Learn Hardcore Swahili: Kama mzazi angeonyesha mkazo kwenye kusoma, mtoto angependa vitabu zaidi. - If a parent showed emphasis on reading, the child would like books more.

So angeonyesha literally is "he/she would show" or "if he/she showed", depending on the clause. In this sentence:
Kama mzazi angeonyesha mkazo… = If a parent showed / were to show emphasis…

How does this -nge- conditional work in Swahili? Is it always like “would … would …”?

Yes, -nge- marks a hypothetical/unreal conditional (often “would” in English).

Singular:

ninge- = I would
unge- = you (sg) would
ange- = he/she would

Plural:

tunge- = we would
mnge- = you (pl) would
wange- = they would

In typical “if … would …” sentences, both clauses often use -nge-:

Kama mzazi angeonyesha mkazo…, mtoto angependa vitabu zaidi.
If a parent showed emphasis…, the child would like books more.

This expresses something unreal or hypothetical, not a regular truth or a likely future.

Why do we need kama if we already have -nge-? Could we leave kama out?

Kama means “if”. The -nge- form already signals a conditional, so grammatically kama can be omitted, especially in speech:

Mzazi angeonyesha mkazo kwenye kusoma, mtoto angependa vitabu zaidi.

This would still be understood as “If a parent showed emphasis…, the child would like…”.

You can also move the “if-clause” to the end:

Mtoto angependa vitabu zaidi kama mzazi angeonyesha mkazo kwenye kusoma.

All three options are acceptable; kama just makes the conditional relationship extra explicit.

What is the difference between kuonyesha mkazo and kuweka mkazo? Which sounds more natural?

Both are understandable, but they have slightly different flavors:

kuonyesha mkazo = to show emphasis
kuweka mkazo = to put/place emphasis

In practice:

kuweka mkazo is the more common collocation for “to emphasize / put emphasis on”:
- Mzazi angeweka mkazo kwenye kusoma… is very natural.
kuonyesha mkazo is still correct; it suggests that the emphasis is being made visible or expressed.

So your sentence is fine, but many speakers might prefer angeweka mkazo in everyday usage.

Why is it kwenye kusoma? Could I say katika kusoma or kwa kusoma instead?

Kwenye roughly means “in / on / at (a place or area)”.
Here, kwenye kusoma is like “in the area of reading” or “with regard to reading”.

Alternatives:

katika kusoma – also possible, a bit more formal or bookish; similar meaning “in the area of reading”.
kwa kusoma – shifts the meaning to “by/through reading” (cause, means), e.g. He succeeded by reading.

In this sentence, kwenye kusoma nicely captures the idea of focusing on the domain of reading, so it’s a good choice.

What form is kusoma here? Is it like an infinitive?

Yes. Kusoma is the infinitive/verb noun form of soma (to read, to study).

Swahili turns verbs into noun-like forms by adding ku-:

ku- + soma → kusoma = reading / to read
ku- + kula → kula (the ku- drops) = eating / to eat

In kwenye kusoma, kusoma behaves like a noun, meaning “reading (as an activity)”.

Why is it mtoto angependa vitabu zaidi and not mtoto angevipenda vitabu zaidi?

-vi- is the object marker for class 8 (e.g. vitabu = books). It’s used when the object is definite or already known:

Mtoto angevipenda = The child would like them (the books).

In your sentence:

vitabu zaidi = more books / books more (in general) – not a specific, already-known set.
For indefinite or general objects, Swahili often omits the object marker.

So mtoto angependa vitabu zaidi is natural: it talks about books in general, not “those specific books we already mentioned”.

Could I say mtoto angependa kusoma vitabu zaidi instead? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can, but it shifts the nuance a bit.

mtoto angependa vitabu zaidi
= the child would like books more / would like more books (focus on the books as objects)
mtoto angependa kusoma vitabu zaidi
= the child would like reading books more / would like to read more books (focus more on the activity of reading)

Both are correct. Choose the version that matches what you want to emphasize: love of books vs love of reading them.

Is mzazi singular here? Could it also mean “parents” in general?

Mzazi is singular: a parent.
Wazazi is plural: parents.

However, Swahili often uses the singular mzazi to talk about “a parent” in general, the way English sometimes says “If a parent…” to refer to any hypothetical parent.

If you want to clearly mean parents (plural) in general, you can say:

Kama wazazi wangeonyesha mkazo kwenye kusoma, watoto wangependa vitabu zaidi.
If parents put emphasis on reading, children would like books more.

Why is zaidi at the end of vitabu zaidi? Can it go somewhere else?

Zaidi means “more” (or “most” depending on context) and typically follows the noun it modifies:

vitabu zaidi = more books
chakula zaidi = more food

You can move zaidi elsewhere for different structures, e.g.:

zaidi ya vitabu kumi = more than ten books
mtoto angependa vitabu zaidi kuliko sasa = the child would like books more than now

But in your sentence, vitabu zaidi (noun + zaidi) is the normal and most natural order.

How would this sentence look with a real/likely conditional instead of a hypothetical one?

For a real or likely situation (closer to “if … then …” with a realistic expectation), you’d usually use present or future forms instead of -nge-:

Present → present (general truth):
- Kama mzazi anaonyesha mkazo kwenye kusoma, mtoto anapenda vitabu zaidi.
  If a parent shows emphasis on reading, the child likes books more.
Present → future (likely result):
- Kama mzazi ataonyesha mkazo kwenye kusoma, mtoto atapenda vitabu zaidi.
  If a parent shows/puts emphasis on reading, the child will like books more.

Using -nge- makes it more hypothetical/unreal; using ana-/ata- presents it as real or expected.

How would I say this directly to a parent, using “you” instead of “a parent”?

You change the subject prefix from a- (he/she) to u- (you sg.):

Kama ungeonyesha mkazo kwenye kusoma, mtoto angependa vitabu zaidi.
If you showed/put emphasis on reading, the child would like books more.

Breakdown:

ungeonyesha = you would show (u- + -nge- + -onyesha)
angependa stays the same, referring to mtoto (the child).