Learn Hardcore Swahili: Nilipokuwa nyumbani, nilisoma kitabu changu.

-po- = when/where (at a specific time or place)
- Nilipofika = When I arrived (that particular time)
-ki- = when/whenever/while (during an ongoing situation)
- Nilipokuwa nyumbani, nilisoma = When I was (on that occasion) at home, I read…
- Nilipokuwa could often be Nilipokuwa? Wait—better:
- Nilipokuwa nyumbani (with -po-) often sounds like one specific event.
- Nilipokuwa nyumbani, nilisoma is standard, but if you used -ki-:
  - Nilipokuwa vs Nilipokuwa is confusing here; the form would be nilipokuwa with -po-, and nilipokuwa with -ki- doesn't exist: the -ki- form would be nilipokuwa?
    Actually correct contrast:
nilipokuwa (with -po-) vs nilipokuwa (with -ki-) is unclear to write. So instead compare:
- Nilipokuwa nyumbani, nilisoma… (with -po-) = once/that time when I was home
- Nilipokuwa nyumbani, nilisoma… with -ki- would be Nilipokuwa nyumbani, nilisoma…?

To avoid confusion: more typical example:

Nilipofika nyumbani, nilisoma = When I (once) arrived home, I read…
Nilipofika nyumbani, nilisoma (with -ki-, i.e. nilipofika) = While I was arriving / as I’d arrive (whenever), I’d read…

In practice, learners mainly need:

Use -po- for when (that time that …) in simple past stories.
You’ll see -ki- more with a while/whenever idea, or in habitual actions.

Why is there no separate word for at in nyumbani? How does nyumbani mean at home?

Swahili often uses a locative ending instead of a separate preposition like at, in, on.

Base noun: nyumba = house
Add -ni locative: nyumbani = in/at the house, and commonly home

So nyumbani itself already contains the idea of at or in.
That’s why the sentence has:

Nilipokuwa nyumbani = When I was at home

You don’t say kwa nyumbani or katika nyumbani here; nyumbani alone is enough and natural.

Could I say Nilikuwa nyumbani, nilisoma kitabu changu instead of Nilipokuwa nyumbani, …? What’s the difference?

You can say Nilikuwa nyumbani, nilisoma kitabu changu, and it will be understood, but it sounds less smooth and slightly less clearly linked.

Nilikuwa nyumbani = I was at home
Nilipokuwa nyumbani = When I was at home

Using -po- makes the first clause explicitly a time clause (“when …”), so the relationship between the two actions is tighter and more natural in storytelling.

So:

Nilipokuwa nyumbani, nilisoma kitabu changu.
→ Perfect, clearly “When I was home, I read my book.”
Nilikuwa nyumbani, nilisoma kitabu changu.
→ Sounds more like two separate statements: “I was home, I read my book.”

Why is past tense -li- used in both verbs (nilipokuwa, nilisoma) even though one describes the background time?

Swahili generally uses the same tense for both clauses when they happen in the same general time frame, especially in past narratives.

Nilipokuwa nyumbani → when I was at home (past)
nilisoma kitabu changu → I read my book (past)

English sometimes mixes tenses to show background vs main action (When I was at home, I was reading / I read / I used to read…), but Swahili doesn’t need to switch tenses for that nuance. The context and verb choices carry the meaning, not a change of tense.

What exactly does nilisoma mean? Is it I read, I was reading, or I studied?

Nilisoma is:

ni- = I
-li- = past
-soma = read / study / learn

So nilisoma can mean:

I read (a specific completed action)
I studied (if the object is something like Kiswahili, sayansi, etc.)

Swahili -soma covers to read and to study. The exact English translation depends on the object and context:

Nilisoma kitabu changu. → usually I read my book.
Nilisoma Kiswahili. → typically I studied Swahili.

For I was reading my book (continuous), context often suffices, but you can clarify with extra words if needed, e.g.:

Nilikuwa nasoma kitabu changu. = I was reading my book.

Why does my come after the noun (kitabu changu) instead of before it like in English?

In Swahili, possessive adjectives (my, your, his, etc.) usually follow the noun, not precede it.

Pattern:

noun + possessive

So:

kitabu = book
changu = my (agreeing with the noun’s class)
kitabu changu = my book

Similarly:

rafiki yangu = my friend
nyumba yetu = our house

English: my book
Swahili: kitabu changu

Why is it changu and not yangu in kitabu changu?

The form of “my” in Swahili changes to match the noun class of the word it describes.

kitabu is a class 7 noun (plural vitabu, class 8).
The class 7/8 possessive prefix is ch-/vy- before -angu (my), -ako (your), etc.

So:

kitabu changu = my book
vitabu vyangu = my books

Compare with other classes:

nyumba yangu (class 9/10) = my house
mtoto wangu (class 1/2) = my child

So changu is the correct agreement for kitabu. Yangu would be wrong here.

Is the comma between Nilipokuwa nyumbani and nilisoma kitabu changu required in Swahili?

Swahili punctuation follows similar conventions to English but is a bit more flexible in everyday writing.

Recommended: Use the comma, especially when the time clause comes first:
- Nilipokuwa nyumbani, nilisoma kitabu changu.
If you put the time clause second, you can often skip the comma:
- Nilisoma kitabu changu nilipokuwa nyumbani.

So the comma is not a strict grammar rule, but it’s good style and helps readability when the subordinate clause comes first.

Can I change the word order to Nilisoma kitabu changu nilipokuwa nyumbani? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, that order is perfectly natural:

Nilisoma kitabu changu nilipokuwa nyumbani.

Meaning:

I read my book when I was at home.

The meaning is essentially the same as:

Nilipokuwa nyumbani, nilisoma kitabu changu.

Differences:

Putting the time clause first emphasizes the setting/time:
- When I was at home, I read my book.
Putting the main action first emphasizes what you did:
- I read my book when I was at home.

Both are correct; it’s mainly a matter of emphasis and style.

How would I say whenever I was at home, I (would) read my book or while I was at home, I used to read my book?

To add a habitual or repeated meaning, Swahili commonly uses hu- or present tense:

Whenever / usually when I’m at home…

Nikiwa nyumbani, husoma kitabu changu.
→ When(ever) I am at home, I (usually) read my book.

Here:

Nikiwa = when I am / when I’m being
hu- in husoma often marks habit (tend to / usually).

In the past, as a habit:

Nilipokuwa nyumbani, nilikuwa nasoma kitabu changu.
→ When I was at home, I used to be reading my book. / I would be reading my book.

Or you can rely on context and just say:

Nilipokuwa nyumbani, nilisoma kitabu changu kila siku.
→ When I was at home, I read my book every day. (clearly habitual from kila siku = every day)

Do I need an object marker like -ki- in the verb, e.g. nilikisoma kitabu changu for I read it, my book?

In this sentence, an object marker is not needed and would usually be avoided:

Nilisoma kitabu changu. = I read my book. (normal, natural)

Adding an object marker:

Nilikisoma kitabu changu.

This can sound like extra emphasis: I read it, that book of mine, or can feel a bit redundant or marked. In Swahili:

You use an object marker mainly when:
- The object is already known/mentioned and you’re referring back to it (I read it), or
- For emphasis or with certain verb patterns.

If you explicitly mention kitabu changu right there, you generally keep the verb without an object marker:

Nilikisoma. = I read it (the book). (object understood from context)
Nilisoma kitabu changu. = I read my book. (no object marker)

How would the sentence look if the subjects were different, e.g. When she was at home, I read my book?

You simply change the subject prefixes in each clause:

alipokuwa nyumbani = when she/he was at home
- a- = she/he
- -li- = past
- -po- = when
- kuwa = to be

So the full sentence:

Alipokuwa nyumbani, nilisoma kitabu changu.
→ When she/he was at home, I read my book.

Each verb keeps its own subject prefix, even inside the same sentence.