Nilipokimbia asubuhi, nilipata kiu sana.

It breaks down like this:

• ni- = I
• -li- = past tense
• -po- = a relative marker here meaning when or at the time that
• -kimbia = run

So nilipokimbia literally means something like when I ran.

This is a very common Swahili pattern for making time clauses.

• nilikimbia = I ran
• nilipokimbia = when I ran

The extra -po- changes the verb from a simple statement into a clause connected to time.

So:

• Nilikimbia asubuhi. = I ran in the morning.
• Nilipokimbia asubuhi, ... = When I ran in the morning, ...

Swahili usually marks the subject and tense on each verb, even when English might use a shorter structure.

So in:

• Nilipokimbia asubuhi
• nilipata kiu sana

both verbs have their own subject and tense marking:

• ni-li-po-kimbia = when I ran
• ni-li-pata = I got

English says When I ran in the morning, I got very thirsty, and Swahili does something similar structurally: each clause has its own verb form.

In this sentence, -po- is being used as a relative marker of time. It gives the sense of:

• when
• at the time that

So nilipokimbia means when I ran, not just I ran.

You will often see this pattern with other subjects too:

• ulipofika = when you arrived
• alipoenda = when he/she went
• tulipomaliza = when we finished

Asubuhi means morning or in the morning.

In Swahili, adverbs of time often come after the verb or clause they belong to, so:

• Nilipokimbia asubuhi = when I ran in the morning

This word order is very natural. Swahili word order is often more flexible than English, but this placement is common and clear.

By itself, asubuhi can cover a few related ideas depending on context:

• morning
• in the morning
• sometimes this morning

In this sentence, it most naturally means in the morning. If the wider context is about today, it could also be understood as this morning.

This is a very natural Swahili way to express the idea.

• kupata = to get
• kiu = thirst

So nilipata kiu literally means I got thirst, but in natural English that becomes I got thirsty or I became thirsty.

Swahili often uses noun-based expressions where English uses an adjective.

Another common expression is:

• kuwa na kiu = to be thirsty
  literally, to have thirst

So:

• nilipata kiu = I became/got thirsty
• nilikuwa na kiu = I was thirsty

Kiu means thirst.

It belongs to the KI-/VI- noun class in terms of agreement patterns, even though this particular noun does not show a very obvious class prefix the way some other nouns do.

For a beginner, the most important thing is simply to learn kiu as the noun meaning thirst and remember the useful expressions:

• kuwa na kiu = be thirsty
• kupata kiu = get thirsty

Sana means very, a lot, or really, depending on context.

Here it strengthens kiu / the idea of being thirsty:

• nilipata kiu sana = I got very thirsty

It comes after the word or phrase it intensifies, which is very common in Swahili:

• mzuri sana = very good
• haraka sana = very quickly
• kiu sana = very thirsty / a lot of thirst

Yes, but it changes the feel slightly.

• Nilipokimbia asubuhi, nilipata kiu sana clearly means When I ran in the morning, I got very thirsty.
• Nilikimbia asubuhi, nilipata kiu sana is more like I ran in the morning, and I got very thirsty.

So the version with -po- makes the time relationship more explicit.

The comma is mainly a writing aid. It separates the introductory time clause from the main clause:

• Nilipokimbia asubuhi,
• nilipata kiu sana.

In speech, you would usually hear a small pause there. The sentence would still be understandable without the comma, but using it is helpful and natural in writing.

Kiu is pronounced with both vowels sounded:

• ki-u

The i and u are both heard. Do not reduce it to one English-style vowel sound.

A rough guide is something like kee-oo, but with Swahili vowels kept short and clear.

In context, yes, that might be a natural English translation.

Grammatically, nilipokimbia most directly means when I ran. But in real usage, English may choose when, after, or another smooth phrasing depending on what sounds most natural in context.

So the core Swahili idea is still the same: the thirst happened in connection with the running.