Learn Hardcore Swahili: Hadi sasa sijawahi kula pilau ya nazi ya Amina, lakini nangoja kujaribu. - Until now I have never eaten Amina’s coconut pilau, but I am waiting to try it.

It sets a time frame for what follows: up to this point in time, this has been true.
Mpaka sasa is practically the same in everyday use; you can usually swap them:
- Hadi sasa sijawahi…
- Mpaka sasa sijawahi…

Bado means “still / not yet” and works a bit differently:

Bado sijawahi kula pilau… = I still haven’t ever eaten pilau…
Hadi sasa sijawahi… is more neutral: up till now, I haven’t ever…

All three are common; hadi sasa and mpaka sasa are closest in meaning and structure.

How is sijawahi built, and what tense/aspect is it?

Sijawahi is:

si- = I (1st person sg) + negative marker
-ja- = perfect aspect in the negative (instead of -me-)
-wahi = verb meaning to ever have done something / to have the chance / to be early

So sijawahi = I have never (ever) …

Grammatically it’s the negative perfect, but semantically it often corresponds to English “have never (in my life / up to now)”:

Nimewahi kula… = I have (at some point) eaten…
Sijawahi kula… = I have never eaten…

Why use sijawahi kula instead of just sijakula or sijala?

They all negate eating, but with different nuances:

Sijawahi kula pilau ya nazi ya Amina
= I have never (in my life / up to now) eaten Amina’s coconut pilau.
Emphasizes “not even once, not ever.”
Sijakula pilau ya nazi ya Amina
= I haven’t eaten Amina’s coconut pilau (yet / this time).
Sounds more like a specific occasion or time frame, not necessarily your whole life.
Sijala pilau ya nazi ya Amina
= also I have not eaten Amina’s coconut pilau, using the -la (eat) verb stem. Common but a bit more formal/literary than kula.

So sijawahi kula is chosen here to stress “never ever (so far)”, not just “haven’t (this time).”

Why is it kula pilau without any preposition, instead of something like “eat of pilau”?

In Swahili, a direct object usually follows the verb with no preposition:

kula pilau = to eat pilau
kunywa maji = to drink water
kusoma kitabu = to read a book

So kula pilau ya nazi ya Amina is a normal verb + object noun phrase structure. English sometimes uses prepositions (eat of, drink from), but Swahili does not here; it just strings the verb and the noun phrase directly together.

Why do we see ya twice: pilau ya nazi ya Amina? Is that normal?

Yes, this is normal Swahili noun phrase structure. The pattern is:

[head noun] + [possessive/agreement “of” + qualifier] + [possessive/agreement “of” + owner]

Here:

pilau (head noun, class 9)
ya nazi = of coconut (describing the type of pilau)
ya Amina = of Amina (showing whose pilau it is)

Because pilau is class 9, the connecting word “of” must be ya for both qualifiers:

pilau ya nazi = pilau of coconut
pilau ya Amina = pilau of Amina
Together: pilau ya nazi ya Amina

So each ya is agreeing with pilau, not with nazi or Amina directly.

Why is it ya and not la (as in chakula cha nazi, etc.)?

The form of “of” depends on the noun class of the head noun, not on the following word.

pilau is a class 9 noun → takes ya:
- pilau ya nazi, pilau ya Amina
A class 7 noun like chakula takes cha:
- chakula cha nazi (food of coconut)
- chakula cha Amina (Amina’s food)

So you say:

pilau ya nazi, pilau ya Amina (class 9 → ya)
not pilau la nazi or pilau la Amina.

What’s the difference between ya Amina and ya kwa Amina?

Both can refer to something associated with Amina, but there’s a nuance:

ya Amina usually means “Amina’s (own)” – possession or strong association:
- pilau ya Amina = Amina’s pilau (she made it / it belongs to her).
ya kwa Amina often suggests location or weaker association, like “the one at Amina’s place / with Amina”:
- pilau ya kwa Amina could be understood as the pilau at Amina’s, not necessarily made or owned by her.

In your sentence, ya Amina is perfect: it implies Amina is the cook/owner of that specific pilau.

Why is it written nangoja and not ninangoja? Are both correct?

In everyday Swahili, ninangoja often contracts to nangoja in speech and informal writing:

ninangoja = I am waiting / I wait
spoken/colloquial: nangoja

Both are understood and accepted. In more careful or formal writing, you’re more likely to see the full ninangoja. The meaning doesn’t change; it’s just a style/level-of-formality difference.

What is the structure of nangoja kujaribu, and why use kujaribu (the infinitive) after nangoja?

Many Swahili verbs are followed by another verb in the infinitive (ku- form) to express purpose or intention:

nangoja kujaribu = I am waiting to try
nimeanza kujifunza = I have started to learn
napenda kusoma = I like to read

Here:

nangoja = I am waiting
kujaribu = to try

So nangoja kujaribu means “I am waiting (for the chance) to try it.”
Using kujaribu after nangoja is the standard way to express this.

Could we say nangoja nijaribu instead of nangoja kujaribu? What’s the difference?

Yes, nangoja nijaribu is possible, but there’s a slight nuance difference:

nangoja kujaribu
= I am waiting to try (in general).
The focus is on the act of trying, expressed as a general action (infinitive).
nangoja nijaribu
= literally I am waiting that I may try.
This uses the subjunctive (nijaribu) and can sound a bit more “event-specific” or slightly more formal, like you’re waiting for permission/opportunity for me myself to try.

In everyday conversation, nangoja kujaribu is more neutral and very natural here.

What does lakini do in this sentence, and could we use ila instead?

Lakini means “but / however”, introducing a contrast:

Hadi sasa sijawahi kula …, lakini nangoja kujaribu.
= Up to now I’ve never eaten …, but I’m waiting to try.

Ila can also mean “but / except” in many contexts. In this sentence:

…, ila nangoja kujaribu.

would be understood and accepted in casual speech.
Lakini is the more standard, default conjunction for “but”, so it’s the safest and most common choice here.