Learn Hardcore Swahili: Dada yangu hununua kijitabu kipya kila muhula ili aandike malengo yake. - My sister buys a new booklet every term so that she can write her goals.

hununua = “(she) buys (as a habit / usually / regularly)”
It’s often used for:
- habits: Dada yangu hununua kijitabu… – My sister buys a new notebook (every term, as a routine).
- general truths: Mtoto hulia akiona njaa. – A child cries when he is hungry.

So hu- is a tense/aspect marker showing that this is a repeated or typical action, not a one‑time event.

Why doesn’t hununua have a subject prefix like a- (for “she”)?

With this hu- habitual form, Swahili normally does not use a subject prefix inside the verb.

Ordinary present: ananunua
- a- (she) + na- (present) + nunua (buy)
Habitual: hununua
- hu- (habitual) + nunua (buy)
- no a- before hu-

The subject is instead expressed as a separate noun or pronoun before the verb:

Dada yangu hununua… – My sister (habitually) buys…
Mimi hununua… – I (habitually) buy…

You don’t say *anahununua for this meaning.

Could I say Dada yangu ananunua kijitabu kipya kila muhula… instead of hununua? What’s the difference?

You can say both, but the nuance changes slightly.

Dada yangu hununua kijitabu kipya kila muhula…
- Emphasizes a stable habit / routine.
- Reads almost like a rule of her life.
Dada yangu ananunua kijitabu kipya kila muhula…
- Grammatically fine.
- Uses the normal present (ana-).
- Can still mean a habitual action, but it sounds a bit more like “she buys (these days / regularly)” without the strong “this is her regular pattern” flavor that hu- gives.

So hu- makes the “every term” idea feel especially natural and strongly habitual.

What is the difference between kijitabu and kitabu?

Both come from the same root idea of “book,” but:

kitabu = book (neutral size); can be any kind of book.
kijitabu = a small book, booklet, or notebook.

The pattern is:

noun class 7 prefix ki-
- diminutive -ji-
  - root
    ⇒ ki-ji-tabu → kijitabu

So kijitabu feels more like:

a notebook for writing in
a small book / pamphlet
something less formal than a big, serious kitabu

Why does the adjective kipya also start with ki- in kijitabu kipya?

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

kijitabu is in noun class 7 (the ki-/vi- class).
Adjectives for this class also take ki- in the singular:
- kijitabu kipya – new little book
- kijitabu kizuri – good little book
- kijitabu kikubwa – big little book (i.e. a relatively big booklet)

In the plural:

vijitabu vipya – new small books
(class 8 uses vi- instead of ki-)

So kipya must match kijitabu in its class.

What exactly does muhula mean in kila muhula?

Muhula means a term or period, most commonly a school term or semester.

kila muhula = every term / every semester
(for example, every school term in a year)

Other uses:

muhula wa kwanza – first term
muhula wa pili – second term

If you said kila mwezi instead, it would be “every month,” which changes the time frame.

Why is it ili aandike and not just kuandika? What does ili do?

ili introduces a purpose clause: in order that / so that.

ili aandike malengo yake
= so that she may write her goals

There are two common ways to express purpose:

ili
- subjunctive
- ili aandike – so that she may write
- ili tuanze – so that we may start
ili
- ku-
  - verb (infinitive)
- ili kuandika malengo yake – in order to write her goals (more “impersonal”)

In your sentence, ili aandike keeps the subject “she” (a-) clearly in the verb and sounds very natural for “so that she can write…”.
ili kuandika would also be correct, just a touch more like “in order to write…” without foregrounding “she” as much.

Why is aandike written with a double a at the start?

The double a in aandike comes from combining:

a- = subject prefix for “he/she” (3rd person singular)
verb root -andik- = write
-e ending = subjunctive mood

Structurally:

a- + andik + e → a + andike → aandike

Both a’s are kept in writing, so you see aa at the beginning.
You get similar forms in other verbs too, e.g.:

aache = that he/she may leave (from -acha)
aandame = that he/she may follow (from -andama)

Why does aandike end in -e instead of the usual -a (like anaandika)?

The -e ending marks the subjunctive mood in Swahili.

Normal present:
- anaandika – she is writing / she writes
Subjunctive (used after ili, commands, wishes, etc.):
- aandike – that she may write / for her to write

After ili, Swahili typically uses the subjunctive:

ili aandike malengo yake – so that she may write her goals
ili tufike mapema – so that we arrive early

So the change from -a to -e signals this special mood.

What does malengo mean, exactly? Is it just “goals”?

Yes, malengo is the plural of lengo and it means goals, objectives, or targets.

lengo – a single goal / aim
malengo – goals / objectives (plural)

Examples:

Malengo yangu ya mwaka – my goals for the year
Lengo letu kuu – our main goal

In your sentence, malengo yake is naturally translated as “her goals”, especially things like plans or objectives she wants to achieve.

Why is it malengo yake and not malengo yake with some other prefix like zake or wake?

The possessive yake is chosen because malengo belongs to noun class 6 (the ma- class).

lengo (class 5) → lengo lake (its / his / her goal)
malengo (class 6) → malengo yake (his / her goals)

Some possessive forms by class:

Class 1 (mtu): rafiki wangu – my friend
Class 2 (watu): rafiki zangu – my friends
Class 5 (tunda): tunda lake – his/her fruit
Class 6 (matunda): matunda yake – his/her fruits

So with ma- plurals like malengo, the correct possessive is yake, not zake or wake.

Could the word order change, for example to Dada yangu hununua kila muhula kijitabu kipya…? Does that change the meaning?

You can move the time expression kila muhula around without changing the basic meaning:

Dada yangu hununua kijitabu kipya kila muhula…
Dada yangu hununua kila muhula kijitabu kipya…
Kila muhula dada yangu hununua kijitabu kipya…

All mean roughly: My sister buys a new notebook every term…

Differences are mainly about emphasis and rhythm:

End position (…kila muhula) is very common and neutral.
Front position (Kila muhula…) puts extra emphasis on “every term.”
Middle position is also possible but slightly less common in simple sentences.

Grammatically, all are acceptable.

Do I have to say dada yangu, or could I just say dada hununua kijitabu kipya…?

You can say just dada, but the meaning is less specific.

dada yangu – my sister (clearly someone related to the speaker)
dada alone could mean:
- “a sister” (in general)
- “a young woman / girl” (how people politely address young women in everyday speech)

So:

Dada yangu hununua… – clearly about your own sister.
Dada hununua… – could sound like “(the) girl buys…” or “(a) sister buys…”, depending on context.

For the intended meaning “My sister buys…”, dada yangu is the natural and precise choice.