Learn Hardcore Swahili: Ninyi huchelewa darasani mara chache, lakini leo mmewahi sana. - You plural are rarely late to class, but today you have arrived very early.

In Ninyi huchelewa darasani…, it adds emphasis: You (people) are the ones who are rarely late.
Grammatically, it is not required. You could also say:
- Huchelewa darasani mara chache, lakini leo mmewahi sana.

In most normal conversations, speakers often drop ninyi unless they want to stress the subject (for contrast, emphasis, or clarity).

Why is it huchelewa and not mnachelewa?

Huchelewa here uses the hu- habitual tense marker, which expresses a general habit or repeated action.

Ninyi huchelewa darasani = You (plural) are late to class (as a habit / in general / usually).
Mnachelewa darasani would mean you are being late (now / these days) in the continuous present, not the neutral habitual.

Key points:

In the hu- habitual, the verb does not take a subject prefix:
- (Ninyi) huchelewa
- (Mimi) hulala mapema – I usually sleep early.
The subject can be stated separately (like ninyi) or understood from context.

So huchelewa here is chosen to express a general tendency, not a current ongoing situation.

Is huchelewa negative, like you do not come late?

No, huchelewa in this sentence is not negative.

Swahili has two different hu elements that learners often confuse:

Habitual hu- (what you see here):
- Appears before the verb stem, no subject prefix:
  - huchelewa – (someone) is usually late
  - hula – (someone) usually eats
- The final vowel is -a, like a normal positive verb.
Negative 2nd person singular hu- (present tense):
- Attached as a subject prefix and followed by a final -i:
  - huchelewi – you (singular) are not late
  - huli – you (singular) do not eat

So:

huchelewa (final -a) = habitual, positive.
huchelewi (final -i) = you (sing.) are not late, negative.

In the sentence given, huchelewa is clearly the habitual positive form.

What does darasani literally mean, and why not just darasa?

Darasa means class / classroom.

The ending -ni is a locative suffix meaning in / at / on. So:

darasa = a class / classroom
darasani = in class / in the classroom / during class

Swahili often uses -ni instead of a separate preposition like in or at:

nyumba → nyumbani – at home
shule → shuleni – at school
kanisa → kanisani – in / at church

So huchelewa darasani = you are late (when you are) in class / to class.

How does mara chache express rarely?

Literally:

mara = time / occasion
chache = few

So mara chache = few times, which naturally becomes rarely / not often in English.

Other frequency expressions work similarly:

mara nyingi – many times → often
mara kwa mara – from time to time, repeatedly
mara moja – one time, once

In this sentence, mara chache modifies huchelewa:

Ninyi huchelewa darasani mara chache
→ You are late to class a few times / rarely.

Where can mara chache go in the sentence? Is its position fixed?

Its position is fairly flexible, though the given order is very natural.

You can say:

Ninyi huchelewa darasani mara chache… (as given)
Ninyi mara chache huchelewa darasani… (slight emphasis on rarely)
Mara chache ninyi huchelewa darasani… (stronger stylistic / contrastive emphasis)

All are understandable. The most neutral-sounding for everyday speech is probably the original:

Ninyi huchelewa darasani mara chache…

Moving mara chache earlier in the sentence tends to put more focus on the rarity of the lateness.

What does mmewahi mean, and why does it use -me-?

Mmewahi breaks down as:

m- = subject prefix you (plural)
-me- = perfect aspect (completed action with present relevance)
-wahi = verb to be in time / be early / manage to do something in time

So mmewahi literally means you (pl.) have been early / have managed in time, which in context is naturally interpreted as you came early / you arrived very early (this time).

The -me- perfect is used because:

The action (coming early) is already completed.
Its result is relevant now (we are talking about the situation today).

Compare:

mlikwahi – you (pl.) were early (at some specific time in the past)
mnawahi – you (pl.) are being early / you are managing to be on time (ongoing / more immediate)

What is the nuance of the verb -wahi compared with just saying kuja mapema?

Both can describe being early, but with slightly different flavors:

kufika / kuja mapema – to arrive / come early
- Focuses on the time of arrival itself.
- Mlifika mapema – you arrived early.
-wahi – to be in time, be early enough, manage to do something before it is too late
- Has a nuance of succeeding in being on time or not missing something.
- Mmewahi sana – you were very much in time / you really made it early.

In everyday talk, mmewahi here can be understood quite close to mmekuja mapema, but -wahi subtly emphasizes the good timing / success at being early.

Why is it mmewahi and not memewahi or something else?

The initial mm- comes from combining:

m- (2nd person plural subject prefix)
-me- (perfect aspect marker)

In speech and writing they appear together as mme- before vowel-initial verbs:

mmefika – you (pl.) have arrived
mmekula – you (pl.) have eaten
mmewahi – you (pl.) have been early / have managed in time

It is not memewahi because the pattern is subject prefix + -me- + verb, not the other way around.

What does sana add to mmewahi, and where does it normally go?

Sana means very / a lot / very much.

Placed after mmewahi, it intensifies the idea of earliness:

mmewahi – you have been early
mmewahi sana – you have been very early / really early

Usual position:

It almost always comes after what it modifies:
- nzuri sana – very good
- anafurahi sana – he/she is very happy
- mmewahi sana – you have been very early

So here, sana is emphasizing just how early they were today.

Why is the first part habitual (huchelewa) but the second part perfect (mmewahi)? Could both parts use the same tense?

The two parts talk about different kinds of time:

Ninyi huchelewa darasani mara chache
- General habit / tendency (how things usually are)
- Habitual hu- tense is appropriate.
lakini leo mmewahi sana
- One specific occasion (today) that is already completed
- Perfect -me- is appropriate.

You could change tenses, but the meaning shifts:

Ninyi mnachelewa darasani mara chache, lakini leo mmewahi sana.
– Sounds more like you are (these days) late to class only occasionally, but today you were very early.
Ninyi huchelewa darasani mara chache, lakini leo mnawahi sana.
– Suggests right now / these days you are managing to be early, less focused on a single completed event.

The original combination (habitual + perfect) is the most natural match for general habit vs. specific event today.

What role does lakini play here, and can it start a sentence?

Lakini means but / however and is used to introduce contrast:

Ninyi huchelewa darasani mara chache, lakini leo mmewahi sana.
→ Usually you are (only rarely) late, but today you were very early.

Yes, lakini can also start a sentence:

Lakini leo mmewahi sana. – But today you were very early.

It behaves much like English but or however in this way.

Does ninyi always have to appear with its own verb form, or can I just rely on the prefix in mmewahi?

You do not always need both. Swahili normally only requires the verb prefix, and the independent pronoun is optional:

Mmewahi sana. – You (pl.) have been very early.
Ninyi mmewahi sana. – You have been very early. (extra emphasis on you)

In your sentence, we see both:

Ninyi huchelewa… lakini leo mmewahi sana.

This is fine because:

ninyi emphasizes the subject in the general statement.
The second clause already has the subject built into mme-, so repeating ninyi is not required unless you want extra emphasis or contrast (for example, ninyi vs. someone else).

So you can rely on the verb prefix alone when context is clear.