Unaendeleaje?

It can be broken into parts:

• u- = you (singular)
• -na- = a present-time marker
• endelea = continue / go on / proceed
• -je = how?

So the literal idea is something like How are you continuing? or How are you proceeding?

In natural English, it usually means How are you doing? or How are things going?

Because Swahili can ask how by attaching -je to the end of a verb.

So Unaendeleaje? is structurally like:

• you are continuing + how

This is normal in Swahili.

A very similar version is:

• Unaendelea vipi?

Here, vipi is a separate word meaning how. Both forms are understandable, but -je is a neat built-in way to ask the question.

It can be both.

Very often, Unaendeleaje? is simply a friendly way to ask How are you doing?

But because the verb endelea has the idea of continuing or getting on, it can also suggest:

• how life is going
• how work or studies are going
• how someone is recovering
• how someone is managing in general

So depending on context, it can feel a little like How are things going?

It is singular.

The prefix u- shows that you are speaking to one person.

If you want to ask more than one person, you would say:

• Mnaendeleaje?

That uses mna-, which is the you plural form.

Yes. Unaendeleaje? is generally neutral and polite enough for everyday use.

Swahili does not have the same kind of informal you / formal you distinction that some languages do. So using the singular form for one person is normal.

That said, when speaking to an elder or showing extra respect, people often combine respectful greetings with it, or use titles and polite tone.

A helpful syllable breakdown is:

• u-na-en-de-le-a-je

A rough English-style guide is:

• oo-nah-en-deh-leh-AH-jeh

A few useful pronunciation points:

• Swahili vowels are usually pronounced clearly and consistently.
• Each vowel should be heard.
• The -e-a- sequence in endelea should not be swallowed.
• Stress in Swahili is usually on the second-to-last syllable, so here the stress falls on -a- before -je.

Ukoje? is a more direct How are you?

Unaendeleaje? has more of a sense of How are you getting on? or How are things going?

So:

• Ukoje? = focuses on your current state
• Unaendeleaje? = can suggest your ongoing condition or progress

In real conversation, both can be used as normal greetings.

Habari yako? literally means something like What is your news?, but in normal use it means How are you?

Compared with that:

• Habari yako? is a very common general greeting
• Unaendeleaje? feels a bit more like How are you doing / getting on?

So they overlap, but they do not feel exactly the same.

Some common answers are:

• Ninaendelea vizuri = I’m doing well
• Ninaendelea salama = I’m doing fine / safely
• Vizuri = Well
• Salama = Fine / safe
• Sina shida = I have no problem / I’m okay

You can also ask the question back with:

• Na wewe? = And you?

For example:

• Unaendeleaje?
• Ninaendelea vizuri, na wewe?

Yes. Unaendeleaje? is not tied to a specific time of day.

You can use it:

• when meeting someone
• when checking in on someone later
• in conversation after another greeting

It works more like How are you doing? than like Good morning or Good evening.

Then you are no longer saying How are you doing?

Unaendelea? would mean something more like:

• Are you continuing?
• Are you going on?
• Are you still proceeding?

So -je is important here. It is what turns the expression into a how-question rather than a yes/no question.