Wakati fundi mwanamke alipokuwa akipima fremu ya dirisha, Asha alikuwa akishika nyundo na bisibisi.

It can mean either when or while, depending on context.

In this sentence, both actions are ongoing in the past, so English often prefers while. But when is also possible if the broader context supports it.

Literally, wakati means time, and as a conjunction it often introduces a time clause:

• wakati = when / while / at the time that

This is a layered verb phrase meaning something like when she was measuring.

A helpful breakdown is:

• a- = she/he
• -li- = past
• -po- = a relative/time element meaning something like when / where / at the point that
• -kuwa = be
• akipima = she/he measuring / while measuring

And akipima itself can be broken down as:

• a- = she/he
• -ki- = ongoing/simultaneous action in this kind of construction
• -pima = measure

So alipokuwa akipima is essentially when she was in the process of measuring.

Both are past ongoing forms, but they are doing slightly different jobs.

• alipokuwa akipima = when she was measuring
• alikuwa akishika = she was holding

The first one appears inside a time clause introduced by wakati, so it uses -po- to anchor the action in time. The second one is the main clause, so the more straightforward past progressive pattern alikuwa + aki-verb is used.

So the difference is not really about meaning so much as clause structure:

• first clause = time-setting clause
• second clause = main statement

Here, -ki- helps express an action that is ongoing or happening at the same time as something else.

So:

• akipima = while measuring / measuring
• akishika = while holding / holding

When this form comes after kuwa in the past, it often gives the idea of the English past continuous:

• alikuwa akishika = she was holding
• alikuwa akipima = she was measuring

So in this sentence, -ki- is part of the structure that shows an action in progress.

fundi means something like technician, craftsperson, repair worker, artisan, depending on context.

Then mwanamke is added to specify that the technician is female. In this kind of phrase, mwanamke is not acting like a normal adjective such as good or big. It is a noun used appositionally, almost like saying:

• technician, a woman
• or more naturally, female technician

A common alternative is:

• fundi wa kike = female technician

So fundi mwanamke is a natural way to identify the person’s gender.

You may hear different word orders in real usage, but fundi mwanamke or fundi wa kike is the safer pattern for a learner if you want to mean female technician.

With mwanamke fundi, the emphasis can feel a bit different, more like a woman who is a technician rather than simply female technician. The difference is subtle, but word order can affect what feels most natural.

So for learning purposes:

• fundi mwanamke = good
• fundi wa kike = also very common
• mwanamke fundi = possible in some contexts, but less neutral as a basic choice

ya is the connector meaning of, and it links two nouns:

• fremu ya dirisha = frame of a window = window frame

This connector changes depending on the noun class of the first noun, the thing being possessed or described.

Here the head noun is fremu, so the connector used is ya.

This is a very common Swahili pattern:

• mlango wa nyumba = door of the house
• kitabu cha mwanafunzi = book of the student
• fremu ya dirisha = window frame

Because in Swahili, the subject marker on the verb is normally required.

So even if you already say:

• Asha
• fundi mwanamke

the verbs still need subject prefixes:

• Asha alikuwa...
• fundi mwanamke alipokuwa...

That a- means she/he.

So unlike English, where the subject is usually only a separate word, Swahili usually marks the subject twice:

1. as a noun if you mention it
2. on the verb with a subject prefix

Swahili usually does not use articles the way English does.

So:

• fundi mwanamke can mean a female technician or the female technician
• fremu ya dirisha can mean a window frame or the window frame

The exact meaning depends on context.

If Swahili wants to be more specific, it often uses:

• context
• word order
• demonstratives such as huyu, huyo, yule
• relative clauses and other modifiers

So the absence of a/the is completely normal.

This is mainly a difference of aspect.

• alipima = she measured
  This usually presents the action as a completed event.

• alipokuwa akipima = when she was measuring
  This presents the action as ongoing, in progress, or unfolding at that time.

Likewise:

• alishika = she held / she took hold of
• alikuwa akishika = she was holding

So the longer forms in your sentence are important because they show two actions happening at the same time in the past.

Because nyundo and bisibisi are direct objects of kushika, which means to hold.

So Swahili simply says:

• alikuwa akishika nyundo na bisibisi

That is literally like:

• she was holding hammer and screwdriver

English often adds articles, but Swahili does not need them, and it also does not need a preposition like with here.

They are tool words:

• nyundo = hammer
• bisibisi = screwdriver

bisibisi is a borrowed word, and like many borrowed nouns in Swahili, it does not look very different from native noun patterns at first glance. As a learner, the main thing is just to recognize it as a common everyday tool word.

It is fairly broad.

Depending on context, fundi can mean:

• technician
• repair worker
• craftsperson
• artisan
• mechanic-like worker
• skilled worker

So you should not think of it as one perfectly narrow English job title. The surrounding context usually tells you what kind of fundi is meant.

In this sentence, because the person is measuring a window frame and there are tools involved, technician / craftsperson / repair worker are all plausible interpretations.