Learn Hardcore Swahili: Nimeanza kuandika shajara binafsi kila usiku ili kukumbuka mawazo yangu. - I have started writing a personal diary every night so that I remember my thoughts.

Ni- = I (1st person singular subject prefix)
-me- = perfect aspect (have/has done, with a result that is relevant now)
-anza = start / begin

So Nimeanza = I have started.

Why -me- here?

-me- (perfect): focuses on a completed change of state whose effect continues now.
- Nimeanza kuandika… = I have started writing… (and this new habit is now in place).
-na- (present/progressive): focuses on an ongoing action.
- Ninaanza kuandika… = I am starting to write… (the starting is happening right now).
-li- (past): focuses on a finished event in the past, without emphasizing current relevance.
- Nilianza kuandika… = I started writing… (at some time before now).

In this sentence, Nimeanza nicely expresses that a new ongoing habit has recently begun and is relevant to the present.

Why is kuandika used after Nimeanza? What is the role of the ku- prefix?

Kuandika is the infinitive form, meaning to write.

Structure:

ku- = infinitive prefix (“to”)
-andika = verb root “write”

Swahili often uses a finite verb + infinitive to express “start / like / want / be able + to do something”, similar to English:

Nimeanza kuandika = I have started to write
Napenda kusoma = I like to read / I like reading
Nataka kula = I want to eat
Naweza kuogelea = I can swim

So Nimeanza kuandika… is the natural way to say “I have started writing…”.

Why is the order shajara binafsi and not binafsi shajara?

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

shajara = journal / diary
binafsi = personal

So:

shajara binafsi = personal journal / personal diary

Putting binafsi before the noun (binafsi shajara) would be ungrammatical or at least very unnatural in standard Swahili. The normal pattern is:

mtu mzuri = a good person
kitabu kipya = a new book
gari kubwa = a big car
shajara binafsi = a personal journal

Could I say shajara yangu binafsi instead of shajara binafsi, and what is the difference?

Yes, you can say shajara yangu binafsi. It means “my personal journal”.

Compare:

shajara binafsi
- Literally personal journal
- Emphasizes that the journal is personal (as opposed to public, work-related, etc.). It doesn’t explicitly mention who it belongs to, though in context mawazo yangu already shows it’s about my thoughts.
shajara yangu binafsi
- Literally my personal journal
- Adds explicit possession (yangu = my) and still emphasizes personal/private nature.

Both are grammatical. Your original sentence already expresses personal ownership through mawazo yangu (“my thoughts”), so shajara binafsi alone is quite natural.

Why is kila usiku used instead of something like usiku kila? How does kila work here?

Kila means each / every and it normally comes before the noun it modifies:

kila siku = every day
kila mwezi = every month
kila mtu = every person
kila usiku = every night

So kila usiku is the standard word order. Usiku kila would be incorrect in normal Swahili.

Also, notice that the noun after kila usually stays in its singular form even though the meaning is plural-like:

kila siku (not kila sikuz)
kila mtoto (not kila watoto)
kila usiku (not kila usikus)

So kila usiku literally: every night.

Could I move kila usiku to a different place in the sentence, and would that change the meaning?

Yes, you can move kila usiku around a bit without changing the basic meaning. Some natural options:

Nimeanza kuandika shajara binafsi kila usiku ili kukumbuka mawazo yangu.
(original; very natural)
Kila usiku nimeanza kuandika shajara binafsi ili kukumbuka mawazo yangu.
Focuses slightly more on “every night” at the beginning.
Nimeanza kila usiku kuandika shajara binafsi ili kukumbuka mawazo yangu.
Also possible, though the original word order flows more smoothly.

In everyday speech, the original sentence is probably the most natural, but all of these are understandable and correct. The overall meaning stays the same: you write a personal journal every night for that purpose.

Why do we use ili here, and what exactly does ili kukumbuka express?

Ili is a conjunction meaning “so that / in order to” and it introduces a purpose clause.

ili = in order that / so that
kukumbuka = to remember (infinitive: ku-
- -kumbuka)

So ili kukumbuka mawazo yangu literally means:

in order to remember my thoughts

This is a very common pattern:

Ninasoma ili nipite mtihani. = I study so that I may pass the exam.
Anafanya mazoezi ili kupunguza uzito. = He/She exercises in order to lose weight.

In your sentence, ili + infinitive (kukumbuka) expresses purpose in a compact way, similar to English “to remember / in order to remember”.

Could I say kwa kukumbuka mawazo yangu instead of ili kukumbuka mawazo yangu?

Kwa kukumbuka mawazo yangu is grammatically possible in some contexts, but it does not clearly express purpose the way ili kukumbuka does.

ili kukumbuka… = in order to remember… (clear purpose)

Kwa + verb often suggests means / manner / cause (by doing, through doing):

Alifanikiwa kwa kufanya kazi kwa bidii.
= He/She succeeded by working hard.

So:

Nimeanza kuandika shajara binafsi kila usiku kwa kukumbuka mawazo yangu.
would sound strange, as if the remembering itself is the means by which you started writing, which is not what you mean.

For purpose, ili is the natural, clear choice: ili kukumbuka mawazo yangu.

Why is mawazo used here, and what noun class is it in? How does that affect yangu?

Mawazo means thoughts or ideas and is the plural of wazo (thought/idea).

wazo = idea, thought (class 5)
mawazo = ideas, thoughts (class 6)

Noun class 6 (ma- nouns) takes yangu for my:

mawazo yangu = my thoughts
majibu yangu = my answers
maji yangu = my water
matunda yangu = my fruits

So the agreement is:

mawazo (class 6) → yangu (possessive “my” for class 6)

Forms like zangu (class 10) or angu by itself would be wrong here. Mawazo yangu is the correct agreement.

Why is there no object marker inside kukumbuka (like kuya-)? Could we say something like ili niyakumbuke mawazo yangu?

The simple ili kukumbuka mawazo yangu is entirely natural and clear: “in order to remember my thoughts.” Swahili often leaves objects as full noun phrases without putting them into the verb as object markers.

You could grammatically say:

ili niyakumbuke mawazo yangu
- ni- = I
- -ya- = them (object marker for class 6, referring to mawazo)
- -kumbuke = remember (subjunctive)

This would mean “so that I may remember them, my thoughts.” It is correct but sounds more formal and a bit heavy for this simple context.

In ordinary speech and writing, ili kukumbuka mawazo yangu is simpler and more natural. The object mawazo yangu is clear enough without an object marker inside the verb.

Could I say Nimeanza kuandika shajara binafsi usiku kila instead of kila usiku?

No. Usiku kila is not correct Swahili.

As mentioned earlier, kila comes before the noun it modifies. So the normal form is:

kila usiku = every night

Reversing the order (usiku kila) does not work in standard usage. Keep kila before usiku.

Is there any difference between kuandika shajara and kuandika katika shajara in meaning?

Yes, there is a small difference:

kuandika shajara
- Literally to write a journal / to write a diary
- Focuses on producing or keeping the journal itself as an activity.
kuandika katika shajara
- Literally to write in the journal
- Focuses more on the location of the writing (in that physical book).

Your sentence kuandika shajara binafsi emphasizes that your new habit is keeping a personal journal. If you wanted to be very specific that you are writing inside an existing journal, you could say:

kuandika katika shajara yangu binafsi = to write in my personal journal.

Both are grammatically valid; the original is exactly what you’d say about the general habit of journaling.

Can shajara be replaced by another word like diari, and would the sentence still be correct?

Yes, you might hear or see borrowed forms like diari (from diary) or daftari (notebook), but there are nuances:

shajara
- A more standard Swahili word for journal / diary.
- Fits perfectly in formal or neutral contexts.
diari
- Borrowed from English diary.
- Understood, but shajara is more “Swahili-like” and often preferred in careful language.
daftari
- Means notebook / exercise book.
- It’s about the physical object, not specifically a personal diary.
- kuandika daftari would sound like writing a notebook, not what you mean.

So your original shajara binafsi is both natural and precise for “personal journal/diary.”