Jibu lile ni sahihi.

A simple breakdown is:

• jibu = answer
• lile = that for this noun class
• ni = is
• sahihi = correct or right

So the structure is:

• jibu lile = that answer
• ni sahihi = is correct

In Swahili, demonstratives such as this and that usually come after the noun they describe.

So Swahili commonly does this:

• jibu lile = that answer
• kitabu hiki = this book
• mtu yule = that person

This is normal Swahili word order:

• noun + demonstrative

So jibu lile is the expected way to say that answer.

Because Swahili demonstratives must agree with the noun class of the noun they describe.

Jibu belongs to noun class 5 in the singular, so its demonstrative must also be the class 5 form.

For class 5, the common demonstrative set is:

• hili = this
• hilo = that
• lile = that over there / that particular one

So with jibu, you get:

• jibu hili
• jibu hilo
• jibu lile

You would not normally use a demonstrative from a different noun class here.

Jibu is a class 5 singular noun. Its plural is majibu, which is class 6.

This is not the same as masculine/feminine gender in languages like French or Spanish. Swahili uses noun classes, and those classes affect agreement on words like demonstratives and some adjectives.

That is why:

• singular: jibu lile
• plural: majibu yale

A good way to think about it is:

• English has very little noun agreement
• Swahili has a lot more, based on noun classes

Swahili normally does not use separate articles like the or a/an.

So:

• jibu can mean an answer, a answer in a general sense, or the answer, depending on context
• jibu lile is more clearly that answer, so it is already specific

In other words, Swahili often lets context or words like demonstratives show definiteness instead of using an article.

Here, ni is a standalone copula, meaning something like is / are.

So in this sentence:

• Jibu lile ni sahihi
• That answer is correct

This ni is not the same thing as the ni- in a verb like ninasoma.

Compare:

• ni sahihi = is correct
• ninasoma = I am reading

In ninasoma, ni- is a subject prefix meaning I. In Jibu lile ni sahihi, ni is a separate word linking the subject to a description.

Not every descriptive word in Swahili changes its form for noun class.

Sahihi is one of the words that usually stays the same. It means correct, accurate, or right, and it does not need a special class prefix here.

So you can say:

• jibu sahihi = a correct answer
• majibu sahihi = correct answers

Notice that sahihi stays sahihi in both singular and plural.

The plural of jibu is majibu.

So the plural sentence is:

• Majibu yale ni sahihi.

That means Those answers are correct.

Here is what changed:

• jibu → majibu
• lile → yale

But:

• sahihi stays the same

So the pattern is:

• singular: Jibu lile ni sahihi
• plural: Majibu yale ni sahihi

Both can often be translated as that, but they are not exactly identical.

For class 5 nouns like jibu:

• hili = this
• hilo = that
• lile = that over there, that one, or sometimes that particular one

In real usage, the difference can be about:

• physical distance
• mental distance
• emphasis
• whether the thing has already been identified in the conversation

So:

• Jibu hilo ni sahihi can mean That answer is correct
• Jibu lile ni sahihi can also mean That answer is correct, but it may sound a bit more like that particular answer or that one over there

The exact nuance depends on context.

You can break it into syllables like this:

• ji-bu li-le ni sa-hi-hi

A useful pronunciation guide:

• j sounds like the j in jam
• i sounds like ee
• u sounds like oo
• e is a clear eh
• a is like a in father

Stress in Swahili usually falls on the second-to-last syllable of each word:

• JI-bu
• LI-le
• NI
• sa-HI-hi

So a natural reading is:

• JI-bu LI-le NI sa-HI-hi