Watoto wanasikiliza kimya kimya anaposimulia hadithi.

The children listen quietly when he/she tells a story.

Breakdown of Watoto wanasikiliza kimya kimya anaposimulia hadithi.

• mtoto: the child
• kusikiliza: to listen
• hadithi: the story
• kimya kimya: quietly
• anaposimulia: whenever he tells

Questions & Answers about Watoto wanasikiliza kimya kimya anaposimulia hadithi.

What does each word in Watoto wanasikiliza kimya kimya anaposimulia hadithi correspond to in English, and how do the verb prefixes work?

Here is a breakdown:

• watoto

  • Noun, class 2 (people)
  • Means children

• wana-sikiliza

  • wa- = subject prefix for they (class 2 plural, agrees with watoto)
  • -na- = present tense marker (often “are … -ing” or general present)
  • -sikiliza = verb root listen (to)
  • Whole form: wanasikiliza = they are listening / they listen

• kimya kimya

  • kimya = silence, quietness
  • Repeated to form an adverb-like phrase = quietly / in silence

• a-na-po-simulia → anaposimulia

  • a- = subject prefix he/she (class 1 singular, some person previously mentioned)
  • -na- = present tense
  • -po- = relative/temporal marker meaning when / at the time that
  • -simulia = to tell / to narrate (a story)
  • Whole form: anaposimulia = when he/she is telling / whenever he/she tells

• hadithi

  • Noun (N-class, same form singular and plural)
  • Means story / stories (context decides; here usually a story)

So the structure is:

• Main clause: Watoto wanasikiliza kimya kimya = The children listen quietly
• Subordinate time clause: anaposimulia hadithi = when he/she tells a story

Why is kimya repeated as kimya kimya? Could we just say kimya once?

Kimya kimya is a very common way to form an adverbial phrase meaning quietly / in silence.

• kimya by itself is primarily a noun or adjective:

  • kimya = silence / quiet(ness)
  • e.g. kulikuwa na kimya = there was silence

• When you repeat it: kimya kimya

  • It works like an adverb: quietly, in silence
  • It often implies a sustained state of quiet, or people consciously being quiet.

In this sentence, kimya kimya is the normal, idiomatic way to say quietly.
Saying Watoto wanasikiliza kimya anaposimulia hadithi would sound odd or incomplete. You might see kwa kimya in some contexts, but kimya kimya is much more natural here.

Can kimya kimya move to another position in the sentence, or must it stay right after wanasikiliza?

Adverb-like expressions such as kimya kimya are quite flexible, but some positions sound more natural than others.

Most natural positions in this sentence:

1. After the main verb (as in your sentence):

   • Watoto wanasikiliza kimya kimya anaposimulia hadithi.
   • Focuses on how they listen.

2. At the end of the whole sentence, for emphasis:

   • Watoto wanasikiliza anaposimulia hadithi kimya kimya.
   • Still correct; puts a bit of emphasis on the “quietly” part.

You would normally avoid splitting kimya kimya from the verb it semantically modifies, and you also generally keep the object of a verb fairly close to its verb. So things like:

• ✗ Watoto wanasikiliza anaposimulia kimya kimya hadithi

sound awkward or confusing.

As a simple rule for now:
> Place kimya kimya right after the verb it describes, or at the very end of the clause/sentence.

What exactly does anaposimulia mean in terms of time? Is it “when,” “while,” or “whenever”?

Anaposimulia can cover all of these ideas, and context decides the best English translation.

Literally, it’s something like “(at the time) when he/she is telling”. Depending on context, it can mean:

• when he/she is telling (a particular time now)
• while he/she is telling (simultaneous actions)
• whenever he/she tells (habitual, every time it happens)

In your sentence, both of these are good translations:

• The children (are) listening quietly *while he/she is telling a story.*
• The children listen quietly *whenever he/she tells a story.*

Swahili present tense is often used for both current and habitual actions, so anaposimulia can carry that flexibility.

How is anaposimulia built morphologically, and how is it different from anasimulia?

Breakdown of anaposimulia:

• a- = 3rd person singular subject he / she
• -na- = present tense marker
• -po- = relative/temporal marker “when / at the time that”
• -simulia = verb root “tell/narrate (a story)”

So:

• a-na-po-simulia → anaposimulia
  = when he/she is telling / whenever he/she tells

Compare:

• anasimulia

  • a-
    • -na-
      • simulia (no -po-)
  • anasimulia hadithi = He/she is telling a story.
  • This is a main clause verb.

• anaposimulia

  • With -po-, it introduces a subordinate time clause:
  • anaposimulia hadithi = when he/she tells a story
  • It cannot stand alone naturally; it needs another clause.

So the -po- marks the verb as “when/where” something happens.

Why is there no separate word for “he/she” before anaposimulia? Where is the subject?

In Swahili, the subject is usually built into the verb as a prefix. A separate pronoun like yeye (he/she) is only added for emphasis or contrast.

• In anaposimulia:
  • a- = he/she
  • So a- already tells you the subject is 3rd person singular.

Swahili speakers normally say:

• Anasimulia hadithi. = He/She is telling a story.
  (no yeye, unless you want to emphasize “he/she (not someone else)”)

If you really want to emphasize the subject, you could say:

• Watoto wanasikiliza kimya kimya yeye anaposimulia hadithi.
  = The children listen quietly when *he/she (in particular) tells a story.*

But the neutral, normal form is exactly what you have: the subject is expressed by a-.

Do wanasikiliza and anaposimulia have to be in the same tense? How would this sentence look in the past?

They don’t have to be the same tense, but for simultaneous actions (children listening while someone tells a story), they usually match in time.

Present (your sentence):

• Watoto wanasikiliza kimya kimya anaposimulia hadithi.
  = The children listen/are listening quietly when/while he/she tells/is telling a story.

Past version with the same structure:

• Watoto walisikiliza kimya kimya aliposimulia hadithi.
  
  • wali-sikiliza = they listened (past)
  • a-li-po-simulia = when he/she told
    = The children listened quietly when he/she told a story.

Pattern:

• Present: wa-na-sikiliza … a-na-po-simulia
• Past: wa-li-sikiliza … a-li-po-simulia

So you generally change both verbs to past if you’re describing a completed situation in the past.

Why is it wanasikiliza and not wanasikia? What’s the difference between kusikiliza and kusikia?

The difference is roughly:

• kusikiliza = to listen (actively, pay attention to)
• kusikia = to hear (passively notice sounds)

In this sentence, the children are actively paying attention to the story, so wanasikiliza is the natural choice:

• Watoto wanasikiliza kimya kimya…
  = The children (are) listening quietly…

If you said:

• Watoto wanasikia hadithi
  = The children hear the story

That would focus more on the fact that the sound reaches their ears, not that they are deliberately listening.

So:

• Use kusikiliza when someone is listening (on purpose).
• Use kusikia when they hear something (may or may not be intentional).

Could I say Watoto wanamsikiliza kimya kimya anaposimulia hadithi? What does adding -m- change?

Yes, you can say:

• Watoto wana-m-sikiliza kimya kimya anaposimulia hadithi.

Here’s what changes:

• wanamsikiliza = wana-m-sikiliza
  
  • wa- = they
  • -na- = present
  • -m- = object marker “him/her” (person, class 1)
  • -sikiliza = listen
    → they are listening to him/her

So:

• Watoto wanasikiliza kimya kimya anaposimulia hadithi.
  = The children listen quietly when he/she tells a story.
  (focus on the activity of telling a story)

• Watoto wanamsikiliza kimya kimya anaposimulia hadithi.
  = The children listen to him/her quietly when he/she tells a story.
  (focus slightly more on listening to that person)

Both are grammatical. Adding -m- just makes it clearer that the children are listening to that storyteller, not just to the story in an abstract way.

Is hadithi singular or plural here? How would I say “a story” vs “stories”?

Hadithi belongs to the N-class, where the singular and plural look the same.

So hadithi can mean:

• a story
• the story
• stories

Context tells you which is meant.

To be explicit:

• hadithi moja = one story / a story
• hadithi nyingi = many stories
• hadithi mbili = two stories, etc.

In your sentence:

• anaposimulia hadithi
  usually means when he/she tells a story or when he/she tells *stories (in general),* depending on context. Swahili often leaves it a bit general unless you need to be specific.

Can I put the “when”-clause first, like Anaposimulia hadithi, watoto wanasikiliza kimya kimya?

Yes, that is perfectly correct and natural:

• Anaposimulia hadithi, watoto wanasikiliza kimya kimya.
  = When he/she tells a story, the children listen quietly.

Putting the anaposimulia… clause first:

• Is common in Swahili.
• Slightly emphasizes the condition/time (“whenever this happens…”).

Meaning does not really change; it is mostly about style and focus.

So both are fine:

1. Watoto wanasikiliza kimya kimya anaposimulia hadithi.
2. Anaposimulia hadithi, watoto wanasikiliza kimya kimya.

Are there other common ways to say “when he/she tells a story” besides anaposimulia hadithi?

Yes. Several natural variants exist, with slightly different flavors:

1. wakati anasimulia hadithi

   • wakati = time / when
   • Literally: “at the time (when) he/she is telling a story”
   • e.g. Watoto wanasikiliza kimya kimya wakati anasimulia hadithi.

2. anapokuwa anasimulia hadithi

   • anapokuwa = when he/she is (in the state of)
   • More explicit about a state or situation:
   • The children listen quietly when he/she is (busy) telling a story.

3. akisimulia hadithi (using -ki- instead of -po-)

   • a-ki-simulia = when/while he/she is telling
   • Often has a “while/as long as/whenever” flavor:
   • Watoto wanasikiliza kimya kimya akisimulia hadithi.

Very roughly:

• -po- (as in anaposimulia) = “at the time when” (more definite)
• -ki- (as in akisimulia) = “while/whenever” (often more general or continuous)

All of these are grammatical; anaposimulia hadithi is a very standard, clear way to say “when he/she tells a story.”