Learn Hardcore Swahili: Leo amevaa leso ya bluu yenye mistari meupe, na anapendeza sana. - Today she is wearing a blue headscarf with white stripes, and she looks very nice.

If the wider text is talking about time (yesterday/today/tomorrow), Leo = today.
If it’s clearly describing what one specific person is wearing (and especially if other names appear nearby), Leo could be a name.

In isolation, both readings are technically possible, but many learners first meet leo as today.

What does amevaa mean exactly, and how is it different from anavaa or alivaa?

All three are forms of the verb -vaa (to wear/put on):

amevaa – present perfect: has put on / is wearing (now)
- Focuses on the current result: they are now in a state of wearing it.
anavaa – present (habitual or progressive): is wearing / wears
- Could mean is in the process of putting it on (context), or generally wears.
alivaa – simple past: wore / put on (at a specific time in the past)
- The action is in the past; it doesn’t necessarily say whether they’re still wearing it now.

In this sentence, amevaa emphasizes that right now the person is dressed in that leso.

Why is there no separate word for he / she before amevaa and anapendeza?

In Swahili, the subject is usually built into the verb through a subject prefix, so a separate pronoun is not needed:

a-me-vaa
- a- = he/she
- -me- = perfect tense marker
- -vaa = wear
a-na-pendeza
- a- = he/she
- -na- = present tense marker
- -pendeza = be pleasing / look good

You only add explicit pronouns like yeye (he/she) for emphasis or contrast, e.g. Yeye amevaa leso, lakini mimi sivai leso.

What exactly is a leso? Is it the same as kanga or kitenge?

A leso is a type of light cotton cloth used a lot in East Africa, especially by women. It is:

Often smaller and lighter than some kitenge fabrics.
Commonly worn as a headscarf, shoulder wrap, or for tying around the waist.
Sometimes used like a multi-purpose cloth in the home.

It overlaps in use with kanga (another printed cloth with messages and borders), but leso often suggests a scarf-like wrap, especially for the head or shoulders. The exact distinction can vary by region and speaker.

Why is it leso ya bluu and not something like leso bluu or bluu leso?

Swahili typically puts describing words after the noun:

leso ya bluu = a leso of blue / a blue leso

Here ya is a linking (possessive/genitive) particle agreeing with leso, which is in noun class 9. So:

leso (class 9)
ya (genitive for class 9)
bluu (the color, borrowed from English; it doesn’t change form)

You can sometimes hear leso bluu in casual speech, but leso ya bluu is more standard and clear. You wouldn’t put the color before the noun the way English does.

What does yenye mean in leso ya bluu yenye mistari meupe?

Yenye roughly means that has / which has / with.

So:

leso ya bluu yenye mistari meupe
≈ a blue leso that has white stripes

Grammatically:

leso is class 9.
The form yenye is the class 9/10 form of this adjective/relative -enye (having).

A more explicit (but longer) version would be:

leso ya bluu iliyo na mistari meupe
(a blue leso that has white stripes)

But yenye is shorter and very natural in this kind of description.

What is mistari? What is its singular form?

Mistari means lines / stripes (plural).

Singular: mstari = a line / a stripe
Plural: mistari = lines / stripes

It belongs to the m/mi noun class (class 3/4):

mstari mmoja – one line
mistari mingi – many lines

Why is it mistari meupe and not something like mistari nyeupe or just mistari eupe?

The base adjective is -eupe = white (color). It changes form to agree with the noun class.

For mistari (class 4, plural of m/mi):

You will commonly see mistari meupe in real usage.
Some grammars prefer mistari myeupe, but in actual speech and writing meupe is very frequent and widely accepted.

Key points:

You do not normally say just mistari eupe without a prefix; adjectives need an agreeing prefix.
nyeupe is typically used with N-class nouns (class 9/10), for example:
- nguo nyeupe – white clothes/dress
- leso nyeupe – a white leso

So, in this sentence, mistari meupe expresses white stripes with agreement to mistari.

In anapendeza sana, does anapendeza mean likes or is liked / looks good?

Anapendeza does not mean likes; the verb to like/love is -penda.

anapenda = he/she likes / loves
anapendeza = he/she is pleasing / looks good / is attractive / is charming

So anapendeza sana means something like:

she looks very nice
she is very attractive
she’s really pleasing to look at

It talks about appearance or general charm, not about liking something.

What exactly does sana add in anapendeza sana?

Sana is an adverb meaning very / a lot / so much.

anapendeza – she looks nice
anapendeza sana – she looks very nice / really good

You often place sana after the verb or adjective it modifies:

nzuri sana – very good
ninakupenda sana – I love you very much

What is the role of na in ..., na anapendeza sana?

Here na means and, linking two clauses:

Leo amevaa leso ya bluu yenye mistari meupe, na anapendeza sana.
≈ Today she is wearing a blue leso with white stripes, and she looks very nice.

Other common uses of na (not in this sentence but useful to know):

with: anakuja na rafiki yake – she is coming with her friend
and also / plus (for nouns): chai na mkate – tea and bread

Can the word order inside leso ya bluu yenye mistari meupe be changed?

Only slightly, and with some change in feel.

Natural order:

leso ya bluu yenye mistari meupe
(a blue leso that has white stripes)

You could say:

leso yenye mistari meupe ya bluu – sounds awkward and unnatural.
leso yenye mistari meupe, ya bluu – would be understood, but sounds like listing features rather than one smooth noun phrase.

The most idiomatic way is to keep:

leso (the main noun)
ya bluu (color phrase)
yenye mistari meupe (extra description)

So the original order is what you should copy in your own Swahili.

Could I say Leo anavaa leso ya bluu... instead of Leo amevaa leso ya bluu...? What would change?

You can say Leo anavaa leso ya bluu..., but the nuance changes:

Leo amevaa leso ya bluu...
- Focus: her current state – she is already dressed in it now.
Leo anavaa leso ya bluu...
- Could mean she is in the process of putting it on right now, or more vaguely, she is wearing it today.
- It can sound a little more like an ongoing action than a completed, resulting state.

For describing what someone is wearing right now, amevaa is very common and natural.