Baada ya kunywa kidonge, aliweka plasta mpya na akalala mapema.

It is a time phrase meaning after taking/drinking a pill.

• baada ya = after
• kunywa = to drink / to take
• kidonge = pill / tablet

So baada ya + infinitive is a common way to say after doing something.

Yes, in English we usually say take or swallow a pill. In Swahili, though, kunywa is very commonly used for taking medicine, including pills.

So kunywa kidonge is normal Swahili. If you want to emphasize swallowing, you could also use kumeza.

Aliweka has three parts:

• a- = he/she
• -li- = past tense
• weka = put / place / apply

So aliweka means he/she put or he/she applied.

In Swahili, the verb often already shows the subject, so you do not always need a separate word for he, she, or a person’s name.

Here, a- in aliweka and akalala already tells you the subject is he/she.

If needed, you could add a noun or name for clarity, but it is not required.

It can mean either he or she. Swahili does not normally mark gender in this verb prefix.

So from this sentence alone, aliweka and akalala could refer to a man or a woman.

Plasta mpya means a new plaster / bandage / band-aid, depending on context.

• plasta is a loanword
• mpya = new

So the phrase means that the person put on or applied a new plaster/bandage.

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

Plasta is treated like a class 9 noun, and with many class 9 nouns the adjective form is mpya.

So:

• plasta mpya = new plaster

The verb weka basically means put / place, but in context it can also mean apply.

So in this sentence, the natural meaning is applied/put on a new plaster, not just set a plaster somewhere.

Context is what makes that clear.

This is a very common learner question.

• alilala = he/she slept in simple past
• akalala = and then he/she slept or then he/she slept

The -ka- tense is often used in narration to show the next action in a sequence. It gives a sense of and then.

So the sentence first says:

• aliweka plasta mpya = he/she put on a new plaster

and then continues with:

• na akalala mapema = and then he/she slept early / went to bed early

Na usually means and.

Here it links the two actions:

• aliweka plasta mpya
• akalala mapema

Because the second verb uses the -ka- form, the combination na akalala has the sense of and then slept.

Mapema means early.

It is an adverb, and in Swahili adverbs like this often come after the verb:

• akalala mapema = he/she slept early or went to bed early

That word order is very natural in Swahili.

Mostly yes. The sentence structure is:

• time phrase first: Baada ya kunywa kidonge
• main action: aliweka plasta mpya
• next action: na akalala mapema

So it follows a very understandable sequence: After doing X, he/she did Y and then did Z.

The main difference from English is that Swahili packs subject and tense information into the verb itself.