Learn Hardcore Swahili: Mama na baba wote wawili wanapenda chai jioni. - Mother and father both like tea in the evening.

Mama – mother / mom
na – and
baba – father / dad
wote – all / both (literally “all of them”)
wawili – two / the two (people), from -wili = two with wa- (people class)
wana- (in wanapenda) – they (subject prefix for people, plural)
-penda – to like / to love
chai – tea
jioni – evening / in the evening

So the structure is literally:
Mother and father both two they-like tea evening.

Why do we need both wote and wawili? Don’t they both mean “both/all/two”?

They overlap in meaning but aren’t identical:

wote = all (of them), and with two people it naturally means both.
wawili = (the) two (people).

Together, wote wawili emphasizes: “all the two of them = both of them (and no one else).”
It’s a common way to make “both” very clear.

You can say:

Mama na baba wote wanapenda chai jioni. – Mom and dad both like tea in the evening.
Mama na baba wawili wanapenda chai jioni. – The two (mom and dad) like tea in the evening.

But Mama na baba wote wawili… is very natural and strongly emphasizes both.

Could I just say Mama na baba wanapenda chai jioni without wote wawili?

Yes, you can.

Mama na baba wanapenda chai jioni.
= Mom and dad like tea in the evening.

This already implies both of them, because of wanapenda (“they like”).
Adding wote or wote wawili just adds emphasis: “both of them (not just one).”

Why is it wanapenda and not anapenda?

The subject of the sentence is two people: mama na baba.
In Swahili, verb prefixes show agreement with the subject:

anapenda = a- (he/she) + -na- (present) + -penda = he/she likes
wanapenda = wa- (they) + -na-
- -penda = they like

Because mama na baba = they, the verb must be wanapenda, not anapenda.

What tense is wanapenda? Does it mean “like” or “are liking”?

wanapenda has:

wa- – they
-na- – present tense marker
-penda – like/love

In normal usage, -na- here usually corresponds to the present simple / habitual in English:

Wanapenda chai jioni. ≈ They like tea in the evening. (a regular habit)

It can also cover a “right now” sense depending on context, but with chai jioni it’s most naturally habitual, not “are liking”.

What exactly does chai mean? Is it just “tea”?

Primarily:

chai = tea (the drink).

In some East African contexts, especially colloquially, chai can also refer to a tea-time meal (a light breakfast or evening tea with snacks), but in a sentence like:

Wanapenda chai jioni.

it is usually understood as tea (the beverage) unless context suggests otherwise.

Does jioni mean “evening” or “in the evening”? Why no preposition like “in”?

jioni literally means evening, but time words in Swahili often function like adverbs:

jioni = (in) the evening
asubuhi = (in) the morning
usiku = (at) night

Swahili normally does not use a separate preposition like “in” here. So:

chai jioni ≈ tea in the evening
Ninaenda kazini asubuhi. – I go to work in the morning.

Why are there no words for “the” or “a” before chai and jioni?

Swahili has no articles like a / an / the. Nouns appear “bare”, and context tells you whether English should use a, the, or no article at all:

chai – tea / the tea
jioni – evening / the evening

So wanapenda chai jioni can be translated as:

They like tea in the evening,
not because of a special word for the, but because that’s the most natural English rendering.

Can I move jioni to another place, like at the start of the sentence?

Yes, time expressions are relatively flexible. For example:

Jioni, mama na baba wote wawili wanapenda chai.
– In the evening, mom and dad both like tea.

You’ll commonly see:

Time at the end: … wanapenda chai jioni.
Time at the start for emphasis or style: Jioni, …

You normally wouldn’t put jioni between chai and wanapenda; that would sound odd.

Where should wote and wawili go? Could I say Mama na baba wanapenda chai jioni wote wawili?

wote / wawili normally come right after the noun (or noun phrase) they modify:

Mama na baba wote wanapenda…
Mama na baba wote wawili wanapenda…

Putting them at the end:

✗ Mama na baba wanapenda chai jioni wote wawili

sounds unnatural and confusing. Keep wote / wote wawili close to mama na baba.

How would I say “My mom and dad both like tea in the evening”?

Add a possessive for “my”:

Mama na baba yangu wote wawili wanapenda chai jioni.

Breakdown:

mama na baba yangu – my mom and dad
wote wawili – both (of them)
wanapenda – like
chai jioni – tea in the evening

You can also omit wote wawili if you don’t need the strong emphasis on both:

Mama na baba yangu wanapenda chai jioni.