Waumini wanaimba wimbo wakati wa ibada.

Wa- is the plural noun-class prefix for people in this word. So waumini means believers in the plural.

The singular is muumini, meaning a believer.

So:

• muumini = one believer
• waumini = believers

This is a very common pattern for people in Swahili:

• mtoto / watoto = child / children
• mwalimu / walimu = teacher / teachers
• muumini / waumini = believer / believers

Swahili verbs usually combine several pieces into one word. Wanaimba can be broken down like this:

• wa- = they
• -na- = present / ongoing tense
• imba = sing

So wanaimba literally works like they-are-sing.

This is normal in Swahili. Subject markers are attached directly to the verb. Compare:

• ninaimba = I am singing
• unaimba = you are singing
• anaimba = he/she is singing
• wanaimba = they are singing

Most of the time, -na- marks a present or ongoing action. In this sentence, wanaimba means they are singing or they sing, depending on context.

So -na- often covers both ideas that English separates:

• present progressive: are singing
• simple present: sing

Context tells you which English translation sounds best.

Wimbo is singular: song.
Nyimbo is plural: songs.

So the sentence specifically says they sing a song or the song, depending on context.

If you wanted songs, you would say:

• Waumini wanaimba nyimbo wakati wa ibada.

This noun belongs to a noun class where the singular and plural look like this:

• wimbo = song
• nyimbo = songs

Wakati wa ibada means during worship or more literally the time of worship/service.

It is made up of:

• wakati = time
• wa = of
• ibada = worship, service, devotion

So the structure is basically:

• wakati wa X = the time of X / during X

This is a very useful pattern. For example:

• wakati wa mvua = during the rain / rainy period
• wakati wa likizo = during the holiday
• wakati wa chakula = during mealtime

That wa is a connector meaning something like of. It links wakati with ibada.

So:

• wakati wa ibada = time of worship

This wa is not the same thing as the wa- in waumini or wanaimba, even though they look similar.

In other words:

• wa- in waumini = plural marker for people
• wa- in wanaimba = subject marker meaning they
• wa in wakati wa ibada = connector meaning of

Swahili uses a lot of small pieces that may look alike but do different jobs.

Swahili usually does not use articles like English a, an, and the.

So wimbo can mean:

• a song
• the song

Which one sounds best depends on context.

The same idea applies to many Swahili nouns. For example:

• mtoto can mean a child or the child
• kanisa can mean a church or the church

English forces you to choose an article, but Swahili usually does not.

Yes. This sentence follows a very normal pattern:

• Waumini = subject
• wanaimba = verb
• wimbo = object
• wakati wa ibada = time expression

So it is basically:

Subject + Verb + Object + Time phrase

That is a very common and natural order in Swahili.

Yes, depending on context. Waumini literally means believers, but in religious contexts it can also be understood as:

• the faithful
• worshippers
• members of the congregation

The best English choice depends on the setting. If the sentence is about a church or mosque service, English might naturally use worshippers or the faithful, even though the Swahili word itself is waumini.

You would change both the noun and the verb agreement:

• Muumini anaimba wimbo wakati wa ibada.

Here is the change:

• waumini → muumini = believers → believer
• wanaimba → anaimba = they sing → he/she sings

This is an important feature of Swahili: when the noun changes from singular to plural, the verb usually changes too so that it agrees with the subject.