Learn Hardcore Swahili: Wanafunzi wanapenda vitabu hivyo.

In wanafunzi, the wana- is part of the noun:
- mwanafunzi = student (singular)
- wanafunzi = students (plural)
In wanapenda, the wa- at the start is a subject prefix on the verb:
- wa- = they (for plural people nouns like wanafunzi)
- -na- = present tense
- penda = like/love

So:

wanafunzi = students
wanapenda = they-like / they-love

They both use wa- because:

the noun class for people (plural) uses wa- (wanafunzi), and
the verb agreement for those people also uses wa- (wanapenda).

Where is the word “are” in this sentence? Why isn’t there something like “are liking”?

Swahili doesn’t need a separate word like “are” in this kind of sentence. The information is packed into the verb:

wa- = they
-na- = present time
penda = like/love

So wanapenda already means something like “they are liking / they like”. English splits this into several words (they are liking / they like), but Swahili combines it all into one verb form.

What exactly does -na- in wanapenda mean? Is it always “present tense”?

Yes, -na- is the usual marker for present tense in Swahili. It often covers:

simple present: They like those books.
present continuous / ongoing: They are (right now) liking/reading/doing…
habitual: They usually/always like those books.

Context decides which English tense sounds best, but grammatically it’s the same -na-.

How would I say “The student likes that book” instead (singular)?

You make both the subject and the object singular, and adjust the verb to agree:

Mwanafunzi anapenda kitabu hicho.

Breakdown:

mwanafunzi – student (singular)
a- – he/she (or “the student”)
-na- – present tense
penda – like/love → anapenda = (he/she) likes
kitabu – book (singular)
hicho – that (book)

So:

Wanafunzi wanapenda vitabu hivyo. – The students like those books.
Mwanafunzi anapenda kitabu hicho. – The student likes that book.

What is the singular form of vitabu? Why does it change so much?

The singular of vitabu is kitabu (book).

This is a common noun class pattern in Swahili:

kitabu – book (singular, class 7, prefix ki-)
vitabu – books (plural, class 8, prefix vi-)

Many nouns do this:

kiti (chair) → viti (chairs)
kisu (knife) → visu (knives)

So the change from ki- to vi- signals singular → plural for this group of nouns.

What does hivyo mean exactly? Is it just “those”?

In this sentence, hivyo is the demonstrative that matches vitabu (“books”) and means “those”.

For class 7/8 nouns like kitabu/vitabu, the common demonstratives are:

kitabu hiki – this book (near me)
kitabu hicho – that book (near you / just mentioned)
kitabu kile – that book over there (far from both)
vitabu hivi – these books (near me)
vitabu hivyo – those books (near you / just mentioned)
vitabu vile – those books over there

So vitabu hivyo = those books, typically ones we’ve been talking about or that are closer to the listener.

Why is hivyo after vitabu? In English we say “those books,” not “books those.”

Swahili normally places demonstratives after the noun:

vitabu hivyo – those books
mtoto huyu – this child
nyumba ile – that house (over there)

So the order is usually:

noun + demonstrative

English uses demonstrative + noun (those books), but Swahili does the reverse. It’s just a standard word-order difference.

Could Wanafunzi wanapenda vitabu hivyo also mean “The students love those books”?

Yes. The verb kupenda covers both:

to like
to love

Context or extra words decide how strong it feels. On its own:

wanapenda vitabu hivyo = they like / they love those books.

If you want to make the emotion stronger, you might say something like:

wanayapenda sana vitabu hivyo – they really love those books.

Why isn’t there a word for “the” in the sentence?

Swahili normally does not use articles like “the” or “a/an”.

wanafunzi can mean students or the students
vitabu can mean books or the books

Whether you translate it with “the” in English depends on context. The demonstrative hivyo already adds some specificity (“those books”), so English naturally uses “the students like those books.”

Can I rearrange the sentence for emphasis, like “Those books, the students like”?

Yes. For emphasis or topicalization, you can move the object to the front:

Vitabu hivyo, wanafunzi wanavipenda.

Note two things:

You bring vitabu hivyo to the front.
You usually add an object marker in the verb to refer back to them:
- vi- (object marker for class 8 vitabu) → wanavi-penda

So:

Neutral: Wanafunzi wanapenda vitabu hivyo.
Emphatic: Vitabu hivyo, wanafunzi wanavipenda. – Those books, the students like them.

How would I say “The students do not like those books”?

You use the negative present form of the verb:

Wanafunzi hawapendi vitabu hivyo.

Breakdown of hawapendi:

ha- – negative marker
-wa- – they (subject)
pendi – negative form of penda in the present

So:

wanapenda – they like / they love
hawapendi – they do not like / they do not love

How do I turn this into a question like “Do the students like those books?”?

There are a couple of common ways:

Add je at the beginning:
- Je, wanafunzi wanapenda vitabu hivyo?
  Literally: “Well, the students like those books?”
Just use rising intonation when speaking:
- Wanafunzi wanapenda vitabu hivyo?

Both mean: “Do the students like those books?” The word order of the sentence itself does not change.