Bibi anapenda kuchemsha mbaazi, lakini mimi napenda kutafuna njugu jioni.

Bibi most commonly means grandmother, but in some contexts it can also mean an old lady or be used respectfully for an older woman.

So this sentence could refer to someone’s grandmother, depending on context. Swahili often relies on context more than English does for this kind of detail.

Anapenda can be broken into:

• a- = he/she
• -na- = present tense / ongoing or habitual
• -penda = like / love

So anapenda means he/she likes or he/she is liking in a general present-time sense.

In this sentence, because the subject is bibi, it means she likes.

The prefix ku- marks the infinitive, like English to in to boil or to chew.

So:

• kuchemsha = to boil
• kutafuna = to chew

After anapenda or napenda, Swahili commonly uses the infinitive:

• anapenda kuchemsha = she likes to boil
• napenda kutafuna = I like to chew

Napenda means I like, while anapenda means he/she likes.

Breakdown of napenda:

• ni- becomes n- here = I
• -penda = like / love

In many everyday examples, napenda is treated simply as I like.

So in the sentence:

• Bibi anapenda... = Grandmother likes...
• mimi napenda... = I like...

Great question. In Swahili, the subject is often already built into the verb.

So napenda by itself already means I like.

The extra mimi is used for emphasis or contrast. Here it helps match the English idea of:

• ...but I like...

So lakini mimi napenda sounds like:

• but as for me, I like...
• but I prefer...

Without mimi, the sentence would still be grammatical:

• Bibi anapenda kuchemsha mbaazi, lakini napenda kutafuna njugu jioni.

But mimi makes the contrast clearer.

Lakini means but.

It connects two contrasting ideas:

• Bibi anapenda kuchemsha mbaazi
• mimi napenda kutafuna njugu jioni

So the whole middle part works like English but.

Its placement is very natural here: after the first clause and before the contrasting second clause.

These are food words, and their exact translation can vary a little by region.

• mbaazi usually refers to peas or sometimes pigeon peas
• njugu usually refers to groundnuts / peanuts

So depending on the variety of Swahili and the local food context, the English gloss may vary slightly.

That is normal with food vocabulary.

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

So:

• mbaazi can mean peas, the peas, or some peas
• njugu can mean peanuts, the peanuts, or some peanuts

The exact meaning depends on context.

This is a very common adjustment for English speakers learning Swahili.

Jioni means evening or in the evening.

Swahili often expresses time words without a preposition. So where English says:

• in the evening

Swahili can simply say:

• jioni

That is completely normal.

So:

• napenda kutafuna njugu jioni = I like to chew peanuts in the evening

Yes, it is very normal.

The basic pattern is:

• Subject + verb + infinitive + object

So:

• Bibi anapenda kuchemsha mbaazi
  • Bibi = subject
  • anapenda = likes
  • kuchemsha = to boil
  • mbaazi = peas

And then:

• mimi napenda kutafuna njugu jioni
  • mimi = I
  • napenda = like
  • kutafuna = to chew
  • njugu = peanuts
  • jioni = in the evening

The time expression jioni often comes near the end, as it does here.

Yes. The verb -penda can cover both like and love, depending on context.

So anapenda may mean:

• she likes
• she loves

In this food-related sentence, likes is the most natural English translation.

Yes, kutafuna njugu is literally to chew peanuts.

In natural English, depending on context, you might translate it more smoothly as:

• to eat peanuts
• to snack on peanuts

But the basic verb tafuna really does mean chew.

So the literal image is someone chewing peanuts, and the natural meaning is probably that they enjoy eating them as a snack.

Yes. A very literal version would be:

• Grandmother likes to boil peas, but I like to chew peanuts in the evening.

A more natural English version might be:

• Grandma likes boiling peas, but I like snacking on peanuts in the evening.

Or:

• Grandmother likes to cook peas, but I prefer eating peanuts in the evening.

Which version is best depends on how literal you want to be.