Learn Hardcore Swahili: Mwalimu anawagawia wanafunzi vitabu darasani. - The teacher is distributing books to the students in the classroom.

It is: a- (subject marker for class 1: he/she) + -na- (present/imperfective) + -wa- (object marker: them, class 2) + gaw (root from gawa, divide/share) + -i- (applicative: to/for) + -a (final vowel). So: a-na-wa-gaw-i-a → anawagawia = he/she is distributing to them.

Which noun does the object marker -wa- refer to?

It refers to the recipient wanafunzi (students, class 2), i.e., 'to them.' It does not refer to vitabu (books).

Is the object marker -wa- required when wanafunzi is said explicitly?

No. Both are fine:

Mwalimu anagawia wanafunzi vitabu darasani.
Mwalimu anawagawia wanafunzi vitabu darasani. Including -wa- often signals a specific/definite, human recipient and is very common.

Can I drop wanafunzi and keep the object marker?

Yes: Mwalimu anawagawia vitabu (darasani). That means '…distributing books to them' (recipients understood from context). If you drop both the noun and the object marker—Mwalimu anagawia vitabu—it can sound incomplete unless the recipient is already clear.

What’s the preferred order of the two objects?

Recipient before thing:

Preferred: … anawagawia wanafunzi vitabu …
Less usual and only for emphasis on the thing: … anawagawia vitabu wanafunzi … Default safely keeps the recipient first.

What’s the difference between gawa and gawia?

gawa = divide/split/share out (no recipient built into the verb). Example: Anagawa vitabu = He is dividing the books.
gawia = distribute/share something to/among someone. The applicative -i- adds 'to/for (someone).' Example: Anawagawia wanafunzi vitabu = He is distributing books to the students.

Are there related verbs I should know?

gawanya = divide up/partition.
gawisha/gawanyisha = cause to divide (causatives; less common in everyday speech).
Near-synonym for giving: wapa (from -pa, give): Mwalimu anawapa wanafunzi vitabu = The teacher is giving the students books.

What does -na- express here?

It marks present/imperfective. It can mean either ongoing (is distributing) or habitual (distributes) depending on context.

What does darasani mean exactly, and how is it formed?

darasani = in/at the classroom, in class. It’s darasa (classroom/lesson) + locative suffix -ni 'in/at'.

Can darasani also mean 'to the classroom'?

Yes. With motion verbs it usually means 'to class': Anaenda darasani = He/she is going to class. In your sentence (no motion), it means 'in/at the classroom.'

What are the singular and plural forms of the nouns here?

mwalimu (teacher, class 1) → walimu (class 2)
mwanafunzi (student, class 1) → wanafunzi (class 2)
kitabu (book, class 7) → vitabu (class 8)
darasa (classroom/lesson, class 5) → madarasa (class 6)

Why is the subject prefix a- and not wa- on the verb?

Because the subject mwalimu is class 1 singular, which takes a-. If the subject were plural (walimu), you’d use wa-: Walimu wanawagawia wanafunzi vitabu darasani.

Can Swahili mark both objects on the verb at once?

Not in Standard Swahili. Only one object marker is allowed. Forms like anaviwagawia (marking both books and students) are non-standard.

Is there redundancy in the original sentence?

Yes—the recipient appears twice: via the object marker -wa- and the noun wanafunzi. This doubling is normal (especially with definite human recipients) and improves clarity.

How do I say the same sentence in other tenses?

Past: Mwalimu aliwagawia wanafunzi vitabu darasani.
Perfect/resultative: Mwalimu amewagawia wanafunzi vitabu darasani.
Future: Mwalimu atawagawia wanafunzi vitabu darasani.
Habitual (with the habitual marker): Mwalimu huwagawia wanafunzi vitabu darasani.

How does the sentence change if there’s only one student?

Use the singular noun and singular object marker:

Mwalimu anamgawia mwanafunzi vitabu darasani. Here -m- is the class 1 singular object marker 'him/her'.

What about pronunciation and stress?

Stress the second-to-last syllable of each word:

mwa-LI-mu
a-na-wa-ga-WI-a
wa-na-FU-nzi
vi-TA-bu
da-ra-SA-ni

Can I say katika darasa instead of darasani?

Yes. katika darasa also means 'in the classroom.' The -ni locative is more compact and very common; both are correct.