Learn Hardcore Swahili: Rahma anapumzika juu ya benchi akitazama nyota usiku. - Rahma is resting on the bench while looking at the stars at night.

So anapumzika literally means he/she is resting or he/she rests.
In English we’d normally translate it here as “Rahma is resting” (present continuous), but the Swahili -na- form also covers general present (Rahma rests). Context decides which sounds more natural in English.

How can Swahili say “is resting” without a separate word for “is”?

In Swahili, the idea of “is/are” is built into the verb itself, through tense markers like -na-.

English: Rahma is resting → subject (Rahma) + be verb (is) + main verb (resting)
Swahili: Rahma anapumzika → subject (Rahma) + a- (she) + -na- (present) + pumzika (rest)

You don’t add a separate word like “is”. Instead, you change the verb form:

anapumzika = is resting
alipumzika = rested / was resting
atapumzika = will rest / will be resting

What is the role of juu ya in juu ya benchi, and are there other ways to say “on the bench”?

Juu ya literally means “on top of / on the upper part of”.

So:

juu = top, upper side
juu ya benchi = on top of the bench → on the bench

Other common ways to say on the bench include:

kwenye benchi – on/at/in the bench (very common, general location preposition)
benchini – on the bench / at the bench (using the locative ending -ni)

All are understandable.

juu ya benchi emphasizes being on the upper surface (e.g. sitting or lying on top).
kwenye benchi / benchini are more neutral “at/on the bench”.

Why do we use ya after juu in juu ya benchi?

Ya here functions like “of” in English: “top of the bench”.

juu ya = the top of / the surface of
benchi = bench

Swahili uses different forms for “of” depending on the noun class (wa, ya, la, cha, vya, etc.).
Benchi is in noun class 5, which takes ya, so we get juu ya benchi.

So the structure is: juu (top) + ya (of) + benchi (bench) → on top of the bench.

What kind of form is akitazama, and how does it connect to anapumzika?

Akitazama is a -ki- clause, often translated as “while …ing” or “as …”.

Breakdown:

a- = subject he/she (still Rahma)
-ki- = marks a simultaneous/ongoing action, often translated while/when/as
-tazam- = look at, watch
-a = final vowel

So akitazama nyota = while (she is) watching the stars.

The sentence structure is:

Rahma anapumzika juu ya benchi (Rahma is resting on a bench)
akitazama nyota usiku (while watching the stars at night)

Same subject, two actions happening at the same time.

Can we replace akitazama with na kutazama? Would the meaning change?

Yes, you could say:

Rahma anapumzika juu ya benchi na kutazama nyota usiku.

This literally means “Rahma is resting on a bench and watching the stars at night.”

Difference in nuance:

akitazama = strongly suggests simultaneous action, resting while watching.
na kutazama = simply joins two actions with “and”; they are usually still simultaneous, but it’s less tightly bound than the -ki- form.

In most everyday contexts, both would be understood almost the same, but akitazama is a bit more natural if you want to stress “as she rests, she is watching.”

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

Swahili does not use articles like “the” or “a/an”. The noun itself, plus context, carries that information.

benchi can mean “a bench” or “the bench”
nyota can mean “stars” or “the stars”

So:

Rahma anapumzika juu ya benchi akitazama nyota usiku.
→ could be “Rahma is resting on a bench, watching the stars at night.”
or “Rahma is resting on the bench, watching the stars at night.”

Which English article you choose depends on what makes sense in the situation, not on any extra word in Swahili.

Does nyota usiku mean “night stars” or “stars at night”?

In this sentence, nyota usiku is understood as “stars at night”.

nyota = stars
usiku = night

Here usiku is functioning like a time expression (“at night”), rather than directly describing the stars as a special type (night stars). That’s why we translate the whole thing more naturally as:

“watching the stars at night” rather than “watching night stars.”

Could we put usiku somewhere else in the sentence?

Yes. Time words like usiku are quite flexible. For example:

Usiku, Rahma anapumzika juu ya benchi akitazama nyota.
→ At night, Rahma rests on a bench watching the stars. (emphasis on at night)
Rahma usiku anapumzika juu ya benchi akitazama nyota.
→ Also possible in speech, highlighting usiku a bit.
Rahma anapumzika usiku juu ya benchi akitazama nyota.
→ Rahma is resting at night on a bench, watching the stars.

The original … nyota usiku is very natural and keeps the time phrase close to the activity it’s describing (watching stars).

How do we know that Rahma is also the one watching the stars in akitazama nyota usiku?

Two clues tell us the subject is still Rahma:

The subject marker “a-”
- akitazama begins with a-, which means he/she.
- The last explicitly mentioned person is Rahma, so we understand: she (Rahma) is watching.
The -ki- form usually keeps the same subject
- In Swahili, a -ki- clause normally shares the same subject as the main verb unless the speaker clearly changes it.

If the subject were different, you would normally reintroduce it clearly, for example:

Rahma anapumzika juu ya benchi akiwaona watoto wakitazama nyota.
→ Rahma is resting on a bench while seeing the children watching the stars.

Here watoto is introduced to show a new group is doing the watching. In the original sentence, no new subject is introduced, so we keep Rahma as the subject.

Is there a difference between tazama and angalia for “watch/look at”?

Both tazama and angalia can mean “look” or “watch”, and are often interchangeable:

Rahma anatazama nyota.
Rahma anaangalia nyota.

Both: Rahma is looking at / watching the stars.

Subtle tendencies (not strict rules):

tazama – often “to look at, watch, observe” (e.g. TV, scenery, stars).
angalia – often “to look, check, pay attention to” (e.g. angalia! be careful!, angalia mlango – check the door).

In your sentence, akitazama nyota is perfectly natural; akiangalia nyota would also be fine.