Learn Hardcore Swahili: Ni muhimu kila mtu aulize swali lolote bila kuogopa, kwa sababu uhuru wa kuzungumza hutusaidia kujifunza. - It is important that everyone asks any question without fear, because freedom of speech helps us to learn.

aulize here means something like “(that) he/she should ask” or “let him/her ask”. Combined with kila mtu, it becomes that everyone should ask.

Why is it kila mtu aulize instead of kila mtu anauliza or kila mtu kuuliza?

The choice reflects meaning and grammar:

kila mtu anauliza
= everyone is asking / everyone asks (simple present statement).
kila mtu kuuliza
is not a complete clause; kuuliza is an infinitive, so this would sound like “every person to ask” without proper grammar around it.
kila mtu aulize
uses the subjunctive, which is needed after expressions like Ni muhimu:
- Ni muhimu kila mtu aulize...
  = It is important that everyone ask / should ask...

So Ni muhimu naturally triggers the subjunctive form (aulize).

What exactly does swali lolote mean, and why is it lolote and not yoyote?

swali lolote means “any question (at all)”.

swali = question (noun class 5).
-ote = any / all, an adjective that agrees with the noun class.
For class 5 nouns (ji-/Ø in singular), the form of -ote is lote / lolote.

So:

swali lolote = any question (whatsoever).

You may hear swali yoyote in some speech, but lolote is the more standard agreement with a class 5 noun like swali.

Why is swali singular here and not plural, like maswali yoyote?

Swahili, like English, can use the singular to talk about questions in general:

English: ask any question (not necessarily only one; it’s a general permission).
Swahili: uliza swali lolote = ask any question (you want).

If you say:

maswali yoyote / maswali yo yote = any questions (plural), that is also correct, but the sentence chooses the singular to express the idea more generically.

So singular swali here is a generic singular, not literally limiting people to one question.

How does lolote fit into the system of noun classes? What are the other forms like chochote?

-ote is an adjective meaning “any” or “all (of it)”, and it changes form according to noun class. Some common ones:

Class 1/2 (mtu / watu):
- mtu yeyote = any person
- watu wowote = any people
Class 3/4 (mti / miti):
- mti wowote = any tree
- miti yo yote = any trees
Class 5/6 (swali / maswali):
- swali lolote = any question
- maswali yo yote = any questions
Class 7/8 (kitu / vitu):
- kitu chochote = anything
- vitu vyovyote = any things

So:

lolote is the class 5 singular form of -ote.
chochote is the class 7 singular form (for kitu, thing).

How does bila kuogopa work grammatically? Can I use other verbs with bila?

bila kuogopa literally means “without to-fear”, i.e. without being afraid.

Structure:

bila = without (preposition)
kuogopa = infinitive to fear / to be afraid

Swahili often uses bila + infinitive to say “without doing X”:

bila kusema = without speaking
bila kula = without eating
bila kusoma = without reading

So you can use any verb in its infinitive form after bila:

bila kuchelewa = without being late
bila kusita = without hesitating

Why is it just kuogopa and not kuogopa kitu or kuogopa kuzungumza?

kuogopa by itself can mean “to be afraid” in a general sense. In this sentence, the idea is general:

bila kuogopa = without fear / without being afraid (of anything)

You can be more specific if you want:

bila kuogopa kitu = without being afraid of anything
bila kuogopa kuzungumza = without being afraid to speak

But the shorter bila kuogopa is natural and already understood as without fear in context.

What does uhuru wa kuzungumza literally mean, and could I say uhuru wa kusema instead?

Literally:

uhuru = freedom
wa = of (linking word showing possession/relationship)
kuzungumza = to speak / to talk

So uhuru wa kuzungumza = “freedom of speaking” or “freedom to speak”.

You can also say:

uhuru wa kusema = freedom to say (things)
This is also correct.
Nuance:
kuzungumza = to converse / talk (often more general)
kusema = to say (specific words)

In most contexts, both are acceptable for the idea of freedom of speech.

In hutusaidia, what does the prefix hu- mean? Why not unatusaidia?

hu- here is the habitual marker, used to express something that is generally or usually true.

hutusaidia = it (generally) helps us / it tends to help us.
unatusaidia = it helps us (ordinary present; more immediate, less “generic law” feeling).

So:

uhuru wa kuzungumza hutusaidia kujifunza
= freedom of speaking generally helps us learn (a general truth).

If you said:

uhuru wa kuzungumza unatusaidia kujifunza,
it would still be understandable, but hu- better fits the “in general / as a rule” idea.

In hutusaidia, what does tu- represent, and where do object markers go in such verbs?

In hutusaidia:

hu- = habitual marker
tu- = “us” (first person plural object marker)
saidia = verb root help

So hutusaidia = [it] habitually helps us.

Object markers in Swahili usually come after the subject (or tense) marker and before the verb root:

Examples:

anatupa = he/she gives us (a- subject, na- present, tu- object, -pa give)
atakusaidia = he/she will help you (a- ta- ku- saidia)
With hu-, there is no subject prefix, but the object marker still comes after hu-:
- hukunisaidia (with past prefix also possible in other constructions)
- In our case: hu- + tu- + saidia = hutusaidia.

What does kujifunza literally mean, and how is it different from kujifundisha?

kujifunza is built from:

ku- = infinitive marker
ji- = reflexive marker (oneself)
-funza = verb root related to teach/learn

So kujifunza literally = “to teach oneself”, but in standard usage it simply means “to learn”.

kujifundisha also has ji- (oneself) and -fundisha (to teach), so literally “to teach oneself” as well, but:

kujifunza is the normal word for “to learn”.
kujifundisha is less common and can sound more like self-teaching / self-training in some contexts.

In this sentence, kujifunza is exactly right: helps us learn.