Learn Hardcore Swahili: Ninapenda somo linalofundishwa na mwalimu wetu wa Kiswahili darasani. - I like the subject that is being taught by our Swahili teacher in class.

In careful or written Standard Swahili, you normally keep the subject prefix: Ninapenda.
In casual speech, especially when the subject is obvious from context, you may hear Napenda, but learners should generally prefer Ninapenda.

What tense or aspect does -na- express in Ninapenda?

The -na- marker is the present tense marker, often used for:

Current, ongoing actions:
Ninasoma – I am reading / I am studying.
Habits or general truths:
Ninapenda somo hili – I like this subject (in general).

In this sentence, Ninapenda somo …, it is best understood as I like / I enjoy (a general, habitual liking), not just “I am liking right now.”

What is the difference between somo and darasa? They both look related to “class”.

They are related but not the same:

somo (class 5/6) = subject, lesson, topic of study
- Ninapenda somo la Kiswahili. – I like the subject of Swahili.
darasa (class 5/6) = classroom / class group / class session
- Tuko darasani. – We are in class / in the classroom.

In your sentence:

somo = the subject (for example, Swahili, math, etc.).
darasani = in class / in the classroom.

So the meaning is closer to: I like the subject that is taught by our Swahili teacher in class.

How is the word linalofundishwa formed, and what does each part mean?

Linalofundishwa means roughly that is being taught / which is taught and is made of:

li- = subject prefix for class 5 (agrees with somo, which is class 5)
-na- = present tense marker
-lo- = relative marker for class 5 (like “which / that”)
fundish- = verb root teach
-w- = passive marker
-a = final vowel

So: li-na-lo-fundish-w-a → (class 5)-present-which-teach-passive-final
→ (the class 5 thing) that is being taught / which is taught.

Because somo is class 5, its relative form uses li-…-lo-: somo linalofundishwa = the subject that is taught.

Why is the passive fundishwa used instead of an active form like anafundisha?

The passive puts somo (the subject/lesson) in focus as the thing being taught:

somo linalofundishwa
= the subject that is taught (by someone, here specified later as mwalimu wetu).

If you used an active relative with the teacher as the subject, it would sound like this:

mwalimu wetu anayefundisha somo – our teacher who teaches the subject.

Both are grammatically fine but focus on different things:

Current sentence: focuses on the subject (somo) that is being taught.
Alternative: would focus on the teacher who teaches it.

In your sentence, the passive keeps somo as the grammatical subject of the relative clause.

Why does the relative clause come after somo instead of before, like in English?

Swahili usually puts a relative clause after the noun it describes, not before it, and marks the relationship inside the verb with relative affixes.

English: the subject that is taught by our Swahili teacher
Swahili: somo linalofundishwa na mwalimu wetu wa Kiswahili

Order in Swahili:

Noun: somo
Relative verb: linalofundishwa (with agreement + tense + relative marker)
Other elements (agent, place, time, etc.): na mwalimu wetu wa Kiswahili darasani

So you get a big noun phrase:
somo [linalofundishwa na mwalimu wetu wa Kiswahili darasani]
= the subject [that is taught by our Swahili teacher in class].

What does na mean in …linalofundishwa na mwalimu wetu…? I thought na meant “and” or “with”.

Na is very flexible in Swahili. Common meanings:

and:
Juma na Asha – Juma and Asha
with:
Ninasoma na rafiki yangu. – I am studying with my friend.
by (as an agent marker in passive sentences):
Kitabu kinasomwa na mwanafunzi. – The book is being read by the student.

In linalofundishwa na mwalimu wetu, na introduces the agent of the passive verb:

linalofundishwa na mwalimu wetu
= (which) is taught by our teacher.

How does mwalimu wetu wa Kiswahili mean our Swahili teacher?

Breakdown:

mwalimu = teacher
wetu = our (possessive for 1st person plural, class 1 noun)
wa Kiswahili = of Swahili (genitive phrase → “of Swahili”)

Word order in Swahili possessive/genitive phrases:

Head noun: mwalimu – teacher
Possessive adjective: wetu – our
Genitive connector wa
- specifying noun: wa Kiswahili – of Swahili

So mwalimu wetu wa Kiswahili literally is:

teacher our of Swahili

Which corresponds to English: our Swahili teacher.

Why is Kiswahili written with Ki- and capitalized?

Ki- is a noun class 7 prefix. In this context, it marks languages or the manner of something:

Mswahili – a Swahili person
Waswahili – Swahili people
Kiswahili – the Swahili language (or Swahili way/manner)

Other examples:

Kiingereza – English (language)
Kifaransa – French (language)

It is capitalized because:

It is a proper name of a language, just as English capitalizes English, Swahili, French, etc.

What is the role of -ni in darasani, and why not just say darasa?

The suffix -ni is a locative marker, often meaning in / at / on depending on the noun.

darasa = class / classroom
darasani = in class / in the classroom

So:

Tuko darasa. – (rare / non-standard for location)
Tuko darasani. – We are in class.

In your sentence, darasani shows where the subject is taught:

…linalofundishwa … darasani.
= …that is taught … in class.

Is somo linalofundishwa na mwalimu wetu wa Kiswahili darasani a full sentence by itself?

No, by itself it is not a full sentence. It is a noun phrase (a long one) functioning as the object of the verb Ninapenda.

Structure of the full sentence:

Ninapenda = I like
somo linalofundishwa na mwalimu wetu wa Kiswahili darasani
= the subject that is taught by our Swahili teacher in class

So the main clause is:

Ninapenda [OBJECT]
Ninapenda somo linalofundishwa na mwalimu wetu wa Kiswahili darasani.

On its own, the noun phrase can be used inside other sentences, but it does not have an explicit subject pronoun or a main tense/verb that stands alone.

Is there a simpler way to say this idea in Swahili, and does it change the nuance?

Yes, a simpler and very common way would be:

Ninapenda somo la Kiswahili.
= I like the Swahili subject / I like Swahili (as a school subject).

Differences in nuance:

Ninapenda somo linalofundishwa na mwalimu wetu wa Kiswahili darasani.
Highlights this particular subject as taught by our Swahili teacher in class (maybe implying the way this teacher teaches it, the experience, etc.).
Ninapenda somo la Kiswahili.
More general: I like Swahili as a school subject, without specifying who teaches it or where.

Both are correct; the original is just more detailed and specific.