Learn Hardcore Swahili: Baba aliomba kibali cha kutumia ukumbi; kibali kilitolewa mapema. - Father requested permission to use the hall; the permit was issued early.

Swahili has no articles (no “a/the”). Baba on its own usually means “Dad” (often the speaker’s father) when the context is clear. To be explicit you can say:

baba yangu = my father
yule baba = that father/man (specific)
baba mmoja = a/one father (introducing)

Capitalizing Baba is common when it’s a title or someone’s dad in context, but it’s not grammatically required.

What’s going on in the verb aliomba?

It’s past tense with a class-1 (human) subject:

a- (3rd person singular subject “he/she”)
-li- (past)
omb (verb root “ask/request/pray” from kuomba)
-a (final vowel)

So aliomba = “he/she asked/requested.” In Swahili the verb still carries the subject marker even when the subject noun (Baba) is stated.

Do I need a preposition like “for” in “ask for permission,” or is aliomba kibali correct?

Aliomba kibali is correct. With kuomba, the thing requested is a direct object (no preposition). If you mention the person/office you ask from, use kwa:

Aliomba kibali kwa mkurugenzi = He asked the director for a permit.

What’s the nuance of kibali compared with ruhusa, idhini, or leseni?

kibali: authorization/permit (often official/administrative)
ruhusa: permission/leave (can be informal; also “time off”)
idhini: approval/consent (formal sanction)
leseni: license (document allowing you to do something)

Here kibali fits well because it sounds formal/official.

Why is it cha kutumia and not ya kutumia/wa kutumia, etc.?

The connector “of/for” agrees with the noun class of the head noun (kibali, class 7). Class 7 uses cha. A few common connectors:

Class 7 (ki-/vi-): cha (singular), vya (plural)
Class 11 (u-): wa
Class 9/10: ya/za
Class 5 (ji-/Ø): la So: kibali cha kutumia…

What is kutumia doing here, and why the ku-?

Kutumia is the infinitive (“to use/using”). Infinitives act like verbal nouns. The pattern [noun] cha ku-verb means “permission to verb”:

kibali cha kutumia ukumbi = “permission to use the hall.” You could also nominalize with matumizi (“use/usage”): kibali cha matumizi ya ukumbi, but cha kutumia is simpler and very natural.

What noun class is ukumbi, and how do I make it specific or plural?

Ukumbi (“hall/auditorium”) is class 11 (u-), with plural kumbi (class 10).

Demonstratives: ukumbi huu (this hall), ukumbi huo (that hall—near listener/known), ukumbi ule (that hall—far/previously mentioned). If you need “hall for meetings,” you can say ukumbi wa mikutano.

Should I add an object marker in kutumia ukumbi (like kuutumia ukumbi)?

No object marker is needed here. Kutumia ukumbi is normal. You’d use the object marker when the object is pronominal or fronted for emphasis/topic:

Neutral: aliomba kutumia ukumbi.
Fronted object (then include OM): Ukumbi, baba aliomba kuutumia.

Why a semicolon? Could I use a period or a connector?

Yes. The semicolon just links two closely related clauses. Alternatives:

Period: Baba aliomba kibali cha kutumia ukumbi. Kibali kilitolewa mapema.
Connector: Baba aliomba kibali cha kutumia ukumbi, na kibali kilitolewa mapema.
Sequence words: … kisha/halafu kibali kilitolewa mapema.

How is the passive kilitolewa formed, and why use it?

Breakdown:

ki- (class-7 subject—refers back to kibali)
-li- (past)
tole (passive stem of toa “give/issue” → tolewa “be issued”)
-wa (passive final) So kilitolewa = “it (class 7) was issued.” Passive is natural when the agent is unknown/irrelevant. Active alternative:
(Wao/Mamlaka) walitoa kibali mapema. = “(They/The authority) issued the permit early.”

What exactly does mapema mean, and where does it go?

Mapema means “early/earlier than expected/quite soon.” It’s an adverb and commonly comes after the verb, but other placements are possible for emphasis:

Kibali kilitolewa mapema sana.
Mapema, kibali kilitolewa. (more marked)

Do I have to repeat kibali in the second clause?

No. You can avoid repetition because the subject marker ki- already points back to kibali:

Baba aliomba kibali cha kutumia ukumbi; kilitolewa mapema. Repeating kibali is also fine for clarity, especially in writing.

Could I use the narrative “then” tense with -ka- to link the events?

Yes, very idiomatic in narratives:

Baba akaomba kibali cha kutumia ukumbi, kisha kikatolewa mapema. Here akaomba (“and then he asked”) and kikatolewa (“and then it was issued”) use -ka- to show sequence.