Learn Hardcore Swahili: Bibi kila siku hufunga leso kichwani kabla ya kutoka nje. - Grandmother ties a headscarf on her head every day before going outside.

In your sentence, without any name after it, bibi is most naturally understood as grandmother or an elderly woman, depending on the broader story or context.

What exactly does the hu- in hufunga mean?

The hu- on hufunga is a habitual marker. It shows that this is something the subject does regularly, as a habit or general truth, not just once.

So:

Bibi hufunga leso kichwani.
= Grandmother (typically / habitually) ties a headscarf on.

Other examples:

Kila asubuhi, ninapenda chai. (normal present: I like tea every morning)
Kila asubuhi hula mkate na chai. (with hu-: I usually / habitually eat bread and tea every morning)

Key points about hu-:

It marks general/habitual present (like usually/typically in English).
It can be used with any person, but the subject prefix drops:
- Mimi hufunga leso. – I usually tie a headscarf.
- Wao hucheza mpira. – They usually play football.
It is not normally used in negative form; instead you’d usually switch to another tense:
- Sifungi leso kila siku. – I don’t tie a headscarf every day.
  (not sihufungi in standard usage)

Why is it hufunga and not anafunga? What is the difference?

Both are present-time forms, but they have different nuances:

hufunga – general / habitual present
Suggests a routine or typical behavior.
- Bibi kila siku hufunga leso kichwani.
  Emphasis: this is her usual habit.
anafunga – progressive / current-time present
Emphasizes an action happening now or around now, or a repeated action within a current situation.
- Sasa hivi bibi anafunga leso kichwani.
  Right now grandmother is tying a headscarf.

You could say:

Bibi kila siku anafunga leso kichwani kabla ya kutoka nje.

This would still sound fine, but hufunga is a bit more “timeless” and neutral for stating a regular habit.

With hufunga, where is the subject marking? How do we know it’s she and not I or they?

In the hu- habitual form, the usual subject prefix (ni-, u-, a-, etc.) is dropped, and we rely on context (the noun or pronoun outside the verb) to know who the subject is.

In your sentence:

Bibi kila siku hufunga leso …
Bibi is the subject; hufunga is the habitual verb form without a subject prefix.

Compare:

Mimi hufunga leso. – I usually tie a headscarf.
Wao hucheza mpira. – They usually play football.

We know the subject from Mimi, Wao, or a noun like Bibi, not from the verb form itself in this construction.

What does kufunga mean here? I’ve seen it used for to close or to fast as well.

Kufunga is a very flexible verb in Swahili. Its meaning depends on context. Some common uses:

to tie / fasten
- Bibi hufunga leso kichwani. – She ties a headscarf on her head.
- Funga kamba. – Tie the rope.
to close / shut
- Funga dirisha. – Close the window.
- Alifunga mlango. – He/she closed the door.
to fast (not eat for a religious or other reason)
- Waislamu hufunga mwezi wa Ramadhani. – Muslims fast in the month of Ramadan.
to lock / secure
- Funga gari. – Lock the car.

In your sentence, because it’s used with leso kichwani, the meaning is to tie (a cloth/headscarf) on (the head).

What is a leso exactly? Is it just any piece of cloth?

A leso is a specific type of square cotton cloth common in East Africa. Key points:

Usually has colorful patterns and a decorative border.
Often used as a headscarf, baby-carrying cloth, or general-purpose cloth.
Related to, but not exactly the same as:
- khanga – typically larger printed cloths worn as wraps.
- kitambaa – a general word for cloth / handkerchief / piece of cloth.

So in this sentence, leso naturally suggests a headscarf-type cloth she ties on her head, not just any random rag.

Why is it kichwani and not just kichwa?

Kichwani is kichwa (head) plus the locative suffix -ni:

kichwa – head
kichwani – on the head / in the head area

The suffix -ni often adds a location meaning: in, on, at.

Examples:

meza → mezani – at/on the table
mkono → mkononi – on the arm/hand / in the hand
shule → shuleni – at school

So:

hufunga leso kichwani
literally: she habitually ties a headscarf on the head (on her head)

If you said hufunga leso kichwa, it would sound unnatural; kichwani is the normal “on the head” form.

How does kabla ya kutoka nje work grammatically? Why do we need ya?

Kabla ya kutoka nje literally breaks down as:

kabla – before
ya – of
kutoka – to go out / to leave (infinitive ku-
- verb root -toka)
nje – outside

So kabla ya kutoka nje = before (the) going out(side) → before going outside.

Pattern:

kabla ya
- infinitive (ku-verb)

Other examples:

Kabla ya kula, naosha mikono. – Before eating, I wash my hands.
Kabla ya kuondoka, nitaongea na wewe. – Before leaving, I’ll talk with you.

There is another common structure using a full clause:

Kabla sijaondoka, nitaongea na wewe. – Before I leave, I’ll talk with you.

In your sentence, kabla ya kutoka nje uses the infinitive pattern, which is very typical and sounds natural.

What does nje mean, and how is it used with kutoka?

Nje means outside or out.

With kutoka (to come/go out / to come from), kutoka nje means to go/come out(side).

Examples:

Ninatoka nje. – I’m going outside.
Alitoka nje ya nyumba. – He/she went out of the house.
Niko nje. – I am outside.

So in your sentence, kabla ya kutoka nje is before going outside.

Why is it nje here and not nje ya something?

You use:

nje alone when you mean outside (in general):
- Niko nje. – I’m outside.
- Ameenda nje. – He/she has gone outside.
nje ya + noun when you mean outside of a specific place/thing:
- nje ya nyumba – outside the house
- nje ya jiji – outside the city

In your sentence:

kabla ya kutoka nje – before going outside (not tied to a specific thing like “outside the house”)

If you wanted to be specific, you could say:

Bibi hufunga leso kichwani kabla ya kutoka nje ya nyumba.
– Grandmother ties a headscarf on her head before going outside the house.

Is the word order fixed, or could we move kila siku somewhere else?

Swahili word order is fairly flexible for time expressions like kila siku (every day).

Your sentence:

Bibi kila siku hufunga leso kichwani kabla ya kutoka nje.

Possible, still natural alternatives:

Bibi hufunga leso kichwani kila siku kabla ya kutoka nje.
Kila siku bibi hufunga leso kichwani kabla ya kutoka nje.

Common tendencies:

Time expressions often appear near the beginning (after or before the subject) or towards the end of the clause.
Changing the position can slightly change emphasis, but all of the above versions are grammatical and natural.