Learn Hardcore Swahili: Jioni, mimi ninaomba sala nyumbani. - In the evening, I say a prayer at home.

So in context, jioni is best understood as “in the evening / in the evenings” depending on whether you mean a specific evening or a regular habit.

Is the comma after jioni necessary? How would I say this in normal speech?

The comma is not grammatically required; it just reflects a natural pause in speech.

You could write or say:

Jioni mimi ninaomba sala nyumbani.
Jioni, mimi ninaomba sala nyumbani.

Both are fine. In speech, you would typically pause slightly after jioni because it’s a time phrase placed at the beginning: “In the evening, I pray at home.”

Why do we have mimi if ninaomba already means “I pray”? Is mimi necessary?

You do not need mimi for the sentence to be grammatically correct. The subject prefix ni- in ninaomba already shows that the subject is “I”.

Ninaomba sala nyumbani. = “I pray at home.”
Mimi ninaomba sala nyumbani. = “I pray at home.” (with emphasis on I)

Using mimi adds emphasis or contrast, for example:

Mimi ninaomba sala nyumbani, lakini yeye anaomba kanisani.
“I pray at home, but he/she prays at church.”

So: mimi is optional and mostly used for emphasis or contrast.

How is ninaomba built up? What do the parts ni- and -na- mean?

Ninaomba breaks down like this:

ni- = 1st person singular subject prefix (“I”)
-na- = present tense marker (often “am ing / do ”)
-omba = verb root (“ask, beg, pray” depending on context)

So ni-na-omba literally encodes “I-PRES-ask/pray”, which we translate as “I am praying” or “I pray.”

What’s the difference between ninaomba, naomba, and huomba?

All three are related but used slightly differently:

ninaomba
- Full form: ni- + -na- + -omba
- Common, standard present tense.
- Can mean “I am praying” (right now) or “I pray” (present, general).
naomba
- In everyday speech, many people drop the subject prefix ni- and say naomba.
- Still understood as “I pray” / “I ask” from context.
- Also very common in requests: Naomba maji. = “I’d like some water / I request water.”
huomba
- Uses hu-, the habitual marker.
- Means “(someone) usually prays / prays (as a habit)”.
- With a subject pronoun for clarity:
  Mimi huomba sala jioni. = “I usually pray in the evening” / “I pray in the evenings.”

In your sentence, ninaomba is a good neutral choice for present time, and often also implies a habit from context.

Does -omba always mean “to pray,” or can it mean other things?

-omba is a general verb meaning:

to ask for, to request
to beg
and, in religious contexts, to pray

The meaning depends on what comes after it:

Kuomba pesa = to ask for money / to beg for money
Kuomba ruhusa = to ask for permission
Kuomba sala = to say/pray a prayer

So -omba by itself is not specifically “to pray”; it becomes “to pray” when used with sala (or maombi) or in a clear religious context.

Why is sala added after ninaomba? Can I just say ninaomba nyumbani?

You can say Ninaomba nyumbani, and in the right context it can still mean “I pray at home.” But it can also be understood as:

“I ask (for something) at home.”
“I beg at home.”

Adding sala makes the meaning explicit:

kuomba sala = “to pray / to say prayers”

So:

Ninaomba sala nyumbani. = “I pray (say prayers) at home.”

In many contexts, especially religious ones, people use kuomba alone to mean “to pray,” but kuomba sala is a very clear, unambiguous expression.

What exactly does sala mean? How is it different from maombi?

Both words relate to prayer, but there is a nuance:

sala
- Often used for formal, set prayers (e.g. fixed religious prayers).
- Can refer to a prayer as a specific act or formula.
- Example: sala ya jioni = evening prayer.
maombi
- Literally the plural of ombi (“request”), but commonly used as a mass noun: “prayer(s)”.
- Often used for general praying, prayer requests, or times of prayer.
- Example: Tuna maombi kesho. = “We have prayer / a prayer meeting tomorrow.”

In your sentence, sala highlights the act of saying prayers. Using maombi would also be understandable: Ninaomba maombi nyumbani, but kuomba sala is a very standard collocation.

How is nyumbani formed, and why does it mean “at home”?

Nyumbani comes from:

nyumba = house, home
-ni = locative suffix meaning roughly “in/at/to”

So:

nyumba = house
nyumbani = “in the house / at home / to home”

In practice, nyumbani often means:

“at home” or “to home”, depending on context:
- Niko nyumbani. = I am at home.
- Ninarudi nyumbani. = I am going back home.

So in your sentence, nyumbani naturally translates as “at home.”

If nyumbani means “at home,” do I still need a preposition like “at” or “in” in Swahili?

No. In Swahili, locative meanings like “at / in / to” are often expressed by:

adding -ni to a noun:
- shule → shuleni (“at school”)
- kanisa → kanisani (“at church”)
- nyumba → nyumbani (“at home / in the house”)

So you normally don’t add a separate preposition like “at” or “in.” The -ni already covers that meaning.

In your sentence, nyumbani on its own correctly means “at home.”

Can I change the word order, for example: Mimi ninaomba sala jioni nyumbani or Nyumbani jioni ninaomba sala?

Swahili word order is relatively flexible, especially for time and place phrases, but there are some preferences:

Basic structure:
- Subject – Verb – Object – (Place/Time) is common:
  - Mimi ninaomba sala nyumbani jioni.
Time and place can also be fronted for emphasis or style:
- Jioni, ninaomba sala nyumbani. (emphasis on when)
- Nyumbani ninaomba sala jioni. (emphasis on where)
Your original:
- Jioni, mimi ninaomba sala nyumbani.
  This is very natural: time first, then subject + verb + object + place.
Something like Mimi ninaomba sala jioni nyumbani is understandable, but putting both jioni and nyumbani together at the end can sound a bit crowded or stylistically awkward. Speakers often keep either time or place at the start for clarity.

So yes, you can move jioni and nyumbani around, but the most natural patterns are:

Jioni ninaomba sala nyumbani.
Ninaomba sala nyumbani jioni.
Nyumbani ninaomba sala jioni.