Leo nina mafua na kikohozi kidogo, kwa hiyo sipendi kutoka nje usiku.

Leo means today. In Swahili, time expressions often come at the beginning of the sentence to set the time frame right away.

So:

• Leo nina mafua... = Today I have a cold...

This is very natural. You could also place leo later, but starting with it is common and clear.

Swahili usually does not need a separate subject pronoun when the verb already shows the subject.

In nina:

• ni- = I
• -na = part of the form meaning have / am with

So nina already means I have.

You can add mimi for emphasis:

• Mimi nina mafua = I have a cold / As for me, I have a cold

But in normal speech, nina mafua is enough.

Swahili often expresses possession with the idea of being with something.

So nina can be understood as I have / I am with.

For beginners, it is easiest to learn it as:

• nina = I have
• una = you have
• ana = he/she has

Examples:

• Nina kitabu = I have a book
• Nina mafua = I have a cold

That is a very common learner question. Mafua is the normal Swahili word for a cold or sometimes flu/cold symptoms, even though it looks like a plural noun.

It belongs to a noun class that often has ma- nouns, and in actual usage mafua is the standard word for this illness. You do not normally use a singular form to mean one cold the way English does.

So just learn:

• nina mafua = I have a cold

Even though English uses singular a cold, Swahili uses mafua.

Swahili does not have articles like English a, an, and the.

So:

• kikohozi can mean a cough or the cough, depending on context
• mafua can mean a cold or simply cold/flu symptoms, depending on context

You understand the exact meaning from the situation, not from a separate article word.

In Swahili, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• kikohozi kidogo = a small/slight cough
• not kidogo kikohozi

Also, the adjective changes to match the noun class.
Kikohozi is a ki-/vi- noun, so -dogo becomes kidogo.

Compare:

• kitu kidogo = a small thing
• kitabu kidogo = a small book
• kikohozi kidogo = a slight cough

This matching is called noun class agreement.

Here na means and.

So:

• mafua na kikohozi kidogo = a cold and a slight cough

Be aware that na can also mean with in other contexts, so it is a very common and flexible word in Swahili.

Kwa hiyo means so, therefore, or for that reason.

It connects the two parts of the sentence:

• Leo nina mafua na kikohozi kidogo = I have a cold and a slight cough today
• kwa hiyo sipendi kutoka nje usiku = so I don’t like going out at night

It is a very useful expression for showing result or consequence.

Other natural English equivalents are:

• so
• therefore
• that’s why

Sipendi is the negative present form of kupenda = to like / to love.

Breakdown:

• si- = I do not
• pend- = verb root
• -i = the final vowel used in this negative form

Compare:

• napenda = I like
• sipendi = I do not like

This is a common pattern in Swahili negative present tense:

• nafanya = I do
• sifanyi = I do not do

So sipendi is a very useful form to recognize.

These do not mean exactly the same thing.

• sipendi kutoka nje usiku = I don’t like going out at night
• sitoki nje usiku = I don’t go out at night / I am not going out at night

So sipendi expresses a feeling, preference, or inclination.
Sitoki expresses the action itself not happening.

In this sentence, the speaker is saying the illness affects how they feel about going out, not just stating the bare fact.

A related form is:

• sitaki kutoka nje usiku = I don’t want to go out at night

That is a bit stronger and more direct than sipendi.

Literally:

• kutoka = to go out / to leave / to come from depending on context
• nje = outside

Together here, kutoka nje means to go outside or to go out.

After kupenda, the infinitive works much like English to go out:

• sipendi kutoka nje = I don’t like to go out / I don’t like going outside

Usiku means at night or during the night.

Placing it at the end is very natural in Swahili. It tells you when the going out would happen:

• sipendi kutoka nje usiku = I don’t like going out at night

Time expressions are fairly flexible in Swahili, but putting usiku at the end sounds smooth and normal here.

For example, these are also possible:

• Usiku sipendi kutoka nje
• Sipendi usiku kutoka nje

But sipendi kutoka nje usiku is simple and natural.