Hakuna chakula nyumbani leo jioni.

There is no food at home this evening.

Breakdown of Hakuna chakula nyumbani leo jioni.

• nyumba: the home
• kwenye: at
• chakula: the food
• leo jioni: this evening
• hakuna: there is no

Questions & Answers about Hakuna chakula nyumbani leo jioni.

What does hakuna literally mean, and how is it used in Swahili?

Hakuna literally means “there is not / there is no.”
It’s used to say something does not exist or is not available.

• Hakuna chakula. – There is no food.
• Hakuna shida. – No problem.
• Hakuna maji. – There is no water.

It doesn’t change for person (I/you/he, etc.); it just negates the existence of something.

Why is there no word for “there is” in the sentence?

In English we say “There is no food…”
In Swahili, hakuna already includes the idea of “there is” + “not.”

So:

• Hakuna chakula ≈ “There is no food.”
• You don’t say “kuna hakuna chakula” or add an extra “there is.”
  The existence and the negation are both built into hakuna.

What is the role of chakula here? Is it singular or plural?

Chakula is a noun meaning food (also “meal”) and here it’s treated as uncountable, like “food” in English.

Grammatically:

• It’s in noun class 7 (ki-/vi- class in singular/plural forms).
• Singular: chakula (usually “food, a meal”)
• Plural: vyakula (“foods, types of food, dishes”)

In everyday speech, chakula often just means “food in general,” which is what we have here: Hakuna chakula – “There is no food.”

What does nyumbani mean exactly, and why doesn’t it use a preposition like “at”?

Nyumbani means “at home / in the home.”

• It comes from nyumba (house/home) + the locative suffix -ni.
• The -ni suffix often means “in/at/on” depending on the noun.

So instead of saying “kwa nyumba” or “katika nyumba” for “at/in the house” in this common sense of “home,” Swahili usually just uses:

• nyumbani – at home / in the house (as one word).

That’s why you don’t need an extra preposition like “at” or “in” before it.

What is the difference between nyumba and nyumbani?

• nyumba = house, home (basic noun).

  • e.g. Hii ni nyumba yangu. – This is my house.

• nyumbani = at home / in the house (locative form).

  • e.g. Niko nyumbani. – I am at home.

Think of nyumbani as “house + location,” so it already carries the meaning “at/in the house.”

What does leo jioni mean, and why are there two time words together?

• leo = today
• jioni = evening

So leo jioni = this evening (today evening).

Putting them together narrows the time:

• leo – today (any time today)
• jioni – evening (in general)
• leo jioni – specifically this evening (today’s evening).

It’s a natural and common way in Swahili to say “this evening.”

Could you also say jioni leo instead of leo jioni?

You can say jioni leo, and people would understand you, but:

• leo jioni is more natural and common for “this evening”.
• jioni leo can sound a bit more like “in the evening today,” which is still okay but slightly less typical in casual speech.

So in most cases, prefer leo jioni.

How would you say “There will be no food at home this evening” (future meaning)?

To express future time explicitly, you usually use the verb kuwa (to be) with na (with/have) in the negative future:

• Hakutakuwa na chakula nyumbani leo jioni.
  = There will not be food at home this evening.

Breakdown:

• haku-takuwa – there will not be (negative future of “to be” in this existential sense)
• na chakula – with food / there is food
• nyumbani – at home
• leo jioni – this evening

So hakuna by itself is more timeless / present-ish; for a clear future, we use hakutakuwa na.

What’s the difference between hakuna and hamna?

Both can mean “there is no / there are no,” but:

• hakuna – more standard and widely used, works everywhere and in writing.
• hamna – very common in spoken Swahili, especially in some regions (like coastal or urban speech), and can feel a bit more informal.

In your sentence, you could also hear:

• Hamna chakula nyumbani leo jioni. – (colloquial) There is no food at home this evening.

For learning and writing, hakuna is the safer default.

Why isn’t there a verb like “is” in the sentence?

Swahili often does not use a separate word for “is/are” in simple sentences about existence or identity, especially with kuna / hakuna:

• Kuna chakula. – There is food.
• Hakuna chakula. – There is no food.

The idea of “is/are” is built into kuna (there is) and hakuna (there is not), so Swahili doesn’t add another “is” like English does.

How would you say “I don’t have food at home this evening” instead of “there is no food at home this evening”?

If you want to emphasize your own possession, use sina (“I don’t have”):

• Sina chakula nyumbani leo jioni.
  = I don’t have food at home this evening.

Compare:

• Hakuna chakula nyumbani leo jioni. – There is no food at home this evening (in general, at that place).
• Sina chakula nyumbani leo jioni. – I personally don’t have food at home this evening.

Could the sentence be rearranged, like “Leo jioni hakuna chakula nyumbani”?

Yes. Swahili word order is fairly flexible for time and place phrases.

All of these are acceptable and natural, with only slight differences in emphasis:

• Hakuna chakula nyumbani leo jioni.
• Leo jioni hakuna chakula nyumbani.
• Nyumbani hakuna chakula leo jioni.

They all mean essentially: There is no food at home this evening.
Putting leo jioni or nyumbani first can slightly highlight the time or place, but the basic meaning stays the same.

How would you turn this into a question: “Is there food at home this evening?”

Use kuna for “there is” and keep the same time and place:

• Kuna chakula nyumbani leo jioni?
  = Is there food at home this evening?

You don’t need a separate “do/does” or a question word; just use a questioning tone (or a question mark in writing).