Baba anapenda kutazama mechi ya soka usiku.

A word-by-word breakdown is:

• Baba = father / dad
• anapenda = he likes / he loves
• kutazama = to watch
• mechi = match
• ya = of
• soka = football / soccer
• usiku = at night / in the evening / during the night

So the structure is very literally:

• Baba = Dad
• anapenda = likes
• kutazama = to watch
• mechi ya soka = football match
• usiku = at night

Anapenda can be divided like this:

• a- = he / she
• -na- = present tense marker
• -penda = like / love

So:

• a-na-penda = he/she likes, he/she is liking, or more naturally in English, he/she likes

In this sentence, the subject is Baba, so a- refers to he.

It can mean either, depending on context.

• kupenda often covers both to like and to love
• In everyday sentences like this one, anapenda kutazama... is usually best understood as likes to watch...
• If the context were emotional or romantic, it could be loves

So here, likes to watch is the most natural reading.

Because kutazama is the infinitive form, meaning to watch.

In Swahili, after verbs like kupenda (to like), you commonly use another verb in the infinitive:

• anapenda kutazama = he likes to watch

Here:

• ku- = infinitive marker, like English to
• -tazama = watch / look at

So kutazama literally means to watch.

Because the to idea is already built into kutazama.

In English, you say:

• likes to watch

In Swahili, the infinitive marker ku- does that job:

• ku-tazama = to watch

So Swahili does not need a separate extra word before kutazama.

Literally, mechi ya soka means:

• match of football

But in natural English, that becomes:

• football match
• or soccer match

The word ya is a connector meaning something like of. It links the two nouns.

So:

• mechi = match
• ya = of
• soka = football/soccer

Together: mechi ya soka = football match

Because the connector agrees with the noun class of mechi.

Mechi belongs to the N-class in Swahili, and one of the possessive/connective forms used with this class is ya.

So:

• mechi ya soka = football match

If the head noun were from a different noun class, the connector would change. For example:

• mpira wa miguu = football / soccer

Here mpira belongs to a different noun class, so the connector is wa, not ya.

This is a very common feature in Swahili: connectors change to match noun class.

It is in the present tense.

The marker -na- in anapenda shows present time.

So anapenda means:

• he likes
• he is liking in a very literal sense, though that sounds unnatural in English

In normal English translation, this sentence is best understood as a present habitual/general statement:

• Dad likes to watch football matches at night.

Usiku is a time expression meaning at night or during the night, and in Swahili, time expressions often come near the end of the sentence.

So the order here is very natural:

• subject + verb + infinitive/action + object + time

That gives:

• Baba anapenda kutazama mechi ya soka usiku.

You may also see time expressions in other positions in Swahili, especially for emphasis, but this final position is very common and natural.

Swahili does not use articles like English the and a/an.

So:

• Baba can mean father, the father, or dad, depending on context
• mechi ya soka can mean a football match or the football match, depending on context

English requires an article, but Swahili usually does not. The listener understands from the situation whether the meaning is definite or indefinite.

Yes. In many contexts, kutazama and kuangalia can both mean to watch or to look at.

For example:

• Baba anapenda kutazama mechi ya soka usiku.
• Baba anapenda kuangalia mechi ya soka usiku.

Both can work.

Very roughly:

• kutazama often has a sense of looking/watching
• kuangalia can mean look at, watch, check, examine, depending on context

In everyday speech, both may be heard for watching TV or matches.

You can say:

• Baba hapendi kutazama mechi ya soka usiku.

Breakdown:

• ha- = negative marker for he/she
• -pendi = negative form of penda

So:

• hapendi = he does not like

The rest of the sentence stays the same:

• Baba hapendi kutazama mechi ya soka usiku.
• Dad does not like watching football matches at night.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• Baba = BAH-bah
• anapenda = ah-nah-PEN-dah
• kutazama = koo-tah-ZAH-mah
• mechi = MEH-chee
• ya = yah
• soka = SOH-kah
• usiku = oo-SEE-koo

A few helpful points:

• Swahili vowels are usually pronounced clearly and consistently
• Each vowel is usually sounded: u-si-ku
• Stress is often near the second-to-last syllable, so:
  • anapENda
  • kutazAma
  • usIku