Watoto wanakaa kimya kimya wanapomsikia mwalimu.

The children sit quietly when they hear the teacher.

Breakdown of Watoto wanakaa kimya kimya wanapomsikia mwalimu.

• mwalimu: the teacher
• mtoto: the child
• kukaa: to sit
• kimya kimya: quietly
• wanapomsikia: when they hear him

Questions & Answers about Watoto wanakaa kimya kimya wanapomsikia mwalimu.

In the sentence Watoto wanakaa kimya kimya wanapomsikia mwalimu, what does wanakaa literally mean, and why is it used for “become/remain quiet”?

Kukaa literally means “to sit,” “to stay,” or “to live/reside.”

In this sentence, wanakaa kimya kimya is best understood as “they remain / stay completely quiet.” In Swahili, kukaa + (an adjective or state) is commonly used to mean “to stay/be in that state,” not just physically sitting.

Examples:

• Anakaa kimya. – He/She stays quiet / keeps silent.
• Walikaa wamesimama. – They stayed standing.
• Ninakaa Dar es Salaam. – I live (stay) in Dar es Salaam.

So here, wanakaa kimya kimya does not have to imply “they sit down”; it mainly expresses that they stay in the state of being very quiet when they hear the teacher.

Why is kimya repeated as kimya kimya? What extra meaning does the repetition add?

Repetition in Swahili often adds emphasis, intensity, or a sense of “completely / very.”

• kimya = quiet, silent
• kimya kimya = very quiet, completely quiet, in total silence

So:

• Watoto wanakaa kimya – The children stay quiet.
• Watoto wanakaa kimya kimya – The children stay very quiet / perfectly silent.

The repetition can also give a slightly more vivid or idiomatic feel. You may also see it written as kimyakimya in some contexts, especially when it has the sense of “secretly, on the quiet.”

Would Watoto wanakaa kimya wanapomsikia mwalimu (with kimya only once) still be correct?

Yes, that sentence is still grammatically correct.

• Watoto wanakaa kimya wanapomsikia mwalimu.
  – The children stay quiet when they hear the teacher.

The difference is mainly in emphasis:

• kimya – just “quiet.”
• kimya kimya – “very quiet / completely quiet / dead silent.”

So the original with kimya kimya gives a stronger impression: the children become especially, almost fearfully, quiet when they hear the teacher.

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

wanapomsikia is one long verb form made of several pieces stuck together:

• wa- = subject prefix for “they” (class 2 plural, matching watoto)
• -na- = present tense marker (present / ongoing / general present)
• -po- = “when / whenever / at the time/place that” (relative/temporal marker)
• -m- = object marker for “him/her” (class 1, matching mwalimu)
• -sik- = verb root meaning “hear”
• -ia = suffix; here part of the common verb kusikia = “to hear”

So:

• wa-na-po-m-sik-ia → wanapomsikia
  literally: “when they-(present)-him/her-hear”
  idiomatically: “when(ever) they hear him/her.”

Because of context, -m- refers back to mwalimu (“the teacher”).

Does -m- in wanapomsikia mean “him” or “her”? And is it necessary if we already say mwalimu?

The object marker -m- here is gender-neutral in Swahili; it simply agrees with noun class 1 (m-/mw-), which is used for people (like mwalimu). It can correspond to “him” or “her” depending on context.

About necessity:

• With a specific known person like mwalimu, wanapomsikia mwalimu is very natural:
  – “when they hear the teacher (him/her).”
• You could also say wanaposikia mwalimu, without -m-. This is also grammatically possible and can sound a bit more generic:
  – “when they hear a teacher / when they hear the teacher” (context decides).

Using -m- tends to make the reference to that specific person clearer and more typical in this kind of sentence, but it is not absolutely mandatory just because mwalimu is mentioned.

How does wanapo- express the idea “when / whenever”? Why isn’t there a separate word like wakati for “when”?

Swahili often uses special markers inside the verb to express “when / whenever / where / if.” One of these is -po-.

In wanapomsikia:

• -po- gives the sense of “when / whenever / at the time (that).”

So wanapomsikia mwalimu means:

• “when(ever) they hear the teacher”
• “at the time they hear the teacher”

You could also use a separate word:

• Wakati watoto wanapomsikia mwalimu, wanakaa kimya kimya.
  – When(ever) the children hear the teacher, they stay very quiet.

But it is completely natural and very common in Swahili just to use the -po- inside the verb, without any extra word for “when.”

Can we reverse the order of the two clauses, like: Watoto wanapomsikia mwalimu wanakaa kimya kimya? Is that still correct?

Yes, that word order is also correct:

• Watoto wanakaa kimya kimya wanapomsikia mwalimu.
• Watoto wanapomsikia mwalimu wanakaa kimya kimya.

Both mean essentially the same thing:
“The children stay very quiet when(ever) they hear the teacher.”

The difference is mainly emphasis / focus:

• Original order starts with the result: they stay very quiet, then explains when.
• Reversed order starts with the condition: when they hear the teacher, then gives what they do.

Both are natural; speakers choose based on what part they want to highlight first.

Why don’t we say Wao wanakaa kimya kimya… for “They stay very quiet”? Is wao missing?

In Swahili, subject pronouns like mimi, wewe, yeye, sisi, ninyi, wao are usually omitted because the subject is already shown in the subject prefix on the verb.

In wanakaa:

• wa- already means “they.”

So:

• Watoto wanakaa kimya kimya… – The children stay very quiet…
  (We know it is “they” from wa- and from watoto.)

You would use wao only for emphasis or contrast, for example:

• Watoto wengine wanacheza, lakini wao wanakaa kimya kimya.
  – Other children are playing, but they stay very quiet.

So it is not missing; it is simply unnecessary in the neutral sentence.

What are the singular and plural forms of watoto and mwalimu, and how do they relate to wa- in wanakaa?

These nouns follow the M–WA noun class (people):

• mtoto – child (singular)

• watoto – children (plural)

• mwalimu – teacher (singular)
• walimu – teachers (plural)

The subject prefix wa- in wanakaa matches class 2 (wa-) plural, which is used for people plurals like watoto, walimu:

• Mtoto anakaa kimya. – The child stays quiet.
• Watoto wanakaa kimya kimya. – The children stay very quiet.
• Mwalimu anazungumza. – The teacher speaks.
• Walimu wanazungumza. – The teachers speak.

So watoto … wanakaa shows correct agreement: plural noun (class 2) with wa- on the verb.

Could we use another verb like kunyamaza instead of wanakaa kimya kimya? What is the difference in meaning?

Yes, you could use kunyamaza (“to be silent / to become silent / to stop talking”):

• Watoto wanyamaza wanapomsikia mwalimu.
  – The children fall silent when they hear the teacher.

Differences in nuance:

• kukaa kimya (kimya kimya) emphasizes remaining in a state of quietness (“they stay quiet / they keep quiet”).
• kunyamaza emphasizes the act of becoming silent or stopping talking (“they fall silent / they shut up”).

The original wanakaa kimya kimya pictures children who stay in silence, not just the moment they stop talking.

Does kimya kimya always just mean “very quiet,” or can it also mean “secretly / in secret”?

kimya kimya (often also written kimyakimya) can have two common shades of meaning, depending on context:

1. Very quiet / in silence

   • Watoto wanakaa kimya kimya wanapomsikia mwalimu.
     – The children stay very quiet when they hear the teacher.

2. Secretly / stealthily / on the quiet

   • Aliondoka kimyakimya usiku.
     – He/She left secretly at night.
   • Walizungumza kimyakimya.
     – They spoke in secret / in hushed tones.

In your sentence with watoto and mwalimu, the natural reading is “very quiet / completely silent,” not “secretly.” Context normally makes the intended sense clear.