Wakati wa ibada, waumini wanakaa kimya na kusikiliza.

Wakati wa means during or more literally the time of.

It is built from:

• wakati = time
• wa = a connector often meaning of

So:

• Wakati wa ibada = the time of worship → during worship / during the service

This noun + wa + noun pattern is very common in Swahili.

Examples:

• wakati wa chakula = meal time
• wakati wa likizo = during the holiday

Ibada usually means worship, religious service, or devotional practice, depending on context.

In this sentence, it most naturally refers to a worship service or a religious gathering.

So Wakati wa ibada could be understood as:

• during worship
• during the service
• during religious observance

The exact English choice depends on the situation.

Waumini means believers, the faithful, or sometimes worshippers/congregants, depending on context.

It is a plural noun referring to people.
The singular is usually muumini = believer.

This is part of the Swahili human noun class:

• singular: m-/mu-
• plural: wa-

So:

• muumini = one believer
• waumini = believers

The wa- at the beginning of wanakaa is the subject marker for they when referring to people.

So wanakaa breaks down like this:

• wa- = they
• -na- = present tense
• -kaa = sit / stay / remain

So wanakaa means:

• they sit
• they stay
• they remain

The verb agrees with waumini, because waumini is a plural human noun.

In Swahili, subject pronouns are often built into the verb, so you usually do not need a separate word for they.

In wanakaa:

• wa- already means they

So Swahili does not need a separate standalone pronoun here.

This is very normal in Swahili:

• anasoma = he/she is reading
• wanasoma = they are reading

-kaa can mean several related things:

• sit
• stay
• remain
• live

In this sentence, wanakaa kimya most naturally means:

• they sit quietly
• they remain silent

Because it is followed by kimya, the sense is not just physical sitting, but also being quiet during worship.

So the full phrase suggests calm, respectful silence.

Kimya means silence or quiet. In this sentence, it functions like quietly / in silence.

The expression kukaa kimya is a very common phrase meaning:

• to be quiet
• to remain silent
• to sit quietly

So even though English might use an adverb like quietly, Swahili often uses kimya in this expression.

You can think of:

• wanakaa kimya = they remain in silence / they sit quietly

After the first verb, Swahili often uses na + infinitive when the same subject continues doing another action.

So:

• wanakaa kimya na kusikiliza

means:

• they sit quietly and listen

Here:

• na = and
• kusikiliza = to listen / listening

Using the infinitive after na avoids repeating the subject marker and tense marker again. It is a natural way to link actions with the same subject.

You may also hear full repeated verbs in some contexts, but this version is very normal and concise.

Swahili can leave the object unstated when it is obvious from context.

So kusikiliza here simply means to listen. The sentence does not have to say exactly what they are listening to, because it is easy to infer something like:

• the sermon
• prayers
• a reading
• the speaker

English can do the same:

• They sat quietly and listened.

So the missing object is not a problem; it is just understood.

Yes, but this word order is very natural.

The sentence is arranged like this:

1. Wakati wa ibada = time expression
2. waumini = subject
3. wanakaa kimya na kusikiliza = what they do

So the pattern is roughly:

• During worship, the believers sit quietly and listen.

Putting the time phrase first is common, especially when setting the scene.

The comma separates the introductory time phrase from the main clause:

• Wakati wa ibada, = during worship
• waumini wanakaa kimya na kusikiliza. = the believers sit quietly and listen

This is similar to English punctuation:

• During worship, the believers sit quietly and listen.

In some informal writing, people may omit the comma, but using it here is perfectly normal and clear.

Yes, depending on context, waumini can sometimes be translated more naturally as:

• believers
• the faithful
• worshippers
• congregants

The most literal meaning is believers, but in a sentence about a religious service, English might prefer worshippers or congregants if that sounds more natural.

So translation depends on whether you want to emphasize:

• their belief → believers
• their role in the service → worshippers/congregants

A very literal breakdown would be:

• Wakati wa ibada = at the time of worship
• waumini = believers
• wanakaa = they sit / they remain
• kimya = silent / in silence
• na kusikiliza = and listen / and to listen

So a very literal English version would be:

At the time of worship, believers sit in silence and listen.

A more natural English translation would be:

During worship, the believers sit quietly and listen.