Learn Hardcore Swahili: Kaka yangu hucheza tenisi, lakini mimi hupenda mpira wa kikapu zaidi. - My brother plays tennis, but I like basketball more.

anacheza tenisi = he is playing / he plays tennis (general present or current action)
hucheza tenisi = he usually/regularly plays tennis (habit)
ninapenda mpira wa kikapu = I like basketball / I am liking basketball (now)
hupenda mpira wa kikapu = I tend to like / I usually prefer basketball

In this sentence, hu- makes it sound like you are talking about general preferences and habits, not a one‑time situation.

Why is there no subject marker on the verb, like kaka yangu *ana*cheza or mimi *ni*napenda?

With this habitual hu- form, Swahili normally does not use a subject marker on the verb. The pattern is:

(Subject noun/pronoun) + hu- + verb stem

So:

Kaka yangu hucheza – My brother usually plays
Mimi hupenda – I usually like

The subject (kaka yangu, mimi) stays outside the verb instead of being attached as a subject prefix (a-, ni-, etc.).

Why do we say kaka yangu, not yangu kaka?

In Swahili, possessives come after the noun they modify:

kaka yangu = my brother
rafiki yangu = my friend
kitabu changu = my book

Putting the possessive before (yangu kaka) is ungrammatical in Swahili. The correct order is always:

[noun] + [possessive]

Does kaka mean “older brother” or just “brother”?

kaka means brother (male sibling) in general, but:

Traditionally it often implies an older brother.
In everyday modern usage, many people use kaka for any brother, and specify age if needed:
- kaka mdogo – younger brother
- kaka mkubwa – older brother

So in this sentence, kaka yangu comfortably means my brother, and if age matters, it is usually clarified separately.

Why do we say lakini mimi instead of just lakini hupenda mpira wa kikapu zaidi?

Two reasons:

Subject clarity
With the habitual hu- form, the subject is not marked on the verb. Without mimi, the listener might think you are still talking about kaka yangu.
Contrast and emphasis
lakini mimi adds a clear contrast:
- Kaka yangu hucheza tenisi, lakini mimi hupenda…
  = My brother plays tennis, but *I, on the other hand, prefer…*

So mimi here is both grammatically helpful and stylistically emphatic.

What does mpira wa kikapu literally mean, and why is it used for “basketball”?

Literally:

mpira = ball / ball game
wa = of
kikapu = basket

So mpira wa kikapu = “ball (game) of basket”, i.e. basketball.

You cannot normally say kikapu by itself to mean basketball; kikapu alone is just a basket. The full phrase mpira wa kikapu is the usual way to say basketball as a sport.

What does zaidi do in mpira wa kikapu zaidi, and where can zaidi go in the sentence?

zaidi means more or rather in comparisons.

In this sentence, zaidi shows that you like basketball more (than tennis):

…hupenda mpira wa kikapu zaidi.
= …I like basketball more (than tennis).

Common positions:

After the verb phrase:
- Napenda mpira wa kikapu zaidi.
After the noun it is comparing:
- Napenda zaidi mpira wa kikapu. (also possible, but slightly less common in simple speech)

For explicit comparisons you can also say:

Napenda mpira wa kikapu zaidi kuliko tenisi.
= I like basketball more than tennis.

Is tenisi a Swahili word, and does it need a capital letter?

tenisi is a loanword from English “tennis”, adapted to Swahili spelling and pronunciation.

It is treated as a normal common noun in Swahili.
It is usually written with a small t: tenisi, not Tenisi, unless it starts a sentence.

So Kaka yangu hucheza tenisi is the standard spelling.