Mwalimu alisema niandike sentensi kuhusu menyu, pizza, na omeleti kwa Kiswahili sahihi.

Mwalimu means teacher. The m- is part of the noun itself, not a separate word. It belongs to the noun class for many singular people in Swahili.

Its plural is walimu = teachers. So:

• mwalimu = teacher
• walimu = teachers

In this sentence it is capitalized because it comes at the beginning of the sentence.

Alisema can be broken down like this:

• a- = he/she
• -li- = past tense
• sem- = say/speak
• -a = final vowel

So alisema literally means he/she said.

In Swahili, the word kwamba can mean that, but it is often left out when the meaning is already clear.

So both of these are possible:

• Mwalimu alisema niandike...
• Mwalimu alisema kwamba niandike...

Both mean essentially the same thing here. Leaving out kwamba is very normal.

Niandike is used because the teacher is not describing an action already happening. Instead, the teacher is expressing what the speaker should do or is supposed to do.

This is a common use of the subjunctive in Swahili, especially after verbs like said, told, wanted, or asked, when they introduce an instruction, wish, or expectation.

Compare:

• ninaandika = I am writing
• kuandika = to write
• niandike = that I write / that I should write / I should write

Yes:

• ni- = I
• andik- = write
• -e = subjunctive ending

So niandike means something like that I write or I should write.

One important thing to notice is that there is no tense marker here. The -e ending gives it the sense of a desired, expected, or instructed action, rather than a normal past/present/future statement.

Here, sentensi most naturally means sentence in the singular, if that is the meaning you were shown.

However, many borrowed nouns in Swahili do not change form between singular and plural, so sentensi can also be understood as sentences depending on context.

If you want to make the number clearer, you can add a word:

• sentensi moja = one sentence
• sentensi mbili = two sentences
• sentensi kadhaa = several sentences

Kuhusu means about or concerning.

In this sentence, it connects sentensi with the topics:

• kuhusu menyu, pizza, na omeleti = about the menu, pizza, and omelet

A useful thing to know is that kuhusu is followed directly by the noun. You do not need an extra word like ya after it.

You may also hear juu ya for about, but kuhusu is often more straightforward in formal or neutral writing.

These are borrowed words.

• menyu comes from menu
• pizza is borrowed with little or no change
• omeleti comes from omelet/omelette

Swahili often adapts borrowed words so they fit Swahili spelling and pronunciation patterns. That is why menu becomes menyu, and omelet becomes omeleti.

It means in correct Swahili.

Here:

• kwa = in / by / with, depending on context
• Kiswahili = Swahili
• sahihi = correct, accurate

With names of languages, kwa often means in:

• kwa Kiswahili = in Swahili
• kwa Kiingereza = in English

So kwa Kiswahili sahihi means that the sentence should be written in correct Swahili, not just in Swahili generally.

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

So:

• Kiswahili sahihi = correct Swahili
• kitabu kizuri = good book
• mtoto mdogo = small child

That is different from English, where adjectives usually come before the noun.

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

So:

• Mwalimu can mean the teacher or a teacher, depending on context
• sentensi can mean a sentence or the sentence, depending on context

English forces you to choose an article, but Swahili often leaves that meaning to context.

Yes, and that is actually a very useful comparison.

• Mwalimu alisema niandike... = The teacher said I should write...
• Mwalimu aliniambia niandike... = The teacher told me to write...

The second version is more explicitly directed at me, because aliniambia includes the idea of told me. The original sentence is still correct, but aliniambia can sound more direct and personal.