Kwa sababu nilikuwa na maumivu ya kichwa na kidonda kidogo mkononi, nilipewa kidonge na plasta.

Kwa sababu means because.

It introduces the reason for what happens in the main clause. So here it sets up the cause first:

• Kwa sababu nilikuwa na... = Because I had...
• nilipewa... = I was given...

Swahili can also put this reason clause later, just like English:

• Nilipewa kidonge na plasta kwa sababu nilikuwa na maumivu ya kichwa...

Starting with Kwa sababu simply makes the reason come first.

In Swahili, the subject is usually built into the verb.

Here, ni- means I:

• ni-li-kuwa = I was
• ni-li-pewa = I was given

So Swahili often does not need a separate word like mimi. You would only add mimi if you want emphasis or contrast:

• Mimi nilipewa kidonge... = I was given a pill...

This is a very common Swahili pattern.

• ni- = I
• -li- = past tense
• kuwa = be
• na = with

So nilikuwa na is literally I was with, but in normal English that is usually translated as I had.

So:

• nilikuwa na maumivu ya kichwa = I had a headache
• literally: I was with head pains

Because na is a very common Swahili word with more than one use.

In this sentence it does two jobs:

1. After kuwa, it helps express to have

   • nilikuwa na maumivu = I had pain

2. Between nouns, it means and

   • maumivu ya kichwa na kidonda = a headache and a wound
   • kidonge na plasta = a pill and a plaster

So the meaning of na depends on where it appears.

This is the normal Swahili way to say headache.

Literally:

• maumivu = pains / pain
• ya = of
• kichwa = head

So maumivu ya kichwa literally means pains of the head or head pain.

This is a good example of how Swahili often uses natural expressions that do not match English word-for-word. Even though English uses the single word headache, Swahili uses a phrase.

Ya is a connector that often corresponds to of in English.

So:

• maumivu ya kichwa = pain of the head / head pain

It also agrees with the noun class of maumivu. You do not need to memorize all the grammar at once, but it helps to know that this is a very common linking pattern in Swahili:

• jina la mtu = person’s name / name of a person
• mlango wa nyumba = door of the house
• maumivu ya kichwa = pain of the head

Because in Swahili, possessives with body parts are often left out when the owner is already obvious.

So:

• maumivu ya kichwa does not need kichwa changu
• mkononi does not need mkono wangu

The sentence already makes it clear that these problems belong to the speaker. English often says my head or my hand, but Swahili frequently leaves that unstated when context is clear.

Because adjectives in Swahili usually agree with the noun class of the noun they describe.

• kidonda = wound
• -dogo = small

Since kidonda is in the ki-/vi- class, the adjective also takes ki- in the singular:

• kidonda kidogo = a small wound

In the plural:

• vidonda vidogo = small wounds

This agreement is a very important part of Swahili grammar.

Mkononi comes from mkono plus the locative ending -ni.

• mkono = hand / arm
• mkononi = on the hand, in the hand, at the hand/arm

Here, because the sentence talks about a wound, mkononi means something like on the hand or on the arm, depending on context.

The ending -ni often gives a location sense:

• nyumbani = at home
• shuleni = at school
• mkononi = on/in the hand

Nilipewa means I was given.

You can understand it as:

• ni- = I
• -li- = past tense
• -pewa = be given

So the whole verb means I was given.

This is a passive form. Compare:

• walinipa kidonge = they gave me a pill
• nilipewa kidonge = I was given a pill

Because those words tell you what was given.

So:

• nilipewa = I was given
• kidonge na plasta = a pill and a plaster

This works much like English:

• I was given a pill
• I was given a pill and a plaster

The subject of the passive verb is the person receiving the items, not the items themselves.

Yes. The giver can be added if needed.

For example:

• Kwa sababu nilikuwa na maumivu ya kichwa na kidonda kidogo mkononi, nilipewa kidonge na plasta na muuguzi.
• ...I was given a pill and a plaster by the nurse.

Notice that na here can mean by in a passive sentence:

• na plasta = and a plaster
• na muuguzi = by the nurse

Again, context tells you which meaning is intended.

Plasta is a loanword, and in this kind of medical context it usually means a plaster, bandage, or adhesive dressing put on a wound.

The exact English word can vary by region:

• British English: often plaster
• American English: often bandage or Band-Aid in some contexts

So in this sentence, plasta is the thing used to cover or protect the small wound.