Wote wanapaswa kusoma kwa bidii.

Wote means all, all of them, or everyone depending on context.

In this sentence, it appears without a noun, so it stands on its own and means something like all of them. Starting the sentence with wote puts emphasis on the whole group.

So Wote wanapaswa kusoma kwa bidii is literally structured a bit like:

All of them — they should study hard.

If you included the noun, you could also say:

Wanafunzi wote wanapaswa kusoma kwa bidii
= All the students should study hard.

In Swahili, a lot of information is packed into one verb word. Wanapaswa can be broken down like this:

• wa- = they
• -na- = present tense
• -paswa = ought to / should / be supposed to

So wanapaswa means they should, they are supposed to, or they ought to.

This is very normal in Swahili. Subject markers and tense markers are usually attached directly to the verb stem.

Wa- is the subject marker for third person plural animate, so it means they when referring to people.

It agrees with wote, which here refers to a group of people. That is why you get:

• wote = all of them
• wa- = they

If the sentence were about one person, you would use a- instead:

Yeye anapaswa kusoma kwa bidii
= He/She should study hard

-na- is the present tense marker in Swahili.

So:

• wa-paswa would not be the normal present form here
• wa-na-paswa = they are supposed to / they should

In many cases, -na- gives a present-time meaning. With a verb like -paswa, it helps express a current obligation or general expectation.

Kusoma is the infinitive form of the verb, meaning to read or to study, depending on context.

After a verb like -paswa (should / ought to), Swahili normally uses the infinitive:

• wanapaswa kusoma = they should study

This is similar to English should study, except Swahili uses the infinitive form with ku-.

Breakdown:

• ku- = infinitive marker, like to
• -soma = read / study

So kusoma = to read / to study

It can mean either to read or to study, depending on context.

In this sentence, kusoma kwa bidii is most naturally understood as to study hard, because kwa bidii means diligently / hard and that combination commonly suggests studying seriously.

But in another context, kusoma could simply mean to read:

Ninapenda kusoma vitabu
= I like reading books

So context tells you which English translation fits best.

Kwa bidii means hard, diligently, or with effort.

Breakdown:

• kwa = by / with / in a certain manner
• bidii = effort, diligence, hard work

Together, kwa bidii is an adverbial phrase describing how the studying is done:

• kusoma kwa bidii = to study hard
• more literally, to study with diligence

This is a very common phrase in Swahili.

Because Swahili grammar works differently from English grammar.

In English, should is a separate helping verb:

• They should study

In Swahili, the idea of they should is built into the verb itself:

• wanapaswa

So instead of using a separate word, Swahili often combines subject, tense, and part of the meaning into one verb form.

That is why Swahili verbs can look long compared with English ones.

Yes, Swahili word order is somewhat flexible, though some versions sound more natural in certain contexts.

Wote wanapaswa kusoma kwa bidii is perfectly natural and emphasizes all of them.

You could also say:

Wanapaswa kusoma kwa bidii wote

but that often sounds more like they should all study hard, with all placed later for emphasis.

If you name the group, a very common order is:

Wanafunzi wote wanapaswa kusoma kwa bidii
= All students should study hard

So the version you were given is natural, but Swahili can shift elements around for emphasis.

Not exactly.

• wote = all / all of them
• kila mtu = each person / everyone

They can be similar in meaning in some contexts, but they are not used in exactly the same way.

For example:

• Wote wanapaswa kusoma kwa bidii = All of them should study hard
• Kila mtu anapaswa kusoma kwa bidii = Each person should study hard / Everyone should study hard

Notice that kila mtu is grammatically singular, so the verb changes:

• anapaswa, not wanapaswa

Yes. Wanapaswa can often be translated as:

• they should
• they ought to
• they are supposed to

The best English choice depends on context and tone.

So Wote wanapaswa kusoma kwa bidii could be understood as:

• They all should study hard
• All of them ought to study hard
• They are all supposed to study hard

All of these capture the basic idea of obligation or expectation.