Juma aliandika fasili ya neno hilo kwenye daftari lake.

Aliandika can be divided like this:

• a- = he/she
• -li- = past tense
• -andika = write

So aliandika means he/she wrote.

Because the subject is Juma, we understand it here as Juma wrote.

In Swahili, the verb usually carries a subject marker, even when the full subject noun is also stated.

So in:

• Juma aliandika

you have:

• Juma = the person doing the action
• a- in aliandika = agreement with a singular human subject

This is normal Swahili grammar. English does not do this in the same way, so it can feel repetitive to English speakers, but in Swahili it is expected.

Fasili means definition.

So:

• fasili ya neno hilo = the definition of that word

Depending on context, fasili can refer to the meaning or explanation of a term, especially in a dictionary or classroom setting.

Here ya is a connector meaning something like of.

So:

• fasili ya neno hilo literally = definition of word that

More naturally in English:

• the definition of that word

This -a connector changes form to agree with the noun before it. Here it appears as ya, which matches fasili.

In Swahili, modifiers usually come after the noun, not before it.

So:

• neno hilo = word that
• natural English: that word

This is a very common pattern in Swahili. For example:

• mtu huyu = this person
• kitabu kile = that book

So the order may feel reversed to an English speaker, but it is normal Swahili structure.

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

Neno belongs to noun class 5 in the singular, so the matching demonstrative is:

• hili / hilo / lile

In this sentence, we have hilo.

Very roughly:

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

So neno hilo is correct because hilo agrees with neno.

Yes, both can often be translated as that, but Swahili makes a finer distinction than English often does.

A simple way to think about it:

• hili = this
• hilo = that (often something already mentioned or nearer the listener)
• lile = that over there / that one farther away

In real usage, these distinctions can depend on context, not just physical distance. In many learner translations, both hilo and lile may end up as that in English.

Kwenye is a locative word meaning something like:

• in
• on
• at

The exact English translation depends on context.

In:

• kwenye daftari lake

it means in his notebook or in her notebook.

With a notebook, English usually prefers in, even though Swahili uses kwenye very naturally.

Both can sometimes be translated as in, but they are not always identical.

• kwenye is very common in everyday speech and often means on/in/at a place
• katika can sound a bit more formal or can mean inside/in the context of/within

In this sentence, kwenye daftari lake sounds completely natural for in his notebook.

Daftari means notebook/exercise book.

Lake means his/her, but it must agree with the noun being possessed, not with the owner.

Since daftari belongs to noun class 5 (singular), the possessive form is:

• langu = my
• lako = your
• lake = his/her
• letu = our
• lenu = your (plural)
• lao = their

So:

• daftari lake = his notebook / her notebook

Lake can mean either his or her.

Swahili does not normally distinguish he and she in this kind of agreement. So:

• aliandika = he wrote or she wrote
• lake = his or her

We usually know the intended meaning from context. Since the subject is Juma, which is typically a male name, English would usually translate it as his.

Swahili does not have articles like English a/an/the.

Whether something is understood as:

• a word
• the word
• that word

depends on context and other words in the sentence.

Here, neno hilo already means that word, so no separate word like the is needed.

The basic structure is:

• Juma = subject
• aliandika = verb
• fasili ya neno hilo = object
• kwenye daftari lake = location

So the pattern is roughly:

Subject + Verb + Object + Location

That is fairly close to English word order, although the internal structure of noun phrases is different. For example:

• English: that word
• Swahili: neno hilo

Possibly, depending on context, but definition is the most direct translation of fasili here.

If the context is a classroom, dictionary, or language exercise, definition is the best choice.

If the context were broader, a translator might choose meaning or explanation, but definition is the safest default for this sentence.

You would change hilo to hili:

• Juma aliandika fasili ya neno hili kwenye daftari lake.

That means:

• Juma wrote the definition of this word in his notebook.

The noun neno stays the same; only the demonstrative changes.

Daftari here is singular: notebook.

A common plural is:

• madaftari = notebooks

If you wanted to say in his notebooks, you would need agreement that matches the plural noun class. The possessive would also change accordingly.

So singular and plural agreement matters in Swahili, not just for the noun itself but also for words connected to it.