Breakdown of Nilipokuwa mdogo, nilicheza sana na dada yangu.
Questions & Answers about Nilipokuwa mdogo, nilicheza sana na dada yangu.
Nilipokuwa means when I was.
It is made of several parts stuck together:
- ni- = I (1st person singular subject prefix)
- -li- = past tense
- -po- = a marker meaning when/while/at the time (that) (also used for some “where” meanings)
- -kuwa = verb to be
So ni-li-po-kuwa = when I was.
That is why the whole clause nilipokuwa mdogo means when I was young / when I was little.
- Nilikuwa mdogo = I was young / I was small (a simple past statement).
- Nilipokuwa mdogo = when I was young / when I was small (it introduces a time clause).
The extra element -po- in nilipokuwa turns it into something like when I was, linking it to another action (nilicheza sana...).
So:
Nilikuwa mdogo. Nilicheza sana na dada yangu.
= I was young. I played a lot with my sister. (Two separate sentences.)Nilipokuwa mdogo, nilicheza sana na dada yangu.
= When I was young, I played a lot with my sister. (One complex sentence.)
Both nilipokuwa and nilicheza use the simple past marker -li-.
- nilipokuwa mdogo – when I was little
- nilicheza sana – I played a lot
In Swahili, the simple past can cover repeated or habitual actions in the past, especially when the context makes that clear.
So Nilipokuwa mdogo, nilicheza sana na dada yangu is usually understood as:
- When I was little, I used to play a lot with my sister.
If you really want to emphasize “used to / was always playing”, you can also say:
- Nilipokuwa mdogo, nilikuwa nacheza sana na dada yangu.
(literally: When I was little, I was playing / used to play a lot with my sister.)
Yes. Both word orders are possible:
- Nilipokuwa mdogo, nilicheza sana na dada yangu.
- Nilicheza sana na dada yangu nilipokuwa mdogo.
They mean the same thing: When I was little, I played a lot with my sister.
Putting nilipokuwa mdogo first slightly emphasizes the time period; putting it at the end sounds a bit more like an afterthought, but both are natural.
Sana means very / a lot / very much.
Here it modifies the verb nilicheza (I played), so it comes after the verb phrase:
- nilicheza sana = I played a lot
General patterns:
- After a verb:
- nimechoka sana = I’m very tired
- anakupenda sana = he/she loves you very much
- After an adjective:
- mdogo sana = very small / very young
- mrefu sana = very tall
You generally do not put sana before the verb or adjective in Swahili.
In nilicheza sana na dada yangu, na means with, not and.
So:
- nilicheza sana na dada yangu
= I played a lot with my sister.
Na can mean both and and with, depending on context:
- mama na baba = mother and father
- ninaenda na rafiki yangu = I am going with my friend
Here, because it follows a verb (nilicheza) and comes before a person, it is understood as “with”.
Literally, dada most often means older sister, but in everyday use many people also use it as a general word for sister.
If you want to be very clear:
- dada yangu mkubwa = my older sister
- dada yangu mdogo = my younger sister
In this sentence, dada yangu is naturally understood as my sister, without strongly specifying older or younger unless context suggests it.
Dada belongs to the N‑class of nouns (like rafiki, mama, shule).
For possessives, N‑class usually takes -yangu for my:
- rafiki yangu – my friend
- shule yangu – my school
- dada yangu – my sister
You will sometimes hear dada wangu in colloquial speech, influenced by the fact that dada refers to a person (and people often belong to the m‑/wa‑ class, which uses -wangu). However, in standard grammar, dada yangu is the more regular and widely taught form.
Mdogo means small or young.
Here, nilipokuwa mdogo literally means when I was small, and by extension when I was young / when I was little.
Adjectives generally come after the noun (or after a linking verb like kuwa):
- mtoto mdogo = a small / young child
- mji mkubwa = a big city
- nilikuwa mgonjwa = I was sick
So nilipokuwa mdogo is literally when I was small/young.
The comma is a matter of writing style, not grammar.
You will see both:
- Nilipokuwa mdogo, nilicheza sana na dada yangu.
- Nilipokuwa mdogo nilicheza sana na dada yangu.
In Swahili, many writers omit commas more often than in English. Including the comma just makes it a bit clearer where the time clause ends, but the sentence is grammatical with or without it.
You can say:
- Wakati nilipokuwa mdogo, nilicheza sana na dada yangu.
This is not wrong, but it is a bit heavier, because:
- wakati = time / the time when
- nilipokuwa already contains -po-, which has a when/while/at the time meaning.
So wakati nilipokuwa mdogo is somewhat like at the time when I was little. Many speakers are perfectly comfortable with it, but Nilipokuwa mdogo, ... is shorter and completely natural.
Yes, in Swahili each finite verb usually carries its own subject prefix, even if it is the same subject in both clauses:
- Nilipokuwa mdogo, nilicheza sana...
(both verbs have ni-)
You cannot normally drop the second ni-:
- ✗ Nilipokuwa mdogo, licheza sana na dada yangu. (incorrect)
Swahili does not rely on separate subject pronouns (like I, you, he) the way English does; instead, the subject is built into each verb form.
Both are correct but have a slightly different aspect feel:
Nilipokuwa mdogo, nilicheza sana na dada yangu.
– Simple past; often understood as a general fact about that time:
When I was little, I played a lot with my sister / I used to play a lot with my sister.Nilipokuwa mdogo, nilikuwa nacheza sana na dada yangu.
– Past continuous / habitual; emphasizes an ongoing or repeated pattern:
When I was little, I was (always) playing / used to be playing a lot with my sister.
In everyday conversation, the first, shorter version is very common and usually enough to convey the idea of a past habit.