Learn Hardcore Swahili: Tangu Januari, mimi nimekuwa nikijifunza Kiswahili kila siku jioni. - Since January, I have been learning Swahili every evening.

In Swahili, when you use tangu with a time expression (e.g. tangu Januari, tangu jana), the main verb is normally in the present perfect (with -me-) to show that the situation started then and continues up to now.

So:

Tangu Januari, nimekuwa … = Since January, I have been …

Using a present simple like najifunza after tangu would usually sound odd or ungrammatical in standard Swahili.

Why do we say mimi nimekuwa… if nimekuwa already shows “I”? Can mimi be left out?

Yes, mimi can be left out.

The prefix ni- in nimekuwa already marks the subject as “I”, so mimi is not grammatically necessary. You can say:

Tangu Januari, nimekuwa nikijifunza Kiswahili kila siku jioni.

Adding mimi makes the subject more emphatic or contrastive, like:

“As for me, since January I’ve been learning Swahili every evening.”
It can imply contrast with other people (e.g. they are not doing it, but I am).

Why is it nimekuwa nikijifunza and not just najifunza?

Nimekuwa nikijifunza corresponds closely to English “I have been learning” (present perfect continuous).

nimekuwa = ni- (I) + -me- (perfect) + -kuwa (to be) → I have been
nikijifunza = ni- (I) + -ki-
- -jifunza (to learn)

The combination nimekuwa nikijifunza expresses an action that started in the past and has been ongoing up to now.

If you say just najifunza Kiswahili, that means “I am learning Swahili” (present, ongoing now) but does not by itself say that this has been happening since January. With tangu Januari, the perfect form nimekuwa nikijifunza is the natural choice.

What exactly does nikijifunza mean, and why is there another ni- after nimekuwa?

Nikijifunza is a subordinate / linked verb form.

ni- = I
-ki- = a special tense/aspect marker (often called the -ki- tense or consecutive)
-jifunza = to learn (literally “to teach oneself”)

Together with nimekuwa, the pattern nimekuwa nikijifunza functions like English “I have been learning”.

The second ni- is required because Swahili typically marks the subject on every verb. Even though it looks redundant to an English speaker, it is standard in Swahili grammar.

What does the -ki- in nikijifunza do?

The -ki- here marks a kind of continuous / ongoing or linked action, especially in combination with nimekuwa.

In the pattern nimekuwa nikifanya X, -ki- helps express:

an action that is ongoing or repeated over a period,
linked to the state introduced by nimekuwa (“I have been …”).

So nimekuwa nikijifunza is more natural than nimekuwa najifunza to mean “I have been learning” in standard Swahili.

Could I say Tangu Januari, nimejifunza Kiswahili instead of nimekuwa nikijifunza Kiswahili?

You can say it, but it doesn’t mean the same thing.

Nimekuwa nikijifunza Kiswahili ≈ I have been learning Swahili (focus on the ongoing process).
Nimejifunza Kiswahili ≈ I have learned Swahili (more like the result or achievement, suggesting you’ve learned it, perhaps to some level of completion).

With tangu Januari, nimekuwa nikijifunza is better if you want to emphasize that you started then and are still in the process of learning, not that you’re “done”.

Why is it Kiswahili and not just Swahili?

In Swahili, language names typically take the Ki- prefix (noun class 7):

Kiswahili = the Swahili language
Kiingereza = English
Kifaransa = French

So Kiswahili is the normal, grammatical way to say “Swahili (language)” in Swahili itself.

In English we usually say Swahili, but when speaking Swahili you should use Kiswahili. Both Swahili and Kiswahili are written with a capital letter because they are proper names.

Why is there no word meaning “in” before jioni? Why not katika jioni?

Time-of-day words like asubuhi (in the morning), mchana (in the afternoon), jioni (in the evening), usiku (at night) are usually used without a preposition when they function as time adverbs.

So you say:

jioni = in the evening
kila siku jioni = every day in the evening

Katika jioni is technically understandable but sounds unnatural in most contexts. The bare noun jioni already carries the “in the evening” idea.

What is the difference between kila siku jioni and kila jioni?

Both are grammatical, but their nuance is slightly different:

kila siku jioni = every day in the evening
- Emphasizes that every single day, and specifically in the evening on those days, the action happens.
kila jioni = every evening
- Focuses more on the evening time itself as a repeated time period.

In many situations they overlap and can both be used. Kila jioni is a bit shorter and often sounds slightly more natural in casual speech.

Could I say kila siku za jioni instead of kila siku jioni?

No, that would not be natural.

After kila (“every”), the noun is usually in the singular and you normally don’t add za in this kind of time expression.

Correct patterns:

kila siku = every day
kila jioni = every evening
kila siku jioni = every day in the evening

So stick with kila siku jioni (or just kila jioni).

Can the position of tangu Januari change? For example, can I say Nimekuwa nikijifunza Kiswahili kila siku jioni tangu Januari?

Yes, you can move tangu Januari to later in the sentence.

These are all acceptable:

Tangu Januari, nimekuwa nikijifunza Kiswahili kila siku jioni.
Nimekuwa nikijifunza Kiswahili kila siku jioni tangu Januari.

Putting tangu Januari at the beginning is a common, clear way to set the time frame. Placing it at the end is also fine and often sounds quite natural in speech.

Is the comma after Januari necessary in Swahili?

The comma is more about style and clarity than strict grammar.

Tangu Januari mimi nimekuwa nikijifunza… (without comma) is still grammatical.
The comma (Tangu Januari, mimi nimekuwa…) just makes the pause more visible in writing and separates the time phrase from the main clause, similar to English.

In informal Swahili writing, people often omit such commas; in more careful writing, they are common.