Learn Hardcore Swahili: Pete yake si kubwa, bali ndogo inayokaa vizuri kidoleni. - Her ring is not big, but small and fits well on the finger.

No. In Swahili, pete means “ring.” It is capitalized only because it begins the sentence. In the middle of a sentence it would be lower-case: pete.

Why is it “pete yake” and not “pete wake”?

The possessive agrees with the class of the noun being possessed, not with the owner. Pete is class 9, whose possessive concord is y-, so you get yake (his/her).

Class 1 example: mtu wake (his/her person)
Class 9 example: pete yake (his/her ring)
Class 5 example: gari lake (his/her car)
Class 8 example: vitabu vyake (his/her books)

What does “si” do here? Can I use “sio” or “siyo” instead?

Si is the negative copula: “is/are not.” So si kubwa = “is not big.”
You will also hear sio/siyo, which many speakers use interchangeably in speech. In writing, si is the safest, especially before adjectives or nouns: si kubwa, si pete, etc.

Why “bali” and not “lakini”? What nuance does “bali” add?

Bali means “but rather” and is used to correct or replace a negated item: si X, bali Y (“not X, but rather Y”).

Example: Si ndefu, bali fupi.
Lakini is a general “but” and doesn’t necessarily correct the first part.

Why can the noun “pete” be omitted after “bali” (…bali ndogo…)?

Swahili often omits a repeated noun when it’s obvious from context. Bali ndogo inayokaa… implicitly means “but rather a small (one) that fits…,” with pete understood. You could also say the longer form: …bali pete ndogo inayokaa…

How is “inayokaa” built, and what does it mean?

It’s a relative verb form meaning “that sits/fits.” Breakdown:

i- (subject marker for class 9 “pete”)
-na- (present/habitual)
-yo- (relative marker for class 9)
kaa (verb “sit/stay,” extended to “fit” for clothing/jewelry)
=> inayokaa: “that fits/sits”

Could I say “ndogo inakaa vizuri” instead of “ndogo inayokaa vizuri”?

Only if you include the noun: pete ndogo inakaa vizuri. When you drop the noun and keep only the adjective phrase, use the relative: ndogo inayokaa vizuri (“the small one that fits well”).

Does “kaa” really mean “fit” here? Are there alternatives?

Yes. With wearable items, kaa commonly means “sit/fit” on the body: Inakaa vizuri = “It fits well.”
Alternatives:

Inafaa vizuri (it suits/works well)
Inamtoshea vizuri (it fits him/her well)

What exactly does “kidoleni” mean, and how is it formed?

Kidoleni = “on the finger.” It’s kidole (finger, class 7) + locative suffix -ni, which often means “in/on/at” a place: shuleni (at school), mezani (at the table), kidoleni (on the finger).

Why not just say “kwenye kidole”? Is there a difference?

Both are fine:

kidoleni (locative -ni) is compact and idiomatic.
kwenye kidole explicitly uses the preposition kwenye (“on/at/in”).
Meaning is the same here. Use whichever feels more natural; -ni is very common.

If I want to be explicit that it’s “on his/her finger,” how do I say that?

Add a possessive to the non-locative form:

kwenye kidole chake = on his/her finger
katika kidole chake = in/on his/her finger
You’ll also hear locative + possessive with some nouns (e.g., nyumbani mwake), but for clarity with body parts, learners are safest with kwenye/katika kidole chake.

Why is it “ndogo” for “small” but “kubwa” for “big” with no prefix? How do adjectives agree here?

Adjectives take forms tied to noun classes:

With class 9 nouns like pete, “small” is ndogo (not “mdogo”), while “big” is kubwa (it keeps the ku- form here).
So: pete ndogo, pete kubwa. Different adjective stems behave differently across classes.

Why “vizuri” and not “mzuri”?

Mzuri is an adjective (“good/beautiful/nice”) that agrees with nouns: pete nzuri.
Vizuri is the adverb “well/nicely.” In the sentence it modifies the verb: inayokaa vizuri = “fits well.”

Is “kidoleni” singular or plural? How would I say “on the fingers”?

Kidoleni is singular: “on the finger.”
Plural noun is vidole (class 8), and the locative is vidoleni: “on the fingers.”