Learn Hardcore Swahili: Tunapenda kuja kwenu wikendi. - We like to come to your place on weekends.

So Tunapenda literally means “we (present) like/love”, usually translated simply as “we like” (or sometimes “we love,” depending on context).

Does tunapenda mean “we like” or “we love”? How strong is it?

The verb penda covers both “like” and “love” in Swahili. The exact strength comes from context, not a different verb.

For people: Ninakupenda can mean “I love you.”
For activities/things: Tunapenda kuja kwenu wikendi is naturally “We like coming to your place on weekends.”

If you need to stress deep, romantic love, you add context or adjectives, e.g. Ninakupenda sana (I really love you).

Why is there ku- before -ja, making kuja?

Ku- is the normal infinitive marker in Swahili, like “to” in English infinitives.

Verb stem: -ja (come)
Infinitive form: kuja = “to come / coming”

After penda, the next verb usually appears in this infinitive form:

Tunapenda kuja = “We like to come / coming.”

Is kuja “to come” or “coming” here?

Grammatically it’s the Swahili infinitive, which covers both English ideas:

“We like to come to your place on weekends.”
“We like coming to your place on weekends.”

Both translations are fine; the Swahili form kuja doesn’t force one or the other.

What exactly does kwenu mean?

Kwenu is:

kwa = at/to the place of
-enu = “your (plural)”

Together, kwenu means “at your place / to your place (you plural)”.
So in this sentence kuja kwenu is “to come to your place (you all).”

It usually implies home, house, or general “territory” of the people you’re talking to.

How is kwenu different from kwako?

They both use kwa (“at/to someone’s place”) but with different possessive endings:

kwangu = at my place
kwako = at your place (singular “you”)
kwake = at his/her place
kwetu = at our place
kwenu = at your place (plural “you all”)
kwao = at their place

So:

Tunapenda kuja kwako wikendi = We like coming to your (one person’s) place on weekends.
Tunapenda kuja kwenu wikendi = We like coming to your (you all’s) place on weekends.

Why is it kwenu and not just enu for “your”?

-enu by itself is a possessive ending, not a full word. It must attach to a noun or certain particles:

rafiki zenu = your friends
nyumba yenu = your house
kwenu = kwa (place of) + -enu (your, plural)

So kwenu is a complete word meaning “your place,” but enu alone is not.

Why is there no word for “on” before wikendi, like “on the weekend”?

Swahili often expresses time with a bare time noun, without a preposition:

Jumatatu = on Monday
Leo = today
Kesho = tomorrow
Jioni = in the evening

Similarly, wikendi works as a time expression on its own.
So Tunapenda kuja kwenu wikendi is naturally “We like coming to your place on weekends.”
No extra word for “on” is needed.

Is wikendi singular or plural? How do you say “every weekend”?

Wikendi (from English “weekend”) is usually used without changing form for singular or general/habitual meaning. Context tells you which:

Wikendi hii = this weekend
Wikendi ijayo = next weekend

To make it clearly habitual, you often add kila (“every”):

Tunapenda kuja kwenu kila wikendi.
= We like coming to your place every weekend.

Could the word order be Tunapenda kuja wikendi kwenu instead?

Yes, Tunapenda kuja wikendi kwenu is possible and understandable.

Both:

Tunapenda kuja kwenu wikendi
Tunapenda kuja wikendi kwenu

are grammatically fine. The default, more natural order is usually …kuja kwenu wikendi, but moving wikendi can slightly change the rhythm or emphasis, not the basic meaning.

Does tunapenda here mean we like it in general (habit), or we are liking it now?

The -na- tense in tunapenda typically covers:

present simple / habitual: “we like / we usually like”
present progressive: “we are liking” (for action verbs)

With penda, it normally feels habitual or general rather than temporary. So Tunapenda kuja kwenu wikendi is best understood as:

“We (generally) like coming to your place on weekends,”
not “We are currently in the process of liking it.”

Can I use tunapenda as a polite request like “we would like to come to your place this weekend”?

Not really. Tunapenda kuja kwenu wikendi states a general preference, not a polite request.

For a polite request like “We would like to come to your place this weekend,” Swahili would more likely use ningependa or future forms, plus a time:

Ningependa tuje kwenu wikendi hii.
= I/we would like us to come to your place this weekend.

Your original sentence is describing what you (in general) enjoy doing.

Could I drop kuja and just say Tunapenda kwenu wikendi?

No, that’s not natural.

Tunapenda kuja kwenu wikendi = We like to come to your place on weekends.
Tunapenda kwenu without kuja would sound incomplete or odd; it lacks a clear verb complement.

If you wanted to say “We like your place,” you’d normally say something like:

Tunapapenda kwenu. (using an object marker for a location)
or more simply: Tunapenda nyumbani kwenu. = We like your home/house.