Learn Hardcore Swahili: Mwanamke yule amekuwa akijifunza Kiingereza mwenyewe kila usiku. - That woman has been learning English by herself every night.

Yule is a demonstrative meaning that (over there / that one we’re talking about). It shows distance, either physical or in the speaker’s mind.

For noun class 1 (m-/wa-, people like mwanamke):

huyu mwanamke / mwanamke huyu = this woman (near me)
huyo mwanamke / mwanamke huyo = that woman (near you / just mentioned)
yule mwanamke / mwanamke yule = that woman (over there / that one we’ve been talking about)

In the sentence, mwanamke yule suggests a specific woman, not just any woman, and she is somehow “distanced”: either literally not near the speaker, or already known in the story or conversation.

Why is it mwanamke yule and not yule mwanamke? Are both orders correct?

Both mwanamke yule and yule mwanamke are grammatically correct, but the nuance changes slightly.

mwanamke yule (noun + demonstrative)
- The more neutral, common order.
- Roughly: that woman.
yule mwanamke (demonstrative + noun)
- Often adds emphasis or a “pointing”/contrastive feeling:
  - that woman (as opposed to some other woman).
- Similar to stressing “that” in English: THAT woman.

In many everyday contexts, they’re interchangeable, but post-noun (mwanamke yule) is the default, less emphatic pattern.

How is amekuwa akijifunza built, and what tense/aspect does it express?

Amekuwa akijifunza literally breaks down as:

a- = subject prefix for he/she (class 1, here: the woman)
-me- = perfect aspect marker (has / have)
kuwa = to be / to become
→ amekuwa = has been / has become

Then:

a- = he/she (again, for the second verb)
-ki- = continuous / “while” marker
ji- = reflexive (oneself)
funz- = root teach / learn
-a = final vowel
→ akijifunza = (while) learning / studying (for herself)

Together, amekuwa akijifunza is best translated as:

she has been learning / has been studying

It expresses a continuing activity over a period up to now, just like the English present perfect continuous:
The woman has been learning English…

What is the difference between amekuwa akijifunza and just anajifunza?

anajifunza Kiingereza
- a- (he/she) + -na- (present/progressive) + jifunza
- Means she is learning / she learns English (now, or generally).
amekuwa akijifunza Kiingereza
- Literally she has been learning English.
- Emphasises:
  - duration over time, and
  - that this has been happening repeatedly or continuously up to the present.

So:

If you say anajifunza, you describe what she does now or in general.
If you say amekuwa akijifunza, you highlight that this activity started in the past and has continued until now, which matches the English has been learning.

What exactly does the -ki- in akijifunza do?

The -ki- is a tense/aspect marker that:

Often means while doing / when doing in subordinate clauses:
- Alipika akiimba. = She cooked while singing.
In combinations like amekuwa akijifunza, it helps form a continuous/habitual sense connected to another verb (here kuwa).

In akijifunza:

a- = he/she
-ki- = continuous “-ing”/“while” aspect
jifunza = learn (for oneself)

So akijifunza is (while) learning / learning (continuously).
With amekuwa, it reflects has been learning.

What is the role of ji- in akijifunza? Why not just akifunza?

The ji- in jifunza is a reflexive marker: doing something to/for oneself.

fundisha = to teach (someone else)
jifunza = to learn (teach oneself)

So:

anajifunza = she is learning (for herself)
anafundisha = she is teaching (others)

If you said akifunza Kiingereza, it would mean she is teaching English, not learning it.
In this sentence, akijifunza Kiingereza clearly describes her learning English, not teaching it.

What does Kiingereza literally mean, and why does it start with Ki- and take a capital letter?

Kiingereza is the standard word for English (language).

It comes from:

Uingereza = England
Mwingereza = an English person (singular)
Waingereza = English people (plural)
Kiingereza = the English language

The Ki- prefix (class 7) is often used for:

languages: Kiswahili, Kifaransa, Kichina
ways or styles: Kiingereza can also suggest “in an English way”.

Capitalisation:

In modern practice, names of languages are often capitalised in Swahili, especially in more formal writing, so Kiingereza with a capital K is common.
You might also see it written kiingereza in less formal texts.

What does mwenyewe mean here, and does it agree with gender or person?

In this sentence, mwenyewe means by herself / on her own / herself.

Its functions:

Reflexive emphasis – the woman herself, not someone else.
“Without help” / self-taught – learning English by herself, without a teacher.

Forms:

Singular: mwenyewe (for all persons: I, you, he/she)
- mimi mwenyewe = myself
- wewe mwenyewe = yourself
- yeye mwenyewe = himself/herself
Plural: wenyewe
- sisi wenyewe = ourselves
- wao wenyewe = themselves

It does not change for masculine vs feminine; Swahili does not mark gender in this way. Here mwenyewe belongs to yeye (the woman), giving the sense learning English by herself.

Could we use peke yake instead of mwenyewe? What is the difference?

Yes, you could say:

Mwanamke yule amekuwa akijifunza Kiingereza peke yake kila usiku.

Differences:

mwenyewe
- Emphasises self / one’s own responsibility.
- Strong sense of self-taught, doing it herself (not others).
peke yake
- Literally alone / by himself/herself.
- Focuses on being alone while doing it, not necessarily on self-teaching.

In practice, both can often be translated by herself, but:

mwenyewe leans toward self-directed learning.
peke yake leans toward no one else being there.

Why is kila usiku at the end, and could it be placed elsewhere in the sentence?

Swahili word order is fairly flexible for time expressions. Common patterns:

Mwanamke yule amekuwa akijifunza Kiingereza mwenyewe kila usiku.
- Neutral: she has been doing this every night.
Kila usiku, mwanamke yule amekuwa akijifunza Kiingereza mwenyewe.
- Moves the time expression to the front, emphasising every night.

Both are correct. Placing kila usiku at the end, as in the original sentence, is very natural and common.
Fronting it adds a little emphasis on the regularity of the activity.

Why is it kila usiku (singular) and not a plural form like kila many nights?

Kila (every) in Swahili is always followed by a singular noun:

kila siku = every day
kila mtu = everybody / every person
kila wiki = every week
kila usiku = every night

You do not pluralise the noun after kila.
So kila usiku literally is every night, but usiku stays singular.

How does the verb agree with mwanamke yule? Why amekuwa and akijifunza, not something else?

Mwanamke belongs to noun class 1 (people, m-/wa-), which uses:

Subject prefix a- for he/she / that person.

Verb agreement in the sentence:

a-me-kuwa
- a- = she (agrees with mwanamke)
- -me- = perfect
- -kuwa = be
  → amekuwa = she has been / has become
a-ki-ji-funz-a
- a- = she (same subject)
- -ki- = continuous “while / -ing”
- ji-funz-a = learn (for oneself)
  → akijifunza = (while) learning

If the subject were plural (e.g. wanawake wale = those women), you would get:

wanawake wale wamekuwa wakijifunza Kiingereza wenyewe kila usiku.
- wa- instead of a- for the plural subject.

Can we drop yule or mwenyewe? How would the meaning change?

Yes, you can drop them, but you lose some specific meaning.

Remove yule:
- Mwanamke amekuwa akijifunza Kiingereza mwenyewe kila usiku.
- Becomes A woman / the woman has been learning English by herself every night, but:
  - yule pointed to a specific, identifiable woman.
  - Without it, it’s less anchored to a specific “that woman”.
Remove mwenyewe:
- Mwanamke yule amekuwa akijifunza Kiingereza kila usiku.
- Now it just says That woman has been learning English every night.
  - You lose the explicit idea of self-study / doing it by herself.
Remove both:
- Mwanamke amekuwa akijifunza Kiingereza kila usiku.
- A more general statement: A woman has been learning English every night.

So yule specifies which woman, and mwenyewe adds the nuance of by herself / self-taught.