Learn Hardcore Swahili: Kitabu nilichosoma jana kilikuwa na sura nyingi lakini kifungu nilichokipenda kilikuwa kifupi. - The book that I read yesterday had many chapters, but the paragraph that I liked was short.

Kitabu nilichosoma jana kilikuwa na sura nyingi lakini kifungu nilichokipenda kilikuwa kifupi.

The book that I read yesterday had many chapters, but the paragraph that I liked was short.

Breakdown of Kitabu nilichosoma jana kilikuwa na sura nyingi lakini kifungu nilichokipenda kilikuwa kifupi.

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Questions & Answers about Kitabu nilichosoma jana kilikuwa na sura nyingi lakini kifungu nilichokipenda kilikuwa kifupi.

What is the structure of nilichosoma and how does it mean “that I read”?

Nilichosoma is made of several small parts:

ni- = I (subject marker, 1st person singular)
-li- = past tense (did)
-cho- = relative marker for noun class 7 (ki-, like kitabu)
soma = read (verb root)

So ni-li-cho-soma literally means “I-past-that-[class 7]-read”, i.e.
“(that) I read” referring to a class‑7 noun, here kitabu.

That whole chunk nilichosoma works like English “that I read” and describes kitabu:

Kitabu nilichosoma jana = “The book that I read yesterday”

Why is the relative marker -cho- used? Why not something like -yo- or ambacho?

Swahili relative markers agree with the noun class of the noun being described.

kitabu is noun class 7 (ki- / vi- class)
The class‑7 relative marker is -cho- (singular) and -vyo- (plural)

That’s why we see:

kitabu nilichosoma = the book that I read
vitabu nilivyosoma = the books that I read

You could also say:

kitabu ambacho nilikisoma jana – using ambacho as a separate relative pronoun

But in standard Swahili, the most natural and most common pattern is to put the relative marker inside the verb: nilichosoma.

Why does kifungu nilichokipenda have both -cho- and -ki- inside nilichokipenda?

Break down nilichokipenda:

ni- = I (subject)
-li- = past tense
-cho- = relative marker for class 7 (kifungu)
-ki- = object marker for class 7 (it, referring to kifungu)
penda = like / love

So ni-li-cho-ki-penda literally is:

I‑past‑that‑it‑liked

Functionally: “that I liked (it)”, where “it” is kifungu.

Why both?

-cho- makes a relative clause: “that …”
-ki- is the object pronoun “it” referring back to kifungu

You might also hear people omit the object marker:

kifungu nilichopenda – “the passage that I liked”

Both are heard in real speech; with the object marker (nilichokipenda) is often felt as a bit more careful or “complete.”

Why doesn’t nilichosoma also have -ki- like nilichokisoma?

Many speakers would in fact say:

Kitabu nilichokisoma jana…

Breakdown: ni-li-cho-ki-soma (“I‑past‑that‑it‑read”).

So what’s going on?

Grammatically, it is very common and perfectly acceptable to omit the object marker when the object has already been clearly mentioned.
So both are used:
- kitabu nilichosoma jana
- kitabu nilichokisoma jana

In this sentence, the writer used nilichosoma (without -ki-) for the book, but nilichokipenda (with -ki-) for the passage. That’s a stylistic choice, not a strict rule.

Why does kilikuwa appear twice, and what is it doing?

Kilikuwa comes from:

ki- = subject marker for noun class 7 (kitabu, kifungu)
-li- = past tense
-kuwa = to be

So kilikuwa = “it (class‑7) was”.

It appears twice because there are two different subjects, both in class 7:

Kitabu … kilikuwa na sura nyingi
The book … was with many chapters (i.e. “had many chapters”)
kifungu … kilikuwa kifupi
the passage … was short

Each class‑7 noun (kitabu, kifungu) needs its own matching verb form kilikuwa.

Why do so many words here start with ki- (kitabu, kilikuwa, kifungu, kifupi, kipenda)?

They all belong to, or agree with, noun class 7 (singular ki-, plural vi-):

kitabu – book (class 7)
kifungu – passage / section (class 7)

Words that must agree with a class‑7 noun also take ki-:

kilikuwa – “it (class‑7) was” (subject prefix ki-)
kifupi – “short” agreeing with a class‑7 noun (ki-
- fupi)
nilichokipenda – -ki- inside the verb is the object marker “it (class‑7)”

So the repeated ki- is not coincidence; it shows agreement with class‑7 nouns.

Why is it kifupi and not just fupi at the end?

Fupi is the adjective “short (in length)”.

In Swahili, many adjectives agree with the noun class of the noun they describe:

Class 7 (ki-): kifupi
Class 9/10 (usually no prefix): fupi

Since kifungu is class 7, the adjective takes ki-:

kifungu kifupi – a short passage
kitabu kifupi – a short book
barua fupi – a short letter (class 9, no ki-)

So kilikuwa kifupi literally means “it (class 7) was short (class 7 form)”.

What is the difference between sura and kifungu in this context?

Both are parts of a written text, but at different sizes:

sura
- Common meaning in books: chapter
- Other meanings: face, appearance, chapter of the Qur’an, etc.
kifungu
- A smaller unit: passage, paragraph, section, clause
- Also used legally for a section / article of law

So the sentence contrasts:

A book with many chapters (sura nyingi)
One specific passage (kifungu) in it that the speaker liked

How does na work in kilikuwa na sura nyingi? Does it literally mean “with”?

Yes, na literally means “and / with”, but very often it is used to express possession like English “have”:

Ana kalamu = She has a pen (literally “she is with a pen”)
Gari lina matairi manne = The car has four tires

So:

kitabu kilikuwa na sura nyingi
literally: “the book was with many chapters”
natural English: “the book had many chapters”

This kuwa na pattern (to be with) is the normal way to say “to have” in Swahili.

What does lakini do here, and can its position change?

Lakini means “but / however” and introduces a contrast:

kilikuwa na sura nyingi – it had many chapters
lakini kifungu … kilikuwa kifupi – but the passage… was short

About position:

Sentence‑initial, as here, is very common:
- … kilikuwa na sura nyingi lakini kifungu nilichokipenda kilikuwa kifupi.
You could also start a new sentence:
- … kilikuwa na sura nyingi. Lakini kifungu nilichokipenda kilikuwa kifupi.

Inside the clause, lakini is normally placed at the beginning of the contrasting clause, just as in the example.

Why is the verb in the relative clause past tense (nilichosoma jana, nilichokipenda) when English sometimes says “I have read” or just “I read”?

Swahili -li- marks a completed past action, roughly covering:

English simple past (“I read it yesterday”)
Often also what English might express with present perfect (“I have read”)

In this sentence:

nilichosoma jana – “that I read yesterday” (completed action in the past)
nilichokipenda – “that I liked” (also completed in the past)

Swahili does not need to switch to a different tense because the time reference is already clear:

jana = yesterday
The whole sentence is about past events ⇒ -li- is appropriate throughout.

Can I change the word order, like saying “Nilichosoma jana kitabu kilikuwa…”?

You have some flexibility, but it affects emphasis and naturalness.

Original:
- Kitabu nilichosoma jana kilikuwa na sura nyingi…
  Focus: kitabu (the book) as the topic.
Possible but less natural version:
- Nilichosoma jana kitabu kilikuwa na sura nyingi…
  This sounds awkward, because kitabu is separated from its describing clause and verb in a strange way.

More natural alternatives if you want to front the action:

Nilichosoma kitabu jana ambalo lilikuwa na sura nyingi…
Nilisoma kitabu jana; kilikuwa na sura nyingi…

But if you want a smooth relative clause directly modifying kitabu, the original order:

Kitabu nilichosoma jana kilikuwa…

is the most idiomatic.