Learn Hardcore Swahili: Nilimsikia mwalimu akisema kwamba faragha ya kila mtu nyumbani ni muhimu, na kila mtoto ana haki ya kuuliza swali darasani. - I heard the teacher saying that everyone’s privacy at home is important, and every child has the right to ask a question in class.

Ni- = I (1st person singular subject marker)
-li- = past tense marker
-m- = him / her (object marker for noun class 1 – people like mwalimu)
-sikia = verb root hear

So Nilimsikia literally means “I past-him-heard” → “I heard him/her.” In the sentence, the -m- refers to mwalimu (the teacher).

Why is there an object marker -m- in Nilimsikia if mwalimu is already mentioned? Could I say Nilisikia mwalimu akisema instead?

In Swahili, it is very common (and usually preferred) to use an object marker when the object is:

a specific person, and
already known or clearly identified in the context.

So:

Nilimsikia mwalimu akisema …
= I heard him/her, the teacher, saying…

Here:

-m- agrees with mwalimu (class 1: person),
mwalimu is then like an apposition or clarification: I heard him, the teacher, saying…

Can you say Nilisikia mwalimu akisema …?

It is possible and will be understood.
Without -m-, it can sound a bit more like “I heard a teacher saying…”, slightly less definite or less “connected” than with Nilimsikia.

In many textbooks and in more careful Swahili, using the object marker with a definite human object (like mwalimu) is the normal pattern.

What exactly does akisema mean here, and how is it different from alisema or anasema?

Akisema is made from:

a- = he/she (3rd person singular subject)
-ki- = the “ki-” marker (often “while / when / as”)
-sema = say

So akisema literally is “while he/she was saying / as he/she was saying.”

In this sentence:

Nilimsikia mwalimu akisema kwamba …
≈ I heard the teacher (while) saying that …
→ natural English: I heard the teacher saying that …

Differences:

alisema = he/she said (a finished action, simple past).
- Nilimsikia mwalimu alisemasema … is not natural here.
anasema = he/she is saying / says (present/ongoing or habitual).
- Nilimsikia mwalimu anasema … can sound more like “I heard that the teacher says …” (reported speech), or can be used in some contexts but is less typical for this construction.

With akisema, you are describing the action that was in progress at the moment you heard it, similar to English “I heard him saying …”.

What is the role of kwamba in akisema kwamba faragha ya …? Can I omit it?

Kwamba is a conjunction meaning “that” (introducing reported speech or a clause, like English “that” in “I heard that …”).

Nilimsikia mwalimu akisema kwamba faragha ya kila mtu …
= I heard the teacher saying that everyone’s privacy …

Can you omit it?

Yes, often you can:
- Nilimsikia mwalimu akisema faragha ya kila mtu nyumbani ni muhimu …
The meaning stays almost the same.
Kwamba tends to make the structure clearer and slightly more formal or explicit, especially in longer sentences.

So kwamba is optional here but quite natural and clear.

Why is it faragha ya kila mtu and not faragha wa kila mtu?

The possessive marker in Swahili agrees with the possessed noun, not with the possessor.

faragha (privacy) is a noun in class 9/10.
The possessive agreement for class 9/10 is ya.

So you get:

faragha ya kila mtu
= the privacy of every person / everyone’s privacy

If it were a class 1 noun like mwalimu, you would use wa:

mwalimu wa kila mtoto = the teacher of every child

But because the head noun is faragha (class 9), you must use ya, not wa.

In faragha ya kila mtu nyumbani, does nyumbani go with mtu or with the whole idea of privacy? What does nyumbani really mean here?

Nyumbani literally comes from nyumba (house/home) + the locative -ni, and usually means:

at home, in the home, at the house.

In the phrase:

faragha ya kila mtu nyumbani

the most natural reading is:

“the privacy of each person at home”,
i.e. privacy in the home context.

Grammatically, nyumbani is a location adverb added to the whole phrase:

faragha ya kila mtu (nyumbani)
→ “everyone’s privacy (at home)”

It is not saying that each person is at home right now; it is specifying the place/sphere where that privacy is being considered.

What is the difference between kila mtu and watu wote?

Both relate to the idea of “everyone,” but they have slightly different flavors:

kila mtu
- literally “each person”
- focuses on individuals, one by one.
- e.g. Kila mtu ana faragha. = Each person has privacy.
watu wote
- literally “all people”
- views people more as a group or totality.
- e.g. Watu wote wana faragha. = All people have privacy.

In this sentence, kila mtu (each person) fits well with the idea of individual privacy.

In kila mtoto ana haki ya kuuliza, why do we say ya kuuliza? How does haki ya + verb work?

Haki means right (as in “human right, legal right”).

The common pattern is:

haki ya + infinitive verb = the right to do [something]

So:

haki ya kuuliza
= the right to ask

Full phrase:

kila mtoto ana haki ya kuuliza swali darasani
= every child has the right to ask a question in class.

You can use this pattern with many verbs:

haki ya kuishi = the right to live
haki ya kusoma = the right to study
haki ya kusema = the right to speak

Why is kuuliza written with a double u?

Kuuliza is made from:

ku- = infinitive prefix
-uliza = verb stem “ask”

When you put ku- + uliza together, you get kuu- + liza:

kuu + liza → kuuliza

Swahili keeps both u sounds in writing, so it becomes kuuliza (two u’s).
You see this with other verbs starting with u- as well, for example:

ku + uma → kuuma (to bite, to hurt)
ku + uza → kuuza (to sell)

So the double u is just the combination of the infinitive ku- and a stem starting with u-.

Why do we say kuuliza swali (ask a question) instead of just kuuliza? Is swali necessary?

Literally:

kuuliza swali = to ask a question

Grammatically:

kuuliza = to ask
swali = a question (direct object)

In practice:

Often, if it’s clear from context what is being asked, Swahili can use kuuliza alone, e.g.
- Nikikuuliza? = If I ask you?
But when introducing the idea that someone has the right to ask questions, saying kuuliza swali makes it explicit and natural-sounding, very close to English “ask a question.”

You could also say:

kila mtoto ana haki ya kuuliza maswali darasani
= every child has the right to ask questions in class (plural maswali).

Both swali and maswali work here, depending on whether you want to stress “a question” or “questions” in general.

What does darasani literally mean, and how is it formed?

Darasani comes from:

darasa = classroom, class
-ni = locative suffix (in/at/on)

So darasani literally means:

“in the classroom” / “in class”

Examples:

Niko darasani. = I am in class.
Walimu wako darasani. = The teachers are in the classroom.

In the sentence:

… kuuliza swali darasani.
= … to ask a question in class.

Why is Nilimsikia in the past tense but ana haki is in the present tense?

The tenses match the meaning of each part:

Nilimsikia
- -li- = past
- Describes a specific event in the past: I heard the teacher…
ana haki
- a- (he/she) + -na (present)
- Expresses a general, timeless fact:
  - every child has the right to ask a question in class (not just at the moment you heard it, but always / in general).

Swahili, like English, often mixes a past main event with a present general truth:

English: I heard the teacher saying that privacy is important, and every child has the right…
Swahili: Nilimsikia mwalimu akisema kwamba … na kila mtoto ana haki …

So the past is for what you heard; the present is for the universal principle being stated.