Learn Hardcore Swahili: Mimi ninapenda somo la fizikia darasani.

emphasis: Mimi ninapenda somo la fizikia… = I like physics (maybe others don’t).
contrast: Mimi ninapenda fizikia, lakini yeye hapendi. = I like physics, but he/she doesn’t.

In neutral sentences, you can usually drop Mimi and just say Ninapenda somo la fizikia darasani.

How is ninapenda built up, piece by piece?

ninapenda can be broken into:

ni- = subject prefix for I (1st person singular)
-na- = present tense marker (present / present habitual)
-pend- = verb root pend- meaning like / love
-a = final vowel (most Swahili verbs end in -a in the dictionary form)

So:

ni-na-pend-a → I-PRES-like → I like / I love

Is ninapenda more like I like or I am liking in English?

Functionally, ninapenda covers both ideas, but it is usually translated as I like.

ninapenda: present time, often general/habitual:
- Ninapenda somo la fizikia darasani. → I like the subject of physics in class.
- Ninapenda chai. → I like tea.

You can also translate it as I love in some contexts, but grammatically it’s just a neutral present tense, not a special “continuous” tense the way English has.

Can I say Napenda somo la fizikia darasani instead of Ninapenda somo la fizikia darasani?

You will hear Napenda… in everyday speech, and people will understand it as I like….

However:

Standard / careful Swahili: Ninapenda… (with full ni-).
Colloquial / fast speech: Napenda… (the i of ni- is often dropped before -na-).

As a learner, it’s safer to use the full form ninapenda in writing, exams, and formal speech. You can recognize napenda in conversation as a casual variant of the same thing.

Why is it somo la fizikia and not somo ya fizikia?

la and ya are forms of -a = of, and they must agree with the noun class of the first noun.

somo (subject/lesson) is a class 5 noun.
- Class 5 uses la for of.
- So we get somo la fizikia = subject of physics.

ya is used with different noun classes, for example:

kalamu ya mwalimu = the teacher’s pen (kalamu = class 9/10)
masomo ya sayansi = science subjects (masomo = class 6 plural)

So:

somo la fizikia ✅ (correct agreement with somo)
somo ya fizikia ❌ (wrong agreement)

What exactly does somo mean here? Is it subject, lesson, or class?

somo can mean a few related things, depending on context:

School subject / field of study
- somo la fizikia = the subject physics
- somo la historia = the subject history
A single lesson / class session
- Leo tuna somo la fizikia saa tatu. = Today we have a physics lesson at 9.
More generally: something that is being taught/learned (a “lesson” even in life).

In Mimi ninapenda somo la fizikia darasani, it’s natural to understand somo as the school subject physics (and maybe also its lessons).

What’s the difference between somo la fizikia and darasa la fizikia?

somo la fizikia = the physics subject / the physics lesson
- Focus on the content you study.
darasa la fizikia = the physics class (as a group or class section, or the period)
- Focus more on the class group or course, e.g. “my physics class”.

Examples:

Ninapenda somo la fizikia. → I like the actual subject / material of physics.
Ninapenda darasa la fizikia. → I like my physics class (the group, the atmosphere, the period).

Your original sentence stresses the subject/lessons, not the group of students.

What does darasani literally mean, and how is it formed?

darasani is built from:

darasa = classroom, class (as place / group / level)
-ni = a locative suffix meaning in / at / on

So:

darasa + -ni → darasani = in the classroom / in class

You see the same pattern in many place words:

nyumba (house) → nyumbani = at home
shule (school) → shuleni = at school
kanisa (church) → kanisani = at church

Can I say katika darasa instead of darasani? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can say katika darasa, and it’s grammatically correct:

katika darasa = in the classroom
darasani = also in the classroom / in class

Differences:

darasani is shorter and more idiomatic for “in class / in the classroom”.
katika darasa can sound a bit more explicit or formal, literally “inside the classroom”.

In everyday speech, darasani is more common, especially in school contexts like your sentence.

Can darasani go at the beginning of the sentence?

Yes, it can. Word order in Swahili is fairly flexible for adverbials like time and place.

Your original sentence:

Mimi ninapenda somo la fizikia darasani.

Possible variations:

Darasani, mimi ninapenda somo la fizikia.
Darasani ninapenda somo la fizikia.

Putting darasani at the front can emphasize the location:

Darasani ninapenda somo la fizikia, lakini nyumbani sipendi kuisoma.
- In class I like physics, but at home I don’t like studying it.

The most neutral order, though, is usually subject–verb–object–place as in the original.

Why isn’t fizikia capitalized like Physics in English?

In Swahili, school subjects and common nouns are not capitalized unless they are proper names.

So we write:

fizikia = physics
historia = history
biolojia = biology
kingereza / Kiingereza = English (language; this one can be capitalized because language names often are written with Ki- as part of a proper-noun-like form, but usage varies)

English typically capitalizes names of school subjects derived from proper nouns (English, French) and often Physics in timetables. Swahili generally keeps them lowercase: fizikia, hisabati, kemia, etc.

Is it okay to drop Mimi and just say Ninapenda somo la fizikia darasani?

Yes, that is completely correct and very natural.

Mimi ninapenda somo la fizikia darasani.
Ninapenda somo la fizikia darasani.

Both mean the same on a basic level. The version with Mimi adds emphasis/contrast:

Without emphasis: Ninapenda somo la fizikia darasani.
Contrast: Mimi ninapenda somo la fizikia darasani, lakini rafiki yangu hapendi.
- I like physics in class, but my friend doesn’t.

How would the sentence change if I said we, you (plural), or they instead of I?

You change the subject prefix (and optionally the independent pronoun). The rest of the sentence stays the same.

I like…
- (Mimi) ninapenda somo la fizikia darasani.
We like…
- (Sisi) tunapenda somo la fizikia darasani.
  - tu- = we
You (plural) like…
- (Ninyi) mnapenda somo la fizikia darasani.
  - m- = you (plural)
They like…
- (Wao) wanapenda somo la fizikia darasani.
  - wa- = they

Independent pronouns (mimi, sisi, ninyi, wao) are again optional and mostly used for emphasis or clarity.

How would I say I like studying physics in class, not just I like the subject of physics in class?

You can add a verb like kusoma (to study) to show the activity:

Ninapenda kusoma fizikia darasani.
= I like studying physics in class.

Here:

ninapenda = I like
kusoma = to study
fizikia = physics
darasani = in class / in the classroom

You could also say:

Ninapenda kujifunza fizikia darasani.
- kujifunza = to learn (more learner-focused than kusoma).

Are there other useful location words similar to darasani that I should know with this sentence?

Yes, the -ni locative form is very common. Some useful ones related to school:

shule → shuleni = at school
- Ninapenda somo la fizikia shuleni. = I like the subject of physics at school.
nyumba → nyumbani = at home
- Nyumbani sipendi kusoma fizikia. = At home I don’t like studying physics.
maabara → maabarani = in the lab
- Ninapenda kufanya majaribio ya fizikia maabarani. = I like doing physics experiments in the lab.

These all use the same pattern: noun + -ni to express in / at that place.