Mimi ninapenda zawadi niliyopata leo.

I like the gift that I received today.

Breakdown of Mimi ninapenda zawadi niliyopata leo.

• mimi: I
• kupenda: to like
• leo: today
• zawadi: the gift
• niliyopata: that I got

Questions & Answers about Mimi ninapenda zawadi niliyopata leo.

Why do we have Mimi and also ninapenda? Don’t they both already mean I?

In Swahili, the subject prefix on the verb already tells you who is doing the action.

• In ninapenda:
  
  • ni- = I (1st person singular subject)
  • -na- = present tense
  • -penda = like / love

So ninapenda by itself already means I like.

Adding Mimi (I / me) is not grammatically necessary. It is used mainly for:

• Emphasis:
  
  • Mimi ninapenda… = I (as opposed to others) like…
• Clarity or contrast in a longer conversation.

Without emphasis you can simply say:
Ninapenda zawadi niliyopata leo.

Could I drop Mimi and just say Ninapenda zawadi niliyopata leo?

Yes. That is actually the more typical everyday form.

• Ninapenda zawadi niliyopata leo. = I like the gift I got today.

Mimi is only needed if you want to stress the I part (for contrast), for example:

• Mimi ninapenda zawadi niliyopata leo, lakini yeye hapendi.
  I like the gift I got today, but he/she doesn’t.

What exactly is inside the verb ninapenda?

Ninapenda can be broken down like this:

• ni- = subject prefix I
• -na- = present tense marker (general / habitual present)
• -penda = verb root like / love

So:

ni- + -na- + -penda → ninapenda = I like / I love

This same pattern works with other subjects:

• unapenda = u- (you sg) + -na-
  • -penda → you like
• anapenda = a- (he/she) + -na-
  • -penda → he/she likes
• tunapenda = we like, etc.

What does niliyopata mean, and how is it built?

Niliyopata is a relative verb form that means that I received (referring back to a noun).

Breakdown:

• ni- = subject prefix I
• -li- = past tense marker
• -yo- = relative marker agreeing with zawadi (class 9)
• -pata = verb root get / receive

So:

ni- + -li- + -yo- + -pata → niliyopata = that I received

It is used here to describe zawadi:

• zawadi niliyopata = the gift that I received

Why is the relative marker -yo- used in niliyopata, and not something like -cho-?

The choice of relative marker depends on the noun class of the word being described.

• Zawadi belongs to noun class 9/10.
• For class 9/10, the standard relative marker is -yo-.

Examples with different classes:

• kitabu nilichonunua – the book that I bought

  • kitabu is class 7 → relative marker -cho-

• zawadi niliyopata – the gift that I received

  • zawadi is class 9 → relative marker -yo-

So zawadi niliyopata is correct because zawadi is class 9, which uses -yo-.

Why is the verb in the relative part in the past tense (-li-), while the main verb is in the present?

Swahili marks each verb for its own time reference, just like English:

• ninapenda → present: I like (now / generally)
• niliyopata → past: that I got / received (earlier today)

So the sentence is literally:

• Mimi ninapenda = I like (present)
• zawadi niliyopata leo = the gift that I received today (past)

It mirrors English exactly:

• I like (present)
• the gift that I received today (past)

Is zawadi singular or plural in this sentence? There’s no plural marker like ma-.

Zawadi is a noun of class 9/10, and in this class the singular and plural often look the same. So:

• zawadi can mean gift or gifts, depending on context.

In this sentence, context (and the translation your teacher gave) probably decides if it is gift or gifts. Grammatically, it could be either:

• Mimi ninapenda zawadi niliyopata leo.
  → I like the gift I got today.
  → I like the gifts I got today.

Often, number is clarified with words like:

• zawadi moja – one gift
• zawadi nyingi – many gifts

Why is leo at the very end? Could I move leo earlier in the sentence?

Placing leo (today) at the end is very natural:

• Mimi ninapenda zawadi niliyopata leo.
  = I like the gift that I got today.

You can move leo for emphasis or style:

1. Leo ninapenda zawadi niliyopata.
   – Today I like the gift I got. (focus on today)

2. Mimi leo ninapenda zawadi niliyopata.
   – I, today, like the gift I got. (both I and today are highlighted)

But if you move leo in the middle of the relative clause, you must keep the structure clear:

• zawadi niliyopata leo is best.
• Forms like zawadi leo niliyopata are possible in speech but less neat for learners.

In English we use that: “the gift that I received today.” Where is the word that in the Swahili sentence?

Swahili usually does not use a separate word like that. Instead, it builds the “that” meaning into the relative marker on the verb.

• English: gift that I received
• Swahili: zawadi niliyopata

Here:

• niliyopata already means that I received.
  
  • -yo- is the part that does the job of that
    • agrees with zawadi.

There is a fuller form with ambayo:

• zawadi ambayo nilipata leo
  – literally the gift which I got today

But in modern standard Swahili, the short form without ambayo (like niliyopata) is much more common.

Could I say zawadi nilipata leo instead of zawadi niliyopata leo?

No, zawadi nilipata leo is not correct in standard Swahili if you want to say “the gift that I received today.”

You need the relative marker because zawadi is being described:

• Correct:
  
  • zawadi niliyopata leo – the gift that I received today

Without the relative marker, nilipata just means I received and doesn’t link grammatically back to zawadi as a relative clause.

Why don’t we see an object marker for “it” inside niliyopata, something like nilii…?

In a relative clause that is already referring back to the noun (zawadi), the relative marker itself plays the role of “the thing that…”. You do not also add an object marker for “it”.

• zawadi niliyopata
  
  • zawadi = the thing
  • -yo- = relative marker referring back to zawadi
    → already means the gift that I received.

If you added an object marker like -i-, you would get something like nilii…, which would be ungrammatical or at least very odd here. The rule of thumb: don’t double-mark the same noun with both a relative marker and an object marker in this kind of construction.

Is there any difference between ninapenda and napenda?

Both forms are heard, but for learners it is safer to treat ninapenda as the standard, fully written form.

Structurally:

• ninapenda = ni- (I) + -na- (present) + -penda (like)
• napenda is basically a spoken contraction of ninapenda.

Many native speakers use napenda in everyday speech, and you will see it in writing too. However:

• In textbooks and careful writing, ninapenda is preferred.
• The meaning is the same: I like / I love.

So in your sentence, Mimi ninapenda zawadi niliyopata leo is perfectly correct and clear.