Learn Hardcore Swahili: Watoto, keti kwenye kochi na msibishane kuhusu mchezo sasa. - Children, sit on the sofa and don’t argue about the game now.

Watoto, keti kwenye kochi na msibishane kuhusu mchezo sasa.

Children, sit on the sofa and don’t argue about the game now.

Breakdown of Watoto, keti kwenye kochi na msibishane kuhusu mchezo sasa.

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Questions & Answers about Watoto, keti kwenye kochi na msibishane kuhusu mchezo sasa.

What is the function of Watoto at the start of the sentence, and why is there a comma after it?

Watoto here is a vocative – the speaker is directly addressing the children: Watoto, ... = Children, ...

The comma marks that Watoto is not the grammatical subject in a normal sentence like “Children sit…”, but a form of address, similar to English:

Children, sit on the couch…

In spoken Swahili, intonation would also show this: a slight pause after Watoto.

Do we need to say ninyi (“you”) anywhere, or is you just understood?

In imperatives, Swahili normally omits ninyi (you plural) and wewe (you singular), because the verb form already shows that it is a command to “you”.

So:

Keti kwenye kochi = (You) sit on the couch.
Msibishane = (You plural) don’t argue.

You could add ninyi for emphasis:

Ninyi, keti kwenye kochi na msibishane kuhusu mchezo sasa.

but it would sound like stressing you in particular, almost like “You children, sit…”.

Why is keti used here? What is the difference between keti and kaa?

Both keti and kaa can mean sit, but they are used a bit differently:

keti – specifically to sit (down), the act of sitting.
- Keti chini. = Sit down.
kaa – more general: stay, remain, and also sit.
- Kaa hapa. = Sit / stay here.

In many everyday contexts, either would be understood. Here, Keti kwenye kochi sounds like “Sit (down) on the couch.”
You could also hear: Watoto, kaeni kwenye kochi… (using kaa with plural imperative -eni).

There are several children (Watoto), so why is it keti and not ketini?

Grammatically, the “pure” plural imperative of -keti is ketini:

Singular command: Keti!
Plural command: Ketini!

However, in everyday modern Swahili many speakers use keti even when addressing a group, especially in informal speech. So:

Watoto, keti kwenye kochi is very natural in conversation.
Watoto, ketini kwenye kochi is more clearly “you all sit”, more formal / textbook-like.

If you want to be safely correct in writing or in formal speech to a group, ketini (or kaeni) is a good form to remember.

What exactly does kwenye mean here? Could we leave it out or replace it?

Kwenye is a preposition meaning on / in / at, depending on context.
Keti kwenye kochi = Sit on the couch.

You cannot just drop kwenye here; keti kochi would sound wrong or at least very incomplete.

Possible alternatives:

Keti juu ya kochi. – Sit on top of the couch. (more explicit “on top of”)
Kaa kwenye kochi. – using kaa instead of keti.

Kwenye is a very common, neutral way to express location and works with many places:

kwenye meza – on/at the table
kwenye nyumba – in the house

What kind of word is kochi, and how do you make it plural?

Kochi is a loanword (from English “couch/coach/sofa”) and it belongs to noun class 5/6:

Singular: kochi – a couch / sofa
Plural: makochi – couches / sofas

Examples:

Kochi jipya – a new couch
Makochi mapya – new couches

In this sentence, kwenye kochi is “on the couch”. If there were more than one couch, you could say kwenye makochi, but usually there is just one piece of furniture being referred to.

What does na do between kochi and msibishane?

Here na is a conjunction meaning and, linking two commands:

keti kwenye kochi – sit on the couch
msibishane kuhusu mchezo sasa – don’t argue about the game now

So the structure is:

Keti kwenye kochi na msibishane…
= Sit on the couch and don’t argue…

Na can also mean “with” in other contexts (e.g. Ninakula na rafiki yangu. – I’m eating with my friend), but in this sentence it clearly functions as and.

How is msibishane formed, and why does it mean “(you plural) don’t argue”?

Msibishane can be broken down like this:

msi- – negative marker for you plural in subjunctive/imperative
-bisha- – verb root “to deny / object / oppose”
-an- – reciprocal extension (“each other”)
-e – subjunctive ending

So msi-bishan-e → msibishane =
“you (plural) should not argue with each other” → don’t argue (you all).

Related forms:

Affirmative plural command: bishaneni! – argue (you all)!
Negative singular command: usibishane! – don’t argue (you, one person)!
Negative plural command: msibishane! – don’t argue (you all)!

The combination msi‑ + verb in ‑e is the standard way to make a negative command for “you plural”.

What does the -an- part in bishane / bishana mean exactly?

The -an- extension in Swahili usually marks:

reciprocal action – people doing something to each other
or “doing X together / with one another”

From the root -bisha (“to object / oppose”):

kubisha – to object, to knock (context-dependent)
kubishana – to argue with each other

So msibishane = “do not argue with one another”.
Without -an-, msibishe (hypothetical) would not have that mutual “with each other” sense.

What does kuhusu mean, and can we use something else to say “about the game”?

Kuhusu means about / concerning / regarding.
So kuhusu mchezo = about the game.

Alternatives:

juu ya mchezo – literally “on top of the game”, but idiomatically often “about the game” as well.
mambo ya mchezo – “issues of the game”, more colloquial and broader.

Kuhusu is generally the most straightforward and neutral choice when you want to say “about X” in formal or semi-formal Swahili.

Why is it mchezo and not michezo here?

Mchezo is singular (game, match, play, sport), and michezo is plural (games, sports).

kuhusu mchezo – about the (one) game / this particular game
kuhusu michezo – about games / sports (in general or several)

In the sentence, the speaker is probably referring to one specific game the children are arguing about, so the singular mchezo is appropriate.

What nuance does sasa add at the end of the sentence? How is it different from sasa hivi?

Sasa means now and often carries a tone of “from this moment / enough already” when put at the end of a command:

… kuhusu mchezo sasa.
→ “… about the game now.” (implying: stop it now, from this point on.)

Sasa hivi often feels more like “right now / this very moment” in a time sense:

Fanyeni hivyo sasa hivi. – Do that right now.

You could say:

Watoto, keti kwenye kochi na msibishane kuhusu mchezo sasa hivi.
This would sound a bit more like “immediately”, but the emotional “I’ve had enough, stop now” tone is already strong with sasa at the end.

Is the tone of this sentence polite or quite strong? How could you make it softer?

As it stands, the sentence is a fairly direct command, natural for a parent or teacher scolding or firmly controlling a situation. It is not rude, but it is clearly authoritative.

To soften it, you could:

Add tafadhali (please):
- Watoto, tafadhali keti kwenye kochi na msibishane kuhusu mchezo sasa.
Use a slightly less direct structure, e.g.:
- Watoto, naomba mketi kwenye kochi na muache kubishana kuhusu mchezo sasa.
  (Children, I ask that you sit on the couch and stop arguing about the game now.)

These versions keep the same basic message but with a more polite or gentle tone.