Nilipokimbia jana, niliumia kifundo cha mguu na sasa ninatembea polepole.

Because it is built from several parts:

• ni- = I
• -li- = past tense
• -po- = a marker that often gives the sense of when or at the time that
• kimbia = run

So:

• ni-li-po-kimbia = when I ran

This -po- part is very common in Swahili for time clauses like when....

For example:

• Nilipofika = when I arrived
• Nilipoona = when I saw
• Nilipokimbia jana = when I ran yesterday

Jana means yesterday. In Swahili, time words like jana can often come after the verb or clause quite naturally.

So:

• Nilipokimbia jana = when I ran yesterday

This is a normal word order. Swahili is often flexible with adverbs of time, as long as the sentence is clear.

You could also hear similar patterns like:

• Nilienda jana = I went yesterday
• Alifika leo = he/she arrived today

Good question:

• Nilikimbia = I ran
• Nilipokimbia = when I ran

The difference is the -po-.

Without -po-, it is just a normal past statement:

• Nilikimbia jana = I ran yesterday

With -po-, it introduces a time relationship:

• Nilipokimbia jana, ... = When I ran yesterday, ...

So -po- is what gives the sentence the when meaning.

Niliumia means I was injured, I got hurt, or I hurt myself, depending on context.

It breaks down like this:

• ni- = I
• -li- = past tense
• umia = be hurt / be injured / feel pain

So:

• niliumia = I got hurt or I was injured

In this sentence, it refers specifically to the ankle:

• niliumia kifundo cha mguu = I injured my ankle

Swahili often expresses body parts descriptively.

• kifundo = joint, knuckle, knot-like joint area
• cha = of
• mguu = leg / foot

So kifundo cha mguu literally means something like:

• the joint of the foot/leg

In context, this means ankle.

This is very natural Swahili. Many body parts are expressed in this kind of descriptive way.

The word cha agrees with the noun kifundo.

• kifundo belongs to the ki-/vi- noun class
• In that class, the connector meaning of is cha

So:

• kifundo cha mguu = ankle / literally joint of the foot

If the first noun belonged to another noun class, the connector would change.

For example:

• mtoto wa shule = school child / child of school
• kitabu cha mwanafunzi = student’s book
• nyumba ya baba = father’s house

So cha is there because kifundo requires it.

In Swahili, body parts often do not need a possessive like my, your, or his/her if the owner is already obvious from context.

So:

• niliumia kifundo cha mguu naturally means I injured my ankle

Since the subject is I, listeners understand that it is my ankle.

If you wanted to make it explicit, you could say:

• niliumia kifundo cha mguu wangu = I injured my ankle

But in many everyday situations, Swahili simply leaves that possessive out.

Mguu can refer to leg, and in some contexts it can also be part of expressions involving the lower limb more generally.

In kifundo cha mguu, it refers to the lower leg/foot area, so the whole phrase means ankle.

This is one of those cases where you should learn the full expression as a unit:

• kifundo cha mguu = ankle

rather than translating each word too literally every time.

Here, na means and.

So the sentence has two linked parts:

• Nilipokimbia jana, niliumia kifundo cha mguu
• na sasa ninatembea polepole

Together:

• When I ran yesterday, I injured my ankle, and now I’m walking slowly.

Be aware that na can also mean with in other contexts.

For example:

• chai na maziwa = tea with milk
• Juma na Asha = Juma and Asha

So its meaning depends on context.

Sasa means now. It works as a time adverb.

So:

• sasa ninatembea polepole = now I am walking slowly

This placement is very normal in Swahili. Time words often come before the verb:

• leo ninafanya kazi = today I am working
• sasa anakula = now he/she is eating

It has three main parts:

• ni- = I
• -na- = present tense
• tembea = walk

So:

• ni-na-tembea = I am walking / I walk

Written together, this becomes:

• ninatembea

In this sentence, because of sasa (now), it clearly means:

• I am walking

In Swahili, -na- is the usual marker for present time. It can mean:

• I am walking
• I walk
• I do walk

depending on context.

Here, because the sentence includes sasa (now), the meaning is clearly ongoing and current:

• sasa ninatembea polepole = now I am walking slowly

So -na- fits perfectly.

Polepole means slowly.

It is a reduplicated form, and reduplication is common in Swahili. It often gives an adverbial or intensified sense.

So:

• pole can mean sorry, gentle, slow, or careful depending on context
• polepole specifically means slowly or gently

Examples:

• Tembea polepole = Walk slowly
• Endesha polepole = Drive slowly

So the repetition is just part of the normal word form.

Here it is functioning as an adverb, because it describes how the person is walking.

• ninatembea polepole = I am walking slowly

It tells us the manner of the action.

Because Swahili usually builds subject and tense directly into the verb.

In English:

• I am walking

In Swahili:

• ni-na-tembea

The ideas of I and am/present time are already inside the verb, so no separate word like am is needed.

This is very typical of Swahili verbs.

Yes, roughly like this:

• Nilipokimbia jana = When-I-past-when-run yesterday
• niliumia = I-got-hurt
• kifundo cha mguu = joint of foot/leg
• na sasa = and now
• ninatembea polepole = I-am-walking slowly

A more natural English translation is:

• When I ran yesterday, I injured my ankle and now I’m walking slowly.

So the Swahili structure is a little different from English, but the meaning is straightforward.

Not exactly. Niliumia kifundo cha mguu focuses on I got injured in the ankle / I injured my ankle.

If you want to say my ankle hurts right now, Swahili would usually use a different structure, such as one built around kuuma (to ache / to hurt) or another pain expression.

So in this sentence:

• niliumia = a past injury event

not just a present feeling of pain.

Yes, but it means something a little different.

• Nilipokimbia jana = when I ran yesterday
• Nilipokuwa nakimbia jana = when I was running yesterday

The second version is more explicitly continuous or ongoing.

So:

• Nilipokimbia is simpler and very natural
• Nilipokuwa nakimbia emphasizes the action in progress

Both can work, but they are not exactly identical.

In writing, the comma helps separate the introductory time clause:

• Nilipokimbia jana, niliumia...

It is similar to English:

• When I ran yesterday, I injured my ankle...

In speech, you would usually pause slightly there. The comma is helpful and natural, though punctuation in informal writing can vary.

A simple pronunciation guide:

• Nilipokimbia: nee-lee-poh-keem-bee-ah
• jana: jah-nah
• niliumia: nee-lee-oo-mee-ah
• kifundo: kee-foon-doh
• cha: chah
• mguu: roughly m-goo
• sasa: sah-sah
• ninatembea: nee-nah-tem-beh-ah
• polepole: poh-leh-poh-leh

A few important points:

• Swahili vowels are usually pronounced clearly: a, e, i, o, u
• Stress is usually on the second-to-last syllable
• Most letters are pronounced consistently

So polepole is stressed like:

• po-le-PO-le

and ninatembea like:

• ni-na-tem-BE-a

The pattern is:

1. time clause
2. main past event
3. link with and
4. present result

So:

• Nilipokimbia jana = time clause: When I ran yesterday
• niliumia kifundo cha mguu = past event: I injured my ankle
• na sasa ninatembea polepole = present result: and now I am walking slowly

This is a very useful pattern in Swahili for telling a short story or explaining cause and result.