Bibi hupenda kutuambia methali jioni, lakini leo tulijifunza nahau mpya darasani.

Hu- marks the habitual idea in Swahili. It often means usually, generally, or tends to.

So Bibi hupenda... means something like Grandma usually likes... or Grandma likes to... as a regular habit, not just one time.

A useful contrast:

• Bibi hupenda kutuambia methali jioni = Grandma usually likes telling us proverbs in the evening.
• Bibi alipenda... = Grandma liked...
• Bibi anapenda... = Grandma likes / is liking, depending on context

In this sentence, hu- helps show that this is a normal or repeated action.

Because the speaker wants a habitual meaning, not just a simple present meaning.

• anapenda = she likes / she is liking
• hupenda = she usually likes / she tends to like

In many contexts, English uses the simple present for both, but Swahili can be more specific. Here, hupenda makes it sound like Grandma regularly does this.

Because Swahili often combines several pieces into one verb form.

kutuambia can be broken down like this:

• ku- = to
• tu- = us
• ambia = tell

So kutuambia means to tell us.

This is very normal in Swahili. Object markers such as ni-, ku-, tu-, wa-, etc. are often attached directly to the verb.

For example:

• kuniambia = to tell me
• kukuambia = to tell you
• kutuambia = to tell us

They are related, but not the same.

• methali = proverb
• nahau = idiom

A methali is usually a complete saying that expresses wisdom or a lesson.

A nahau is a fixed expression whose meaning is not fully literal.

So in this sentence:

• Grandma tells proverbs
• today we learned a new idiom

That contrast is very natural in a language-learning or cultural context.

Because the verb is kujifunza, which means to learn.

You can break tulijifunza down like this:

• tu- = we
• li- = past tense
• ji- = reflexive element
• funza = teach/train

Historically, that ji- is reflexive, so the idea is something like teach oneself. But in modern Swahili, kujifunza is simply the normal verb for to learn.

A very important contrast is:

• kufunza = to teach / train
• kujifunza = to learn

So:

• tulifunza would mean we taught
• tulijifunza means we learned

Because today does not automatically mean the present tense.

If the learning already happened earlier today, Swahili naturally uses the past tense:

• leo tulijifunza = today we learned

If the action were happening right now, you would expect something like:

• leo tunajifunza = today we are learning

So leo gives the time, while li- shows that the action is already completed.

Because jioni can work by itself to mean in the evening / during the evening.

Time expressions in Swahili often do not need a separate preposition like English does.

So:

• jioni = in the evening
• asubuhi = in the morning
• usiku = at night

English often needs in or at, but Swahili often does not.

Darasani means in the classroom or in class.

It comes from:

• darasa = classroom / class
• -ni = locative ending, giving the idea of in / at / on

So:

• darasa = classroom
• darasani = in the classroom / in class

This -ni ending is very common in Swahili for places:

• nyumbani = at home
• shuleni = at school
• mezani = on the table
• darasani = in class / in the classroom

Because in Swahili, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• nahau mpya = new idiom
• kitabu kipya = new book
• mtoto mdogo = small child

This is one of the most basic word-order differences from English.

Because adjectives in Swahili usually agree with the noun class of the noun.

Nahau belongs to the noun class where the adjective -pya becomes mpya.

So:

• nahau mpya = new idiom

This same form is also used with many class 9/10 nouns, which is why you will often see mpya unchanged.

It can be a little tricky, because some Swahili nouns have the same form in singular and plural.

Methali is one of those words. Context tells you whether it means:

• a proverb
• proverbs

In this sentence, the meaning is naturally proverbs in a general sense, because Grandma is the kind of person who tells them in the evenings.

Because Swahili usually puts subject and object information inside the verb.

In this sentence:

• kutuambia: tu- = us
• tulijifunza: tu- = we

So Swahili does not need separate words like we or us unless the speaker wants extra emphasis.

For example:

• tulijifunza = we learned
• sisi tulijifunza = we learned / we ourselves learned

The second one is more emphatic.

Bibi most commonly means grandmother or grandma, but depending on context it can also refer to an elderly woman, and in some contexts it can be used respectfully for a lady.

In this sentence, grandmother is the most natural interpretation, especially because of the family-style action telling us proverbs in the evening.

Yes, Swahili word order is fairly flexible, although some versions sound more natural than others.

For example, these are all possible:

• Bibi hupenda kutuambia methali jioni
• Jioni, Bibi hupenda kutuambia methali
• Lakini leo tulijifunza nahau mpya darasani
• Lakini tulijifunza nahau mpya darasani leo

Changing the position often changes the focus slightly:

• putting leo earlier emphasizes today
• putting jioni earlier emphasizes in the evening

But the original sentence is very natural and well balanced.