Learn Hardcore Swahili: Wanafunzi wote wanashiriki michezo uwanjani, hata kama wanaona aibu kidogo. - All the students are participating in games on the field, even if they feel a little shy.

Wanafunzi = students (plural of mwanafunzi, student).
Wote = all (for people in the wa- noun class: mtu/watu, mwanafunzi/wanafunzi, etc.).

So wanafunzi wote literally means all the students.

In Swahili, words like all, many, few, two, three (adjectives and numbers) normally follow the noun:

wanafunzi wote – all the students
vitabu vingi – many books
watoto wawili – two children

So wote comes after wanafunzi because adjectives usually follow the noun they describe.

Why do we need wanafunzi and the wana- in wanashiriki? Isn’t that saying they twice?

There are two different things happening:

wanafunzi – the full noun (students).
wana- in wanashiriki – the subject prefix on the verb, meaning they (people, class wa-).

Swahili verbs almost always carry a subject prefix that shows who is doing the action:

mwanafunzi anashiriki – the student participates
wanafunzi wanashiriki – the students participate
mtoto anacheza – the child plays
watoto wanacheza – the children play

So you normally mention the noun (wanafunzi) and also mark the subject on the verb (wa- in wanashiriki). This is normal and not considered repetition in Swahili; it’s part of the basic grammar of the verb system.

What tense is wanashiriki, and how would the sentence change in other tenses?

wanashiriki is in the present (habitual/progressive) tense:

wa- – subject prefix for they (class wa-)
-na- – present tense marker
shiriki – verb root (participate)

So wanashiriki ≈ they are participating / they participate.

Other common tenses with the same verb:

walishiriki – they participated (simple past)
wameshiriki – they have participated (present perfect)
watashiriki – they will participate
wangalishiriki – they would have participated (more advanced)

If you change the tense in the sentence:

Wanafunzi wote walishiriki michezo uwanjani, hata kama…
All the students participated in games at the field, even if…
Wanafunzi wote watashiriki michezo uwanjani, hata kama…
All the students will participate in games at the field, even if…

What exactly does the verb shiriki mean? Is it “share” or “participate”?

Shiriki mainly means to participate, to take part.

wanashiriki michezo – they participate in games/sports
alishiriki mkutano – he/she took part in a meeting

There is a related verb kushirikiana = to cooperate / to work together.

Shiriki can also have a sense of share (in something), especially in religious or formal contexts (e.g. kushiriki meza ya Bwana – to partake of the Lord’s table), but for everyday language, think participate first.

What does michezo mean, and what is the singular form?

Michezo is the plural of mchezo.

mchezo – game or sport (one game / one sport)
michezo – games or sports (plural)

So wanashiriki michezo can be translated as:

they participate in games
they participate in sports

Context decides whether we say games or sports in English; in Swahili, michezo comfortably covers both ideas.

What does uwanjani mean, and how is it formed?

uwanjani is uwanja + -ni:

uwanja – a field, playground, pitch, court (depending on context)
-ni – a locative ending, meaning in/at/on that place

So:

uwanja – (the) field
uwanjani – at the field, on the field, in the field

You could also say:

kwenye uwanja – at/on the field
katika uwanja – in the field (a bit more formal)

All of these are acceptable; uwanjani is just a compact, very natural way to say at the field.

What does hata kama mean, and how is it different from words like ingawa?

hata kama literally is something like even if / even though.

In this sentence:

…hata kama wanaona aibu kidogo.
…even if they feel a bit shy.

You’ll also see:

ingawa – although
ijapokuwa / japokuwa – although, even though (more formal / written style)

Often, you could swap them with only a small change in feel:

…hata kama wanaona aibu kidogo. – even if they feel a bit shy
…ingawa wanaona aibu kidogo. – although they feel a bit shy

hata kama sounds very natural and conversational for even if / even though.

Why is it wanaona aibu? Doesn’t ona mean “to see”? How does it come to mean “to feel shy/embarrassed”?

Yes, ona literally means to see. But in Swahili there is a very common pattern:

kuona
- emotion/experience noun = to feel/experience that thing

Examples:

kuona aibu – to feel shy / embarrassed
kuona huruma – to feel compassion / pity
kuona uchungu – to feel pain / bitterness
kuona njaa – to feel hunger (i.e. be hungry)

So wanaona aibu literally is they see shame, but idiomatically it means they feel shy / they are embarrassed.

In natural English, we translate the meaning:
…even if they feel a little shy.

What does aibu kidogo mean exactly, and why is kidogo after aibu?

aibu – shyness, embarrassment, shame (as a feeling)
kidogo – a little, a bit, small amount

aibu kidogo literally: a little embarrassment, or a bit of shyness.

In Swahili, words like kidogo, sana, mno, kabisa (a little, very, very much, completely) usually come after the word they modify:

maji kidogo – a little water
kazi nyingi sana – very much work
amechoka kabisa – completely exhausted

So aibu kidogo = a little shyness / a bit shy.

Could we leave out kidogo and just say wanaona aibu? How would that change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

Wanafunzi wote wanashiriki michezo uwanjani, hata kama wanaona aibu.

This would mean:

All the students participate in games at the field, even if they feel shy / are embarrassed.

By removing kidogo, you lose the idea of “just a little”. The shyness sounds stronger or more general.

With kidogo, it softens it:

wanaona aibu kidogo – they feel a little shy / a bit embarrassed
without kidogo – they feel shy / they are embarrassed (no indication of degree)

Why is it wanafunzi wote, not wanafunzi yote or something else? How does wote agree with the noun?

Swahili adjectives must agree with the noun class of the noun they describe.

Wanafunzi is in the wa- noun class (class 2, plural of person nouns):

singular: mwanafunzi (class 1, m-)
plural: wanafunzi (class 2, wa-)

The adjective -ote (all) changes according to the class:

mtoto wote – the whole child / the entire child (rare, more common is mtoto mzima)
watoto wote – all the children
kitabu chote – the whole book
vitabu vyote – all the books
mchezo wote – the whole game
michezo yote – all the games
wanafunzi wote – all the students

So:

wote – used with wa- class plural (people) → wanafunzi wote
yote – used with mi- class plural → michezo yote (all the games)

That’s why wote is correct with wanafunzi.

Could we say ingawa wanaona aibu kidogo instead of hata kama wanaona aibu kidogo?

Yes, you can. Both are grammatical, but there is a slight nuance:

hata kama wanaona aibu kidogo – even if / even though they feel a little shy
ingawa wanaona aibu kidogo – although they feel a little shy

In many contexts they are interchangeable.
hata kama is very common in spoken language; ingawa is also common, slightly more neutral or sometimes a bit more formal, depending on the speaker. In this sentence, both sound natural.

Is there another way to say wanaona aibu that also means “they are shy/embarrassed”?

Yes, there are a few alternatives, each with a slightly different flavor:

wanaaibika – they are feeling ashamed / getting embarrassed
wanaona haya – they feel shy / modest / embarrassed (often softer, about social shyness / modesty)
wanaona vibaya – they feel bad / uncomfortable (can include embarrassment depending on context)

However, wanaona aibu is very clear and straightforward for they feel shy / they are embarrassed, so it’s a good phrase to learn and use.