Mimi ninapenda kukaa kwake jioni.

I like to stay at his/her place in the evening.

Breakdown of Mimi ninapenda kukaa kwake jioni.

• mimi: I
• kupenda: to like
• kukaa: to stay
• jioni: in the evening
• kwake: at his/her place

Questions & Answers about Mimi ninapenda kukaa kwake jioni.

In Mimi ninapenda kukaa kwake jioni, why do we have both Mimi and the ni- in ninapenda? Isn’t that saying “I” twice?

In Swahili, the subject prefix on the verb is obligatory, but the independent pronoun is optional.

• Mimi = I / me (independent pronoun)
• ni- in ninapenda = I (subject prefix on the verb)

So:

• Ninapenda kukaa kwake jioni.
  = I like staying at his/her place in the evening. (perfectly correct without Mimi)

Adding Mimi puts extra emphasis on the subject, roughly like:

• I like staying at his/her place in the evening. (as opposed to someone else)

So it is not wrong or redundant; it’s emphasis or contrast, not just repetition.

Can I just say Ninapenda kukaa kwake jioni without Mimi?

Yes. In fact, that’s the most common, neutral way to say it.

• Ninapenda kukaa kwake jioni. – Completely natural and grammatical.
• Mimi ninapenda kukaa kwake jioni. – Also correct, but sounds more like:
  • As for me, I like staying at his/her place in the evening.
  • or I (not someone else) like staying there in the evening.

Use Mimi if you want emphasis or contrast. Otherwise, drop it.

Is there a difference between ninapenda and napenda?

Grammatically, the standard form is ninapenda:

• ni- = I (1st person singular subject)
• -na- = present tense marker
• -pend- = root like / love
• -a = final vowel

So:

• Ninapenda. = I like / I love.

You may sometimes hear people say napenda in casual speech where the ni- seems to disappear, but for learners you should stick to:

• Ninapenda for I like
• Unapenda for you (sing.) like
• Anapenda for he/she likes, etc.

So: in correct, clear Swahili for learners, ninapenda is the right form here.

What exactly does ninapenda mean here? Is it “I like”, “I love”, or “I enjoy”?

The verb kupenda covers the meanings:

• to like
• to love
• sometimes to enjoy

The exact English translation depends on context and tone. In this sentence:

• Mimi ninapenda kukaa kwake jioni.

the most natural rendering is probably:

• I like staying at his/her place in the evening.
  or
• I enjoy staying at his/her place in the evening.

It’s not necessarily romantic; kupenda is used broadly for both liking and loving.

Why does kukaa have ku- at the beginning? What does kukaa literally mean?

Kukaa is the infinitive form of the verb -kaa.

• ku- = infinitive marker (to ... / -ing)
• -kaa = the verb root (sit, stay, live, remain)

So:

• kukaa = to sit, to stay, to live (somewhere), to remain, depending on context.

With kupenda, the infinitive is used just like English to or -ing:

• Ninapenda kukaa kwake jioni.
  = I like to stay at his/her place in the evening.
  = I like staying at his/her place in the evening.

So ku- here is simply the normal infinitive marker.

Does kukaa mean “to sit” or “to stay” or “to live”? Which one fits this sentence?

Kukaa can mean all of these:

1. to sit

   • Kaa chini. = Sit down.

2. to stay / remain

   • Tunabaki kukaa hapa. = We are staying / remaining here.

3. to live / reside

   • Ninakaa Dar es Salaam. = I live in Dar es Salaam.

In Mimi ninapenda kukaa kwake jioni, the most natural interpretation is:

• I like staying / spending time at his/her place in the evening.

It does not normally mean I like sitting at his/her place in the evening unless the context specifically suggests chairs or sitting.

What does kwake mean exactly, and how is it formed?

Kwake is made of:

• kwa
  • -ke

Where:

• kwa = a preposition with several functions (often at, to, with, by, through, depending on context)
• -ke = possessive marker for his/her

Together:

• kwake = at his place / at her place
  (or in some contexts, to him/her, with him/her, by him/her)

In this sentence:

• Mimi ninapenda kukaa kwake jioni.

kwake is best understood as:

• at his/her place (often implying at his/her home / house).

How do we know from kwake whether it means “his” or “her”?

We don’t. Swahili does not mark gender (male vs female) in this form.

• kwake = at his place or at her place.

To be clearer, people often add a name or noun:

• Ninapenda kukaa kwake Asha jioni.
  = I like staying at Asha’s place in the evening.

• Ninapenda kukaa kwa rafiki yangu jioni.
  = I like staying at my friend’s place in the evening.

But by itself, kwake is gender-neutral.

What’s the difference between kwake and nyumbani kwake?

Both can refer to someone’s home, but there’s a nuance:

• kwake

  • literally: at his/her place
  • can mean home, but also “where they are / their place” more generally.

• nyumbani kwake

  • literally: at his/her home/house
  • more explicitly about the home/house.

So:

• Ninapenda kukaa kwake jioni.
  = I like staying at his/her place in the evening.
  (likely their home, but could be any place associated with them)

• Ninapenda kukaa nyumbani kwake jioni.
  = I like staying at his/her house/home in the evening.
  (specifically emphasizes the home)

Do we need a preposition for “in the evening”? Why is it just jioni without something like “in”?

For times of day, Swahili typically uses the bare noun as an adverb of time, without an extra preposition:

• asubuhi = in the morning
• mchana = in the afternoon
• jioni = in the evening
• usiku = at night

So:

• Ninapenda kukaa kwake jioni.
  = I like staying at his/her place in the evening.

No katika, kwa, or m- marker is needed here; jioni alone works as in the evening.

Where does jioni usually go in the sentence? Can we move it to the front?

The most common, neutral place for jioni (a time expression) is at the end of the sentence:

• Ninapenda kukaa kwake jioni.

You can also front it for emphasis or topic focus:

• Jioni, ninapenda kukaa kwake.
  = In the evening, I like staying at his/her place.

That sounds more like you are setting the scene in time first. But versions like:

• Ninapenda jioni kukaa kwake.

sound odd or unnatural. Time expressions are usually at the beginning or end, not in the middle of the verb phrase.

What tense/aspect is ninapenda? Is it something like “I am liking” or “I like”?

Ninapenda is:

• ni- (I) + -na- (present) + penda (like)

The -na- marker is often called the present or present continuous marker, but with stative verbs like kupenda (to like/love), it normally expresses a general, habitual meaning:

• Ninapenda chai. = I like tea. (not I am liking tea in a temporary sense)

So:

• Ninapenda kukaa kwake jioni.
  = I like (generally) staying at his/her place in the evening.
  (a usual preference, not a one-time event)

If I wanted to say “I like sitting with him/her in the evening” (not at his/her place), what would I change?

You’d change kwake (at his/her place) to naye (with him/her):

• Mimi ninapenda kukaa naye jioni.
  = I like sitting/staying with him/her in the evening.

Breakdown:

• na- = with
• -ye = him/her (object form)

So:

• kwake → at his/her place
• naye → with him/her (as a person)

How do I make the sentence negative, like “I don’t like staying at his/her place in the evening”?

To negate ninapenda, you change:

• ni- to si- (negative 1st person singular)
• -penda to pendi (negative final vowel -i)

So:

• Ninapenda kukaa kwake jioni.
  → Sipendi kukaa kwake jioni.

Meaning:

• Sipendi kukaa kwake jioni.
  = I do not like staying at his/her place in the evening.