Learn Hardcore Swahili: Baada ya chakula cha jioni, mimi hukaa kwenye kochi na kuandika ndoto zangu katika shajara. - After dinner, I usually sit on the sofa and write my dreams in my diary.

So baada ya chakula cha jioni is literally after the meal of evening, i.e. after dinner.
You normally need ya after baada, kabla (before), katikati (in the middle of), etc.:

baada ya kazi – after work
kabla ya kula – before eating

What exactly does chakula cha jioni mean, and is it different from “dinner”?

Chakula cha jioni is literally “food of the evening” and is the normal, neutral way to say dinner / evening meal.

Breakdown:

chakula – food, meal
cha – “of” for ki/vi noun class (agrees with chakula)
jioni – evening

Other related expressions:

chakula cha mchana – lunch (food of midday)
kifungua kinywa / chakula cha asubuhi – breakfast (lit. “that which opens the mouth” / morning meal)

In many contexts, chakula cha jioni corresponds directly to English dinner.

Why is mimi used if hukaa already shows the subject? Can I drop mimi?

Yes, you can drop mimi. In Swahili, the verb usually already shows the subject through the prefix, so the pronoun is optional.

mimi hukaa kwenye kochi… – I sit on the couch…
hukaa kwenye kochi… – also “I sit on the couch…” (perfectly grammatical)

mimi is kept when you want to:

Emphasize the subject: Mimi hukaa…, si yeye. – I sit…, not him/her.
Introduce a new topic clearly.

In your sentence, mimi is more emphatic or stylistic; grammatically it can be omitted.

What is the difference between hukaa and nakaa? Why is hu- used here?

The prefix hu- on a verb usually shows habitual action – something you do regularly, as a routine.

nakaa kwenye kochi – I am sitting / I sit (more “right now” or general present)
hukaa kwenye kochi – I (normally / usually / habitually) sit on the couch

So:

Baada ya chakula cha jioni, mimi hukaa kwenye kochi…
After dinner, I usually sit on the couch…

You often see hu- in statements of personal habits, routines, or general truths:

Mara nyingi huwa ninaamka saa kumi. – I usually wake up at 4 a.m.
Mtoto hulia akiona njaa. – A child cries when (they) are hungry.

Using nakaa instead of hukaa in this exact sentence would sound more like describing a specific time or situation rather than a regular routine.

Does kukaa mean “to sit” or “to stay / live”? Why is it used with kwenye kochi?

Kukaa can mean several related things, depending on context:

to sit
- Kaa kwenye kiti. – Sit on the chair.
to stay / remain
- Tulikaa hotelini siku tatu. – We stayed at the hotel for three days.
to live / reside
- Ninakaa Dar es Salaam. – I live in Dar es Salaam.

With kwenye kochi, the meaning is clearly to sit:

hukaa kwenye kochi – (habitually) sit on the couch

Swahili also has more specific verbs like kuketi (to sit) or kukalia (to sit on), but kukaa is very common and natural here.

What does kwenye mean, and how is it different from katika?

Both kwenye and katika often translate as in / on / at. They overlap a lot, but there are some tendencies:

kwenye
- Very common in everyday speech.
- Can mean in, on, at, to, depending on context.
- Often a bit more conversational.
katika
- Slightly more formal or “bookish” in feel (though still normal).
- Often used for “within / inside (a place, group, concept)”.

In your sentence:

kwenye kochi – on the couch (natural, everyday speech)
katika shajara – in the journal (also fine; could also say kwenye shajara)

You could say:

…hukaa kwenye kochi na kuandika ndoto zangu katika shajara.
…hukaa kwenye kochi na kuandika ndoto zangu kwenye shajara.

Both are correct; the difference is subtle and stylistic.

What does kochi mean, and is it a Swahili word or a loanword?

Kochi means couch / sofa. It’s a loanword, generally from English couch.

A few points:

It behaves like a normal Swahili ki/vi noun: kochi (sg.), makochi (pl.).
Other possible words: sofa, sofa seti (also loans), sometimes kitanda cha kupumzikia (more descriptive, less common in casual speech).

In normal conversation, kochi is very standard and natural for “couch/sofa.”

Why do we say na kuandika and not something like na ninaandika?

When two verbs share the same subject in Swahili, a very common pattern is:

[verb with subject marker] … na ku-[verb]

So:

mimi hukaa kwenye kochi na kuandika…
= I usually sit on the couch and (I) write…

The first verb (hukaa) carries the subject and tense/aspect.
The second verb is often in the infinitive form (kuandika), linked by na:

Anapenda kusoma na kuandika. – He/She likes to read and write.
Tulikwenda kula na kuzungumza. – We went to eat and talk.

You could say …na ninaandika…, but that adds a bit of extra focus on the ongoing nature of the second action (“and I am writing”) and changes the rhythm. The infinitive kuandika is more typical and neutral in this sort of sequence.

How does ndoto zangu work grammatically? Why zangu, not yangu?

Ndoto zangu means my dreams.

ndoto – dream / dreams (it’s class 9/10; same form for singular and plural)
zangu – my (agreeing with class 10 plural)

Possessive adjectives in Swahili must agree with the noun class:

Class 9 singular (ndoto as 9): ndoto yangu – my dream
Class 10 plural (ndoto as 10): ndoto zangu – my dreams

So:

yangu – my (for class 9 singular, e.g. ndoto yangu, nguo yangu)
zangu – my (for class 10 plural, e.g. ndoto zangu, nguo zangu)

Because the sentence talks about multiple dreams, zangu is correct.

Can ndoto be singular as well? How would I say “my dream” (just one)?

Yes, ndoto can be singular or plural, just like “sheep” in English. Context and agreement tell you which:

ndoto yangu – my dream (singular; possessive yangu = class 9)
ndoto zangu – my dreams (plural; possessive zangu = class 10)

Other clues (like verbs or numbers) can also show singular vs plural:

Ndoto hii ni ya ajabu. – This dream is strange. (singular)
Ndoto hizi ni za ajabu. – These dreams are strange. (plural)

What does shajara mean, and is it the same as “diary” or “journal”?

Shajara means journal / diary.

Nuances and alternatives:

shajara – journal, diary (a personal record, often daily)
daftari – exercise book, notebook (more general; can be used for many purposes)
dayari / dairi (loan from “diary”) – sometimes used for diary, but shajara is more standard.

In your sentence, shajara matches English journal / diary well, i.e. where you write your thoughts, dreams, etc.

Why is katika used with shajara here? Could I say kwenye shajara instead?

Yes, you can say kwenye shajara; it’s also correct.

kuandika ndoto zangu katika shajara – to write my dreams in the journal
kuandika ndoto zangu kwenye shajara – to write my dreams in the journal

Katika can sound a bit more formal or neutral, and is very common in written language (books, news, instructions). Kwenye is extremely common in spoken Swahili and is slightly more conversational.

In this sentence, the choice is stylistic; the meaning is the same.

Is the comma after chakula cha jioni necessary in Swahili, and is this word order (time first) typical?

Yes, this word order is very typical in Swahili, and the comma is normal but not absolutely required.

Baada ya chakula cha jioni, mimi hukaa…
– Time expression at the beginning, then a comma, then the main clause.

You’ll also see:

Mimi hukaa kwenye kochi baada ya chakula cha jioni.

Putting the time phrase first is very common and often sounds natural in Swahili, especially in written form. The comma simply helps readability, much like in English; some texts might omit it, but including it is standard and clear.