Learn Hardcore Swahili: Mwanamume na mwanamke wale walikaa juu ya godoro sakafuni, wakijifunika blanketi. - That man and woman sat on a mattress on the floor, covering themselves with a blanket.

Swahili demonstratives (huyu/huyo/yule; hawa/hao/wale) can go before or after the noun. Post-nominal wale means “those (specific)” and often has anaphoric or pointing nuance: “that particular man and woman (we’ve mentioned/see).” Using wale also forces plural agreement later. Alternatives by distance: hawa (these, near speaker), hao (those, near listener), wale (those, far/aforementioned).

Why is the verb agreement wa- repeated in both walikaa and wakijifunika?

Every finite verb in Swahili carries its own subject agreement. Even in linked clauses, you repeat the subject prefix:

wa-li-kaa = they (class 2) + past + sit/stay
wa-ki-ji-funik-a = they + “as/while” + reflexive + cover + final vowel So the subject is restated on each verb.

What does the -ki- in wakijifunika do?

-ki- marks a contemporaneous or background action: “as/while/when (they were) covering themselves.” It can also mean “if” in other contexts, but here it’s clearly “while.” Compare:

Simultaneous: walikaa … wakijifunika = they sat … while covering themselves.
Sequential: walikaa … wakajifunika = they sat … then covered themselves.

Why is it jifunika (reflexive) and not just funika?

jifunika means “cover oneself,” which is the intended meaning. Kufunika blanketi would mean “to cover the blanket” (covering the blanket with something), which is not right here. With the reflexive, the thing you use can be expressed directly (jifunika blanketi) or with a preposition (jifunika kwa/na blanketi).

Do I need kwa or na before blanketi?

All are heard:

jifunika blanketi (very common, the blanket is the means)
jifunika kwa blanketi (instrumental “with/by means of”)
jifunika na blanketi (colloquial “with”) They’re all natural; pick one style and be consistent.

What exactly does juu ya mean, and could I use kwenye or katika instead?

juu ya = “on (top of).” It’s the most explicit for surfaces. kwenye is a general locative (“at/in/on”), so kwenye godoro also works. katika is more “in/inside,” so it’s not used for “on” a surface. For this sentence, juu ya godoro or kwenye godoro are both fine; juu ya is the most precise for “on top of.”

What does sakafuni mean, and what is the -ni doing?

sakafuni = “on/at the floor.” It’s sakafu (floor) + locative suffix -ni, which turns many nouns into “at/on/in X.” Other examples: meza → mezani (on the table), nyumba → nyumbani (at home).

Does sakafuni describe where they sat, or the mattress?

By default, it most naturally narrows the location of the mattress: “on a mattress that was on the floor.” If you want to make that explicit, you can use a relative clause: godoro lililokuwa sakafuni (class 5 agreement with godoro).

What noun class is godoro, and what is its plural?

godoro is class 5; its plural is class 6: magodoro. So you get agreements like: singular relative lililo-, plural yaliyo- (e.g., godoro lililokuwa, magodoro yaliyokuwa).

Why do we have two singular nouns (mwanamume and mwanamke) but a plural verb (walikaa)?

When two singular subjects are joined by na (“and”), the whole subject is plural, so you use class 2 agreement wa- on verbs and demonstratives: walikaa, wale.

Is there a difference between mwanamume and mwanaume?

They’re variants of the same word. mwanaume is more common in everyday speech; mwanamume is also correct and may feel slightly more formal or dictionary-like. The pair is mwanamume/mwanaume (man) and mwanamke (woman); plurals are wanaume and wanawake.

Could I use singular yule instead of wale?

Not for the whole pair. yule is singular. You could say yule mwanamume na yule mwanamke … walikaa …, or keep the single plural demonstrative after the coordinated NP as in the original: mwanamume na mwanamke wale ….

What’s the difference between walikaa and waliketi?

kaa = sit/stay/live; walikaa emphasizes being seated or remaining there for a time.
keti = sit (take a seat); waliketi highlights the act of sitting down. Both can be used; nuance depends on whether you stress the state vs. the act.

Why is there a comma before wakijifunika?

It separates the main action from the simultaneous background action introduced by -ki-. The comma is stylistic; you can omit it in short sentences, but many writers include it for clarity.

Can I move the location phrases around?

Yes, with slight changes in emphasis:

Walikaa juu ya godoro sakafuni (neutral; godoro is on the floor).
Walikaa sakafuni juu ya godoro (emphasizes “on the floor,” then specifies “on a mattress”).
The most explicit is a relative clause: … juu ya godoro lililokuwa sakafuni.

Does juu ya ever change to agree with the following noun (like la, ya, za)?

No. juu ya, chini ya, ndani ya, nje ya are fixed prepositional phrases. The ya does not change with noun class.

How is definiteness (“the” vs. “a”) handled here?

Swahili has no articles. Definiteness comes from context or demonstratives. Using wale makes the pair specific (“those/the particular”). Without a demonstrative, mwanamume na mwanamke would be contextually “a man and a woman.”