Learn Hardcore Swahili: Ninaandika shajara yangu kila usiku ili niandike hisia zangu kwa uwazi. - I write in my diary every night so that I write my feelings clearly.

ninaandika = ni- (I) + -na- (present/progressive) + -andika (write)
→ “I write / I am writing” (normal present tense, here used as a habitual: I write every night).
niandike = ni- (I) + -andike (subjunctive form)
→ “(so that) I may write / I can write / I should write”.

The word ili (“so that / in order that”) requires the verb that follows to be in the subjunctive. That’s why it’s ili niandike instead of ili ninaandika.

Why is it ili niandike hisia zangu and not ili ninaandika hisia zangu?

After ili (which introduces a purpose clause), Swahili uses the subjunctive:

ili niandike hisia zangu
= “so that I may write my feelings”

Using ili ninaandika would sound wrong, because ninaandika is an indicative present (I write / I am writing), not a purpose/desired action.

So the pattern is:

Ninaandika … ili + [subjunctive]
Ninaandika shajara yangu… ili niandike hisia zangu…

Can I say naandika shajara yangu instead of ninaandika shajara yangu?

In standard Swahili, the fully correct form is:

ninaandika = ni- (I) + -na- (present) + -andika

You will often hear people say naandika in informal speech, effectively dropping ni-. Context tells you the subject is “I”.

For learning and writing exams, you should prefer:

ninaandika shajara yangu

naandika shajara yangu is understood and commonly heard, but more colloquial and less careful.

What exactly does shajara mean, and why is it shajara yangu, not shajara wangu or shajara langu?

shajara means “diary / journal” (a book where you write personal notes, feelings, events).

Grammatically, shajara belongs to the N-class (9/10), which often uses y- in possessives. That’s why you say:

shajara yangu = my diary

Compare with other noun classes:

mtoto wangu (my child) – class 1
kitabu changu (my book) – class 7
gari langu (my car) – class 5
habari yangu (my news) – class 9/10, same pattern as shajara yangu

So yangu is there because of the noun class of shajara, not because of any meaning difference.

Why is it hisia zangu but shajara yangu? Why zangu in one place and yangu in the other?

Both shajara and hisia are in the N-class (9/10), but here’s the key:

shajara is singular → class 9 → possessive starts with y-
→ shajara yangu (my diary)
hisia is typically used as plural (“feelings”) → class 10 → possessive starts with z-
→ hisia zangu (my feelings)

So:

singular N-class noun → yangu
plural N-class noun → zangu

It’s exactly the same reason we say:

habari yangu (my news – one piece)
habari zangu (my pieces of news / my updates – plural)

Could I say ninaandika shajara kila usiku without yangu? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, you can, and it slightly changes the meaning:

ninaandika shajara yangu kila usiku
→ I write *my diary every night.* (specifically your own diary)
ninaandika shajara kila usiku
→ I write *a diary every night.* (not clearly specified whose diary / which diary)

Swahili doesn’t have articles like a / the, so possession and context carry some of the specificity. If you mean your own personal diary, shajara yangu is more natural.

Why is the time expression kila usiku placed after shajara yangu? Could I say Kila usiku ninaandika shajara yangu?

Both word orders are acceptable:

Ninaandika shajara yangu kila usiku…
Kila usiku ninaandika shajara yangu…

Swahili word order is fairly flexible with time expressions. Moving kila usiku to the front often adds a little emphasis to the time:

Kila usiku ninaandika shajara yangu…
→ Emphasis on “Every night (and not just sometimes)…”

The original order is also perfectly natural and common.

What does kila usiku literally mean, and is there another way to say “every night”?

Literally:

kila = every / each
usiku = night

So kila usiku = every night.

You could also say:

kila jioni = every evening (slightly earlier in the day)
kila siku usiku = every day at night (a bit wordier, less common)
Or use the habitual hu-:
Huandika shajara yangu kila usiku = I (habitually) write my diary every night.

The sentence you have is the most straightforward form.

Why isn’t there an object marker in niandike hisia zangu (like niziandike hisia zangu)?

Swahili doesn’t normally use an object marker (OM) when the full object noun phrase is present and follows the verb in a neutral sentence.

The object here is hisia zangu. So we simply say:

niandike hisia zangu = that I may write my feelings.

If you added an object marker:

niziandike hisia zangu (ni-zi-andike…)

it would be grammatically possible but often sound marked or redundant in this neutral sentence. OMs are more natural when:

the object is pronominal only, e.g. niwaandikie (that I may write to them)
you want to introduce topicalization/emphasis.

So niandike hisia zangu is exactly what you want here.

What does kwa uwazi mean exactly, and why is kwa used here?

uwazi is a noun meaning “openness / clarity / frankness”.

kwa is a preposition that, among other uses, forms adverbial phrases of manner: kwa + noun/quality = in a … way / with … / …ly.

So:

kwa uwazi ≈ with openness, in an open way, clearly/frankly

You see the same pattern in:

kwa upole – gently, with gentleness
kwa haraka – quickly, in haste
kwa makini – carefully

So niandike hisia zangu kwa uwazi = that I may write my feelings *openly/clearly.*

Is there a difference between kwa uwazi and kwa wazi or waziwazi?

There is a nuance:

kwa uwazi
→ literally “with openness”; slightly more abstract/formal; common in writing, formal speech.
kwa wazi
→ “openly, clearly”; using the adjective wazi as an adverb via kwa; very common and quite neutral.
waziwazi
→ more colloquial/intense, like “very openly / blatantly / plainly”; sometimes with a hint of no attempt to hide it.

In your sentence, kwa uwazi fits well because it feels thoughtful and slightly more formal, matching the reflective tone of diary-writing. kwa wazi would also be acceptable and natural.

Could I instead say Ninaandika shajara yangu kila usiku kuandika hisia zangu kwa uwazi?

That would not be natural.

When expressing purpose, Swahili usually prefers:

ili + subjunctive
→ ili niandike hisia zangu kwa uwazi (so that I may write my feelings clearly)

kuandika hisia zangu kwa uwazi on its own would sound like another verb phrase stacked beside the first, more like:

“I write my diary every night, to write my feelings clearly”

which is understandable but clumsy and unidiomatic. The ili + subjunctive construction is the standard and best way to say “in order to…” / “so that…” here.