Wakati umeme ulikuwa ukikatika kila siku, tulikuwa tukitumia mishumaa sebuleni.

When the electricity was going off every day, we were using candles in the living room.

Breakdown of Wakati umeme ulikuwa ukikatika kila siku, tulikuwa tukitumia mishumaa sebuleni.

• sisi: we
• kuwa: to be
• kila: every
• siku: the day
• wakati: when
• kutumia: to use
• umeme: the electricity
• sebuleni: in the living room
• mshumaa: the candle
• kukatika: to go off

Questions & Answers about Wakati umeme ulikuwa ukikatika kila siku, tulikuwa tukitumia mishumaa sebuleni.

What does wakati mean here, and how is it working in this sentence?

Wakati literally means time, but very often it’s used like English when / while to introduce a time clause.

In Wakati umeme ulikuwa ukikatika kila siku, tulikuwa tukitumia mishumaa sebuleni, the structure is:

• Wakati + [clause], [main clause]
  → When / While [the electricity kept going off every day], [we used to use candles in the living room].

You can also reverse the order:

• Tulikuwa tukitumia mishumaa sebuleni wakati umeme ulikuwa ukikatika kila siku.
  → Same meaning; just like English:
  We used to use candles in the living room when the electricity kept going off every day.

Why does it say umeme ulikuwa ukikatika instead of just umeme ulikatika?

Both are correct but have different nuances:

• Umeme ulikatika kila siku
  → The electricity went off every day.
  (Simple past, stating the fact.)

• Umeme ulikuwa ukikatika kila siku
  → The electricity was going off every day / kept going off every day / used to go off every day.
  (Past continuous / habitual, emphasizing an ongoing, repeated situation in that past period.)

Structure:

• u-li-kuwa u-ki-katika
  
  • u- = subject prefix for umeme (class 3)
  • -li- = past tense marker
  • kuwa = to be
  • u- (again) = subject prefix
  • -ki- = progressive / habitual aspect (was doing, used to do)
  • -katika = to be cut / to go off / to be interrupted

So ulikuwa ukikatika = was repeatedly going off or used to go off.

What is the role of the -ki- in ukikatika and tukitumia?

The -ki- here is an aspect marker that often expresses:

• an ongoing action in the past (past continuous), or
• a repeated / habitual action in the past.

Forms in the sentence:

• u-ki-katika → it was going off / it kept going off / it used to go off
• tu-ki-tumia → we were using / we kept using / we used to use

With kuwa, this pattern is very common:

• alikuwa akisoma → he was reading / he used to read
• walikuwa wakicheza → they were playing / they used to play

So ulikuwa ukikatika and tulikuwa tukitumia both highlight that this was a regular or ongoing situation in that time period, not a single one‑time event.

Could we just say Umeme ulikatika kila siku, tulitumia mishumaa sebuleni and still be correct?

Grammatically, yes, but you change the nuance:

• Umeme ulikatika kila siku, tulitumia mishumaa sebuleni.
  → More like The electricity went off every day; we used candles in the living room.
  This can be understood as more factual/simple past, not highlighting the idea of an ongoing routine.

• Umeme ulikuwa ukikatika kila siku, tulikuwa tukitumia mishumaa sebuleni.
  → Emphasizes an ongoing, typical situation in that past time; feels like
  The electricity used to go off every day, so we used to use candles in the living room.

So the version in your sentence is better if you want to paint a picture of a habit / routine during that time. The simpler version sounds more like a bare report of events.

Is it necessary to have both wakati and the -ki- forms (ukikatika, tukitumia)? Aren’t they both saying “when / while”?

They work together but do slightly different jobs:

• wakati introduces the time frame:
  wakati umeme ulikuwa ukikatika kila siku
  → when / while the electricity was going off every day

• -ki- in ukikatika and tukitumia adds aspect: ongoing / repeated action during that time.

You can change the style:

1. Wakati umeme ulikatika kila siku, tulitumia mishumaa sebuleni.

   • Still understandable, but it sounds more like simple past facts, less clearly habitual/ongoing.

2. Umeme ulikuwa ukikatika kila siku, tulikuwa tukitumia mishumaa sebuleni.

   • Here the time relation is understood by context and aspect rather than the word wakati.

So wakati is not grammatically required when you already have the -ki- forms, but combining them makes the sentence very clear and natural, like:
When the power kept going off every day, we used to use candles…

What exactly is the difference between kukata and katika here?

These are two related but different verbs:

• kukata = to cut (something), to switch off (something)

  • Transitive: needs an object.
  • Example:
    
    • Wali kata umeme. → They cut off the power.
    • Ali kata keki. → He cut the cake.

• katika = to be cut, to get cut / be interrupted / go off

  • Intransitive: no direct object.
  • Example:
    
    • Umeme unakatika. → The electricity is going off.
    • Mstari umekatika. → The line is broken / interrupted.

In your sentence, umeme ulikuwa ukikatika uses katika, showing that the electricity was getting cut / going off (without specifying who did it).

What does kila siku add, and where can it go in the sentence?

Kila siku means every day.

In umeme ulikuwa ukikatika kila siku, it specifies the frequency of the power cuts.

Possible placements (all natural):

• Wakati umeme ulikuwa ukikatika kila siku, tulikuwa tukitumia mishumaa sebuleni.
• Wakati umeme ulikuwa ukikatika, kila siku tulikuwa tukitumia mishumaa sebuleni.
• Kila siku wakati umeme ulikuwa ukikatika, tulikuwa tukitumia mishumaa sebuleni.

The most neutral and common is probably exactly what you have: kila siku right after the verb it modifies: ukikatika kila siku.

What do mishumaa and sebuleni literally mean, and how are they formed?

Mishumaa

• Singular: mshumaa = candle
• Plural: mishumaa = candles

This is Class 3/4 (m-/mi-):

• mshumaa → mishumaa
• Similar pattern:
  
  • mti (tree) → miti (trees)
  • mto (river) → mito (rivers)

Sebuleni

• Base noun: sebule = living room / sitting room
• Add the locative suffix -ni → sebuleni = in the living room / at the living room

So:

• mishumaa sebuleni = candles in the living room.

Is sebuleni the same as katika sebule?

Very close in meaning:

• sebuleni = in the living room, using the locative -ni on the noun.
• katika sebule = in the living room, using the preposition katika
  • bare noun.

They are usually interchangeable in everyday speech:

• Tulikuwa tukitumia mishumaa sebuleni.
• Tulikuwa tukitumia mishumaa katika sebule.

Sebuleni is shorter and very idiomatic; katika sebule can sound a bit more explicit or formal, depending on context. In casual conversation, sebuleni is very natural.

Why do we have ulikuwa and ukikatika both starting with u-, and tulikuwa and tukitumia with tu-?

Those u- and tu- parts are subject prefixes, agreeing with the subject:

1. Umeme ulikuwa ukikatika

   • umeme (electricity) = noun class 3
   • Subject prefix for class 3 in present/past: u-
   • So we get:
     • u-li-kuwa = it (umeme) was
     • u-ki-katika = it (umeme) was going off / used to go off

2. Tulikuwa tukitumia

   • Subject = we
   • Subject prefix for we = tu-
   • So:
     • tu-li-kuwa = we were / we used to be
     • tu-ki-tumia = we were using / we used to use

So the matching of subject prefixes keeps agreement consistent:

• u-…u-… for umeme
• tu-…tu-… for we