Watoto wanapenda tambi zenye pilipili hoho kidogo.

Watoto is the plural form meaning children. The singular is mtoto, meaning child.

This is part of Swahili’s noun class system:

• mtoto = child
• watoto = children

The change from m- to wa- is very common for words referring to people.

Wanapenda includes the subject information inside the verb.

It breaks down like this:

• wa- = they
• -na- = present tense
• -penda = like/love

So wanapenda literally means they like or they are liking.

Because the subject is watoto (children), the verb needs the plural people marker wa-.

Compare:

• Mtoto anapenda... = The child likes...
• Watoto wanapenda... = The children like...

Tambi usually means noodles or sometimes vermicelli/pasta strands, depending on context.

A useful thing for learners is that tambi often stays the same in form, rather than changing clearly between singular and plural the way some other nouns do. In real usage, it is often treated like a food item, much like English spaghetti or noodles.

In this sentence, it refers to the food that the children like.

Zenye means something like that have, which have, or more naturally here, with.

So:

• tambi zenye pilipili hoho kidogo = noodles that have a little bell pepper
• more natural English: noodles with a little bell pepper

The important point is that -enye must agree with the noun it describes. Here it describes tambi, so it becomes zenye.

You can think of -enye as a very common way in Swahili to describe something by what it contains or has.

Examples:

• chai yenye sukari = tea with sugar
• mkate wenye siagi = bread with butter
• tambi zenye pilipili hoho = noodles with bell pepper

Both can sometimes relate to the idea of with, but they do not work in exactly the same way.

• na is the general word for and / with
• -enye means having / containing / that has

So tambi zenye pilipili hoho kidogo focuses on noodles containing or coming with a little bell pepper.

If you used na, the meaning might still be understandable, but zenye is more specific and more natural for describing a noun by what it has.

A rough comparison:

• tambi na pilipili hoho = noodles and/with bell pepper
• tambi zenye pilipili hoho = noodles that have bell pepper

Pilipili hoho means bell pepper.

The word pilipili by itself usually means pepper or chili pepper, and it can easily suggest something spicy. Adding hoho makes it specific:

• pilipili = pepper / chili
• pilipili hoho = bell pepper

So if the sentence says pilipili hoho, it is specifically talking about bell pepper, not hot chili.

Here kidogo means a little, a bit, or a small amount.

So pilipili hoho kidogo means a little bell pepper or a small amount of bell pepper.

This is a very useful word in Swahili. It often works almost like an adverb of quantity:

• maji kidogo = a little water
• chakula kidogo = a little food
• pilipili hoho kidogo = a little bell pepper

A helpful distinction:

• kidogo = a little / a bit
• ndogo = small

So:

• pilipili hoho kidogo = a little bell pepper
• pilipili hoho ndogo = a small bell pepper

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

So:

• watoto can mean children or the children
• tambi can mean noodles, the noodles, or sometimes just some noodles

The exact meaning usually comes from context.

That is why Watoto wanapenda tambi... can be translated naturally as:

• Children like noodles...
• The children like the noodles...
• The children like noodles...

The context tells you which English version is best.

The basic order is:

• Watoto = subject
• wanapenda = verb
• tambi zenye pilipili hoho kidogo = object + description

So the structure is:

Subject + Verb + Object

Then Swahili adds descriptions after the noun:

• tambi = noodles
• zenye pilipili hoho kidogo = with a little bell pepper

That means Swahili often puts descriptive material after the noun, where English may also use with... or a relative phrase like that have....

So a very literal version would be:

Children like noodles that have a little bell pepper.

A more natural English translation is:

The children like noodles with a little bell pepper.