Nimekukumbuka; nimefurahi kukuona.

It can be broken into four parts:

• ni- = I
• -me- = perfect marker, often have
• -ku- = you (singular object marker)
• kumbuka = remember

So nimekukumbuka literally looks like I-have-you-remembered.

In real usage, with a person as the object, kumkumbuka / kukukumbuka often means not just remember someone, but also miss someone.

This is a very common learner question because the idea is a little different from English.

In Swahili, kumkumbuka mtu literally means to remember someone, but in many contexts it naturally carries the sense of to miss someone. The idea is that someone has been in your thoughts.

So:

• Nimekukumbuka = literally I have remembered you
• natural English meaning = I’ve missed you

This is one of those places where the most natural translation is not word-for-word.

Nimefurahi breaks down like this:

• ni- = I
• -me- = perfect marker
• furahi = be happy / become happy

So nimefurahi literally means something like I have become happy or I have been pleased.

In natural English, in this sentence, it is best understood as:

• I’m happy
• I’m glad

So nimefurahi kukuona = I’m happy to see you / I’m glad to see you.

Because the two ku parts do different jobs.

kukuona can be analyzed as:

• ku- = infinitive marker, to
• -ku- = object marker, you
• ona = see

So:

• kuona = to see
• kukuona = to see you

This is very normal in Swahili. It may look repetitive to an English speaker, but it is just how the grammar works.

Because Swahili usually builds that information into the verb itself.

For example:

• ni- already tells you the subject is I
• -ku- can tell you the object is you

So Swahili often does not need separate pronouns the way English does.

That means:

• Nimekukumbuka already means I’ve missed you
• Nimefurahi kukuona already means I’m happy to see you

You could add separate pronouns for emphasis in some contexts, but they are not required here.

In standard Swahili, -ku- is singular you.

So this sentence is addressed to one person:

• Nimekukumbuka
• Nimefurahi kukuona

If you were speaking to more than one person, the forms would normally change. For example, a plural object marker would be different.

Because after furahi, Swahili often uses an infinitive phrase to express what someone is happy about.

So:

• nimefurahi = I’m happy / I’m glad
• kukuona = to see you

Together:

• nimefurahi kukuona = I’m happy to see you

This works much like English happy to see you, where to see you explains the reason for the happiness.

Yes, it is natural and idiomatic.

It sounds like something you might say when meeting someone after some time apart:

• Nimekukumbuka = I’ve missed you
• Nimefurahi kukuona = I’m happy to see you

Together, it gives a warm and friendly feeling.

The semicolon separates two closely related statements:

• Nimekukumbuka
• nimefurahi kukuona

It shows that the two ideas belong together: you missed the person, and now you are happy to see them.

In everyday writing, many people might also use a comma or even split this into two sentences. The meaning stays basically the same.

Usually not in this sentence.

The marker -me- often refers to a completed action with present relevance. Here, nimefurahi kukuona means your happiness is connected to the present moment of seeing the person.

So the best translations are:

• I’m happy to see you
• I’m glad to see you

I was happy would usually sound too far in the past for this context.

Their dictionary forms are infinitives, marked by initial ku-:

• kukumbuka = to remember
• kuona = to see

When these verbs are used in a sentence, Swahili often adds subject markers, tense markers, and object markers inside the verb.

For example:

• ni-me-ku-kumbuka
• ku-ku-ona

This is why Swahili verbs can look long: a lot of grammar is packed into one word.

You can definitely reuse the pattern.

Useful patterns here are:

• Ni-me-ku- + verb = I have/’ve ... you
• Nimefurahi + infinitive phrase = I’m happy to ...

For example, the structure helps you understand many other sentences, even if the exact words change.

So it is worth learning both the full sentence and the grammar pattern behind it.