Learn Hardcore Swahili: Siyo tu chumba hiki kikubwa, bali pia kina dirisha zuri lenye mwanga mwingi. - Not only is this room big, but it also has a nice window with a lot of light.

Siyo tu chumba hiki kikubwa
= Not only (is) this room big
bali pia kina dirisha zuri lenye mwanga mwingi
= but it also has a nice window with plenty of light.

So:

siyo tu → not only
bali pia → but also

You’ll often see “si tu … bali pia …” or “sio tu … bali pia …” with the same meaning.

What’s the difference between siyo, sio, and si?

All three are related negatives, but they’re used a bit differently:

si
1. As a verb prefix: negative of to be or other verbs in the 1st person singular.
  - Mimi si mwalimu. = I am not a teacher.
2. As a general negator in some set expressions.
sio / siyo
- Often function as “is not / are not / it is not” without showing person/number clearly.
- Both forms are common; sio is a bit shorter and very common in speech and writing.
- siyo can feel a bit more careful or emphatic in some regions, but grammatically they’re the same in most contemporary usage.

In your sentence, Siyo tu chumba hiki kikubwa… could also be said as Sio tu chumba hiki kikubwa… with no change in meaning. You’ll also hear Si tu chumba hiki kikubwa… in everyday talk.

Why is it “chumba hiki kikubwa” and not something like hiki chumba kikubwa?

The normal, neutral order in Swahili is:

Noun + demonstrative + adjective

So:

chumba = room (noun)
hiki = this (demonstrative, class 7)
kikubwa = big (adjective for class 7)

chumba hiki kikubwa = this big room.

You can sometimes move things around for emphasis, but the standard and safest order for learners is:

chumba hiki kikubwa

Putting hiki before the noun (hiki chumba) feels marked or poetic and is not the normal pattern you should copy as a learner.

What noun class is chumba, and how does that affect hiki and kikubwa?

chumba is in noun class 7 (singular). Its typical prefix is ki-.

Adjectives and demonstratives that agree with it also take ki-/ki- type forms:

chumba (class 7 noun)
hiki (“this” for class 7)
kikubwa (“big” for class 7)

So:

class 7 demonstrative: hiki (this)
class 7 adjective from -kubwa (big): kikubwa

If it were plural (rooms), it would be class 8:

vyumba hivi vikubwa = these big rooms
- vyumba (class 8)
- hivi (this/these for class 8)
- vikubwa (big for class 8)

What does kina mean in “bali pia kina dirisha…”?

Here kina is the present-tense form of “kuwa na” (to have), agreeing with a class 7 subject (chumba).

Verb: kuwa na = to have, to possess
Present tense pattern: (subject prefix) + na
- ni + na = nina (I have)
- u + na = una (you have / it has – class 11)
- a + na = ana (he/she has)
- ki + na = kina (it has – class 7)

Since chumba is class 7, we use ki- as the subject prefix, so:

chumba kina dirisha = the room has a window.

So kina here does not mean “is”; it specifically means “has”.

Why is it kina and not ina in this sentence?

ina is used for class 9/10 nouns or for some other classes with i- as the subject prefix, e.g.:

meza ina droo = the table has a drawer (meza – class 9)

But chumba is class 7, whose subject prefix is ki-, so:

chumba kina dirisha = the room has a window

Using ina here (chumba ina dirisha) would sound incorrect to a native speaker, because the subject prefix must match the noun class.

Why do we say “dirisha zuri” and not “dirisha nzuri”?

Dirisha is a class 5 noun (prefix often zero in singular, ma- in plural: dirisha / madirisha). The adjective -zuri (“good, nice, beautiful”) changes its form depending on the noun class.

Class 1: mtu mzuri
Class 2: watu wazuri
Class 3: mti mzuri
Class 4: miti mizuri
Class 5: dirisha zuri
Class 6: madirisha mazuri

So for class 5 nouns like dirisha, the adjective is zuri with no extra prefix.

nzuri does exist, but it’s used with other classes (e.g. class 9/10: meza nzuri = a nice table).

What is “lenye mwanga mwingi” doing grammatically after dirisha zuri?

lenye comes from the relative form -enye, which means “having / that has / which has”.

Subject noun: dirisha (class 5)
Relative form “having”: lenye (class 5 form of -enye)
Object phrase: mwanga mwingi = a lot of light

So dirisha zuri lenye mwanga mwingi literally is:

a nice window having much light
= a nice window with plenty of light / that lets in lots of light.

In short, lenye mwanga mwingi is a relative phrase describing the window, equivalent to English “which has a lot of light / that lets in much light.”

Could I say “dirisha zuri ambalo lina mwanga mwingi” instead of “lenye mwanga mwingi”?

Yes, you can, and it’s grammatically correct:

dirisha zuri ambalo lina mwanga mwingi
= a nice window which has a lot of light

Here:

ambalo = relative pronoun for class 5
lina = “has” for a class 5 subject
mwanga mwingi = lots of light

Both structures are good:

dirisha zuri lenye mwanga mwingi
dirisha zuri ambalo lina mwanga mwingi

The -enye form (lenye) is just shorter and more compact; it’s very common for “having/with” descriptions of physical features.

Why is it lenye and not yenye in lenye mwanga mwingi?

The relative root is -enye (“having/with”), and its exact surface form depends on the noun class:

Class 1: aliyena (more complex pattern) / mwenye for some uses
Class 3: wenye
Class 5: lenye
Class 6: yenye
etc.

Since dirisha is class 5, the correct agreement form is:

lenye for “having / which has”
- dirisha lenye… = a window that has…

So lenye is simply the class‑5 agreement form of -enye.

What does mwanga mwingi literally mean?

mwanga = light (noun), typically class 3 (mwanga / mianga)
mwingi = a lot, much, plentiful (adjective agreeing with class 3/4)

So mwanga mwingi literally means:

“much light / a lot of light / plenty of light.”

It’s a common way to describe bright rooms, windows, or spaces in Swahili.

Why do we use bali and not lakini for “but also”?

Both bali and lakini can be translated as “but”, but they’re used in different contexts:

bali is often used:
- After a negative clause, to introduce a positive correction or contrast, and
- In patterns like “si/ sio/ siyo … bali …” or “si tu … bali pia …”
lakini is a general “but/however” used between two statements, not necessarily tied to a preceding negation.

In your sentence:

Siyo tu chumba hiki kikubwa, bali pia kina dirisha zuri…
“Not only is this room big, but also it has a nice window…”

Because the first part is negative (siyo tu, “not only”), bali pia is the most natural choice for the “but also” structure.
lakini pia (but also) is possible in some contexts, but here bali pia fits the classic “not only … but also …” pattern.

What roles do tu and pia play in “siyo tu … bali pia …”?

tu usually means “only / just”.
pia means “also / too”.

Together with the negation siyo, they give the well-known pattern:

siyo tu … bali pia …
= “not only … but also …”

So in the sentence:

Siyo tu chumba hiki kikubwa
= It is *not only that this room is big…*
bali pia kina dirisha zuri lenye mwanga mwingi
= …*but also it has a nice window with plenty of light.*

Could I say “Siyo tu hiki chumba kikubwa…” instead of “Siyo tu chumba hiki kikubwa…”?

You can hear variations in everyday speech, but for clear, standard Swahili, you should keep:

Noun + demonstrative + adjective
chumba hiki kikubwa

So:

Siyo tu chumba hiki kikubwa… → safest and most standard.

Hiki chumba is not the usual pattern and can sound odd or marked, especially for a learner. Stick with chumba hiki kikubwa.