Learn Hardcore Swahili: Wajukuu wake hupenda hadithi hizo, na hucheka kwa furaha wanapomsikia. - His grandchildren love those stories, and they usually laugh with joy when they hear him.

In this sentence, hu- marks the habitual aspect (something that happens regularly), and when you use hu-, you normally do not use a subject prefix (like wa-, ni-, a-, etc.).

Wajukuu wake hupenda hadithi hizo
= His/her grandchildren like (habitually) those stories.

Here:

wajukuu wake = his/her grandchildren → this is the subject and already tells us who is doing the action.
hupenda = habitually like / usually like.

So hu- replaces the normal tense+subject pattern:

wanapenda hadithi hizo = they like those stories (right now / generally)
wajukuu wake hupenda hadithi hizo = his/her grandchildren usually like those stories.

Both versions are possible, but hu- emphasises the habitual / usual nature of the action.

What exactly does the prefix hu- mean in hupenda and hucheka?

hu- in hupenda and hucheka is the habitual marker. It shows that something happens regularly, usually, or characteristically, not just once.

hupenda = (he/she/they) usually like, tend to like
hucheka = usually laugh, tend to laugh

Important points:

With hu-, you do not add a subject prefix:
- Not: wahupenda, anahucheka, etc.
- Just: hupenda, hucheka.
The subject is understood from context or a noun:
- Mimi huenda sokoni = I usually go to the market.
- Wao hulala mapema = They usually sleep early.
- Wajukuu wake hucheka = His/her grandchildren usually laugh.

So hu- gives the meaning “as a habit / whenever this situation happens”.

In wajukuu wake, what does wake mean, and why is it not yake?

Wake here is the possessive adjective meaning “his” or “her”, and it is agreeing with the noun class of wajukuu.

wajukuu = grandchildren (class 2, plural of mjuku)
For class 2 (wa-), the possessive “his/her” form is wake.

Compare:

mtoto wake = his/her child (class 1 → wake)
wajukuu wake = his/her grandchildren (class 2 → wake)
kitabu chake = his/her book (class 7 → chake)
vitabu vyake = his/her books (class 8 → vyake)
hadithi yake = his/her story (class 9 → yake)

So:

wake matches nouns that take wa- in the plural (class 1/2 like mtoto / watoto, mjuku / wajukuu).
yake matches class 9/10 nouns like hadithi.

Wake here does not mean “his wife” (which is another common meaning in other contexts); here it’s clearly the possessive “his/her”.

What exactly is wajukuu? Is that the normal plural for “grandchild”?

Yes. The basic forms are:

mjuku = grandchild (singular)
wajukuu = grandchildren (plural)

This follows the common m‑/wa‑ pattern:

mtoto / watoto = child / children
mwalimu / walimu = teacher / teachers
mjuku / wajukuu = grandchild / grandchildren

So wajukuu wake = his/her grandchildren.

In hadithi hizo, why is the demonstrative hizo after the noun, and could we say hizo hadithi instead?

In standard Swahili, the default and most neutral position for demonstratives (this/that/these/those) is after the noun:

hadithi hizi = these stories
hadithi hizo = those stories

So:

hadithi hizo is the normal, neutral order.

You can see hizo hadithi in real language, but it tends to:

sound more emphatic, or
occur in certain dialects or stylistic contexts.

For a learner, it’s safest and most natural to keep:

[noun] + [demonstrative]
→ hadithi hizo = those stories

Why is it hizo and not hizi with hadithi?

Hadithi belongs to noun class 9/10. In this class:

singular: often no change (hadithi)
plural: same form (hadithi)

The demonstratives for class 9/10 are:

near me (this/these):
- hii (sg.) → this
- hizi (pl.) → these
far (that/those):
- ile (sg.) → that
- hizo (pl.) → those

Since here we have plural “stories” and “those” (not “these”):

hadithi hizo = those stories (plural, far/previously mentioned).

If it were “these stories”, we would say:

hadithi hizi = these stories.

What does kwa do in hucheka kwa furaha? Why not just hucheka furaha?

Kwa is a preposition that often corresponds to “with / by / in a (certain) way”, and here it links the manner:

kwa furaha = with happiness, in happiness → idiomatically, happily.

So:

hucheka kwa furaha
literally: they usually laugh with happiness
natural English: they laugh happily.

You generally cannot just say hucheka furaha; you need kwa to connect the noun furaha to the verb as a manner phrase.

Other examples:

alisema kwa upole = he/she spoke gently (with gentleness)
anafanya kazi kwa bidii = he/she works hard (with diligence)

How is wanapomsikia built, and what does each part mean?

Wanapomsikia can be broken down like this:

wana- = they (3rd person plural subject prefix, present)
-po- = when / while (at the time that) (relative/temporal marker)
-m- = him/her (3rd person singular object)
-sikia = hear

So:

wanapo-m-sikia → wanapomsikia
= when(ever) they hear him/her

Function in the sentence:

...hucheka kwa furaha wanapomsikia.
= ...they laugh happily when(ever) they hear him/her.

So the whole verb expresses: “they (are) when-hear-him/her” → “when they hear him/her”.

What is the difference between wanapomsikia and wakimsikia? Can I use wakimsikia instead?

Both wanapomsikia and wakimsikia can be translated as “when they hear him/her”, but there are some nuances:

wanapomsikia
- has wana- (present) + -po- (when/while)
- often feels a bit more explicit and can suggest “whenever/any time that”.
wakimsikia
- uses -ki- as a “when/as/while” marker
- often used for actions that are happening at the same time or on the condition that:
  - wakimsikia, hucheka = when(ever)/as they hear him/her, they laugh.

In many everyday contexts, you can replace wanapomsikia with wakimsikia, and people will understand you perfectly:

...hucheka kwa furaha wanapomsikia.
...hucheka kwa furaha wakimsikia.

Subtlety: wanapomsikia may sound a bit more formal/standard or “textbook”, while wakimsikia is very common in speech. For most learners, they are close enough in meaning here.

Why is there no separate “they” before hucheka? Could we say na wao hucheka kwa furaha?

In Swahili you usually do not repeat the subject if it’s already clear from context.

In:

Wajukuu wake hupenda hadithi hizo, na hucheka kwa furaha...

the subject wajukuu wake (his/her grandchildren) naturally carries over to the second verb hucheka.

You can add wao for emphasis:

Wajukuu wake hupenda hadithi hizo, na wao hucheka kwa furaha...
= His/her grandchildren like those stories, and they (for their part) laugh happily...

Adding wao makes the “they” more emphatic or contrastive, like stressing they in particular.

But the simple, neutral version drops it:

...na hucheka kwa furaha...
→ subject understood as wajukuu wake.

Is wanapomsikia talking about the present, the future, or something habitual?

Wanapomsikia with wana- (present) + -po- (when) can cover:

present repeated / habitual situations:
- Whenever they hear him/her, they laugh.
general time / “whenever”:
- When they hear him/her (in general), they laugh.

Because the whole sentence also uses hu- (habitual) in hupenda and hucheka, the overall meaning is strongly habitual:

Wajukuu wake hupenda hadithi hizo, na hucheka kwa furaha wanapomsikia.
≈ His/her grandchildren like those stories, and they laugh happily whenever they hear him/her.

It’s not a one-time future; it’s describing what generally happens.

What is the difference between kusikia and kusikiliza, and why does this sentence use wanapomsikia?

Both verbs are related to hearing, but they differ slightly:

kusikia = to hear, to sense (sound, feeling, etc.)
→ often more passive: sound reaches your ears.
kusikiliza = to listen (to)
→ more active: you pay attention intentionally.

In wanapomsikia:

...wanapomsikia.
= ...when(ever) they hear him/her.

The focus is on the moment of hearing, which is enough to trigger the laughter. If the sentence wanted to stress that they actively listen to his/her stories, you could see:

wanapomsikiliza = when(ever) they listen to him/her.

But for “they laugh when they hear him/her”, kusikia is completely natural.