Learn Hardcore Swahili: Swali hili ni gumu. - This question is difficult.

Notice there is no separate word for “the” or “a” in Swahili. The language simply uses the noun (swali) plus context (and sometimes a word like hili = this) to show whether you mean a question or the question.

What exactly does ni mean? Is it “is”, “am”, or “are”?

ni is the basic linking form of the verb to be in Swahili, used between a subject and a noun/adjective:

Mimi ni mwalimu. = I am a teacher.
Wewe ni mwanafunzi. = You are a student.
Swali hili ni gumu. = This question is difficult.

Important points:

ni is the same for all persons and numbers: I, you, he/she, we, they all use ni.
It does not show tense by itself.
- Present is usually just ni:
  - Swali hili ni gumu. = This question is difficult.
- Past or future need extra words:
  - Swali hili lilikuwa gumu. = This question was difficult.
  - Swali hili litakuwa gumu. = This question will be difficult.

Why is hili after swali, not before it like in English “this question”?

In standard Swahili, the most common pattern is:

noun + demonstrative
swali hili = this question

So Swali hili ni gumu is the neutral, very natural order:
swali (question) + hili (this) + ni gumu (is difficult).

English usually does “this question” (demonstrative first), but Swahili usually puts hili after the noun it describes.

Why is it hili and not hiki or huyu? How do I know which word for “this” to use?

Which form of “this” you use depends on the noun class of the noun.

swali (question) belongs to noun class 5, with plural maswali (class 6).
For class 5 singular, “this” is hili.

So:

swali hili = this question
maswali haya = these questions (class 6 plural form of “this”)

Some other “this” forms for comparison:

mtoto huyu = this child (class 1, people)
kitabu hiki = this book (class 7)
kiti hiki = this chair (class 7)

So you choose hili specifically because swali is in the class that uses hili.

Can I also say Hili swali ni gumu? Does that change the meaning?

Yes, Hili swali ni gumu is grammatically correct.

Swali hili ni gumu – neutral, very common; just “This question is difficult.”
Hili swali ni gumu – puts a bit more emphasis on “this”, like “This particular question is difficult.”

For everyday use as a learner, Swali hili ni gumu is the safest, most standard word order. You will, however, also hear and read Hili swali… in real Swahili.

How do I make this sentence plural: “These questions are difficult”?

You need to change three things: the noun, the demonstrative, and the adjective.

swali → maswali (question → questions)
hili → haya (this → these, for this noun class)
gumu → magumu (difficult → difficult [plural form agreeing with maswali])

So:

Maswali haya ni magumu.
= These questions are difficult.

Notice:

maswali is class 6 (plural of swali).
For that class, “these” is haya.
The adjective -gumu takes the plural form magumu for class 6.

Why is it gumu and not ngumu here? I’ve seen ngumu in other sentences.

Both gumu and ngumu come from the same adjective root -gumu, meaning hard, difficult.

Which form shows up on the surface depends on the noun class:

With class 5 nouns like swali, the form is gumu:
- Swali hili ni gumu. = This question is difficult.
- Jambo hili ni gumu. = This matter is difficult.
With class 9/10 nouns, the agreement prefix is n-.
When n- attaches to -gumu, it becomes ngumu (the n and g merge):
- Kazi hii ni ngumu. = This work is hard.
- Lugha ya Kichina ni ngumu. = Chinese is a difficult language.

So:

gumu is what you expect with swali (class 5).
ngumu often appears with class 9/10 nouns like kazi (work), lugha (language), hali (situation).

How would I say “That question is difficult” instead of “This question is difficult”?

You just change the demonstrative:

Swali hili ni gumu. = This question is difficult.
Swali hilo ni gumu. = That question (near you / just mentioned) is difficult.
Swali lile ni gumu. = That question over there / that (more distant) question is difficult.

All three are correct; the difference is distance or how “psychologically far” the question feels (just like the difference between this and that in English, but with three levels).

How do I say “This question is not difficult”?

Use the negative form of “to be”, which is si (or sio / siyo in some styles).

Most straightforward:

Swali hili si gumu.
= This question is not difficult.

You may also hear:

Swali hili sio gumu.
Swali hili siyo gumu.

All are understood as “This question isn’t difficult”, but Swali hili si gumu is short, clear, and standard.

Can I drop ni and just say Swali hili gumu?

In standard Swahili, you should keep ni here.

Swali hili ni gumu. sounds complete and correct.
Swali hili gumu. sounds incomplete or very informal/non‑standard in most contexts.

In normal speech and writing, always use ni when linking a subject to a noun/adjective like this:

Jibu lako ni sahihi. = Your answer is correct.
Mji huu ni mkubwa. = This city is big.
Swali hili ni gumu. = This question is difficult.

Does Swahili distinguish between “hard” and “difficult” in this sentence?

Not really. gumu (and ngumu with certain noun classes) covers both hard and difficult in this kind of context.

So:

Swali hili ni gumu.
can be translated as either
- This question is hard.
- This question is difficult.

Depending on context, Swahili might also use other words with a slightly different feel, such as:

zito = heavy/serious
kali = strict/harsh

But for a question that is challenging to answer, gumu is the normal, general word.

How do you pronounce swali hili ni gumu?

Approximate pronunciation (with English-like hints):

swali – SWAH-lee
- swa: like swa in swallow (but with a clearer a as in father)
- stress on swa: SWAH-lee
hili – HEE-lee
- hi: like hee in heel
- stress on hi: HEE-lee
gumu – GOO-moo
- gu: like goo in good (but with pure u as in put or food)
- stress on gu: GOO-moo

Full sentence:

Swali hili ni gumu. ≈ SWAH-lee HEE-lee nee GOO-moo.

Each vowel in Swahili is short and pure (no diphthongs), and g is always a hard g as in go, never like j in giant.