Rahma aliwapa watoto peremende mbili walipomaliza kusoma.

Aliwapa can be divided like this:

• a- = he/she
• -li- = past tense
• -wa- = them
• -pa = give

So aliwapa literally means he/she gave them.

In this sentence, the subject is Rahma, so the verb is understood as Rahma gave them.

Because -wa- is an object marker that agrees with watoto.

Swahili often uses an object marker even when the full object noun is also present, especially when the object is:

• animate
• specific
• already known in the conversation

So aliwapa watoto is very natural.

You can think of it as something like:

• aliwapa = she gave them
• watoto = the children

This is not bad repetition in Swahili; it is normal agreement.

Also, if the context were already clear, watoto could be omitted:

• Rahma aliwapa peremende mbili walipomaliza kusoma.

That would still work as Rahma gave them two sweets when they finished reading/studying.

Watoto is the plural of mtoto and belongs to the human plural noun class, often called class 2.

That matters because verbs and object markers must agree with it. In this sentence, that is why you see wa-:

• aliwapa → -wa- = them
• walipomaliza → wa- = they

So the word watoto controls the agreement in more than one place.

Walipomaliza can be analyzed as:

• wa- = they
• -li- = past
• -po- = when
• maliza = finish

So walipomaliza means when they finished.

Here, they refers back to watoto.

Here -po- gives a time-clause meaning, roughly when.

Compare:

• walimaliza = they finished
• walipomaliza = when they finished

So Swahili does not always need a separate word like English when. It can build that meaning directly into the verb.

Because after maliza (finish), Swahili commonly uses an infinitive with ku- to express finish doing something.

So:

• maliza kusoma = finish reading / finish studying

This works much like English to read or the idea of reading/studying after finish, although the structure is not identical to English grammar.

It can mean both, depending on context.

Common meanings of kusoma include:

• to read
• to study
• sometimes to be in school / learning depending on context

So in this sentence, it could be understood as:

• when they finished reading
• when they finished studying

Both are possible unless the wider context makes one meaning clearer.

Because in Swahili, numbers usually come after the noun.

So the normal order is:

• peremende mbili = two sweets/candies
• watoto wawili = two children
• vitabu viwili = two books

That is the standard noun + number order.

Because peremende is one of the nouns that often has the same form in singular and plural.

So you can have:

• peremende moja = one sweet
• peremende mbili = two sweets

The number word tells you whether it is singular or plural.

This is common with many loanwords and with nouns in the N class pattern, where the noun itself may not visibly change.

No. Swahili usually does not use articles like English a, an, or the.

So words like:

• watoto
• peremende

do not automatically show the children versus children, or the sweets versus sweets. That is usually understood from context.

No. Swahili third-person singular verbs usually do not distinguish he and she.

So:

• a- can mean he or she

In this sentence, we understand she only because the subject is Rahma, which is a female name.

If the subject were a male name, the verb form would still be aliwapa.

Yes, in many contexts it can sound like:

• when they finished
• after they finished
• once they had finished

The exact English wording depends on context and style. The Swahili form mainly marks the action as the time at which the next event happened.