Learn Hardcore Swahili: Bibi alikuwa akiimba kimya kimya jikoni wakati sisi tulikuwa tukila katika chumba cha kulia chakula. - Grandmother was singing quietly in the kitchen while we were eating in the dining room.

In this sentence, the grandmother’s singing is a background, ongoing action that was happening at the same time as another action (us eating). Swahili often uses:

alikuwa + aki- + verb
to show this kind of ongoing past (past progressive) action.

What is the role of aki- in akiimba and tuki- in tukila?

The prefixes ki- and ki- with subject markers (like a-, tu-) form a kind of continuous / progressive aspect in the past when they are used after kuwa (to be).

a-li-kuwa aki-imba
- a- = she
- -li- = past tense
- -kuwa = to be
- aki-imba = “while she was singing” / “in the process of singing”
tu-li-kuwa tuki-la
- tu- = we
- -li- = past
- -kuwa = to be
- tuki-la = “while we were eating”

So aki- and tuki- here mark that the action was in progress, not just a simple past action.

Why is sisi included when the verb already has tu- in tulikuwa tukila?

In Swahili, the subject prefix on the verb (like tu- for “we”) is usually enough. So grammatically, tulikuwa tukila alone is complete.

However, the independent pronoun sisi (“we”) is often added to:

give emphasis (“we were the ones eating”)
make the subject extra clear, especially in teaching materials or storytelling
contrast with another subject (e.g. Bibi... wakati *sisi tulikuwa tukila...*).

You could say:

wakati tulikuwa tukila jikoni… – “while we were eating in the kitchen…”
wakati sisi tulikuwa tukila… – “while we (as opposed to others) were eating…”

Both are correct; the version with sisi is just more explicit/emphatic.

What does kimya kimya mean, and why is it repeated?

Kimya means “silence / quiet”.

Kimya kimya is a common reduplicated form that means “quietly, very quietly, in complete silence”. Reduplication in Swahili:

can strengthen or intensify the meaning
can make an expression more adverb-like, describing how the action is done

So:

aliimba kimya – “she sang quietly” (possible but less idiomatic)
aliimba kimya kimya – “she sang very quietly / in a hushed way” (more natural, expressive)

In this sentence, akiimba kimya kimya emphasizes that she was singing softly / under her breath.

What is the difference between jikoni and jiko?

jiko = kitchen or stove / cooker, depending on context
jikoni = literally “in the kitchen” (jiko
- locative suffix -ni)

So:

Yuko jikoni. – “She/he is in the kitchen.”
Nimenunua jiko jipya. – “I have bought a new stove.”

In your sentence, jikoni clearly means “in the kitchen.”

Why do we say jikoni and not katika jikoni here?

The locative suffix -ni already means “in / at / on”.
So jikoni by itself is “in the kitchen.”

You can say:

katika jikoni – literally “in in-the-kitchen”

This is grammatically possible but feels redundant or heavy in many contexts. Normally, Swahili just uses:

jikoni – “in the kitchen”
nyumbani – “at home”
shuleni – “at school”

So akiimba kimya kimya jikoni is concise and natural.

What exactly does wakati do in this sentence?

Wakati means “time” or “when/while” depending on usage.

Here, wakati introduces a time clause, just like “while/when” in English:

Bibi alikuwa akiimba... wakati sisi tulikuwa tukila...
= “Grandma was singing quietly in the kitchen while we were eating in the dining room.”

Structure:

Wakati + [clause] = “while/when [clause]”

This links two actions happening at the same time.

Why do we say tulikuwa tukila instead of just tulikula?

tulikula = “we ate” (simple past, completed action)
tulikuwa tukila = “we were eating” (past continuous)

In this sentence, eating is an ongoing action that is happening at the same time as grandma’s singing. To show this, Swahili often uses:

kuwa (in past) + verb with ki-
→ tulikuwa tukila, alikuwa akiimba

So both actions are in the past continuous, matching the English “was/were ___ing.”

What is chumba cha kulia chakula, and why is it so long compared to “dining room” in English?

Literally:

chumba = room
cha = “of” (agreeing with chumba, which is class 7)
kulia = to eat (more literally, “to be eating,” related to kula)
chakula = food

So chumba cha kulia chakula is “room for eating food” – essentially “dining room.”

Swahili often forms such phrases by:

A noun: chumba (room)
A “of” connector agreeing with that noun: cha
A verb in -a/-ia form or infinitive: kulia (to eat)
The object: chakula (food)

You will also hear the shorter, very common chumba cha kulia (“room for eating”) where chakula is just understood.

Why is it kulia and not kula in chumba cha kulia chakula?

Kula is the basic verb “to eat”.
Kulia here is a related form that often carries a sense of “to eat (at/in a place)” or “to be eating,” formed with the -ia extension.

This -ia extension can add:

a sense of location / direction / goal to the action
a slightly more “gerund-like” or nominal feel in certain fixed expressions

In practice:

kula – “to eat” (plain verb)
kulia (chakula) – “to eat food” / “eating food,” especially in this “room-for-eating” phrase

So chumba cha kulia chakula sounds natural and idiomatic as “a room for eating food.”

Could we say just chumba cha kulia instead of chumba cha kulia chakula?

Yes. Chumba cha kulia is very common and already means “dining room.”

chumba cha kulia – “room for eating” → understood as “dining room”
chumba cha kulia chakula – “room for eating food” (a bit more explicit)

Adding chakula is not wrong, but it’s often unnecessary because what else would you be eating in a dining room besides food? In everyday speech, chumba cha kulia alone is standard.

Why is Bibi capitalized? Does it mean “grandmother” or “lady”?

bibi in Swahili can mean:

“lady / Ms.” as a respectful term
“grandmother / old lady”

Capitalization here (Bibi) suggests it’s used more like a title/name, similar to “Grandma” in English:

Bibi alikuwa akiimba… – “Grandma was singing…”

If it were an unrelated lady, context might make that clear, and in many texts you’d still see bibi lowercase. But in family contexts, Bibi often means “Grandma”.

Is the word order in Bibi alikuwa akiimba kimya kimya jikoni fixed, or can we move parts around?

Swahili word order is fairly flexible, but verb phrase structure is usually:

[Subject] [verb phrase] [manner] [place] [time]

So:

Bibi – subject
alikuwa akiimba – verb phrase
kimya kimya – manner (how?)
jikoni – place (where?)

This is natural: Bibi alikuwa akiimba kimya kimya jikoni.

You could shift some adverbials:

Bibi alikuwa akiimba jikoni kimya kimya.
(understandable, but less smooth for many speakers)

The given order—manner before place—is very natural in Swahili, similar to English “was singing quietly in the kitchen.”

Could we replace alikuwa akiimba with alikuwa anaimba?

You might hear alikuwa anaimba in some varieties or from learners, but the more standard and idiomatic past progressive is:

alikuwa akiimba

The pattern [kuwa in past] + [ki- form of verb] is the usual way to express a continuous action in the past.

Anaimba normally ties to present / habitual contexts (“she is singing / she sings”), so combining it with alikuwa sounds less clean in standard usage.

For clear, textbook Swahili, prefer:

alikuwa akiimba – “she was singing”
walikuwa wakicheza – “they were playing”
tulikuwa tukisoma – “we were reading”