Jana nilikuwa na mafua, kwa hiyo nilimeza kidonge na kupumzika mapema.

Swahili verbs often include the subject and the tense inside one word.

In nilikuwa:

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

So nilikuwa means I was.

Because the subject is already built into the verb, Swahili often does not need a separate word for I.

Swahili commonly expresses to have with kuwa na, literally to be with.

So:

• kuwa na = to have
• nilikuwa na mafua = literally I was with a cold/flu

This is a very normal Swahili pattern. It is better to learn kuwa na as the usual way to say have.

Mafua usually means a cold, the flu, or cold-like symptoms such as a runny or blocked nose. The best English translation depends on context.

For learners, the important point is that mafua is the normal everyday word used here for this kind of illness. You can simply learn kuwa na mafua as a common expression.

No. Na has more than one common meaning in Swahili.

In this sentence:

• nilikuwa na mafua: na means with, which helps express have
• kidonge na kupumzika: na means and

So the same word can mean different things depending on context.

Kwa hiyo means so, therefore, or for that reason.

It connects the cause and the result:

• I had a cold
• so / therefore I took a pill and rested early

It is a very common linking expression in Swahili.

In nilimeza:

• ni- = I
• -li- = past tense
• -meza = swallow

So nilimeza literally means I swallowed.

In Swahili, this is a normal way to talk about taking medicine by mouth:

• kumeza dawa = to take/swallow medicine
• kumeza kidonge = to swallow a pill

So even if English often says take a pill, Swahili naturally says swallow a pill.

Kidonge means pill or tablet, so it is specific.

Dawa means medicine more generally.

So:

• nilimeza kidonge = I swallowed a pill
• nilimeza dawa = I took medicine

Also, kidonge is singular. Its plural is vidonge.

This is a very natural question.

Kupumzika is the infinitive, meaning to rest. Many learners expect a fully conjugated past verb here, such as nilipumzika.

In very clear, fully explicit Swahili, many speakers would say:

• nilimeza kidonge na nilipumzika mapema or
• nilimeza kidonge, nikapumzika mapema

So the version with kupumzika is understandable as a shortened continuation, but it is useful for learners to know that a fully marked verb is also very common, and often more standard in teaching materials.

Mapema means early.

It usually comes after the verb or verb phrase it describes:

• kupumzika mapema = to rest early
• nilipumzika mapema = I rested early

Its position in this sentence is natural.

Yes. Time words in Swahili are fairly flexible.

You can say:

• Jana nilikuwa na mafua...
• Nilikuwa na mafua jana...

Both are possible. Putting jana first is very common because it sets the time immediately: yesterday.