Ninapokukumbuka, ninapenda kuandika katika shajara yangu.

When I remember you, I like to write in my diary.

Breakdown of Ninapokukumbuka, ninapenda kuandika katika shajara yangu.

• mimi: I
• kupenda: to like
• katika: in
• kuandika: to write
• yangu: my
• shajara: the diary
• ninapokukumbuka: when I remember you

Questions & Answers about Ninapokukumbuka, ninapenda kuandika katika shajara yangu.

What does ninapokukumbuka literally consist of?

The verb ninapokukumbuka is one long word built from several small pieces:

• ni- = I (subject marker, 1st person singular)
• -na- = present / habitual tense marker (am / do / usually do)
• -po- = when (time marker for “at the time that…”)
• -ku- = you (object marker, singular)
• kumbuka = remember (verb root “to remember”)

So ninapokukumbuka literally means something like:

“I-present-when-you-remember” → “when I remember you / whenever I remember you.”

What is the difference between ninapokukumbuka and ninakukumbuka?

• ninakukumbuka = ni- (I) + -na- (present) + -ku- (you) + kumbuka (remember)
  → “I remember you / I am remembering you.”
  This is just a simple statement.

• ninapokukumbuka adds -po- (when):
  → “When(ever) I remember you…”
  Now it’s no longer a full main sentence; it becomes a time clause that needs another clause to complete it, e.g.
  Ninapokukumbuka, ninapenda kuandika…
  → “When I remember you, I like to write…”

Is this talking about the present moment or a habitual action?

The -na- tense together with -po- here is best understood as habitual / repeated:

• Ninapokukumbuka, ninapenda kuandika katika shajara yangu.
  → “Whenever / When I remember you, I like to write in my diary.”

So it describes something that is generally true, not just one specific time.

What is kuandika grammatically, and can I say ninapenda andika instead?

kuandika is the infinitive form of the verb andika (“to write”):

• ku-
  • andika = “to write / writing”

In Swahili, when one verb follows another (like “like to write”, “want to go”), the second verb is normally in the infinitive with ku-:

• ninapenda kuandika = “I like to write / I enjoy writing.”
• nataka kuondoka = “I want to leave.”

You cannot say ✗ ninapenda andika here; without ku- it’s ungrammatical in this structure. You need kuandika.

Why do we say katika shajara yangu? Is katika necessary, and are there alternatives?

katika is a preposition that usually means “in / within / inside / at”.
So:

• kuandika katika shajara yangu = “to write in my diary.”

You often use katika before a noun to show location or context:
katika nyumba, katika kitabu, katika kazi, etc.

Alternatives:

• ndani ya shajara yangu – literally “inside my diary”.
  This is also correct and just emphasizes the inside more strongly.
• shajarani – adding -ni can make a locative (“in/at the diary”), and is grammatically possible, but this particular word is not very common with -ni in everyday speech. You’re more likely to hear katika shajara or ndani ya shajara.

So katika shajara yangu is a natural, neutral way to say “in my diary.”

Why is it shajara yangu and not shajara wangu?

The possessive word for “my” in Swahili changes form according to the noun class of the noun it follows.

• shajara (diary) is a Class 9 (N-class) noun.
• For Class 9 nouns, “my” is yangu, not wangu.

Examples:

• shajara yangu – my diary
• meza yangu – my table
• nguo yangu – my cloth / my dress

By contrast, wangu is used with Class 1 (people, singular):

• mtoto wangu – my child
• rafiki wangu – my friend

So shajara yangu is the correct agreement.

Where is the word “you” in ninapokukumbuka? Why don’t we see wewe?

The “you” is built into the verb as the object marker -ku-:

• ni- = I
• -na- = present
• -po- = when
• -ku- = you (object)
• kumbuka = remember

So ninapokukumbuka literally includes “I … you remember” → “when I remember you.”

In Swahili it’s very common to put object pronouns inside the verb instead of using separate words. You would only add wewe for emphasis, e.g.:

• Ninapokukumbuka wewe, ninahuzunika.
  → “When I remember you (in particular), I feel sad.”

But in normal, neutral sentences, -ku- alone is enough.

Can we change the order of the clauses? Is Ninapenda kuandika katika shajara yangu ninapokukumbuka correct?

Yes, with these kinds of “when…” time clauses, the order is flexible:

• Ninapokukumbuka, ninapenda kuandika katika shajara yangu.
• Ninapenda kuandika katika shajara yangu ninapokukumbuka.

Both are grammatically correct.

The difference is mainly emphasis and style:

• Starting with Ninapokukumbuka puts more focus on the condition/time (“When I remember you…”).
• Starting with Ninapenda kuandika… puts more focus on what you like doing (“I like to write in my diary when I remember you.”).

In writing, you often see a comma after the first clause, just like in English, but this is more about punctuation style than grammar.

How would the meaning change if we said nikikukumbuka instead of ninapokukumbuka?

nikikukumbuka uses the -ki- marker instead of -po-:

• ni- = I
• -ki- = “when / if / whenever” (conditional / temporal marker)
• -ku- = you
• kumbuka = remember

So:

• nikikukumbuka ≈ “when / whenever / if I remember you”
• ninapokukumbuka ≈ “when(ever) I remember you (at those times)”

Both can be translated as “when I remember you”, and in many everyday contexts they sound very similar. A rough nuance:

• -po- (ninapokukumbuka) tends to sound a bit more like actual, real occasions (“at the times when I remember you…”).
• -ki- (nikikukumbuka) can sound a bit more conditional or general (“if/whenever I remember you…”).

In your sentence, either could be used and would still make sense to most speakers.