Learn Hardcore Swahili: Watoto wawili wanaishi kwake, lakini jioni hucheza kwetu. - Two children live at her place, but in the evening they play at our place.

In the noun: watoto
- The singular is mtoto (child).
- The plural is watoto (children).
  wa- is the plural noun prefix of noun class 2.
In the verb: wanaishi
- The subject prefix for they (people/animals) is also wa-.
- The basic verb kuishi = to live.
- wanaishi breaks down as:
  - wa- = they (subject)
  - -na- = present tense marker
  - -ishi = live

So watoto wawili wanaishi = two children they-live → two children live / are living.

What tense is wanaishi? Does it mean live or are living?

wanaishi uses the -na- tense marker, which is generally:

Present for ongoing actions: they are living / they are staying
Very often also used like English simple present: they live

So in context it can cover both live and are living, and most of the time you don’t need to distinguish them in Swahili.

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

kwake is built from:

kwa = at / to / with (often used for places or people’s homes)
-ke = his / her (3rd person singular possessive ending)

So kwake literally means at him/her and is understood as:

at his place / at her place
with him/her, depending on context

In this sentence, wanaishi kwake = they live at his/her place.

What is the difference between kwake and nyumbani kwake?

Both can be correct, but there is a nuance:

kwake – already strongly implies at his/her place / home
nyumbani kwake – literally at his/her home/house, a bit more explicit

So:

wanaishi kwake ≈ they live at his/her place
wanaishi nyumbani kwake ≈ they live at his/her home

In many everyday contexts, kwake alone is enough and very natural.

What does kwetu mean, and how is it different from sisi?

kwetu is:

kwa = at / to / with
-etu = our (1st person plural possessive ending)

So kwetu means:

at our place / at our home / with us

sisi just means we / us (the pronoun), not a location.

wanacheza kwetu – they play at our place
wanacheza na sisi – they play with us (company, not location)

Why is there no in the before jioni?

Time expressions in Swahili often appear without a preposition where English uses in / on / at.

asubuhi – in the morning
mchana – in the afternoon
jioni – in the evening
usiku – at night

So jioni hucheza kwetu is literally evening they-habitually-play at-our-place, and is naturally understood as:

in the evening they (usually) play at our place

You don’t say katika jioni here; that would sound odd in this context.

Why does the second verb use hucheza and not wanacheza?

hucheza uses the hu- prefix, which marks a habitual or general action:

wanacheza – they are playing / they play (present)
hucheza – they usually play / they tend to play / they play (as a habit)

In this sentence, jioni hucheza kwetu means:

in the evening they usually play at our place

So hucheza focuses on the idea of a regular routine or habit, not just one specific time.

Why doesn’t hucheza have the subject prefix wa- like wanaishi?

With the habitual prefix hu-, standard Swahili drops the subject prefix:

ninafanya – I am doing / I do
hufanya – one does / (I/you/they) usually do

So:

wanaishi – they live
hucheza – (they) usually play / children usually play

The subject is understood from context (watoto wawili earlier in the sentence), so you don’t say wahucheza. That form is not standard.

Could the sentence be … lakini jioni wanacheza kwetu instead? How would that change the meaning?

Yes, you can say:

Watoto wawili wanaishi kwake, lakini jioni wanacheza kwetu.

Difference in nuance:

wanacheza – simply they play / they are playing (present fact)
hucheza – they usually play / they habitually play

So with wanacheza, you’re just stating what happens (in general present), without emphasizing that it’s a routine. With hucheza, you highlight that it is a regular pattern.

How would I say Two children used to live at his/her place, but in the evening they would play at our place?

You can express past and past habitual like this:

Watoto wawili waliishi kwake, lakini jioni walikuwa wakicheza kwetu.

Breakdown:

waliishi – they lived / used to live (past of wanaishi)
walikuwa wakicheza – they were (habitually) playing / they used to play
- walikuwa – they were
- wakicheza – while playing / playing (continuous)

Another, simpler option that still sounds natural:

Watoto wawili waliishi kwake, lakini jioni walicheza kwetu.

This can also be understood as a repeated past action, depending on context.

Is the word order in Watoto wawili wanaishi kwake fixed, or can I move the parts around?

The neutral and natural word order here is:

[Subject] [Verb] [Place]
Watoto wawili wanaishi kwake.

The main things:

Numeral after noun: watoto wawili, not wawili watoto
Verb after subject: watoto wawili wanaishi, not usually wanaishi watoto wawili in this context
Place (like kwake) typically comes after the verb

You can sometimes front or move phrases for emphasis in more advanced, poetic, or spoken styles, but for clear standard Swahili, this order is best.