Learn Hardcore Swahili: Walimu wamekuwa wakitumia simu janja kufundisha darasa la mtandaoni. - Teachers have been using smartphones to teach the online class.

Walimu wamekuwa wakitumia simu janja kufundisha darasa la mtandaoni.

Teachers have been using smartphones to teach the online class.

Breakdown of Walimu wamekuwa wakitumia simu janja kufundisha darasa la mtandaoni.

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Questions & Answers about Walimu wamekuwa wakitumia simu janja kufundisha darasa la mtandaoni.

What does wamekuwa wakitumia literally mean, and how is it different from just wanatumia or walitumia?

wamekuwa wakitumia is a compound tense/aspect:

wa- = they (subject prefix for class 2 / people)
me-kuwa = have been (perfect of kuwa – to be)
wa-kitumia = they-using (progressive form of kutumia)

So wamekuwa wakitumia ≈ have been using in English, emphasizing an action that started before now and has been ongoing.

Comparison:

wanatumia = they are using / they use (present, general or ongoing now)
walitumia = they used (completed action in the past)
wamekuwa wakitumia = they have been using (ongoing from the past up to now, or up to some reference time)

It adds a sense of continuity or duration that wanatumia and walitumia don’t clearly express by themselves.

Why is the subject marker wa- repeated in walimu wamekuwa wakitumia? Isn’t it enough to say it once?

In Swahili, each verb in a complex verb phrase normally takes its own subject agreement marker:

walimu = teachers
wa-me-kuwa = they-have-been
wa-kitum-ia = they-using

So:

First verb: wamekuwa → must agree with walimu, so it gets wa-
Second verb: wakitumia → also must agree with walimu, so it gets wa- again

This is standard Swahili structure. Even if verbs are “linked” conceptually (have been using), each finite or quasi-finite verb carries subject agreement.

Why is wakitumia used instead of wanatumia after wamekuwa?

wakitumia is the progressive / continuous form:

wa- = they
-ki- = progressive marker (“while doing, in the process of doing”)
-tumia = use

The sequence wamekuwa wakitumia literally feels like:

wamekuwa = they have been
wakitumia = (while) using

Using wanatumia here (wamekuwa wanatumia) is not normal; the standard pattern for this “have been doing X” idea is wamekuwa wakifanya X (with -ki-). So wamekuwa wakitumia is the expected form.

What is the difference between walimu and mwalimu? How would I say “A teacher has been using…”?

mwalimu = teacher (singular, class 1)
walimu = teachers (plural, class 2)

To say A / the teacher has been using a smartphone to teach an online class, you’d change the verb agreement to singular:

Mwalimu amekuwa akitumia simu janja kufundisha darasa la mtandaoni.

Changes:

a-me-kuwa instead of wa-me-kuwa
a-kitumia instead of wa-kitumia

Everything else stays the same.

Why is kufundisha in the ku- form? Is that an infinitive?

Yes. kufundisha is the infinitive (or “verb noun”) of fundisha (to teach).

In this sentence kufundisha expresses purpose:

…wakitoa simu janja kufundisha… = using a smartphone to teach

So:

kufundisha = to teach / for teaching
It’s the normal form after verbs like kutumia when you want to say “use X to do Y”.

Why do we say simu janja instead of something like simu ya janja?

simu janja is a fixed compound meaning smartphone (“clever phone”):

simu = phone
janja (from mjanja) = clever/smart

This behaves more like a set phrase or a noun–noun compound than a regular noun + “of” + adjective structure, so Swahili doesn’t normally insert ya here.

Saying simu ya janja would sound unusual or wrong. You will most often see:

simu janja = smartphone
Sometimes you may also see simu mahiri in more formal or technical language, but simu janja is very common.

How does darasa la mtandaoni work grammatically? Why la and not ya or wa?

darasa la mtandaoni literally means class of online / online class:

darasa = class (noun class 5)
la = “of” for class 5 singular nouns
mtandaoni = online / on the internet

Possessive/“of” agreement:

Class 1: wa (rafiki wa mtoto)
Class 5: la (darasa la Kiswahili)
Class 9: ya (simu ya mkononi), etc.

Since darasa is class 5, you must use la, so:

darasa la mtandaoni = online class
darasa ya mtandaoni or darasa wa mtandaoni would be incorrect.

What exactly is mtandaoni made of, and why does it mean “online”?

mtandaoni comes from:

mtandao = network, internet
-ni = locative suffix (“in/on/at”)

So:

mtandao = (the) internet
mtandaoni = on the internet → “online”

You’ll see -ni used similarly in other words:

nyumba → nyumbani = at home
shule → shuleni = at school

So darasa la mtandaoni = a class that takes place on the internet.

If Swahili has no articles, how do I know whether walimu means “teachers”, “the teachers”, or “some teachers”?

Swahili doesn’t have articles like a/an/the, so walimu by itself is neutral:

walimu can be:
- teachers
- the teachers
- some teachers

The exact interpretation depends on context or what has been mentioned earlier.

If you really need to specify:

walimu fulani = certain/some teachers
wale walimu = those teachers (more definite)
walimu wote = all (the) teachers

But in most everyday sentences, context is enough.

Is Walimu wamekuwa wakitumia simu janja kufundisha darasa la mtandaoni formal, informal, or neutral? Could I use it in writing and speech?

This sentence is neutral and perfectly acceptable in both spoken and written Swahili.

Vocabulary like simu janja and darasa la mtandaoni fits modern, everyday use.
The tense wamekuwa wakitumia is also normal and natural in news, reports, and conversation.

You could use this sentence in:

a news report,
a school article,
everyday conversation,
a presentation about online learning.