Learn Hardcore Swahili: Ingawa tuna dini tofauti, tunaheshimiana na kusali kwa amani kila mmoja kwake. - Although we have different religions, we respect each other and pray in peace each in their own way.

Ingawa tuna dini tofauti, tunaheshimiana na kusali kwa amani kila mmoja kwake.

Although we have different religions, we respect each other and pray in peace each in their own way.

Breakdown of Ingawa tuna dini tofauti, tunaheshimiana na kusali kwa amani kila mmoja kwake.

to respect each other

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Questions & Answers about Ingawa tuna dini tofauti, tunaheshimiana na kusali kwa amani kila mmoja kwake.

What does Ingawa mean, and where can it appear in a sentence?

Ingawa means “although / even though”.
It introduces a contrast between two clauses, just like English although.

It can appear:

At the beginning of the sentence: Ingawa tuna dini tofauti, tunaheshimiana…
Or in the middle: Tunaheshimiana ingawa tuna dini tofauti.

The meaning is the same; starting with Ingawa just emphasizes the contrast a bit more.

How is tuna formed, and what exactly does it mean here?

Tuna is tu- (subject prefix “we”) + -na (present tense marker) + an implied verb kuwa na (“to have”).
So tuna here means “we have”: tuna dini tofauti = we have different religions.

You might also see tunayo dini in some contexts, which emphasizes “we do have a religion”, but the neutral, normal form is tuna dini.

Why is it dini tofauti and not tofauti dini? Does the adjective always come after the noun?

In Swahili, descriptive words like tofauti (“different”) usually come after the noun they describe.
So you say dini tofauti literally “religions different”, which means “different religions”.

This pattern is very common:

mtu mzuri – a good person
vitabu vipya – new books
dini tofauti – different religions

What is going on inside the word tunaheshimiana?

Tunaheshimiana breaks down like this:

tu- = “we” (subject prefix)
-na- = present tense
heshimi- = root from kuheshimu (“to respect”)
-ana = reciprocal suffix (“each other”)

So tunaheshimiana means “we respect each other” (mutual respect, not just one-sided).

What is the difference between tunaheshimiana and tunawaheshimu?

Tunaheshimiana = “we respect each other” – the -ana tells you the action is mutual.
Tunawaheshimu = “we respect them” – here wa- is an object marker meaning “them”, and there is no mutual idea.

So:

Tunaheshimiana – group A and group B both respect each other.
Tunawaheshimu – we respect some other group, but they might not respect us.

Why do we have … tunaheshimiana na kusali… instead of … tunaheshimiana na tunasali…?

Swahili often avoids repeating the subject and tense when two actions share the same subject.
So instead of tunaheshimiana na tunasali, it is natural to say:

tunaheshimiana na kusali

Here kusali is the infinitive (“to pray”), but in this coordination it is understood as:

we respect each other *and (we) pray…*

Both forms are grammatically possible, but na kusali is shorter and very common in speech and writing.

What does kusali mean, and how is it different from kuomba?

Both can relate to “praying,” but they’re used a bit differently:

kusali – to pray in a religious service or formal act of worship (e.g., in a church, mosque, with set prayers).
kuomba – to ask / request / beg, including praying: kuomba kwa Mungu = to pray (ask) God.

So in a religious context:

kusali = to perform prayer / worship
kuomba = to ask or pray for something (often more personal or specific)

What does kwa amani mean, and how does kwa work here?

Kwa amani literally means “with peace / in peace / peacefully.”
The preposition kwa often marks manner, similar to English “with” or “in a … way.”

Some common patterns:

kuongea kwa utaratibu – to speak in an orderly way
kuishi kwa furaha – to live happily
kusali kwa amani – to pray in peace / peacefully

What exactly does kila mmoja mean?

Kila means “each / every”, and mmoja means “one (person)” in this context.
Together, kila mmoja = “each one / each person / everyone (individually)”.

Compare:

kila mtu – each person / everybody
kila mmoja – each one (often when the group is already known or obvious)

Why is it kila mmoja kwake and not kila mmoja wake?

Kwake is kwa (“to/at/with”) + -ke (“him/her”), so it means “to/with/at him/her”.
In this sentence, kila mmoja kwake is an idiomatic, slightly elliptical way of saying “each (one) to his or her own (God/religion/place of worship).”

If you said kila mmoja wake, that would mean “each one his/hers,” but you’d still be missing the idea of direction or orientation (“to/at”) that kwa provides. Kwake nicely captures the idea of “each one to his/her own (way/place of worship).”

How should I understand the overall structure of the sentence?

The sentence splits naturally into two parts:

Ingawa tuna dini tofauti,
– Although we have different religions,
tunaheshimiana na kusali kwa amani kila mmoja kwake.
– we respect each other and pray in peace, each (person) to his/her own (way/God/religion).

So the pattern is: [concession/although clause] + [main clause showing the positive outcome].

Is the politeness or tone of this sentence formal, informal, or neutral?

The sentence is neutral to slightly formal.
Words like tunaheshimiana, kusali, and kwa amani are standard and polite, suitable for:

conversations about religion or society
writing (essays, articles)
respectful dialogue

It’s not slangy or overly casual, and it is completely appropriate in polite conversation.