Learn Hardcore Swahili: Nilimnunulia leso nyingine yenye rangi ya kijani na kahawia ili avae wikendi. - I bought her another headscarf with green and brown colors so that she can wear it on the weekend.

kununua = to buy (something)
- Focus is just on the act of buying.
- Example: Nimenunua leso. = I have bought a handkerchief.
kununulia = to buy (something) for someone
- This is the applicative form; it adds the idea of “for (someone)”.
- Example: Nimemnunulia dada yangu leso. = I have bought my sister a handkerchief (for her).

In your sentence, Nilimnunulia leso nyingine… clearly means “I bought (for him/her) another handkerchief …”, not just “I bought a handkerchief.”

Does -m- in Nilimnunulia mean “him” or “her”? How do you tell the gender?

The object marker -m- here means “him or her” (3rd person singular, human). Swahili does not mark gender the way English does, so:

nilimnunulia = I bought (for) him or I bought (for) her.

The gender is only clear from context or if you add a noun:

Nilimnunulia mpenzi wangu leso nyingine…
= I bought my lover/partner another handkerchief…
Nilimnunulia dada yangu leso nyingine…
= I bought my sister another handkerchief…

Without such a noun, it stays gender-neutral.

What exactly is leso? Is it just “handkerchief”?

Leso is a noun (class 9/10) commonly used in East Africa. It can refer to:

A headscarf or wrap, often worn by women
A colorful piece of cloth, sometimes with writing or patterns
In some contexts, a handkerchief or small cloth

In many everyday contexts, leso suggests more of a decorative headscarf / wrap than a small pocket handkerchief, but usage can vary by region and context.

So the sentence could reasonably be understood as:
“I bought another scarf/headscarf with green and brown colors…”

Why is it leso nyingine, with nyingine after the noun?

In Swahili, most adjectives come after the noun they describe:

leso nyingine = another/other handkerchief
mtoto mzuri = good child
kitabu kipya = new book

Nyingine is the form of “other/another” used with class 9/10 nouns like leso:

mwingine – for class 1 (mtu mwingine = another person)
nyingine – for class 9/10 (leso nyingine = another handkerchief)
kingine – for class 7 (kitabu kingine = another book), etc.

Here, leso nyingine simply means “another handkerchief” or “a different handkerchief.”

What does yenye do in leso nyingine yenye rangi ya kijani na kahawia?

Yenye is a relative adjective meaning roughly “that has / having / with.”

leso yenye rangi ya kijani
= a handkerchief that has the color green
= a green(-colored) handkerchief

In your sentence:

leso nyingine yenye rangi ya kijani na kahawia
= another handkerchief *that has green and brown color(s)
≈ *another green and brown handkerchief.

You could often replace yenye with ambayo ina (“which has”):

leso nyingine ambayo ina rangi ya kijani na kahawia
(longer and more formal; meaning is the same)

So yenye is a compact way to say “with / that has.”

Why is it yenye and not some other form, like wenye or kinye?

Yenye must agree with the noun class of the noun it describes.

Leso is a class 9 noun.
The class‑9 form of this “having/with” word is yenye.

Other examples by noun class:

mtu mwenye pesa – a person who has money (class 1 → mwenye)
kiti chenye magurudumu – a chair with wheels (class 7 → chenye)
nyumba yenye dirisha kubwa – a house with a big window (class 9 → yenye)

So: leso (9) → yenye (9). The agreement is grammatical, not semantic.

Why say rangi ya kijani instead of just kijani?

There are two common patterns:

Using “rangi ya …” (literally “color of …”)
- rangi ya kijani = the color green
- rangi ya kahawia = the color brown
Using the color word directly as an adjective
- leso ya kijani = a green handkerchief
- shati la kahawia = a brown shirt

In your sentence, rangi ya kijani na kahawia emphasizes the colors as such (“green and brown color(s)”), whereas leso ya kijani na kahawia would just say “a green and brown handkerchief.”

Both are natural. The rangi ya … pattern is slightly more explicit: “with (the) color green and brown.”

Does kijani literally mean “green”? Why does it start with ki-?

Yes, kijani is commonly used to mean “green.”

Historically/etymologically:

jani = leaf
kijani is related and originally suggests “leaf‑like,” hence the color green, the color of leaves.

The ki- prefix here is part of how the color word is formed; in “rangi ya kijani”, kijani behaves like a color noun (“the color green”), not like a regular class‑7 noun.

So in practice:

rangi ya kijani = green color
nguo ya kijani = green clothes

What about kahawia? Where does that word come from?

Kahawia means “brown” (as a color).

It is related to kahawa = coffee. So kahawia is essentially “coffee‑colored.”

rangi ya kahawia = brown color
viatu vya kahawia = brown shoes

In your sentence, kijani na kahawia gives the two colors: green and brown.

How does ili work in ili avae wikendi?

Ili introduces a purpose clause—it means “so that / in order that / so (that).”

Structure:
ili + verb in the subjunctive (final -e)

ili aende = so that he/she may go
ili tufike mapema = so that we may arrive early

In your sentence:

ili avae wikendi
= so that he/she may wear (it) on the weekend
≈ so that he/she can wear it on the weekend.

So the whole sentence is:

I bought him/her another green and brown handkerchief so that he/she can wear it on the weekend.

Why is it avae and not anavaa or atavaa?

These are three different forms of -vaa (to wear):

anavaa – present (or habitual)
- He/she wears / is wearing.
atavaa – future
- He/she will wear.
avae – subjunctive (final -e)
- used after ili (and in other contexts) to express purpose, wish, suggestion, command, etc.
- that he/she may wear / for him/her to wear.

After ili, Swahili expects the subjunctive:

ili avae (correct)
ili anavaa (incorrect in standard Swahili)
ili atavae (also incorrect)

So ili avae = “so that he/she may wear (it).”

Where should wikendi go in the sentence? Can it appear earlier?

In your sentence, wikendi (weekend) is a time expression, and Swahili is quite flexible with placing time expressions. Your version:

Nilimnunulia leso nyingine yenye rangi ya kijani na kahawia ili avae wikendi.

is natural and clear.

You could also say:

Nilimnunulia leso nyingine yenye rangi ya kijani na kahawia wikendi ili avae.
Wikendi nilimnunulia leso nyingine yenye rangi ya kijani na kahawia ili avae.

All are grammatically possible. The usual neutral position for purpose clauses (ili…) is toward the end, so your original word order is very typical:

[main action] … ili [purpose] … [time word]

Is wikendi standard Swahili, or is there another word for “weekend”?

Wikendi is widely used, especially in Kenya and Tanzania, and is easily understood.

More “pure” or more descriptive alternatives include:

mwishoni mwa wiki = at/over the weekend (literally “at the end of the week”)
mwishoni wa juma (regional/variant) with juma = week

So you could say:

Nilimnunulia leso… ili avae wikendi.
Nilimnunulia leso… ili avae mwishoni mwa wiki.

Both are natural; wikendi is perfectly normal in everyday speech.