Jana Amina hakuwa darasani kwa sababu alikuwa na mafua makali.

Jana means yesterday. It is a time expression, and Swahili often puts time words near the beginning of a sentence to set the scene.

It does not have to stay there. You could also say:

Amina hakuwa darasani jana kwa sababu alikuwa na mafua makali.

That still means the same thing. Putting jana first just gives it a little more emphasis.

Hakuwa is the past negative form of kuwa, which means to be.

So:

• alikuwa = she was / he was
• hakuwa = she was not / he was not

This is a very common pair to learn together. In this sentence, Amina hakuwa darasani means Amina was not in class.

In Swahili, the verb usually already shows the subject, so a separate pronoun is often unnecessary.

In alikuwa, the verb already tells you he/she was. Since Amina has already been mentioned, Swahili does not need to add yeye for she unless you want extra emphasis.

So alikuwa by itself can mean she was or he was, depending on context.

Darasani comes from darasa plus the locative ending -ni.

• darasa = class / classroom
• darasani = in class / in the classroom / at class

The -ni ending often gives a location meaning, something like in, at, or to, depending on context.

It can mean either, depending on context.

In this sentence, hakuwa darasani is most naturally understood as she was not in class, meaning she was absent from class.

But literally, it can also refer to being physically in the classroom. Context tells you which sense is intended.

Kwa sababu means because.

The standard spelling is two words: kwa sababu.

You may sometimes see kwasababu in informal writing, but learners should usually write kwa sababu.

Swahili often expresses to have with the idea of to be with.

So:

• alikuwa na mafua literally = she was with a cold
• natural English = she had a cold

This pattern is very common in Swahili. For example:

• ana kitabu = she has a book
• alikuwa na kitabu = she had a book

So in your sentence, alikuwa na mafua makali means she had a bad/severe cold.

Mafua can refer to a cold and sometimes flu-like illness, depending on context and speaker.

In many learner contexts, mafua is most naturally translated as a cold. So mafua makali is often understood as a bad cold or a severe cold.

If the exact medical meaning matters, context becomes important.

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

Mafua takes a ma- type agreement pattern, so the adjective kali changes to makali.

So:

• kali = fierce / strong / severe
• makali = the form that agrees with mafua

That is why mafua makali means severe cold or bad cold.

Because the sentence has two clauses, and each clause has its own verb.

1. Amina hakuwa darasani = Amina was not in class
2. kwa sababu alikuwa na mafua makali = because she had a bad/severe cold

Each part needs its own verb form. This is similar to English, where you also say was not in one clause and had in the other.

Yes. Swahili word order is somewhat flexible, especially with time expressions and reason phrases.

For example, these are all natural:

• Jana Amina hakuwa darasani kwa sababu alikuwa na mafua makali.
• Amina hakuwa darasani jana kwa sababu alikuwa na mafua makali.
• Kwa sababu alikuwa na mafua makali, Amina hakuwa darasani jana.

The basic meaning stays the same. The difference is mostly about emphasis and style.