Nilipokimbia jana, niliumia kifundo cha mguu na nikatembea polepole hadi nyumbani.

Nilipokimbia can be broken into:

• ni- = I
• -li- = past tense
• -po- = when / at the time when
• kimbia = run

So nilipokimbia means when I ran or when I was running.

The -po- part is very useful in Swahili for making time clauses like when...

In Swahili, when is often built directly into the verb instead of being a separate word.

So instead of saying something like when I ran with a separate word for when, Swahili can say:

• nilipokimbia = when I ran

This is very natural Swahili. You can also use other ways to express time, but this verb form is common and important to learn.

Jana means yesterday.

In this sentence, Nilipokimbia jana means When I ran yesterday...

Swahili word order is fairly flexible with time words like jana, so you may also hear:

• Jana nilipokimbia...

Both are possible. In this sentence, jana comes after the verb phrase, but it still clearly modifies the time of the running.

Niliumia means I got hurt or I was injured.

It breaks down as:

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

So niliumia kifundo cha mguu literally means something like I hurt the ankle joint of the leg, but in natural English that is I injured my ankle.

Swahili often leaves out possessives like my when the meaning is obvious from context, especially with body parts.

So:

• niliumia kifundo cha mguu
  naturally means I injured my ankle

Even though my is not stated, it is understood because the speaker is talking about their own injury.

If needed, Swahili could be more explicit, but it usually does not need to be.

Literally, kifundo cha mguu means something like the joint of the leg/foot.

• kifundo = joint / knuckle / ankle area, depending on context
• cha = of (agreeing with kifundo)
• mguu = leg / foot

Together, in this context, it means ankle.

So although English uses one word, Swahili expresses it as a noun phrase.

This is because cha has to agree with the noun kifundo.

• kifundo belongs to the ki-/vi- noun class
• the possessive connector for that class is cha

So:

• kifundo cha mguu = the ankle / the joint of the leg

If the first noun belonged to a different noun class, the connector would change. This agreement is a major feature of Swahili grammar.

This is a very common learner question.

• nilitembea = I walked
• nikatembea = and then I walked / so I walked

The -ka- tense marker often shows the next action in a sequence. It is very common in narration.

So:

• niliumia kifundo cha mguu na nikatembea polepole hadi nyumbani = I injured my ankle and then walked slowly home

Using nikatembea makes the second action feel like the result or next event after the injury.

Here na means and.

So na nikatembea is basically and then I walked.

In Swahili storytelling and narration, you will often see:

• na
  • a verb with -ka-

This combination helps move the story forward from one event to the next.

In Swahili, each finite verb usually includes its own subject marker.

So in this sentence you get:

• nilipokimbia = I ran / when I ran
• niliumia = I got hurt
• nikatembea = I then walked

Even though English might not always emphasize the subject each time, Swahili builds it into each verb. That is completely normal.

Polepole means slowly.

It comes from repetition, and this kind of repetition is common in Swahili. In many cases, repeated forms sound natural and function as adverbs.

So:

• nikatembea polepole = I walked slowly

You will hear polepole very often in everyday Swahili.

Hadi means until, up to, or in many contexts to.

Nyumbani means home or at home.

So:

• hadi nyumbani = all the way home / to home / more naturally, home

In this sentence, nikatembea polepole hadi nyumbani means I walked slowly home.

Nyumba means house.

Nyumbani is a locative form, meaning something like:

• at home
• to home
• home

The ending -ni often gives a location sense in Swahili.

So:

• nyumba = house
• nyumbani = at/to home

That is why hadi nyumbani is the natural expression here.

Yes. The sentence presents a sequence:

1. Nilipokimbia jana = When I ran yesterday
2. niliumia kifundo cha mguu = I injured my ankle
3. na nikatembea polepole hadi nyumbani = and then I walked slowly home

So the grammar helps show both:

• the time setting with nilipokimbia
• the main event
• the next event in sequence with nikatembea

This is a very natural way to narrate past events in Swahili.

Yes, that is a reasonable translation.

Because nilipokimbia can often be understood as when I ran or when I was running, English translation depends on context.

So possible natural translations include:

• When I ran yesterday, I injured my ankle and walked slowly home.
• When I was running yesterday, I hurt my ankle and walked slowly home.

The exact English wording may vary, but the Swahili structure stays the same.