Learn Hardcore Swahili: Kaka huvaa shati la mikono mirefu kazini, lakini nyumbani huvaa fulana tu. - Brother wears a long-sleeved shirt at work, but at home he wears only a T-shirt.

Huvaa is the habitual form of the verb kuvaa (to wear/put on). It describes what someone normally / usually / as a rule wears, not what they are wearing right now.

Kaka huvaa shati…
= My/older brother usually wears a shirt…

Compare:

Kaka anavaa shati sasa.
= My brother is putting on / is wearing a shirt now. (current action or current situation)
Kaka huvaa shati kazini.
= My brother (as a habit) wears a shirt at work.

So hu- marks a general habit or typical behavior, closer to English “(he) usually / always wears” or the simple present “(he) wears” when it describes routine.

Why doesn’t huvaa have a subject prefix like anavaa, ninavaa, etc.? Where did the a-, ni-, u- go?

In this special habitual construction with “hu-”, Swahili normally drops the subject prefix and uses hu- directly before the verb root:

Mimi hulala mapema. – I usually sleep early. (not ninulala)
Wewe hula nyama? – Do you usually eat meat?
Kaka huvaa shati… – Brother usually wears a shirt…

So:

Normal present: a-na-vaa → anavaa (he is/does wear)
Habitual: hu-vaa → huvaa (he usually wears)

The subject (who does it) is understood from the noun or pronoun outside the verb (here: kaka). If you really need a pronoun, you can say:

Yeye huvaa shati… – He usually wears a shirt…

Can I use anavaa instead of huvaa in this sentence?

You can, but it changes the meaning a bit.

Kaka huvaa shati la mikono mirefu kazini…
Emphasizes a general habit or rule: that’s the standard thing he wears to work.
Kaka anavaa shati la mikono mirefu kazini…
Could mean either:
- He is wearing such a shirt (right now) at work, or
- In some contexts, it can still mean a habit, but the habitual meaning is much clearer and more natural with huvaa.

For a learner, it’s good to remember:

hu- → “as a rule, usually”
-na- → “now / these days / currently” (present or present continuous, depending on context)

What exactly does kaka mean here? Is it just “brother”?

Kaka primarily means:

older brother (male sibling older than you)

In practice, depending on context, it can also be:

A general “brother / guy / young man” in some informal or respectful uses.
A way to address a young man politely (like “bro” or “sir,” depending on tone and region).

In a textbook-like sentence such as this one, you can safely understand it as “(my) older brother.”

How is the phrase shati la mikono mirefu put together grammatically?

Breakdown:

shati – a shirt (noun class 5)
la – connective meaning “of”, agreeing with class 5 (shati → la)
mikono – “hands/arms/sleeves,” plural of mkono
mirefu – plural form of mrefu (long), agreeing with the mi- class (mikono → mirefu)

Literally:

shati la mikono mirefu = a shirt of long arms/hands → idiomatically, “a long‑sleeved shirt.”

You can compare:

shati la mikono mifupi – short‑sleeved shirt
shati jeupe la mikono mirefu – a white long‑sleeved shirt

Could I say shati lenye mikono mirefu instead of shati la mikono mirefu?

Yes.

shati la mikono mirefu – a shirt of long sleeves
shati lenye mikono mirefu – a shirt having/with long sleeves

Both are correct and natural:

la
- noun = “of …”
lenye
- noun = “with / having …” (agrees with shati, class 5 → lenye)

There is a slight nuance:

la construction is more like a straightforward of-phrase.
lenye construction highlights possession / “having” the feature.

In everyday speech, both versions are completely fine.

What do kazini and nyumbani literally mean? Why the -ni ending?

Both kazini and nyumbani are locative forms (place forms) of nouns:

kazi – work → kazini – at work / at the workplace
nyumba – house → nyumbani – at home / in the house

The suffix -ni often marks location:

shuleni – at school (from shule)
kanisani – at church (from kanisa)
dukani – at the shop (from duka)

So:

… kazini → … at work
… nyumbani → … at home

What is fulana exactly? Is it a shirt, a T‑shirt, or an undershirt?

Fulana is a general word for a simple, light, close‑fitting top. Depending on region and context, it can refer to:

A T‑shirt
An undershirt / vest
A simple sleeveless or short‑sleeved top

In this sentence:

… lakini nyumbani huvaa fulana tu.
= … but at home he just wears a vest/T‑shirt.

The idea is “something much more casual and lighter than a proper shirt.”

What does tu mean in huvaa fulana tu? Why is it at the end?

Tu means “only / just / merely.”

huvaa fulana tu
= he wears only a vest / just a T‑shirt.

In Swahili, tu usually comes after the word it limits:

Kaka mmoja tu – only one brother
Ana shilingi mia tu. – He has only 100 shillings.
Ninakula wali tu. – I’m eating only rice.

So the placement:

fulana tu → “only a vest/T‑shirt.”

Why is the verb huvaa repeated? Could we say it only once?

Swahili normally repeats the verb in each clause for clarity and naturalness:

Kaka huvaa shati… kazini, lakini nyumbani huvaa fulana tu.

You could drop the second verb in very casual speech:

Kaka huvaa shati la mikono mirefu kazini, lakini nyumbani fulana tu.

…but the fully repeated form is:

clearer
more standard
and feels more complete, especially in writing or in careful speech.

So the repetition of huvaa is the most natural version.

What does lakini do in this sentence? Is it used like “but” in English?

Yes. Lakini means “but / however.” It introduces a contrast:

… kazini, lakini nyumbani …
= … at work, but at home …

Usage is very similar to English:

It can come between two clauses (as in this sentence).
It can also start a sentence:
Lakini kaka huvaa fulana tu nyumbani. – But my brother just wears a vest at home.

Is there any difference in politeness or style between saying kaka huvaa… and yeye huvaa…?

Yes:

kaka huvaa… – neutrally says “(my) older brother wears…”; very normal.
yeye huvaa… – he wears…; used when the person is already known in the context.

Stylistically:

Using the noun (kaka) is often clearer, especially when you first introduce the person.
Using yeye is more like repeating “he” after you’ve already mentioned him.

Neither is impolite; it’s just about clarity and flow.

Does this sentence mean “right now” or “in general”?

It means in general, as a habit:

Kaka huvaa shati… kazini, lakini nyumbani huvaa fulana tu.
= My brother usually wears a long‑sleeved shirt at work, but at home he (normally) wears only a vest/T‑shirt.

If you wanted to emphasize “right now, today”, you would more likely use anavaa:

Leo kaka anavaa shati la mikono mirefu kazini.
= Today my brother is wearing a long‑sleeved shirt at work.

How does the adjective mirefu agree with mikono?

Swahili adjectives change form to agree with the noun class and number of the noun they modify.

mkono mrefu – long arm/hand/sleeve (singular, m-/m- class)
mikono mirefu – long arms/hands/sleeves (plural, mi-/mi- class)

Pattern:

Singular (m-/m-): mrefu
Plural (mi-/mi-): mirefu

So in mikono mirefu, both the noun (mikono) and the adjective (mirefu) are in the mi- plural class.