Learn Hardcore Swahili: Jumapili jioni tunapenda kufanya matembezi mafupi karibu na nyumba. - On Sunday evening we like to take short walks near the house.

In Swahili, the subject pronoun is usually built into the verb as a prefix, so you usually don’t say sisi tunapenda… unless you want to emphasize we (as opposed to someone else). The sentence is perfectly natural with just tunapenda.

Why is it tunapenda kufanya and not tunapenda kufanya with some extra word like “to”?

In Swahili, the “to” of English infinitives (e.g. “to do,” “to walk”) is built into the verb form ku-:

kufanya = to do / doing
kutembea = to walk / walking

When one verb is followed by another (like “we like to do X”), the second verb normally appears with ku-:

tunapenda kufanya = we like to do
tunapenda kula = we like to eat

So Swahili doesn’t need a separate word like “to”; ku- already plays that role.

Why do we say kufanya matembezi (“to do walks”) and not just kutembea (“to walk”)?

Both are possible, but they feel a bit different:

kutembea = to walk (focuses on the physical act of walking)
kufanya matembezi = literally “to do walks,” but idiomatically “to go for a walk / to take a walk (as an activity or outing)”

In this sentence, kufanya matembezi mafupi suggests a deliberate, pleasant activity, like “we enjoy taking short walks,” not simply “we are walking” as transportation. It’s similar to English “go for a walk” versus just “walk.”

What exactly are matembezi? Is there a singular form?

Matembezi is a noun derived from the verb -tembea (to walk):

kutembea = to walk
matembezi = walk(s), a walk / walking (as an outing)

Grammatically, matembezi belongs to the ma- noun class (class 6). It is often used in the plural form only to mean a walking outing, like “a walk” or “walks” in general. You almost never use a singular like *tembezi in everyday language.

So kufanya matembezi is idiomatic “to go for a walk / to take a walk.”

Why is the adjective mafupi in the plural? How does it agree with matembezi?

In Swahili, adjectives agree with the noun class and number of the noun they describe.

Noun: matembezi (class 6, plural)
Basic adjective: -fupi = short

For ma- class plural nouns, many adjectives take a ma- prefix:

mafupi (ma- + fupi) = short (for class 6 plural)

So:

tembezi fupi = a short walk (if we treated tembezi as singular)
matembezi mafupi = short walks (class 6 plural agreement)

Even though in English we might say “a short walk,” matembezi is grammatically plural, so the adjective is also plural: mafupi.

What does karibu na mean, and how is it different from just karibu?

Karibu has several uses. Two important ones here:

karibu na [place] = near / close to [place]
- karibu na nyumba = near the house
karibu on its own can also mean:
- welcome (as a greeting)
- almost / nearly (in other contexts)

In this sentence, karibu na nyumba clearly means near the house. The na functions like “to” or “near” in English: near to the house.

What’s the difference between nyumba and nyumbani? Could we say karibu na nyumbani?

nyumba = house / building (the physical house)
nyumbani = at home, in the house (locative form)

Nyumbani adds the sense of “at / in the house” as a location.

karibu na nyumba = near the house (near the physical building)
karibu na nyumbani is unusual; nyumbani already has a locative meaning and normally doesn’t take karibu na in this way.

If you wanted “near our home” in a looser sense, karibu na nyumba yetu (“near our house”) is the natural expression. To say simply “at home,” you’d use nyumbani, e.g. tunapenda kuwa nyumbani (“we like being at home”), not with karibu na.

Why is there no word for “the” before nyumba or matembezi?

Swahili does not use articles like “a” or “the”. The noun by itself can mean a or the, depending on context:

nyumba = a house / the house
matembezi = walks / the walks / a walk (as an activity)

Context tells you whether it’s specific or general. In this sentence, karibu na nyumba is naturally understood as near the house (our house) because we are speaking about “around the house” where the speakers live.

Does Jumapili jioni mean “on Sundays evening in general” or “this Sunday evening”?

By default, Jumapili jioni tunapenda… is understood as a habitual statement:

On Sunday evenings we like to…

There are two reasons:

tunapenda (present tense with -na-) commonly expresses present habitual actions.
The time expression Jumapili jioni at the beginning, combined with a generic present, points to a repeated routine.

If you wanted to emphasize a specific coming Sunday, you might add context words like Jumapili hii jioni (“this Sunday evening”) or use a future verb: tutapenda kufanya… (we will like / we will enjoy doing…).

Why is Jumapili capitalized? Is capitalization important in Swahili?

Days of the week in Swahili are usually treated as proper nouns and are often capitalized, especially in formal writing:

Jumapili = Sunday
Jumatatu = Monday
etc.

In less formal texts, you may see them written in lowercase (jumapili), and that’s still understood. But capitalization is common and considered correct for days of the week.

Can the order of Jumapili jioni be changed? For example, could I say jioni ya Jumapili?

Yes, both are grammatical, but they slightly differ in feel:

Jumapili jioni = Sunday evening (a compact time phrase; very natural)
jioni ya Jumapili = literally “the evening of Sunday” (also correct, a bit more explicit or formal)

In everyday speech, Jumapili jioni is very common and sounds completely natural. Both would be understood as “on Sunday evening(s).”

Could this sentence also be Tunapenda kufanya matembezi mafupi Jumapili jioni karibu na nyumba? Does moving the time phrase change the meaning?

Yes, you can move the time expression:

Jumapili jioni tunapenda kufanya…
Tunapenda kufanya… Jumapili jioni karibu na nyumba.

The meaning is basically the same. Swahili word order is flexible for time and place phrases, though time often comes early in the sentence. Putting Jumapili jioni first slightly emphasizes the time (“As for Sunday evening…”), but it doesn’t change the core meaning.

How would I change this sentence to say “On Sunday evening we like to take a long walk near the house”?

You only need to change the adjective:

mafupi = short (plural, agreeing with matembezi)
marefu = long (plural, from -refu)

So the new sentence is:

Jumapili jioni tunapenda kufanya matembezi marefu karibu na nyumba.

Everything else stays the same; only the adjective that agrees with matembezi changes.