Learn Hardcore Swahili: Mimi nina kijitabu changu darasani.

Nina kijitabu changu darasani is already a complete, natural sentence: I have my booklet in class.
Mimi nina kijitabu changu darasani adds extra emphasis on I, like saying: I (as opposed to someone else) have my booklet in class.

In everyday speech, you will often hear the shorter version without mimi, unless the speaker is contrasting with someone else or stressing the subject.

What exactly does nina mean, and how is it formed?

Nina is a present-tense form of kuwa na (to have), but it’s fused into one word.

It breaks down as:

ni- = I (1st person singular subject prefix)
-na = present tense marker, here used in the special verb kuwa na “to have”

So:

nina = I have
una = you (sg) have
ana = he/she has
tuna = we have
mna = you (pl) have
wana = they have

In your sentence, nina is the verb: I have.

Is nina literally the verb “to have” in Swahili?

Swahili doesn’t have a simple, separate verb that always means “to have” like English. Instead, it normally uses kuwa na, literally “to be with”.

In the present tense, kuwa na is usually contracted:

mimi nina → nina (I have)
wewe una → una (you have)
etc.

So nina is the present-tense form of kuwa na meaning I have. If you think “ni- (I) + -na (with)” you won’t be too far off, even though historically it’s a bit more complex.

What is the difference between kijitabu and kitabu?

Both are related to “book”, but there is a nuance:

kitabu = book (neutral word)
kijitabu = little book / booklet / notebook / pamphlet

Kijitabu is a diminutive form of kitabu. Swahili often uses -ji- inside the noun to give a smaller, more informal, or affectionate sense.

So:

Nina kitabu = I have a book.
Nina kijitabu = I have a little book / a booklet.

In your sentence, kijitabu suggests something like a small book or a notebook.

Why is it kijitabu changu and not kijitabu yangu?

Because the possessive pronoun has to agree with the noun class of the noun it modifies.

Kijitabu is in noun class 7 (ki-/vi-).
For class 7, the “my” form of -angu is changu, not yangu.

Some useful patterns for “my”:

mtoto wangu – my child (class 1, m-/wa-)
kijitabu changu – my booklet (class 7, ki-/vi-)
kitabu changu – my book (also class 7)
vitabu vyangu – my books (class 8, vi-)

So yangu isn’t wrong in itself; it’s just used with other noun classes, for example:

nyumba yangu – my house
kazi yangu – my work

For kijitabu, the correct agreement is changu.

How would this part change for other owners: “your booklet”, “his booklet”, “our booklet”, etc.?

We keep kijitabu (class 7) and change only the possessive ending, still with the ch- agreement:

kijitabu changu – my booklet
kijitabu chako – your (sg) booklet
kijitabu chake – his/her booklet
kijitabu chetu – our booklet
kijitabu chenu – your (pl) booklet
kijitabu chao – their booklet

All of them start with ch- because they are agreeing with a ki-/vi- noun (kijitabu).

What does darasani literally mean? How is it different from darasa?

Darasa = class / classroom
Adding -ni makes it a locative: place where something is.

So:

darasa – a class / classroom
darasani – in (the) class / in the classroom / during class

Your sentence Mimi nina kijitabu changu darasani literally has the sense:
I have my booklet (while I am) in class / in the classroom.

You could also say:

katika darasa = in the classroom
but darasani is shorter and very common.

Why is there no word for “a” or “the” in this sentence?

Swahili does not use articles like “a, an, the” as separate words.

The sentence Mimi nina kijitabu changu darasani can be understood as:

I have my booklet in class, or
I have the booklet of mine in class, depending on context.

Definiteness (a vs the) is usually clear from:

the context, and
the use of possessives (changu = “my”) or demonstratives (hiki, kile, etc.).

So you don’t need a separate word for “a” or “the” in Swahili.

Can I change the word order, for example put darasani at the beginning?

Yes, you can move parts of the sentence for emphasis, as long as you keep the verb structure intact.

All of these are acceptable, with slightly different emphasis:

Nina kijitabu changu darasani.
Neutral: I have my booklet in class.
Darasani nina kijitabu changu.
Emphasis on the place: In class, I have my booklet.
Kijitabu changu nina darasani.
Emphasis on my booklet (a bit marked; more stylistic).

The most common everyday order is the one you started with: (Mimi) nina kijitabu changu darasani.

How would I say “I do not have my booklet in class”?

To negate nina, you use the negative subject prefix and change -na to -na → -na? Actually for kuwa na, negative present often looks like sina, huna, hana, etc., so you get a special form:

sina = I do not have
huna = you (sg) do not have
hana = he/she does not have
hatuna = we do not have
hamna = you (pl) do not have
hawana = they do not have

So your sentence in the negative is:

Mimi sina kijitabu changu darasani.
= I don’t have my booklet in class.

You can drop mimi if you like:

Sina kijitabu changu darasani.

Could I say “Mimi ni na kijitabu changu darasani” as two words ni na?

No, not in standard Swahili.

The correct form is nina (one word), not ni na.
Writing ni na would look like “I am with”, which is not how “have” is formed in the present tense.

So stick to:

Nina kijitabu changu darasani.
and, with emphasis on the subject:
Mimi nina kijitabu changu darasani.