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Kwaya ya vijana inaimba wimbo mzuri kanisani jioni.

Kwaya ya vijana inaimba wimbo mzuri kanisani jioni.
The youth choir is singing a nice song at church in the evening.
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Questions & Answers about Kwaya ya vijana inaimba wimbo mzuri kanisani jioni.

Why is it inaimba and not wanaimba, even though a choir has many people?

In Swahili, the verb agrees with the grammatical subject, not the number of people inside that group.

  • Kwaya (choir) is one noun, in noun class 9.
  • The subject prefix for class 9 in the present tense is i-.
  • So we get: i-na-imba → inaimba = "it sings / it is singing."

Wanaimba uses wa-, the subject prefix for class 2 (people), e.g. vijana wanaimba – "the youths are singing."

Because the subject here is kwaya (one choir), we must use inaimba, not wanaimba.

What does ya in kwaya ya vijana mean, and why is it ya and not wa?

Ya here works like "of" in English:

  • kwaya ya vijana = "choir of youths" → "youth choir."

Swahili uses different forms of this "of" word depending on the noun class of the first noun:

  • kwaya is class 9.
  • The class 9 possessive connector is ya.

So:

  • kwaya ya vijana = choir (class 9) + of (class-9 form ya) + youths
  • vijana wa kwaya would be "the youths of the choir" (here the first noun is vijana, class 2, so you use wa).

So it’s ya because it agrees with kwaya, not with vijana.

How is the verb inaimba built, exactly?

Inaimba is made of:

  • i- = subject prefix for class 9 (agreeing with kwaya)
  • -na- = present tense marker ("is/are doing", "do/does")
  • -imba = verb root "sing"

So:

  • inaimba = "it (class 9) is singing / sings"
  • Compare:
    • anaimba = he/she is singing (a- = 3rd person singular)
    • wanaimba = they are singing (wa- = class 2 / people)
Why is the adjective placed after the noun: wimbo mzuri and not mzuri wimbo?

In Swahili, adjectives normally come after the noun they describe.

  • wimbo mzuri = "good song"
  • Saying mzuri wimbo is ungrammatical.

The basic pattern is:

  • noun + adjective
    • mtoto mdogo = small child
    • gari jipya = new car
    • wimbo mzuri = good song
Why is it wimbo mzuri and not something like wimbo nzuri or mzuri wimbo?

Two points here:

  1. Word order: as above, adjective goes after the noun → wimbo mzuri.

  2. Agreement: wimbo is class 3 (singular). Many adjectives for class 3 take the prefix m-:

  • mzuri agrees with wimbo (class 3)
  • If it were plural, you’d have class 4:
    • nyimbo nzuri = good songs (here the class 4 form nzuri is used)

So singular: wimbo mzuri, plural: nyimbo nzuri.

What does the -ni ending in kanisani mean?

The suffix -ni is a locative ending, meaning roughly "in/at/on".

  • kanisa = church
  • kanisani = in church, at church

Other examples:

  • nyumba (house) → nyumbani (at home)
  • shule (school) → shuleni (at school)

So kanisani already includes the idea of "in the church"; you don’t need to say katika kanisa unless you want extra emphasis or clarity.

Can I say katika kanisa instead of kanisani?

Yes, but there are differences in feel:

  • kanisani – the most natural, everyday way to say "in church / at church."
  • katika kanisa – literally "in the church"; correct, but often sounds more formal, literal, or emphatic.

In this sentence, kanisani is the most idiomatic choice.

Where does jioni go in the sentence? Can I move it?

In the given sentence:

  • Kwaya ya vijana inaimba wimbo mzuri kanisani jioni.
    = The youth choir sings a good song in church in the evening.

Time expressions like jioni (in the evening) are quite flexible. You can say, for example:

  • Kwaya ya vijana jioni inaimba wimbo mzuri kanisani.
  • Jioni kwaya ya vijana inaimba wimbo mzuri kanisani.

All are grammatical. The most common neutral order is often:

  • [Subject] [Verb] [Object] [Place] [Time]
    → Kwaya ya vijana inaimba wimbo mzuri kanisani jioni.
Does jioni mean “evening” or “in the evening”? Why no separate word for “in the”?

Jioni is a noun for the evening period, but in use it already implies "in the evening" when used as a time adverbial:

  • Nitaondoka jioni. = I will leave in the evening.

Swahili often doesn’t need a preposition like "in/on/at" before time words:

  • asubuhi = in the morning
  • mchana = in the afternoon / daytime
  • usiku = at night

So jioni here functions like "in the evening" by itself.

What is the difference between wimbo and nyimbo?

They are singular and plural of the same noun:

  • wimbo = song (singular, class 3)
  • nyimbo = songs (plural, class 4)

This is a typical class 3/4 pattern: m-/wa-/u-/ji-/w- type singulars with mi-/ny- type plurals (depending on the specific noun). Here:

  • wimbo → nyimbo
Why don’t we see a separate subject pronoun like “it” or “they” in the Swahili sentence?

In Swahili, the subject is normally indicated by the subject prefix on the verb, not by a separate pronoun.

  • inaimba already includes "it (class 9)".
  • When you add kwaya ya vijana, that noun phrase is the full subject, and it matches the class 9 prefix i-.

You only use separate pronouns like yeye, wao, etc. when you need emphasis or contrast, not in every sentence as English does.

Could we leave out some words, like mzuri or kanisani, and still be correct?

Yes, and the meaning just becomes less specific:

  • Kwaya ya vijana inaimba wimbo jioni.
    → The youth choir sings a song in the evening. (No mention that it’s good.)

  • Kwaya ya vijana inaimba wimbo mzuri jioni.
    → The youth choir sings a good song in the evening. (Place not specified.)

  • Kwaya ya vijana inaimba wimbo mzuri kanisani.
    → The youth choir sings a good song in church. (Time not specified.)

All of these are grammatically fine; you choose the details you want to express.

Could I say vijana wanaimba wimbo mzuri kanisani jioni instead? What changes?

Yes, that is also correct, but the subject changes:

  • Kwaya ya vijana inaimba...
    → The youth choir sings / is singing...

  • Vijana wanaimba...
    → The young people / youths sing / are singing...

So the second sentence focuses on the individual young people themselves, not on the choir as one unit. Verb agreement also changes:

  • kwaya (class 9) → inaimba
  • vijana (class 2, people) → wanaimba