Breakdown of Ni kitabu kipi unataka kusoma leo jioni?
Questions & Answers about Ni kitabu kipi unataka kusoma leo jioni?
Ni is the copula “is/are”, but here it is mainly used to focus the part kitabu kipi (which book).
- Ni kitabu kipi unataka kusoma leo jioni?
is very close to:
“Which book is it that you want to read this evening?”
Without ni, you just have a normal question. With ni, you are highlighting the choice of book.
You could also say:
- Unataka kusoma kitabu kipi leo jioni? – same basic meaning, less “focused” style.
In Swahili, question-words like -pi (“which”) come after the noun and agree with its noun class.
- Noun: kitabu (book) – class 7 (prefix ki-)
- “Which (one)” for class 7: kipi
So the pattern is:
- kitabu kipi = which book
not kipi kitabu.
Other examples:
- mtoto yupi = which child
- vitabu vipi = which books
You can absolutely say kitabu gani, and it is very common.
General tendencies:
- -pi (as in kipi)
→ more like “which (one)?” among a known/limited set. - gani
→ often “which / what kind?”, more open-ended, but in real life it’s used a lot for simple “which?”.
So all of these are possible and natural, with only slight nuance:
- Ni kitabu kipi unataka kusoma leo jioni?
- Ni kitabu gani unataka kusoma leo jioni?
- Unataka kusoma kitabu gani leo jioni?
Most everyday speech would probably use gani in this context.
The “you” is built into the verb unataka:
- u- = you (singular) subject marker
- -nataka = want (present tense)
So:
- unataka = you want
Swahili normally marks the subject on the verb, so you do not have to say wewe.
You can say Wewe unataka kusoma… for emphasis (e.g. contrasting you with someone else), but the basic you is already in u-.
Swahili does not use a helper verb like “do” to form questions.
- Statement: Unataka kusoma kitabu hiki. = You want to read this book.
- Question: Unataka kusoma kitabu kipi leo jioni? = Which book do you want to read this evening?
The verb form unataka is the same in the statement and in the question; the sentence becomes a question through:
- question words like kipi, nani, wapi, etc., and
- question intonation (or a question mark in writing).
So there is no Swahili equivalent of English question “do” here.
Yes, you can say:
- Unataka kusoma kitabu kipi leo jioni?
This is a completely normal and very natural sentence, meaning the same thing in most contexts.
- With ni (Ni kitabu kipi…) → more of a focused or slightly more emphatic structure: “Which book is it that you want to read…?”
- Without ni → a straightforward information question: “Which book do you want to read…?”
In everyday conversation, the version without ni is probably more common.
Should there be a word like ambacho (or -cho-) in there? For example:
Ni kitabu kipi ambacho unataka kusoma leo jioni?
You can include a relative marker, and it is grammatically fine:
- Ni kitabu kipi ambacho unataka kusoma leo jioni?
- Ni kitabu kipi unachotaka kusoma leo jioni?
Those make the relationship explicit: “Which book is it *that you want to read…?”*
However, in many everyday questions, speakers omit ambacho / -cho- when the meaning is clear, so the simpler:
- Ni kitabu kipi unataka kusoma leo jioni?
is also widely used and understood as “…which book (that) you want to read…?”.
For learners, it’s safe to remember:
- including ambacho / -cho- = more explicit / sometimes more formal;
- omitting it like in your sentence = very common in speech.
kusoma is the infinitive form: “to read”.
Pattern:
- ku-
- verb stem
→ kusoma (to read)
→ kuandika (to write)
→ kula (to eat; here the -u- drops)
- verb stem
After verbs like kutaka (to want), kupenda (to like), the next verb usually appears in this ku- infinitive form:
- unataka kusoma = you want to read
- napenda kula = I like to eat
If you used unasoma, that would mean “you are reading”, not “you want to read”.
If you used bare soma!, that’s an imperative: “Read!”
leo jioni literally means “today evening”, and is best translated as “this evening” (roughly late afternoon/evening of today).
Typical time-of-day words:
- asubuhi – morning
- mchana – midday/afternoon
- jioni – late afternoon / early evening
- usiku – night
Word order: Swahili time expressions are quite flexible. All of these are possible:
- Unataka kusoma kitabu kipi leo jioni? (very natural)
- Leo jioni unataka kusoma kitabu kipi? (emphasis on this evening)
- Leo jioni, ni kitabu kipi unataka kusoma?
The most neutral place is often at the end of the sentence, exactly as in your example.
Swahili often uses the present tense for planned or near future actions when there is a time expression:
- Leo jioni unafanya nini? = What are you doing this evening?
- Kesho naenda Dar es Salaam. = I am going to Dar es Salaam tomorrow.
So:
- Unataka kusoma kitabu kipi leo jioni?
→ “Which book do you want to read this evening?” (plan/intention)
If you said:
- Utasoma kitabu gani leo jioni?
→ “Which book will you read this evening?” (more like a prediction or a scheduled thing)
And:
- Utataka kusoma kitabu gani…?
sounds more like “Which book will you want to read…?” – less natural for a simple plan.
So the simple present with a future time phrase is the most natural choice.
kitabu belongs to noun class 7/8:
- singular: ki-tabu (class 7)
- plural: vi-tabu (class 8)
Adjectives and the -pi question word have to agree with the noun class:
- ki-tabu ki-pi = which book
- vi-tabu vi-pi = which books
So you get:
- kitabu kipi – which book
- vitabu vipi – which books
That’s why it is kipi (not, for example, ipi or yupi).