Learn Hardcore Swahili: Jaribio hili linatusaidia kujifunza Kiswahili.

Jaribio – a test / an exercise / an experiment (noun, class 5)
hili – this (demonstrative that agrees with a class‑5 noun like jaribio)
→ jaribio hili = this test
lina‑ – subject marker + present tense for a class‑5 noun (here: it is …)
‑tu‑ – object marker meaning us
‑saidia – verb root help
→ linatusaidia = it is helping us / it helps us
ku‑jifunza – to learn (infinitive)
- ku‑ = infinitive marker to
- ‑ji‑ = reflexive marker (oneself)
- ‑funza = teach
  → kujifunza = to teach oneself → to learn
Kiswahili – Swahili (language); Ki‑ is the language/class prefix.

So the sentence structure is essentially:
[This test] [it‑PRES‑us‑helps] [to‑learn Swahili].

Why does hili come after jaribio, when in English we say this test, not test this?

In Swahili, the normal pattern is:

Noun + Demonstrative
jaribio hili = this test
kitabu hiki = this book
mtu huyu = this person

So the demonstrative usually follows the noun, unlike English.

There are other demonstrative patterns in Swahili (for that test (near you), that test (over there), etc.), but they still generally follow the noun:

jaribio hili – this test (near the speaker)
jaribio hilo – that test (near the listener or just mentioned)
jaribio lile – that test (over there / more distant)

Putting hili before jaribio would be unusual and not the standard way to say this test.

Why is linatusaidia one long word instead of separate words like “is helping us”?

Swahili verbs usually bundle several pieces of information into a single word, in a fixed order:

Subject marker – Tense marker – Object marker – Verb root

In linatusaidia:

li‑ – subject marker agreeing with jaribio (class 5, it)
‑na‑ – present tense marker (is / does (now / generally))
‑tu‑ – object marker us
‑saidia – root help

All together: li‑na‑tu‑saidia → linatusaidia = it is helping us / it helps us.

So something that takes several words in English is typically expressed as one inflected verb in Swahili.

What exactly does the ‑na‑ in linatusaidia mean? Is it “is helping” or “helps”?

The ‑na‑ marker usually indicates a present/ongoing or general present action. It covers both ideas that English splits into:

This test *is helping us learn Swahili.* (present progressive)
This test *helps us learn Swahili.* (habitual / general truth)

Which English tense you choose in translation depends on context. Swahili ‑na‑ itself does not force that distinction; it just says the action is present/current or generally true.

Why is the subject marker li‑ used in linatusaidia? Why not ina‑ or ina‑tu‑saidia?

Swahili verbs must agree with their subject’s noun class. Jaribio is a class‑5 noun, and class‑5 singular takes the subject marker li‑.

Class 5 singular (e.g. jaribio, tunda) → li‑
- jaribio hili linatusaidia … – this test helps us …

If the subject were something like mtu (person, class 1), you would see a‑ instead:

mtu huyu anatupenda – this person likes us

For the plural of jaribio, you use class‑6 majaribio, and then the verb changes to the class‑6 subject marker ya‑:

Majaribio haya yanatusaidia kujifunza Kiswahili.
These tests help us learn Swahili.

So li‑ is there because jaribio is class 5, and the verb must match that class.

How does ‑tu‑ inside linatusaidia mean “us”? Can I instead say sisi?

‑tu‑ is an object marker meaning us when it appears inside the verb.

linatusaidia – it helps us / it is helping us
linanisaidia – it helps me (‑ni‑ = me)
linakusaidia – it helps you (sg.) (‑ku‑ = you)
linawasaidia – it helps them / you-pl. (‑wa‑ = them / you-pl., depending on context)

You can also use the independent pronoun sisi (we / us), but then you normally don’t also use ‑tu‑ as an object marker:

Jaribio hili linatusaidia. – This test helps us.
Jaribio hili linasaidia sisi. – This test helps us (emphasized).

Using both linatusaidia sisi is possible in some contexts for extra emphasis, but in regular speech either the object marker or the independent pronoun alone is usually enough.

What does kujifunza literally mean, and why is there a ji in there?

Kujifunza is built from three parts:

ku‑ – infinitive marker to
‑ji‑ – reflexive marker oneself
‑funza – teach

So literally kujifunza means to teach oneself, which is understood as to learn.

Compare:

kufunza – to teach (someone else)
kujifunza – to learn (teach oneself)

That reflexive ‑ji‑ is very common for verbs that express doing something to/for yourself.

Why do we need ku‑ in kujifunza? Could you just say jifunza Kiswahili after linatusaidia?

Here kujifunza is an infinitive: to learn. After verbs like kusaidia (to help), kupenda (to like), etc., Swahili typically uses the infinitive (ku‑ + verb):

… linatusaidia kujifunza Kiswahili. – … helps us to learn Swahili.
Ninapenda kusoma vitabu. – I like to read books.

You cannot normally drop ku‑ in this kind of structure.
✗ linatusaidia jifunza Kiswahili is ungrammatical. The ku‑ is required to mark to learn as an infinitive verb phrase.

Why is Kiswahili capitalized, and what does the Ki‑ prefix mean?

In Swahili, names of languages are capitalized, just like in English:

Kiswahili – Swahili
Kiingereza – English
Kifaransa – French

The prefix Ki‑ often marks:

languages (e.g. Kiswahili), and
certain things associated with a group or place.

So Kiswahili literally is the Swahili language / Swahili‑way of speech. In English we usually just say Swahili when speaking English, but in Swahili you say Kiswahili.

Could I move Kiswahili earlier in the sentence, like Jaribio hili linatusaidia Kiswahili kujifunza?

No. That word order is not natural and would be taken as wrong.

Normal order here is:

Subject – Verb – (Object) – Infinitive phrase – Object of that infinitive
Jaribio hili (subject)
linatusaidia (verb: helps us)
kujifunza (infinitive: to learn)
Kiswahili (object of to learn)

So:

Jaribio hili linatusaidia kujifunza Kiswahili. ✅

Putting Kiswahili before kujifunza breaks the natural connection between learn and Swahili.

How would I change the sentence to say “This test helps me learn Swahili” or “helps them learn Swahili”?

You change the object marker inside the verb:

us → ‑tu‑
me → ‑ni‑
you (sg.) → ‑ku‑
him/her → ‑m‑
them → ‑wa‑

So:

Jaribio hili linanisaidia kujifunza Kiswahili.
This test helps me learn Swahili.
Jaribio hili linakusaidia kujifunza Kiswahili.
This test helps you (sg.) learn Swahili.
Jaribio hili linamsaidia kujifunza Kiswahili.
This test helps him/her learn Swahili.
Jaribio hili linawasaidia kujifunza Kiswahili.
This test helps them learn Swahili.

The rest of the sentence stays the same; only the object marker inside the verb changes.

What’s the difference between Swahili and Kiswahili? Are they the same?

They refer to the same language, but:

Swahili – the English name for the language.
Kiswahili – the Swahili name for the language, using the Ki‑ language prefix.

So:

Speaking English: “I’m learning Swahili.”
Speaking Swahili: Ninajifunza Kiswahili.

In a Swahili sentence like Jaribio hili linatusaidia kujifunza Kiswahili, you should use Kiswahili, not Swahili.