Learn Hardcore Swahili: Kila Jumatano jioni, mimi na dada yangu tunasoma pamoja sebuleni. - Every Wednesday evening, my sister and I study together in the living room.

It normally comes directly before the noun it qualifies:
- kila Jumatano = every Wednesday
- kila mtu = every person / everybody
- kila mwaka = every year

In time expressions, it’s very common to see kila + day/month/period at the beginning of the sentence, just like here:
Kila Jumatano jioni, ... = Every Wednesday evening, ...

Why is it Jumatano jioni and not something like jioni ya Jumatano?

Both are possible, but they sound a bit different:

Jumatano jioni (literally “Wednesday evening”) is the most natural, compact way to say Wednesday evening.
jioni ya Jumatano (literally “the evening of Wednesday”) is grammatically fine but sounds more formal or more “spelled out”, and is less common in everyday speech for this kind of routine statement.

So for regular weekly routines, Jumatano jioni is the standard, natural choice.

Why is there a comma after jioni?

The comma marks a pause between the time phrase and the main clause:

Time phrase: Kila Jumatano jioni (Every Wednesday evening)
Main clause: mimi na dada yangu tunasoma pamoja sebuleni (my sister and I study together in the living room)

You don’t have to write the comma in Swahili, but it helps readability and mirrors how you would naturally pause when speaking.

Does mimi na dada yangu mean “me and my sister” or “my sister and I”? Is the order important?

Literally, mimi na dada yangu is “I and my sister”.

In English, we prefer “my sister and I”, but in Swahili the order is more flexible and not a grammar issue.
You could also say dada yangu na mimi (my sister and I). Both are correct; it’s mostly a matter of style/emphasis.

So:

mimi na dada yangu = I and my sister / my sister and I
dada yangu na mimi = my sister and I / I and my sister

No meaning change, just a slight change in emphasis.

How does tunasoma work exactly? What do the parts tu- and -na- mean?

Tunasoma breaks down like this:

tu- = we (subject prefix for “we”)
-na- = present tense marker (present / present continuous)
-soma = verb root read / study

So tunasoma = we read / we are reading / we study.
Swahili doesn’t usually need a separate pronoun (sisi) because tu- already shows the subject.

Related forms:

ninasoma = I am reading / I study (ni- = I)
anasoma = he/she is reading / studies (a- = he/she)
watasoma = they will read (wa- = they, -ta- = future)

Why is there no separate word for “we” before tunasoma?

In Swahili, the subject is built into the verb:

tu- = we
na = present tense
soma = read/study

So tunasoma already means “we study / we are studying”.
You only add sisi (we) for emphasis or contrast:

Sisi tunasoma, wao wanacheza.
= We are studying, they are playing.

In your sentence, mimi na dada yangu tells us who “we” are, and tu- agrees with that group.

Does kusoma mean “to read” or “to study”?

Kusoma covers both meanings:

to read (books, a letter, etc.)
to study (do school work, learn)

Context tells you which makes more sense:

In a school or homework context: tunasoma = we are studying.
With something like kitabu (book): Ninasoma kitabu = I am reading a book.

In Kila Jumatano jioni, mimi na dada yangu tunasoma pamoja sebuleni, tunasoma is naturally understood as “we study” (e.g. schoolwork, revision).

What does pamoja mean, and where can it go in the sentence?

Pamoja means together.

Typical positions:

After the verb: tunasoma pamoja = we study together
At the end of the clause for emphasis (as here):
tunasoma pamoja sebuleni = we study together in the living room

You normally don’t put it before the verb (pamoja tunasoma is possible but stylistically marked; the neutral place is after the verb).

What does sebuleni mean, and what is the -ni at the end?

sebule = living room / sitting room
sebuleni = in the living room

The -ni suffix marks a location (locative). It often corresponds to English “in / at / on” depending on context.

Examples:

nyumba (house) → nyumbani = at home
shule (school) → shuleni = at school
sebule (living room) → sebuleni = in the living room

So pamoja sebuleni = together in the living room.

Could I say katika sebule instead of sebuleni? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say katika sebule, and it is grammatical:

sebuleni = in the living room (using the locative suffix)
katika sebule = in the living room (using the preposition katika = in/inside)

Differences:

sebuleni is shorter and more natural in everyday Swahili.
katika sebule can sound a little more formal or explicit, and is more typical in writing or when you want to be very clear.

In this sentence, sebuleni is the most natural, idiomatic choice.

How would I say “Every Wednesday morning” or “Every Wednesday night” instead?

You just change the time-of-day word:

Every Wednesday morning
→ Kila Jumatano asubuhi, mimi na dada yangu tunasoma pamoja sebuleni.
(asubuhi = morning)
Every Wednesday night
→ Kila Jumatano usiku, mimi na dada yangu tunasoma pamoja sebuleni.
(usiku = night)

Structure stays the same: Kila + day + time-of-day, [subject] [verb] ...

Is it okay that there’s no word like “the” in sebuleni (“the living room”)?

Yes, that’s normal. Swahili does not have articles like “a/an/the”.

sebule can mean a living room or the living room depending on context.
sebuleni can mean in a living room or in the living room.

In your sentence, context in English makes us translate it as “in the living room”, but Swahili itself doesn’t mark the difference with a separate word.

Can you show how the sentence would change with different subjects, like “my brother and I” or “they study together in the living room”?

Sure, keep the time part the same and change only the subject + verb:

My brother and I study together in the living room.
Kila Jumatano jioni, mimi na kaka yangu tunasoma pamoja sebuleni.
(kaka = brother)
They study together in the living room every Wednesday evening.
Kila Jumatano jioni, wao wanasoma pamoja sebuleni.
- wao = they (optional)
- wanasoma = they study (wa- = they, -na- = present, -soma = read/study)
She and I study together in the living room every Wednesday evening.
Kila Jumatano jioni, yeye na mimi tunasoma pamoja sebuleni.
(Verb still uses tu- = we, because together you form a “we”.)