Nimeishiwa na salio, kwa hiyo siwezi kumpigia dada simu sasa.

No. Here nimeishiwa is connected to kuisha meaning to finish / to come to an end, not kuishi meaning to live.

A useful way to understand it is:

• ni- = I
• -me- = perfect marker, often like have
• -ishiwa = to have something run out on you / to be left without something

So nimeishiwa means something like I have run out or I’ve been left without. In everyday Swahili, kuishiwa na X is a very common pattern for to run out of X.

For example:

• Nimeishiwa na pesa = I’ve run out of money
• Ameishiwa na maji = He/She has run out of water

Because the verb pattern is kuishiwa na + thing.

So the thing that has run out comes after na:

• nimeishiwa na salio
• nimeishiwa na pesa
• tumeishiwa na umeme

You normally would not say nimeishiwa salio without na. The na is part of the standard structure.

In this sentence, salio means remaining phone balance / credit.

It can also mean balance more generally, but in everyday phone-related Swahili, it often refers to the credit left on your mobile line.

Depending on place and speaker, you may also hear things like:

• airtime
• vocha for voucher/top-up
• salio la simu = phone balance

So here salio is the amount of calling credit left on the phone.

Yes. Both are natural, but they are not exactly the same in feeling.

• Sina salio = I don’t have any balance
• Nimeishiwa na salio = I’ve run out of balance

The second one emphasizes that there was some before, and now it is gone. So nimeishiwa often sounds a little more specific and situation-based.

Kwa hiyo means so, therefore, or as a result.

It introduces the result of the first clause:

• Nimeishiwa na salio, kwa hiyo siwezi...
• I’ve run out of balance, so I can’t...

This is different from kwa sababu, which means because and introduces a reason.

Compare:

• Siwezi kumpigia dada simu kwa sababu nimeishiwa na salio. = I can’t call my sister because I’ve run out of balance.

• Nimeishiwa na salio, kwa hiyo siwezi kumpigia dada simu. = I’ve run out of balance, so I can’t call my sister.

Siwezi is the normal negative form of naweza meaning I can.

So:

• naweza = I can
• siwezi = I can’t

After kuweza meaning to be able, the next verb stays in the infinitive:

• naweza kupiga simu = I can call
• siwezi kupiga simu = I can’t call

So in your sentence:

• siwezi kumpigia dada simu = I can’t call sister

Kumpigia can be broken down like this:

• ku- = infinitive marker, to
• m- = object marker, him/her
• -pigia = from kupiga, here used in the sense of call / ring

A very common expression is:

• kupiga simu = to make a phone call
• kupigia mtu simu = to call someone on the phone

So kumpigia means to call him/her.

In this sentence, the m- refers to dada.

Yes, the m- already marks the object as him/her, and then dada names who that person is.

This is very normal in Swahili. The object marker can appear on the verb, and the full noun can still be said for clarity, emphasis, or naturalness.

So:

• kumpigia = to call her
• dada = sister

Together, they mean something like to call her, my sister or simply to call sister.

Because Swahili often uses the full phone-call expression:

• kupiga simu = to make a phone call
• kupigia mtu simu = to phone someone

So simu is part of that natural expression. The structure is basically:

• kupigia + person + simu

That is why dada and simu both appear:

• dada = the person receiving the call
• simu = the phone call itself

In English we often just say call someone, but Swahili commonly keeps simu in the phrase.

Usually dada just means sister or female sibling. It does not automatically have to mean older sister.

If you want to be more specific, you can add words such as:

• dada yangu mkubwa = my older sister
• dada yangu mdogo = my younger sister

Also, in some contexts dada can mean lady, young woman, or be used as a respectful form of address. But in your sentence, it clearly means sister.

Swahili often leaves out possessives when the relationship is already obvious from context.

So dada by itself can naturally mean my sister if the speaker is talking about their own sister and everyone understands that.

If you want to be extra explicit, you can say:

• siwezi kumpigia dada yangu simu sasa

That is also correct. The version without yangu is simply more compact and still very natural.

Sasa means now or right now.

At the end of the sentence, it sounds very natural and adds a time limitation:

• siwezi kumpigia dada simu sasa = I can’t call my sister now

It suggests the problem is true at this moment. Maybe later, after topping up the phone, the speaker will be able to call.