book: kitabu hiki
that book (near listener/mentioned): kitabu hicho
that book (over there/remote): kitabu kile
some book/certain book: kitabu fulani

What noun class is kitabu, and what’s the plural?

kitabu is class 7 (ki-), with plural class 8 (vi-): vitabu. Examples:

one good book: kitabu kizuri
good books: vitabu vizuri

Why is the object after the verb? Could I put kitabu elsewhere?

Canonical order is Verb + Object: kusoma kitabu. You don’t front the object unless for focus/topicalization, which typically also triggers an object marker on the verb. Stick with kusoma kitabu as your default.

Where can jioni go in the sentence?

Time words are flexible:

End: …kusoma kitabu jioni. (very common)
Beginning: Jioni, binti anapenda kusoma kitabu.
Middle (after the verb phrase): less common; keep it at the beginning or end for clarity.

Do I need a preposition for “in the evening”?

No. Time-of-day words like asubuhi, mchana, jioni, usiku don’t take a preposition in simple expressions. Just say jioni. Use prepositions only for more complex phrases (e.g., katika jioni ya leo = on this evening), which is stylistic/formal.

How would I say “She likes reading books (plural) in the evening”?

Use the plural object:

Binti anapenda kusoma vitabu jioni.

How do I make it negative: “The girl does not like to read in the evening”?

Negate the main verb:

Binti hapendi kusoma jioni. Pattern for present negative (3rd sg. human): ha-…-i → hapendi.

How do I ask, “Does the girl like to read in the evening?”

Two common ways:

Yes/No particle: Je, binti anapenda kusoma jioni?
Intonation only: Binti anapenda kusoma jioni? Both are natural.

What does the a- in anapenda stand for? Does it mark gender?

a- is the subject marker for 3rd person singular in the human class (he/she). Swahili doesn’t mark gender; context (here, binti) tells you it’s she.

What’s the plural of binti, and how does the verb change?

Plural is mabinti (commonly used for girls/daughters). With human plurals, use wa- as the subject marker:

Mabinti wanapenda kusoma jioni. (The girls like to read in the evening.)

Is there any difference between binti and msichana?

binti: girl/daughter; also used in formal/polite contexts (e.g., binti yangu = my daughter).
msichana: girl/young woman (more general for “girl”). Both can fit here, but binti suggests a female person and can imply “daughter” depending on context.

How can I say “She really likes to read in the evening”?

Add an intensifier:

Binti anapenda sana kusoma jioni. You can also say anapenda mno (very much), though sana is most common.

How do I make it clear it’s a specific book?

Use a demonstrative:

Binti anapenda kusoma kitabu hiki/kile jioni. If the book is already known, you can also use an object marker with the infinitive:
Binti anapenda kukisoma kitabu kile jioni. (She likes to read it, that book, in the evening.)

Can I add an object marker without repeating the noun?

Yes. For a known/specific book (class 7 object marker ki-):

Binti anapenda kukisoma jioni. (She likes to read it in the evening.) Context must make “it” clear.

Is the stress/pronunciation anything I should watch here?

Swahili stresses the second-to-last syllable:

BÍN-ti, a-na-PÉN-da, ku-SÓ-ma, ki-TÁ-bu, ji-Ó-ni. Consonants are crisp; vowels are pure and not reduced.

How would I say “every evening,” “this evening,” or “yesterday evening”?

every evening: kila jioni
this evening: jioni hii or jioni ya leo
yesterday evening: jana jioni