Learn Hardcore Swahili: Mimi ninajaribu kusoma vitabu vingi kadri inavyowezekana.

ni- in ninajaribu is the subject marker built into the verb. It is required in normal Swahili verb structure.
Mimi is the independent pronoun I / me. It is optional and mainly adds emphasis or contrast.

So:

Ninajaribu kusoma vitabu vingi kadri inavyowezekana.
= I’m trying to read as many books as possible. (neutral)
Mimi ninajaribu kusoma vitabu vingi kadri inavyowezekana.
= I’m trying to read as many books as possible (me, personally / as for me).

You’d use Mimi:

when introducing yourself,
when contrasting with others (e.g. Wao hawasomi, mimi ninajaribu kusoma…),
or when you want extra clarity or emphasis on I.

Can I say Najaribu instead of Ninajaribu?

Yes, you can.

Ninajaribu is the full form: ni- (I) + -na- (present) + jaribu (try).
In everyday speech, people often drop the vowel of ni- before -na-, so ninajaribu → najaribu.

Both are understood as I am trying.

In spoken Swahili: Najaribu kusoma vitabu vingi… is very common.
In careful writing or formal contexts: Ninajaribu… is safer and more standard.

Why is the verb after ninajaribu in the ku- form (kusoma)?

After verbs like jaribu (to try), Swahili normally uses the infinitive form of the next verb, which is ku- + verb stem.

So:

ninajaribu kusoma = I am trying to read
ninajaribu kuandika = I am trying to write
ninajaribu kuelewa = I am trying to understand

The ku- here functions much like English “to” before a verb.
You would not say ninajaribu nasoma in this meaning; that would sound like two separate clauses (I’m trying, I read).

Why is it vitabu vingi and not vitabu nyingi?

It’s about noun class agreement.

kitabu (book) is class 7.
vitabu (books) is class 8 (plural of class 7).

The adjective -ingi (many, much) must agree with the noun’s class:

class 7/8: kikombe kimoja / vikombe vingi
class 7/8: kitabu kimoja / vitabu vingi

nyingi is the form used with some other noun classes (like many class 9/10 nouns):

siku nyingi – many days
nguo nyingi – many clothes

So vitabu vingi is correct and vitabu nyingi is wrong, because vitabu is class 8, and class 8 takes vingi.

What exactly does kadri mean here? Does it always mean “as … as”?

kadri literally has the idea of extent, degree, measure.

In expressions like:

kadri inavyowezekana
kadiri ya uwezo wako

it gives the sense of “to the extent that / as far as / as much as”.

In this sentence:

kadri inavyowezekana ≈ to the extent that it is possible
So the whole chunk means: “as much as possible” / “as many as possible”.

kadri itself doesn’t always mean “as … as” on its own, but in this fixed expression with a verb clause (inavyowezekana), that’s the idiomatic translation.

How is inavyowezekana built, and what does the -vyo- part do?

inavyowezekana is made of several pieces:

i- : subject marker (roughly it; referring to the situation / possibility)
-na- : present tense marker
-vyo- : a relative / manner marker roughly meaning in the way that / how
-wezekana : verb meaning to be possible

So inavyowezekana literally carries the idea of:

it is possible in the way that… / as it is possible

When combined with kadri, you get:

kadri inavyowezekana
≈ to the extent that it is possible / as far as is possible

For learning purposes, you can remember inavyowezekana as a chunk meaning “(as) is possible” and kadri inavyowezekana as “as much as possible / as far as possible.”

Could I say Mimi ninajaribu kusoma vitabu vingi iwezekanavyo instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, that’s also correct and natural.

iwezekanavyo comes from wezekana (to be possible) with a relative/adverbial ending -vyo, giving a meaning like “in a possible way / as possible.”

So:

kadri inavyowezekana = to the extent that it is possible
iwezekanavyo = in a way that is possible / as possible

In practice, both:

…vitabu vingi kadri inavyowezekana
…vitabu vingi iwezekanavyo

can translate as “as many books as possible.”

Tiny nuance:

kadri inavyowezekana sounds a bit more explicit about extent (to the degree that it is possible).
iwezekanavyo is a bit more compact and sometimes feels slightly more formal / written, but both are common and acceptable.

Can I drop Mimi and just say Ninajaribu kusoma vitabu vingi kadri inavyowezekana?

Yes. That is actually the more typical version.

Ninajaribu kusoma vitabu vingi kadri inavyowezekana.

is fully natural and will normally be understood as:

I’m trying to read as many books as possible.

Since the ni- in ninajaribu already marks the subject I, you do not need Mimi unless you want special emphasis or contrast.

Is ninajaribu closer to English “I try” or “I am trying”?

ninajaribu uses the -na- tense, which usually covers present, ongoing, or general actions. Depending on context, it can map to either English form:

I am trying (current/ongoing effort)
Ninajaribu kusoma vitabu vingi kadri inavyowezekana.
→ I’m currently making an effort to read as many books as possible.
I try (habit / general attitude)
Kila mwaka ninajaribu kusoma vitabu vingi.
→ Every year I try to read many books.

English makes a sharper distinction between simple present and present continuous; Swahili -na- covers both, so context decides.

Where can kadri inavyowezekana go in the sentence? Is the word order flexible?

The given order is the most natural:

Ninajaribu kusoma vitabu vingi kadri inavyowezekana.

You can sometimes move the kadri inavyowezekana phrase, but you should keep it close to what it is qualifying (the extent of reading books). For example:

Kadri inavyowezekana, ninajaribu kusoma vitabu vingi.
→ As far as possible, I try to read many books.

This is still fine, just a bit more formal or rhetorical.

What you generally would not say is something like:

Ninajaribu kusoma kadri inavyowezekana vitabu vingi.

That sounds unnatural, because the object + quantity (vitabu vingi) prefers to stay together, and the kadri-phrase usually comes after that noun phrase or at the very beginning of the sentence.

Why don’t we use an object marker for vitabu in the verb, like ninavijaribu kusoma?

Two reasons:

Meaning
- Vitabu vingi here is what you are reading, not what you are trying.
  The structure is: (I) am trying [to read many books].
  So the object belongs to kusoma, not to jaribu.
Definiteness & focus
Swahili tends to use an object marker when the object is definite, known, or already mentioned.
Here, vitabu vingi is indefinite: many books (in general), so a simple noun phrase is natural.

You could have object markers in other sentences, e.g.:

Ninavikisoma vitabu hivi. – I am reading these books.

But in the original sentence, ninajaribu kusoma vitabu vingi…, no object marker is needed or expected.

Is this a natural sentence that native speakers actually say? Are there other common ways to express the same idea?

Yes, it’s natural, clear Swahili.

A native speaker might also say, for example:

Najaribu kusoma vitabu vingi iwezekanavyo.
Najaribu kusoma vitabu vingi kadiri inavyowezekana. (variant spelling of kadri)
Najaribu kusoma vitabu vingi sana. – I try to read a lot of books. (less explicit “as possible” idea)

All of these are understandable; the original sentence is perfectly acceptable and quite standard for “I’m trying to read as many books as possible.”