Learn Hardcore Swahili: Wewe unapenda kitabu gani?

Emphasis: Wewe unapenda kitabu gani? = And you, which book do you like? / Which book do *you like (as opposed to others)?*
Clarity in longer conversations or when contrasting people.

In a neutral context, Unapenda kitabu gani? is perfectly correct and common.

How is the verb unapenda formed, and what does each part mean?

Unapenda breaks down like this:

u- = subject marker for you (singular)
-na- = present tense marker (current/habitual action)
pend = verb root meaning like / love
-a = final vowel (required in standard verb forms)

So u + na + pend + a → unapenda = you like / you love / you are liking (context decides the best English translation).

What tense or aspect is expressed by -na- in unapenda?

The -na- marker usually expresses:

Present habitual: Unapenda vitabu = You like books (in general)
Present progressive/current: Unasoma kitabu = You are reading a book (right now)

In many everyday sentences, -na- just corresponds to English present simple or present continuous, depending on context. In Wewe unapenda kitabu gani?, it is best understood as Which book do you like?

Why is it unapenda and not wapenda for you like?

Because Swahili uses different subject markers for you (singular) and they:

u- = you (singular) → unapenda = you like
wa- = they → wanapenda = they like

So wapenda would be incorrect for you like; it would suggest they like (though the complete form is wanapenda, with -na-).

What does gani mean, and why does it come after kitabu?

Gani generally means which / what kind of / what.

With nouns, gani comes after the noun it describes:

kitabu gani = which book / what (kind of) book
chakula gani = what food
mji gani = which town

So Wewe unapenda kitabu gani? literally follows the order you like book which?, which is normal word order for which/what questions in Swahili.

Can I say gani kitabu instead of kitabu gani?

No. Gani must follow the noun it modifies. The correct order is always:

noun + gani

So:

✅ kitabu gani = correct
❌ gani kitabu = incorrect

Does kitabu gani mean which book or what kind of book?

It can mean both, depending on context and intonation:

which book (a specific one among known options)
- Wewe unapenda kitabu gani? = Which book (on this shelf / that we mentioned) do you like?
what kind of book (type/genre)
- Wewe unapenda vitabu gani? (plural often sounds more like type) = What kind of books do you like? (e.g. novels, history, science)

If the context is “choosing from a few books in front of you”, it sounds like which book.
If the context is “talking about preferences in general”, it can feel like what kind of book(s).

What is the difference between kitabu gani and vitabu gani?

It’s singular vs plural:

kitabu gani = which book / what kind of book (one book)
vitabu gani = which books / what kind of books (more than one book)

Example:

Unapenda kitabu gani? = Which book do you like?
Unapenda vitabu gani? = Which books / What kind of books do you like?

Kitabu and vitabu are noun class 7/8 (singular/plural pair).

Why doesn’t the Swahili sentence use a word like do, as in Which book do you like?

Swahili doesn’t need an extra helper verb like do to form questions.
The question is shown by:

The question word (gani in this case)
Intonation (rising at the end when spoken)
Question mark in writing

So the structure is much simpler:

English: Which book do you like?
Swahili: Wewe unapenda kitabu gani? (literally: you like book which?)

Could unapenda mean love as well as like?

Yes. Penda covers both like and love, depending on context and how strong you want the feeling to be.

Examples:

Ninapenda kitabu hiki. = I like / love this book.
Ninakupenda. = I love you.

In everyday speech about books, food, music, etc., penda often just means like. If you really want to stress romantic or strong love, people may add context or say something like nakupenda sana (I love you very much).