Learn Hardcore Swahili: Baba anasema ni muhimu kuweka akiba kila wiki. - Father says it is important to save money every week.

When someone says Baba anasema..., it usually means Dad says..., referring to their own father, if the context is clear.
If you want to be explicit, you can say:
- baba yangu = my father / my dad
- baba yake = his/her father
As a form of address, you might just say Baba to call your dad, like saying Dad in English.

So here, Baba anasema... is naturally understood as Dad says... rather than just “a father says...”.

How is anasema formed, and what tense/aspect does it show?

Anasema comes from the verb kusema (to say, to speak) and is made up of:

a- = subject prefix for he/she (3rd person singular, noun class 1)
-na- = present tense marker (present / present progressive / general/habitual)
-sema = verb root “say”

So:

anasema can mean:
- he/she is saying (right now), or
- he/she says (in general, or a repeated/habitual action)

In your sentence, Baba anasema... is naturally translated as Dad says..., but in a different context it could also be Dad is saying....

Why isn’t there a word like that (for example kwamba) after anasema?

Swahili can use kwamba to mean that introducing a clause, but it is often optional.

Your sentence could be:

Baba anasema ni muhimu kuweka akiba kila wiki.
Baba anasema kwamba ni muhimu kuweka akiba kila wiki.

Both are correct.

Kwamba is similar to English that in sentences like:

Dad says *that it is important to save every week.*

In many everyday sentences, Swahili speakers simply leave kwamba out unless they want to be especially clear, formal, or emphatic.

What is ni in ni muhimu? Is it a verb meaning is?

Yes, ni here behaves like the verb to be in English.

ni is a form of the copula “to be”.
muhimu = important

So:

ni muhimu = is important / it is important

Unlike English, Swahili often uses ni + adjective/noun without a separate subject pronoun like it.

Why is there no word for it before ni muhimu? In English we say: Dad says *it is important...*

Swahili usually does not use a dummy subject it like English does.

In your sentence:

ni muhimu kuweka akiba kila wiki
literally: (is) important to put savings every week

The idea is:

The whole phrase kuweka akiba kila wiki (“to save every week”) is what is important.
Swahili does not need a separate it to stand in for that phrase.

So where English says:

Dad says *it is important to save every week.*

Swahili just says:

Baba anasema ni muhimu kuweka akiba kila wiki. (Dad says is important to save every week.)

The “it” is understood from the structure, not stated as a separate word.

What kind of form is kuweka, and why do we use it instead of anaweka?

Kuweka is the infinitive form of the verb (to put, to place, and by extension to save/put aside).

In Swahili:

The basic dictionary/infinitive form is ku- + verb root:
- kusema = to say
- kuweka = to put / to set aside

In your sentence:

kuweka akiba = to save / to put aside savings

You cannot use anaweka here, because:

anaweka = he/she puts / he/she is putting (a finite verb with subject he/she)
After expressions like ni muhimu (it is important), Swahili uses the infinitive, not a conjugated verb:
- ni muhimu kusoma = it is important to study
- ni muhimu kufanya kazi = it is important to work

So kuweka fits because it is functioning like to save in English.

What does akiba mean exactly? Is it just money, or something more specific?

Akiba means savings, reserve, or something set aside.

In financial contexts, akiba usually means savings (money).
It can also be used more generally for reserves, like:
- akiba ya chakula = food reserves
- akiba ya maji = water reserves

In your sentence:

kuweka akiba = to put aside savings, i.e., to save (money)

That’s why there is no separate word for money: akiba already implies savings, usually of money, in this context.

Why doesn’t kila make wiki plural? Shouldn’t it be something like every weeks?

In Swahili, kila (every/each) is always followed by a singular noun.

kila wiki = every week
kila siku = every day
kila mtu = every person
kila mwanafunzi = every student

You do not pluralize the noun after kila, even though the meaning is repeated or multiple. So:

kila wiki is correct
There is no kila wiki vs kila wiki distinction; you always keep it in the singular after kila.

Is wiki a Swahili word, or is it borrowed from English week?

Wiki is a loanword from English week, adapted into Swahili.

Swahili also has a more “traditional” set of weekday names (like jumatatu, jumanne, etc.), but wiki itself clearly comes from English.

So:

wiki = week
kila wiki = every week

Borrowed words like this are common in modern Swahili, especially for time, technology, and modern life.

Can I change the word order, for example: Ni muhimu kuweka akiba kila wiki, Baba anasema?

Yes, Swahili word order is fairly flexible for clauses, especially in speech, as long as each clause itself is grammatically correct.

All of these are possible:

Baba anasema ni muhimu kuweka akiba kila wiki.
(Neutral, standard: Dad says it is important to save every week.)
Baba anasema kwamba ni muhimu kuweka akiba kila wiki.
(A bit more explicit/formal with kwamba.)
Ni muhimu kuweka akiba kila wiki, Baba anasema.
(Emphasizes the importance first: It is important to save every week, Dad says.)

The first one is the most typical “textbook” order, but the version you suggested is also acceptable and natural in the right context.

How would the sentence change if I wanted to say Dad said instead of Dad says?

To put it in the past tense, you change anasema (present) to alisema (past):

Baba alisema ni muhimu kuweka akiba kila wiki.
= Dad said it is important to save every week.

Breakdown:

a- = he/she
-li- = past tense marker
-sema = say

You can also add kwamba, just like before:

Baba alisema kwamba ni muhimu kuweka akiba kila wiki.

Could I use kuokoa instead of kuweka akiba to mean to save (money)?

You can, but there is an important nuance:

kuokoa generally means to save, to rescue, to spare:
- kuokoa mtu = to save/rescue a person
- kuokoa maisha = to save lives
- kuokoa muda = to save time
With money, people do say kuokoa pesa, but it sounds more like to economize / to save money by not spending.

In contrast:

kuweka akiba literally = to put aside savings, and is the standard way to talk about setting money aside regularly, like putting money into a savings account.

So:

Baba anasema ni muhimu kuweka akiba kila wiki.
= Dad says it is important to set aside savings every week.

You could say:

Baba anasema ni muhimu kuokoa pesa kila wiki.

This would be understood as “Dad says it is important to save money every week,” but kuweka akiba is more idiomatic when talking about building up savings.