Hatukuwa na chenji, kwa hiyo keshia alitusaidia kulipa bila matatizo.

In Swahili, to have is usually expressed as kuwa na, literally to be with.

So:

• kuwa na = to have
• tulikuwa na = we had
• hatukuwa na = we did not have

You can break hatukuwa down like this:

• ha- = negative
• -tu- = we
• -ku- = past tense
• -wa = be

Then na adds the sense of with / have.

So Hatukuwa na chenji literally means We were not with change, but naturally it means We didn’t have any change.

Yes — na can mean different things depending on context.

Common meanings of na include:

• and
• with
• part of the expression kuwa na = to have

In this sentence, na is not and. It is part of kuwa na.

Examples:

• Nina pesa. = I have money.
• Hana gari. = He/She does not have a car.
• Tulikuwa na muda. = We had time.

So in Hatukuwa na chenji, na is part of the structure meaning have.

Yes. Chenji is a borrowing from English change, meaning small money / coins / the right change.

So:

• chenji = change, especially small change for paying

This kind of borrowing is very common in modern Swahili, especially for everyday items and jobs.

A learner should note that the spelling follows Swahili sound patterns:

• change → chenji

So it is pronounced more like chen-jee.

Kwa hiyo means so, therefore, because of that, or as a result.

It connects the first idea to the result:

• Hatukuwa na chenji = We didn’t have change
• kwa hiyo = so / therefore
• keshia alitusaidia... = the cashier helped us...

It is a very common connector in spoken and written Swahili.

Similar English equivalents:

• so
• therefore
• that’s why
• as a result

Yes. Keshia comes from English cashier.

So:

• keshia = cashier

Like chenji, it has been adapted to Swahili spelling and pronunciation.

A useful point for learners: many job titles in Swahili are either native words or borrowed words, and borrowed forms like this are very common in everyday speech.

Alitusaidia can be broken down like this:

• a- = he/she
• -li- = past tense
• -tu- = us
• -saidia = help

So:

• alitusaidia = he/she helped us

This is a very typical Swahili verb structure:

subject marker + tense marker + object marker + verb root

Examples of the same pattern:

• alinisaidia = he/she helped me
• walitusaidia = they helped us
• nitakusaidia = I will help you

Also note that a- does not show gender, so alitusaidia can mean either he helped us or she helped us. The noun keshia gives the role, but not necessarily gender.

Kulipa is the infinitive form of the verb:

• lipa = pay (verb root / command form)
• kulipa = to pay

After -saidia (help), Swahili commonly uses the infinitive:

• alitusaidia kulipa = he/she helped us to pay / helped us pay

So kulipa works like English to pay.

Compare:

• Nataka kulipa. = I want to pay.
• Alinisaidia kubeba mzigo. = He/She helped me carry the luggage.
• Walitusaidia kupata teksi. = They helped us get a taxi.

Bila means without.

Matatizo means problems, difficulties, or trouble.

So:

• bila matatizo = without problems / without any trouble / smoothly

You can think of it as an idiomatic way to say something happened easily or without difficulty.

Also:

• tatizo = problem
• matatizo = problems

This is a noun class pattern where the singular and plural change:

• tatizo → matatizo

Swahili often does not need a separate word for any where English does.

So:

• Hatukuwa na chenji naturally means We didn’t have any change
• bila matatizo naturally means without any problems

The negative or the general context already gives that meaning.

This is very normal in Swahili. English often uses extra words like any, but Swahili may leave them implied.

Yes, it is very natural.

The sentence follows a straightforward pattern:

• Hatukuwa na chenji = We didn’t have change
• kwa hiyo = so / therefore
• keshia alitusaidia = the cashier helped us
• kulipa = to pay
• bila matatizo = without problems

Swahili often allows some flexibility, but this order is very standard and easy to understand.

Yes. Both are good English translations.

In Swahili, -saidia + infinitive often covers both ideas:

• helped us to pay
• helped us pay

So alitusaidia kulipa is perfectly natural and does not sound strange. It simply means the cashier made the payment process easier for us.

A present-time version could be:

• Hatuna chenji, kwa hiyo keshia anatisaidia kulipa bila matatizo.

Key changes:

• Hatukuwa na = we did not have
• Hatuna = we do not have

And:

• alitusaidia = helped us
• anatisaidia = is helping us

So the original sentence is clearly talking about a past situation, while these forms would make it present.