Learn Hardcore Swahili: Mimi ninajaribu kupunguza woga wangu.

Ninajaribu kupunguza woga wangu. – completely normal and enough.
Mimi ninajaribu kupunguza woga wangu. – adds emphasis, like “Me, I’m trying to reduce my fear.”

Can I say Najaribu kupunguza woga wangu instead of Ninajaribu…? What’s the difference?

Yes, najaribu is very common in speech.

ninajaribu = ni- (I) + -na- (present) + jaribu (try)
In fast/casual speech, the initial i is often dropped in writing and speaking, so ninajaribu → najaribu.

Meaning-wise, najaribu and ninajaribu are the same: “I am trying” / “I try.”
Ninajaribu is a bit more careful or textbook; najaribu is more colloquial but fully correct and widely used.

What exactly does ninajaribu mean grammatically? Is it “I try” or “I am trying”?

Ninajaribu can cover both “I try” and “I am trying” in English; context decides.

Morphology:

ni- = I (subject)
-na- = present tense (covers present progressive and general present)
jaribu = try

So it can translate as:

“I am trying to reduce my fear.” (right now / these days)
“I try to reduce my fear.” (habitually, as a general effort)

Swahili doesn’t mark the progressive (am doing) vs simple present (do) as strictly as English does.

Why is there ku- in kupunguza? Can I just say punguza woga wangu?

Ku- is the infinitive marker in Swahili, like “to” in English “to reduce.”

punguza = reduce (verb root)
kupunguza = to reduce

After verbs like jaribu (try), the next verb is normally in the ku- form:

ninajaribu kupunguza woga wangu
= I am trying to reduce my fear.

You can hear people informally say things like:

Najaribu punguza woga wangu.

but the standard/learner‑friendly form is with ku-: kupunguza.
So for correct Swahili, keep the ku-: ninajaribu kupunguza…

What does kupunguza mean exactly? Is it only for “fear”?

Kupunguza means “to reduce / to lessen / to lower / to decrease.” It’s a very general verb, not limited to fear.

Examples:

kupunguza uzito – to lose weight / reduce weight
kupunguza kasi – to slow down (reduce speed)
kupunguza gharama – to reduce costs
kupunguza sauti – to lower the volume/voice
kupunguza woga – to reduce fear

So in this sentence you are literally saying you are reducing or lessening your fear.

What is woga? Is it the same as “fear”? Does it sound like “cowardice”?

Woga is a noun meaning fear, often with a nuance of cowardice / being easily scared.

Rough sense:

woga = fearfulness, timidity, cowardice

Some nuance:

Saying kupunguza woga wangu can mean reducing general fearfulness / timidness, not just a single specific fear.
Another common word is hofu, which is more neutral, like “fear, anxiety, apprehension” without the “cowardice” flavor.

So:

kupunguza woga wangu – reduce my fearfulness / my tendency to be scared.
kupunguza hofu yangu – reduce my fear/anxiety (more neutral/formal).

Both are understandable; the choice depends a bit on nuance and style.

Why is it woga wangu and not woga yangu?

The possessive word (“my, your, his…”) in Swahili must agree with the noun class of the noun it describes.

woga is in the U‑class (sometimes called class 11/14 for abstract nouns).
The “my” form for this class is wangu.

Patterns (simplified):

mtoto wangu – my child (m-/wa- class)
kitabu changu – my book (ki-/vi- class)
nyumba yangu – my house (N class)
woga wangu – my fear (U class)

So woga wangu is the correct agreement; woga yangu would be ungrammatical.

What noun class is woga, and how do I recognize that?

Woga is an abstract noun of the U‑class (often labeled class 11 or 14 in grammar books).

Typical features:

Often starts conceptually with a u- prefix (here realized as wo- because of sound changes).
No regular plural in everyday use (abstract: fear, love, happiness, etc.).

Other examples in the same rough group:

uzuri – beauty
ubaya – badness/evil
uhuru – freedom
uvivu – laziness

Their possessives all use w-:

uzuri wangu – my beauty
uvivu wake – his/her laziness
woga wangu – my fear

You mostly learn the class by vocabulary and by seeing which agreement pattern goes with each noun.

Is the word order fixed? Could I say Ninajaribu woga wangu kupunguza?

The normal Swahili word order here is:

Subject + Verb + (Verb/Infinitive) + Object
Ninajaribu kupunguza woga wangu.

You cannot scramble it like in English poetry.
✗ Ninajaribu woga wangu kupunguza is not natural and would generally be considered wrong.

The parts should stay in this order:

ninajaribu – I am trying
kupunguza – to reduce
woga wangu – my fear

How would I say just “I am scared” instead of “I am trying to reduce my fear”?

To say “I am scared / I am afraid”, you wouldn’t usually use woga; you’d use the verb kuogopa (to fear, be afraid):

Ninaogopa. – I am afraid / I’m scared.
Ninaogopa sana. – I am very scared.

Your original sentence is more about effort over time:

Ninajaribu kupunguza woga wangu.
– I am trying to reduce my fear / fearfulness (I’m working on being less afraid).

Can I replace woga wangu with hofu yangu? Does the sentence still work?

Yes, you can say:

Mimi ninajaribu kupunguza hofu yangu.

Differences:

woga wangu – my fearfulness/cowardice; more everyday, slightly emotional or character‑related.
hofu yangu – my fear/anxiety; more neutral, often used in formal or written contexts (news, literature, etc.).

Both are correct; the overall meaning of the sentence stays close to “I am trying to reduce my fear,” with a small shift in nuance.