Learn Hardcore Swahili: Wanafunzi wetu huanza somo la historia baada ya kufanya mazoezi mafupi ya kunyoosha mikono. - Our students usually start the history lesson after doing short stretching exercises for their arms.

Huanza is the verb anza (to start/begin) with the habitual marker hu-. It means something like “(they) usually / generally start” or “start as a routine.”

Wanaanza = they are starting / they start (now, this time) – more specific to a particular occasion or time.
Huanza = they (typically) start / they tend to start – focuses on a habit, routine, or general truth.

In this sentence, huanza tells us that this is their regular procedure, not just something happening once.

Why isn’t there a subject marker on huanza? Why not wanahuanza?

With the habitual hu-, you do not use a subject marker on the verb. You either have:

Subject marker + verb: wanaanza (they start)
hu- + verb: huanza (they usually start)

You cannot combine them: *wanahuanza is ungrammatical.

Here, the subject wanafunzi wetu (“our students”) is written as a full noun phrase before the verb, and hu- covers the tense/aspect (habitual), so you don’t add wa- as a subject marker.

Who is the subject of the sentence? How is it marked?

The subject is wanafunzi wetu (our students).

wanafunzi = students (plural)
wetu = our (possessive)

There is no subject prefix on the verb because the verb uses the habitual hu- instead. Instead, the subject is expressed explicitly as a full noun phrase before the verb: Wanafunzi wetu huanza…

What does somo la historia literally mean, and why is it la and not ya?

Somo la historia literally means “lesson of history”, i.e. “history lesson.”

somo = lesson, subject (noun class 5)
la = “of” agreeing with class 5 (somo)
historia = history

The connector la must agree with the head noun somo (class 5). Class 5 uses la.
If you used ya, you would be agreeing with the wrong noun class. So:

✅ somo la historia – correct (lesson of history)
❌ somo ya historia – wrong agreement

Why does wetu come after wanafunzi instead of before it, like in English?

In Swahili, possessive words usually follow the noun they describe.

wanafunzi wetu = our students (literally: students our)
kitabu changu = my book (literally: book my)

So wetu (“our”) must follow wanafunzi. Saying *wetu wanafunzi is incorrect in standard Swahili.

What does baada ya kufanya mean, and why do we need ya after baada?

Baada ya kufanya means “after doing” or “after having done.”

baada = after
ya = of (forms the fixed preposition baada ya = “after”)
kufanya = to do / doing

In Swahili, baada almost always appears as baada ya + [noun / verb]:

baada ya kazi = after work
baada ya kula = after eating
baada ya kufanya = after doing

Leaving out ya (*baada kufanya) is ungrammatical.

What is mazoezi, and why is it plural-looking? Is there a singular form?

Mazoezi means exercises / practice / training and belongs to noun class 6 (ma-). It is often used like a mass or plural noun in English:

mazoezi = exercises / practice
Singular: zoezi = one exercise

In this sentence, kufanya mazoezi = to do exercises / to exercise. People rarely say the singular zoezi in everyday talk unless they really mean one specific exercise.

Why is the adjective mafupi placed after mazoezi instead of before it?

In Swahili, adjectives normally follow the noun they describe:

mazoezi mafupi = short exercises (literally: exercises short)
mtu mzuri = good person
vitabu vipya = new books

So mafupi comes after mazoezi. Putting it before the noun (*mafupi mazoezi) is wrong in standard Swahili word order.

Why is the adjective mafupi formed with ma-? Why not just fupi?

Swahili adjectives take an agreement prefix that matches the noun class.

mazoezi is class 6 (ma-)
The adjective for “short” is from the root -fupi
For class 6, it takes the prefix ma- → mafupi

So:

mtu mfupi (short person, class 1)
vitabu vifupi (short books, class 8)
mazoezi mafupi (short exercises, class 6)

You can’t drop that agreement prefix; *mazoezi fupi would be wrong.

What does ya kunyoosha mikono mean, and what is the role of ya here?

Ya kunyoosha mikono means “of stretching (the) arms.”

mazoezi ya … = exercises of …
kunyoosha mikono = to stretch (the) arms

Here, ya is a connector (like “of”) that agrees with mazoezi (class 6). The structure is:

mazoezi ya kunyoosha mikono = exercises of stretching the arms

So you have: mazoezi (exercises) + ya (of, agreeing with mazoezi) + kunyoosha mikono (stretching arms).

What is the difference between kunyoosha and kunyosha?

Both verbs exist, and in everyday speech they can overlap in meaning, but the forms differ:

kunyoosha (with long oo) – to stretch out, extend, straighten fully (e.g., body parts, limbs)
kunyosha (shorter vowel) – to straighten, smooth, make straight (often for clothes, lines, etc.)

In the phrase mazoezi ya kunyoosha mikono, kunyoosha is appropriate because we’re talking about stretching the arms as a kind of physical exercise.

Does mikono mean “hands” or “arms”?

Mikono can mean hands, arms, or both, depending on context.

mkono = hand/arm (one limb from the shoulder to the hand)
mikono = hands/arms (plural)

Swahili doesn’t always sharply separate “hand” and “arm” the way English does. In the context of exercises, kunyoosha mikono is normally understood as stretching the arms.

Could we omit ya kunyoosha mikono and just say mazoezi mafupi? Would it still sound natural?

Yes. If you say:

…baada ya kufanya mazoezi mafupi.

it would mean “after doing short exercises.” This is still natural but more general; it doesn’t say what kind of exercises.

Adding ya kunyoosha mikono specifies what type of exercises they are: short arm-stretching exercises.

Can we move mafupi to the end, like mazoezi ya kunyoosha mikono mafupi?

That would sound odd or at least unnatural. In Swahili:

The adjective normally follows the head noun.
Phrases like ya kunyoosha mikono further describe what kind of exercises they are.

So the usual order is:

mazoezi mafupi ya kunyoosha mikono
- mazoezi (head noun)
- mafupi (adjective describing mazoezi)
- ya kunyoosha mikono (type of exercises)

Putting mafupi at the end makes it unclear what exactly “short” is modifying.

Could we use wanaanza instead of huanza here? How would that change the meaning?

Yes, grammatically you could say:

Wanafunzi wetu wanaanza somo la historia baada ya kufanya mazoezi mafupi ya kunyoosha mikono.

Then the meaning shifts slightly:

wanaanza – they are starting / they start (this time, or in a more specific timeframe)
huanza – they usually / generally start (habit, routine)

So huanza is better if you are describing a regular schedule or routine; wanaanza would sound more like describing what is happening now or on a particular day.