Learn Hardcore Swahili: Asha amekuwa akiuliza maswali mengi ili aelewe vizuri. - Asha has been asking many questions so that she understands well.

amekuwa = a- (she) + -me- (perfect) + -kuwa (to be) → she has been / she has become
akiuliza = a- (she) + -ki- (continuous / ongoing aspect, often in subordinate or background actions) + -uliza (ask)

Together, amekuwa akiuliza emphasizes an activity that has been ongoing or repeated up to now, rather than a single completed action. So it suggests Asha has been in the habit of asking many questions over a period of time, not just once.

Why do we need both amekuwa and akiuliza? Would Asha ameuliza maswali mengi mean the same thing?

They are not the same.

Asha ameuliza maswali mengi = Asha has asked many questions (focus on the completed result: those questions have already been asked).
Asha amekuwa akiuliza maswali mengi = Asha has been asking many questions (focus on the ongoing or repeated nature of the activity over a stretch of time).

So ameuliza presents the action as a finished event, while amekuwa akiuliza presents it as a continuing pattern or activity.

Could we say Asha anauliza maswali mengi ili aelewe vizuri instead? What would change?

Yes, that sentence is grammatically fine, but the nuance changes:

Asha anauliza maswali mengi → Asha is asking / asks many questions (present, either right now or generally as a habit).
Asha amekuwa akiuliza maswali mengi → Asha has been asking many questions (an ongoing pattern leading up to now).

So anauliza is more about what’s happening now or regularly in general, while amekuwa akiuliza shows a period leading up to the present (similar to English present perfect progressive).

Why is it aelewe and not anaelewa after ili?

After ili (meaning so that / in order that), Swahili normally uses the subjunctive form of the verb. The subjunctive expresses purpose, desire, possibility, or something that is not yet a fact.

Verb root: -elewa (to understand)
Regular present: anaelewa (she understands / is understanding)
Subjunctive: aelewe (that she may understand)

To form the subjunctive in most verbs, you:

Take the present form without -na- (here: aelewa),
Change the final -a to -e → aelewe.

Because this is a purpose clause (so that she may understand), aelewe is required rather than anaelewa.

Does ili always take the subjunctive? Are there other ways to express purpose?

In standard Swahili, when ili introduces a finite verb clause, that verb is normally in the subjunctive:

ili aelewe vizuri = so that she may understand well
ili waondoke mapema = so that they may leave early

Other common ways to express purpose include:

Using ili plus an infinitive:
Asha amekuwa akiuliza maswali mengi ili kuelewa vizuri
(Asha has been asking many questions in order to understand well.)
Using kwa ajili ya
- infinitive:
  … kwa ajili ya kuelewa vizuri
  (for the purpose of understanding well)

But if you use ili directly before a conjugated verb (with a subject marker), that verb is almost always in the subjunctive.

What does the a- prefix in amekuwa, akiuliza, and aelewe mean?

The a- at the beginning of those verbs is the subject agreement prefix for third person singular (he/she) in noun class 1 (people).

amekuwa = a- (he/she) + -me- (perfect) + -kuwa → he/she has been
akiuliza = a- (he/she) + -ki- (continuous) + -uliza → he/she is/was asking
aelewe = a- (he/she) + -elewe (subjunctive) → that he/she may understand

In Swahili, the subject is marked on the verb via this prefix, so you do not need to say yeye (she) unless you want emphasis. Asha itself tells you who the subject is, and a- must agree with it grammatically.

What is the difference between kuuliza and uliza?

Swahili verbs normally have:

An infinitive/base form with ku-: kuuliza = to ask
A bare root used in conjugated forms: -uliza

When you conjugate the verb, you drop the ku- and add the appropriate prefixes:

anauliza = he/she is asking
tunauliza = we are asking
akiuliza = when/while he/she is asking

So kuuliza is what you’ll see in the dictionary and after some prepositions (e.g. kwa ajili ya kuuliza), and uliza is the root that combines with subject, tense, and object markers.

Why is it maswali mengi and not mengi maswali?

In Swahili, most adjectives follow the noun they modify:

maswali mengi = many questions
mtoto mdogo = small child
vitabu vipya = new books

So the normal order is noun + adjective. Certain quantifiers can sometimes appear before the noun for emphasis, but mengi is ordinarily placed after maswali in neutral, standard speech. Mengi maswali would sound wrong or at least very marked.

Why is the adjective mengi (and not nyingi) used with maswali?

Because maswali belongs to noun class 6 (the ma- plural class), and adjectives have to agree with the noun class.

Singular: swali (class 5)
Plural: maswali (class 6)

The adjective -ingi (many/much) changes form according to the noun class:

watu wengi (many people, class 2)
miti mingi (many trees, class 4)
magari mengi (many cars, class 6)
nyumba nyingi (many houses, class 9/10)

For class 6 nouns like maswali, the correct form is mengi, hence maswali mengi.

What part of speech is vizuri, and could we use something else like vyema or sawa?

Vizuri here functions as an adverb, meaning well / properly / clearly. It comes from the adjective -zuri (good, beautiful):

kitu kizuri = a good thing
vitu vizuri = good things
anaelewa vizuri = she understands well

Alternatives:

vyema – also means well, slightly more formal or literary.
… ili aelewe vyema is fine.
sawa – usually means OK, correct, equal.
aelewe sawa would not be the natural way to say understand well; more like understand correctly, and even then vizuri / vyema is more idiomatic in this context.

So vizuri is the most neutral and common choice here.

In English we might say “so that she can understand it well”. Where is “it” in the Swahili sentence?

In … ili aelewe vizuri, there is no explicit “it”. Swahili often omits objects when they are obvious from context or when the verb can be understood intransitively (just “understand well” in general).

If you wanted to specify what she should understand, you would add a direct object:

Asha amekuwa akiuliza maswali mengi ili aelewe somo vizuri.
= Asha has been asking many questions so that she can understand the lesson well.

Or you could use an object marker on the verb if the object is known:

… ili alielewe vizuri (so that she may understand it well – referring to some class 5 noun already mentioned, like somo or swali).

In the original sentence, “it” is simply left implicit.

Can we change the order of ili aelewe vizuri, for example to ili vizuri aelewe?

No, ili vizuri aelewe is not natural Swahili. The typical order is:

ili
- verb (subjunctive)
  - adverb
    → ili aelewe vizuri

You can move the whole purpose clause to the front of the sentence:

Ili aelewe vizuri, Asha amekuwa akiuliza maswali mengi.

But within the clause, aelewe vizuri is the normal order; vizuri (like most manner adverbs) comes after the verb, not before it.