Learn Hardcore Swahili: Mkurugenzi alimwalika mwanamke yule apige kinanda katika hafla ya shule. - The director invited that woman to play the keyboard at the school event.

In Swahili, when you report what you invite/ask/tell someone to do, the verb for that requested action usually takes the subjunctive. So after alimwalika “(he/she) invited (her)”, you use apige “(that) she play.” The subjunctive is marked by the final vowel -e and expresses the desired/expected action.

Can I use the infinitive kupiga instead of the subjunctive apige?

Yes. Both are accepted:

Mkurugenzi alimwalika mwanamke yule apige kinanda.
Mkurugenzi alimwalika mwanamke yule kupiga kinanda. The subjunctive version feels a bit more directive/natural with verbs like “invite, tell, ask.” The infinitive focuses on the activity (“to play”) and is also common.

Could I add ili before the subjunctive?

Yes. ili means “so that/in order that.” You can say:

Mkurugenzi alimwalika mwanamke yule ili apige kinanda. It makes the purpose relationship explicit. Without ili it’s still clear from context.

Who is the subject of apige?

The subject is the woman: mwanamke yule. The verb apige includes the 3rd-person singular subject prefix a- (“he/she”), referring back to the woman.

What’s the full breakdown of the verb alimwalika?

a- (3rd-person singular subject prefix: he/she)
-li- (past tense)
-mw- (object marker for class 1 animate: him/her)
alik (verb root “invite”)
-a (final vowel) Together: a-li-mw-alik-a → “he/she invited him/her.”

Why is the object marker written mw- and not just m-?

The class 1/2 animate object marker is m-, but it becomes mw- before a vowel-initial verb stem (here, -alika). The w is a glide to make pronunciation smoother.

Do I have to use the object marker if I also name the object (mwanamke yule)?

No. It’s optional. You could say:

With OM: Mkurugenzi alimwalika mwanamke yule … (very natural with specific human objects)
Without OM: Mkurugenzi alialika mwanamke yule … Including the OM commonly signals that the object is specific/known (which it is, thanks to yule).

Why is it apige and not ampige?

ampige would mean “that he/she hit him/her.” There’s no human object here; the direct object is the instrument (kinanda). So the correct form is apige (no object marker).

Can I use the narrative connector aka- (akapige) instead of the subjunctive?

Not here. aka- is used to continue actions by the same subject. In this sentence, the first clause subject is the director, and the second clause subject is the woman. So use apige (or ili apige) rather than akapige.

Why is it “mwanamke yule” instead of “yule mwanamke”? Are both correct?

Both are correct. Post-nominal … yule (mwanamke yule) is very common and neutral in Standard Swahili for an already known/identified referent. Pre-nominal yule … (yule mwanamke) is also fine and can sound a bit more emphatic or attention-drawing.

What exactly does yule convey?

It’s the distal demonstrative for class 1 (“that [person]”), used for someone physically farther away or already known/previously mentioned. The near demonstrative would be huyu (“this [person]”).

Why is it hafla ya shule and not hafla wa shule?

The connective -a (meaning “of”) agrees with the first noun’s class. hafla is class 9, whose connective is ya. So: hafla ya shule (“school event”). wa would be used with class 1/2 nouns (e.g., mtoto wa shule).

Can I replace katika with kwenye? What’s the nuance?

Yes:

katika hafla ya shule = “at/in the school event” (often a bit more formal)
kwenye hafla ya shule = very common in everyday speech Both are fine here. You generally wouldn’t omit the preposition.

What does hafla mean, and how does it differ from words like sherehe or tukio?

hafla: a formal event/ceremony/function.
sherehe: a celebration/party/ceremony (festive connotation).
tukio: an occurrence/incident/event (neutral, can be non-ceremonial). In this sentence, hafla suggests a planned formal function at school.

Is kinanda specifically a piano?

Not necessarily. kinanda refers to keyboard instruments in general (organ, electric keyboard, piano). If you specifically mean a piano, you can also say piano; both are understood.

Why is the verb “play (an instrument)” expressed with piga?

Swahili commonly uses piga (“hit/strike”) in collocations for playing instruments: piga kinanda, piga gitaa, piga ngoma, piga filimbi, etc. Don’t use cheza here; cheza is “play (a game), dance,” not the default for musical instruments.

How would I say this in the negative and with plural “women”?

Negative: Mkurugenzi hakumwalika mwanamke yule apige kinanda katika hafla ya shule.
Plural: Mkurugenzi aliwaalika wanawake wale wapige kinanda katika hafla ya shule. (Note the plural object marker wa- and plural demonstrative wale, plus plural subjunctive wapige.)