Learn Hardcore Swahili: Leo jogoo amekaa kimya, lakini ndege wadogo wanaimba juu ya paa letu. - Today the rooster is quiet, but small birds are singing on our roof.

kaa = to sit, stay, remain, live
amekaa = a- (he/she) + -me- (perfect) + kaa → "has stayed / has remained / has sat"
kimya = silence, quiet

So amekaa kimya is literally "he has stayed in silence / he has remained quiet."

In Swahili, kaa + adjective/noun often describes a state:

amekaa kimya – he has stayed quiet → he is (has been) quiet
amekaa vizuri – he has stayed well → he is fine / doing well

The perfect (-me-) often describes a state that started earlier and is still true now, which is why amekaa kimya is naturally understood as "has been quiet" or simply "is quiet (today)."

What is the difference between amekaa kimya and anakaa kimya?

Both can describe being quiet, but there is a nuance:

amekaa kimya: focuses on the resulting state right now
- "has stayed quiet (up to now)"
- In the sentence Leo jogoo amekaa kimya, it suggests: today, from earlier until now, the rooster has remained quiet.
anakaa kimya: focuses more on a continuous / habitual behavior
- "is (usually) quiet / tends to stay quiet"
- Could sound like describing his normal character, rather than what has happened specifically today.

In this particular sentence, amekaa kimya fits well because we are contrasting today’s unusual behavior with the birds that wanaimba (are singing) now.

Can I say jogoo yuko kimya or jogoo ni kimya instead of jogoo amekaa kimya?

jogoo yuko kimya – This is correct and natural.
- yuko is from kuwa (to be) in a locative / state sense: "the rooster is quiet."
- Slightly more neutral than amekaa kimya, which hints that he has remained quiet.
jogoo ni kimya – This is not natural Swahili.
- ni is normally used before nouns or noun phrases, not plain adjectives:
  - yeye ni mwalimu – he is a teacher
  - hii ni nyumba kubwa – this is a big house
- With adjectives like kimya, you usually use yuko, ako, wako, or a verb like kaa:
  - jogoo yuko kimya
  - jogoo amekaa kimya

Why does the sentence start with Leo? Could I say Jogoo amekaa kimya leo instead?

Both word orders are correct:

Leo jogoo amekaa kimya – "Today, the rooster has been quiet."
- Starting with Leo puts emphasis on "today" as the time frame.
Jogoo amekaa kimya leo – "The rooster has been quiet today."
- More neutral order; focus starts on "the rooster," and leo just adds when.

Swahili is flexible with adverbs of time (leo, jana, kesho). Putting them first is very common for emphasis or to set the scene.

Does ndege mean "bird" or "airplane"? How do I know which one it is, and how do I know if it’s singular or plural?

ndege can mean:

a bird
an airplane / plane

You know by context:

In ndege wadogo wanaimba juu ya paa letu, "planes" singing on the roof is not logical, so it clearly means birds.

About singular vs plural:

The form ndege is the same for singular and plural.
You check agreement and context:
- Singular: ndege anaimba – the bird is singing
- Plural: ndege wanaimba – the birds are singing

Here we have wanaimba ("they are singing"), so ndege must be plural: birds.

Why is it wanaimba and not zinaimba with ndege?

This is about noun classes and animate agreement:

In many grammars, ndege (bird) is class 9/10.
- Class 9/10 subject marker (present): i- / zi-
  - plural example: zana zinaanguka – tools are falling
But with animals and people, Swahili speakers often use the human/animate class (1/2) agreement:
- Class 2 (plural) subject marker: wa-
- So for living creatures:
  - ndege wanaimba – the birds are singing (treating them like "they" — animate)

Both are possible in principle:

ndege wanaimba – very common, feels natural, highlights that they are living creatures.
ndege zinaimba – grammatically OK but less common in everyday speech; feels more "bookish" or "non-animate."

The sentence chooses the natural, animate-style agreement: wanaimba.

Why is it ndege wadogo and not ndege ndogo?

The adjective -dogo ("small") changes with noun class:

Class 1/2 (human/animate): mdogo / wadogo
Class 9/10: ndogo / ndogo

Since ndege is often class 9/10, you may have learned:

ndege ndogo – small bird(s) (class 9/10 agreement)

However, as with the verb, speakers often use human/animate agreement for animals:

ndege wadogo – small birds (treating them like animate class 2)

So you can see two patterns:

Strict class 9/10: ndege ndogo zinaimba
Animate agreement: ndege wadogo wanaimba ← this is what the sentence uses

In everyday Swahili, ndege wadogo wanaimba is very natural and common.

What exactly does juu ya paa letu mean? Is juu "on" or "above", and why do we need ya?

Breakdown:

juu – up, above, the top
juu ya X – on top of X / over X
paa – roof
paa letu – our roof

So juu ya paa letu = "on top of our roof / above our roof."

About ya:

juu can stand alone as an adverb:
- angalia juu – look up
When you say "on top of [something]", you use juu ya + noun:
- juu ya meza – on top of the table
- juu ya paa letu – on top of our roof

You cannot say juu paa letu; the ya is needed to link juu with the noun.

Why is it paa letu and not letu paa? How do possessives work here?

In Swahili, possessives like "my, your, our" usually:

Come after the noun, not before it.
Agree with the noun class.

Here:

paa – roof (class 5)
Class 5 "our" = letu
So: paa letu – our roof

Some other examples:

mtoto wetu – our child (class 1, wetu)
nyumba yetu – our house (class 9, yetu)
tunda letu – our fruit (class 5, letu)

So paa letu is the normal order: noun + possessive.

How is lakini used here? Can I start a sentence with lakini like in English "But..."?

In the sentence:

..., lakini ndege wadogo wanaimba juu ya paa letu.
lakini = "but / however"

Uses:

To connect two contrasting clauses:
- Leo jogoo amekaa kimya, lakini ndege wadogo wanaimba...
You can also start a new sentence with it, just like English:
- Jogoo amekaa kimya leo. Lakini ndege wadogo wanaimba juu ya paa letu.

Punctuation (comma, full stop) follows normal writing style; lakini itself does not change.

Could I say siku ya leo instead of leo, and is there any difference?

Yes, both exist, but they are used a bit differently:

leo – today (very common, neutral)
- Leo jogoo amekaa kimya.
siku ya leo – literally "the day of today"
- Sounds a bit more formal, emphatic, or stylistic.
- Often used when you want to stress "this particular day":
  - Siku ya leo jogoo amekaa kimya – On this day today, the rooster has been quiet.

In ordinary conversation, leo at the beginning of the sentence is perfectly natural and most common.