“A” na “e” ni irabu, lakini “m” na “t” ni konsonanti.

Ni is the Swahili copula, the word used to link one thing with what it is. In this sentence, it works like English is/are.

So:

• A na e ni irabu = A and e are vowels
• m na t ni konsonanti = m and t are consonants

Unlike English, ni does not change for singular or plural.

No. Swahili does not change ni the way English changes is to are. The same word ni can be used for:

• I am
• you are
• he/she is
• they are

So ni is completely normal here, even though A na e refers to more than one thing.

Here, na means and.

So:

• A na e = A and e
• m na t = m and t

It joins two items together, just like English and.

That is a very common question. Na can mean both and and with, depending on context.

In this sentence, it clearly means and because it is joining two letters:

• A na e
• m na t

If you said something like ninakuja na rafiki yangu, then na would mean with: I am coming with my friend.

So the surrounding words tell you which meaning is intended.

Lakini means but.

It introduces a contrast between the first idea and the second idea:

• A na e ni irabu = one statement
• lakini
• m na t ni konsonanti = contrasting statement

Its position is very similar to English but. You can think of it as a connector between two clauses.

In Swahili, many nouns do not change the way English nouns do. Irabu and konsonanti are commonly used with the same form in both singular and plural.

So:

• a ni irabu = a is a vowel
• a na e ni irabu = a and e are vowels

And:

• m ni konsonanti = m is a consonant
• m na t ni konsonanti = m and t are consonants

This is normal for these words.

Yes, very much so in this sentence.

The pattern is:

• subject
• ni
• complement

So:

• A na e → subject
• ni → linking word
• irabu → what they are

Then the second clause follows the same pattern:

• m na t
• ni
• konsonanti

So the structure is quite friendly for English speakers.

Swahili does not use articles the way English does. There is no direct equivalent of English a/an/the in most ordinary sentences.

So Swahili simply says:

• a ni irabu
• m ni konsonanti

Depending on context, English might translate that as:

• a is a vowel
• a is the vowel

But Swahili usually does not mark that distinction with a separate article word.

A simple English-friendly guide is:

• irabu ≈ ee-RAH-boo
• konsonanti ≈ kohn-soh-NAHN-tee

A few helpful pronunciation notes:

• Swahili vowels are usually pure and steady, not gliding like they often do in English.
• Stress usually falls on the second-to-last syllable, so:
  • i-RA-bu
  • kon-so-NAN-ti

In Swahili, letter names are pronounced more regularly than in English.

A rough guide:

• A = ah
• e = eh
• m = em
• t = teh

So the sentence can be read aloud roughly as:

ah na eh ni irabu, lakini em na teh ni konsonanti

Yes. The comma is helpful because it marks a pause before lakini, but the sentence would still be understandable without it:

A na e ni irabu lakini m na t ni konsonanti.

The comma just makes the contrast easier to read.