Watoto wenyewe waliandaa meza kabla ya chakula cha jioni.

The children themselves set the table before dinner.

Breakdown of Watoto wenyewe waliandaa meza kabla ya chakula cha jioni.

• mtoto: the child
• kuandaa: to prepare
• meza: the table
• kabla ya: before
• chakula cha jioni: the dinner
• wenyewe: themselves

Questions & Answers about Watoto wenyewe waliandaa meza kabla ya chakula cha jioni.

What extra meaning does wenyewe add to watoto wenyewe? Could I just say Watoto waliandaa meza…?

Wenyewe here adds emphasis.

• Watoto waliandaa meza… = The children prepared the table… (neutral)
• Watoto wenyewe waliandaa meza… = The children themselves prepared the table…

The nuance is that:

• It was indeed the children, not someone else (e.g. not the parents, not a house-help).
• Often also implies they did it on their own / without help.

So wenyewe is not strictly necessary for grammaticality, but it changes the focus and emphasis of the sentence.

What exactly does wenyewe mean in general? Is it always “themselves”?

Wenyewe comes from the root -enye (having / possessing) plus -we (self).

In practice, wenyewe usually works like English “themselves / themselves in particular / those very ones”, depending on context:

• watoto wenyewe – the children themselves / those same children
• wenyewe walishangaa – they themselves were surprised

It can express:

1. Identity emphasis – those particular people: Those very children (not different ones).
2. Agency / independence – they did it themselves, without help.

It is similar to a reflexive pronoun in English, but with a strong “in person / particular ones” flavor.

How do I make other forms like myself, yourself, ourselves using -enyewe?

You combine a pronoun or noun with mwenyewe (singular) / wenyewe (plural):

• mimi mwenyewe – myself
• wewe mwenyewe – yourself (singular)
• yeye mwenyewe – himself / herself
• sisi wenyewe – ourselves
• nyinyi wenyewe – yourselves (plural)
• wao wenyewe – themselves

With nouns:

• mtoto mwenyewe – the child himself / herself
• watoto wenyewe – the children themselves
• mwalimu mwenyewe – the teacher himself / herself

So watoto wenyewe is literally the children themselves.

How is the verb waliandaa built, and how does it show “the children prepared”?

Waliandaa breaks down like this:

• wa- = subject marker for they (class 2: watoto)
• -li- = past tense marker (did / -ed)
• -andaa = verb stem prepare

So:

• waliandaa = they prepared

You know it matches watoto because:

• watoto is class 2 (people plural), which uses wa- as the subject marker:
  
  • watoto waliandaa – the children prepared
  • walimu waliandaa – the teachers prepared

What would change if I used a different tense, like wanaandaa or walikuwa wakiandaa?

The verb stem -andaa (prepare) stays the same; the tense/aspect changes:

• Watoto wenyewe wanaandaa meza…

  • wa- (they) + -na- (present / ongoing) + -andaa
  • The children themselves are preparing the table… / prepare the table (habitually).

• Watoto wenyewe waliandaa meza…

  • past completed: The children themselves prepared the table…

• Watoto wenyewe walikuwa wakiandaa meza…

  • walikuwa = they were
  • wakiandaa = preparing (imperfective)
  • The children themselves were (in the process of) preparing the table…

So -li- (in waliandaa) specifically marks a completed past action.

What does kabla ya mean exactly, and do I always need the ya?

Kabla ya means “before (something)”.

• kabla = before (as a time concept)
• ya = of (linker, often used after kabla and baada)

So:

• kabla ya chakula cha jioni – before dinner (literally before of the evening food)

In standard Swahili, you almost always use ya after kabla when it is followed by a noun:

• kabla ya kazi – before work
• kabla ya safari – before the trip

You might hear kabla chakula colloquially, but kabla ya chakula is the normal, correct form.

How does chakula cha jioni work grammatically, and why is it cha and not ya?

Chakula cha jioni is a possessive/genitive construction: food of evening → evening meal / dinner.

Breakdown:

• chakula – food, meal (class 7)
• cha – of for class 7 nouns
• jioni – evening

The linker cha agrees with chakula’s noun class:

• Class 7 singular (ki-/chi-/ch- nouns like chakula, kisu, kitabu) → cha
• If the head noun were class 9/10 (e.g. meza, chai), you’d use ya:
  
  • meza ya chakula – the table of food
  • chai ya asubuhi – morning tea

So:

• chakula cha jioni – dinner (literally food of evening).

Can I say chakula cha usiku instead of chakula cha jioni? Is there a difference?

Both are understood, but there’s a nuance:

• chakula cha jioni – evening meal, dinner (most common phrase)
• chakula cha usiku – night meal, which can sound like a late-night meal / supper / food at night generally

In everyday speech, chakula cha jioni is the standard way to say dinner / supper. Chakula cha usiku can be used, but it may feel slightly less usual for the standard “dinner” time, depending on region and context.

Can I change the word order and say: Kabla ya chakula cha jioni, watoto wenyewe waliandaa meza?

Yes, that word order is perfectly natural.

• Watoto wenyewe waliandaa meza kabla ya chakula cha jioni.

  • Neutral order, time phrase at the end.

• Kabla ya chakula cha jioni, watoto wenyewe waliandaa meza.

  • Fronting the time phrase kabla ya chakula cha jioni for emphasis on when it happened.

Swahili allows time and place expressions at the start of the sentence to highlight them. The meaning remains the same: The children themselves prepared the table before dinner.

Swahili has no words like “the” or “a”. How do I know if meza here is “the table” or “a table”?

Swahili doesn’t have articles like the / a / an; meza alone can mean:

• a table
• the table

Which one you choose in English depends on context:

• If people already know which table is meant (e.g. the dining table at home), English will use the table.
• If it’s any table, you might say a table.

So waliandaa meza can be translated either way; Swahili leaves that to context.

If I leave out wenyewe and say Watoto waliandaa meza kabla ya chakula cha jioni, how does the nuance change?

Without wenyewe, the sentence is more neutral:

• Watoto waliandaa meza…
  
  • Just a plain statement of fact: The children prepared the table…

With wenyewe, you add emphasis:

• Watoto wenyewe waliandaa meza…
  
  • Highlights that the children themselves did it, not someone else, or that they took the initiative / did it independently.

So wenyewe adds a layer of focus and sometimes mild surprise or pride (e.g. “The kids actually did it themselves!”).

Is wenyewe the only way to say “by themselves / alone”? How else could I express that idea?

Wenyewe is very common, but there are other ways, depending on the nuance you want:

1. wenyewe tu

   • Watoto wenyewe tu waliandaa meza.
   • Only the children themselves prepared the table.

2. peke yao – by themselves, on their own

   • Watoto waliandaa meza peke yao.
   • The children prepared the table by themselves / on their own.

3. pweke – alone, lonely (more about being alone, not just doing it independently)

   • Yuko peke yake / yuko pweke. – He/she is alone.

In your sentence, wenyewe already strongly suggests that they did it themselves; you can strengthen it with peke yao if you want to be very explicit.

Could I use a different verb instead of -andaa, like -panga? Would that change the meaning?

Yes, you can, and the nuance changes slightly:

• kuandaa meza – to prepare the table (broad: cleaning, laying, getting it ready)
• kupanga meza – to arrange/set the table (more about arranging items neatly, placing plates, etc.)

So:

• Watoto wenyewe waliandaa meza…

  • Focus on the entire preparation process.

• Watoto wenyewe walipanga meza…

  • Focus a bit more on arranging/setting things on the table.

Both are natural; choose based on what you want to emphasize.