Bibi alisema ati methali moja inaweza kufundisha mtoto busara kuliko hotuba ndefu.

Here ati introduces what was said, so it works a lot like that in English:

• Bibi alisema ati ... = Grandmother said that ...

A learner should know that ati is often more conversational and can sound more like reported speech or retelling someone’s words. Kwamba is also very common for that, and many learners first meet it in textbooks.

So:

• alisema ati ... = said that ...
• alisema kwamba ... = said that ...

Both can work, but ati often feels a bit more spoken or narrative.

Alisema breaks down into:

• a- = he/she
• -li- = past tense
• -sema = say/speak

So alisema means he/she said.

Because bibi is a singular person, the verb uses the singular human subject marker a-.

Not always. Bibi can mean different things depending on context, including:

• grandmother
• old lady
• lady / madam
• sometimes wife in certain contexts or styles

In this sentence, the intended meaning is clearly grandmother, but it is useful to know that the word is broader than that.

In Swahili, numbers usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• methali moja = one proverb
• watoto wawili = two children
• vitabu vitatu = three books

That is why moja comes after methali.

Inaweza means it can or it is able to.

It is built from:

• i- = subject marker for the noun class of methali
• -na- = present tense
• -weza = be able / can

So methali moja inaweza ... literally means:

• one proverb can ...

The important point is that the verb agrees with methali, not with bibi.

After kuweza (can / be able to), Swahili normally uses the infinitive form of the next verb.

So:

• inaweza kufundisha = it can teach
• anaweza kusoma = he/she can read
• wanaweza kuja = they can come

The ku- at the beginning marks the infinitive, like to teach in English.

Swahili often allows a verb like -fundisha (teach) to take both:

• the person being taught
• the thing being taught

So:

• kufundisha mtoto busara = to teach a child wisdom

This is similar to English:

• teach a child wisdom
• teach wisdom to a child

Swahili does not need a separate word like to here.

Busara means wisdom, good judgment, or good sense.

It is an abstract noun, so in this sentence it refers to the quality being taught:

• mtoto busara = a child wisdom

In natural English we would usually say:

• teach a child wisdom
• teach a child to be wise

Swahili does not have articles like a, an, or the.

So mtoto can mean:

• a child
• the child

The context tells you which meaning is intended. In this sentence, English naturally uses a child.

Kuliko means than in comparisons.

So:

• ... kufundisha mtoto busara kuliko hotuba ndefu = ... teach a child wisdom more than a long speech = more naturally in English, ... teach a child wisdom better than a long speech

It is comparing the proverb with the long speech.

In Swahili, adjectives normally come after the noun.

So:

• hotuba ndefu = long speech
• mtoto mdogo = small child
• kitabu kizuri = good book

That is the normal noun + adjective order.

Swahili adjectives often agree with the noun class of the noun they describe.

Here the noun is hotuba, and the adjective appears as:

• ndefu = long

So:

• hotuba ndefu = long speech

For learners, the main practical point is that adjectives do not always stay in one fixed form; they often change to match the noun class.

Yes, in a sense it is omitted because it is understood from context.

The full idea is something like:

• A proverb can teach a child wisdom more than a long speech can.

Swahili often leaves out the repeated verb when the meaning is already clear. So kuliko hotuba ndefu is a natural, economical way to say it.