Learn Hardcore Swahili: Mimi ninapenda wimbo ule ule kila asubuhi.

Emphasis or contrast: Mimi ninapenda wimbo ule ule... → I (as opposed to others) like that same song...
Clarity in longer contexts where several people are being talked about.

You can also say perfectly naturally:

Ninapenda wimbo ule ule kila asubuhi.

Can I say Napenda wimbo ule ule kila asubuhi instead of Ninapenda? Is there any difference?

Yes, you will hear both ninapenda and napenda, and they mean the same thing: I like.

Technically the full form is:

ni-na-penda → ninapenda

In fast or informal speech, the i in ni often disappears, giving:

napenda

In writing and in formal Swahili, ninapenda is safer and more standard, but everyday conversation often uses napenda. The meaning does not change.

What exactly does ninapenda express in terms of tense – is it I like or I am liking?

The tense marker -na- generally marks present tense, and in real Swahili it covers both:

Simple present: I like / I love
Present progressive: I am liking / I am loving (for actions that can be in progress)

With a verb like penda (to like / to love), ninapenda is usually understood as a general state or habit, so here it is best read as I like that same song every morning.

For explicitly habitual meaning, Swahili also has the habitual marker hu-:

Mimi hupenda wimbo ule ule kila asubuhi. → I (usually/always) like that same song every morning.

But in everyday speech, -na- is very commonly used for habitual actions too.

Why is wimbo used here and not nyimbo?

Because the sentence talks about one specific song, not multiple songs.

wimbo = song (singular)
nyimbo = songs (plural)

So:

Mimi ninapenda wimbo ule ule kila asubuhi. → I like that same song every morning.
Mimi ninapenda nyimbo zile zile kila asubuhi. → I like those same songs every morning.

What does repeating ule (making ule ule) add to the meaning?

The repetition of the demonstrative ule adds the idea of “the same one” or “that very one”.

wimbo ule → that song (specific, but no emphasis on sameness)
wimbo ule ule → that same song / that exact same song

So ule ule implies it is not just any song that happens to be that one over there, but the same particular song each time.

Could I just say wimbo ule without repeating ule? Would the meaning change?

Yes, you can say wimbo ule, and it is grammatically correct, but the nuance changes:

wimbo ule → that song (a specific song, perhaps already known in the context)
wimbo ule ule → that same song (emphasizes that it is the same one every time)

In your sentence, ule ule nicely matches kila asubuhi (every morning), highlighting the idea of the same song over and over.

Why is the demonstrative ule and not yule?

Ule and yule are both demonstratives meaning roughly that, but they belong to different noun classes:

yule is for people, noun class 1 (e.g. mtu yule – that person).
ule is for certain non-human noun classes, including the class of wimbo.

wimbo (song) does not refer to a person, so it uses ule:

wimbo ule – that song
not
wimbo yule (incorrect)

Does kila change form to agree with the noun, like adjectives do?

No. Kila is invariable; it does not change with noun class, and it is always followed by a singular noun.

Examples:

kila asubuhi – every morning
kila mtu – every person
kila siku – every day

You do not make kila plural or change its shape; agreement happens only in that the noun after it stays singular.

Where can kila asubuhi go in the sentence? Is the word order flexible?

Time expressions like kila asubuhi are quite flexible. Common options include:

Kila asubuhi mimi ninapenda wimbo ule ule.
Mimi ninapenda wimbo ule ule kila asubuhi.

Both are natural.

What is less common/natural is putting kila asubuhi between the verb and its object, like:

✗ Mimi ninapenda kila asubuhi wimbo ule ule.

So think of it as: [Time] [Subject] [Verb] [Object] or [Subject] [Verb] [Object] [Time].

Could I say Mimi hupenda wimbo ule ule kila asubuhi instead? What is the difference between ninapenda and hupenda?

Yes, Mimi hupenda wimbo ule ule kila asubuhi is correct, but it uses a different tense/aspect:

ninapenda → present (-na-): general present, often used for both ongoing and habitual actions.
hupenda → habitual (hu-): emphasizes that something normally / usually / always happens.

So:

Mimi ninapenda wimbo ule ule kila asubuhi.
→ Neutral present: I like that same song every morning.
Mimi hupenda wimbo ule ule kila asubuhi.
→ Stronger habitual: I usually/always like that same song every morning.

Note that with hu-, you do not use a subject prefix:

hupenda, not nihupenda.

Do I ever need an object marker here, like naupenda wimbo ule ule?

In neutral sentences where the object is a full noun that directly follows the verb, Swahili normally does not use an object marker:

Ninapenda wimbo ule ule. (normal)

Object markers are more typical when:

The object has already been mentioned and is now being referred to by a kind of pronoun inside the verb.
The object is fronted/topicalized, or for emphasis.

For example, in a context where the song is already known, you might hear:

Naupenda sana wimbo ule ule. → I really like that same song.

But for a basic learning sentence like yours, it is better to stick with Ninapenda wimbo ule ule without the object marker.

Is it okay to write uleule as one word instead of ule ule?

You may occasionally see uleule written together, but the more standard and clearer form is to write the words separately:

ule ule

Writing them separately helps learners see that it is the demonstrative ule being repeated for the meaning that same (one).