Nilipoazima kamusi, mkutubi aliniambia niweke jina langu kwenye rejesta.

Nilipoazima can be split into:

• ni- = I
• -li- = past tense
• -po- = when
• azima = borrow

So nilipoazima means when I borrowed.

This is a very common Swahili pattern for saying when I..., when he..., etc.

In this sentence, -po- is the part that gives the idea of when.

So:

• niliazima = I borrowed
• nilipoazima = when I borrowed

This is a useful structure in Swahili for making time clauses. You will often see similar forms like:

• ulipofika = when you arrived
• alipoenda = when he/she went

So here, Nilipoazima kamusi... means When I borrowed a dictionary/the dictionary...

Kamusi means dictionary.

It belongs to a noun class where the singular and plural often look the same. So:

• kamusi = dictionary
• kamusi = dictionaries

The context tells you whether it is singular or plural. In this sentence, it is understood as singular.

Mkutubi means librarian.

So:

• mkutubi = librarian
• maktaba = library

Learners sometimes confuse the person and the place, so it helps to keep them separate:

• mkutubi = the person who works there
• maktaba = the place

Aliniambia can be split into:

• a- = he/she
• -li- = past tense
• -ni- = me
• ambia = tell/say to

So aliniambia means he/she told me or he/she said to me.

In this sentence:

• mkutubi aliniambia = the librarian told me

Niweke is in the subjunctive form.

After verbs like tell, ask, want, order, or advise, Swahili often uses the subjunctive to express what someone should do.

So:

• aliniambia niweke jina langu... = he/she told me to put/write my name...

Here, niweke comes from kuweka = to put/place/write down.

The form breaks down like this:

• ni- = I
• -weke = subjunctive stem

So niweke means something like that I put or for me to put.

Because Swahili often leaves it out.

In English, we might say:

• The librarian told me that I should put my name...
• The librarian told me to put my name...

In Swahili, it is very natural to go straight from aliniambia to the subjunctive verb:

• aliniambia niweke...

Sometimes Swahili does use kwamba for that, but here it is not necessary.

Because possessives in Swahili must agree with the noun class of the thing possessed.

Here:

• jina = name
• jina belongs to noun class 5

For this noun class, my is:

• langu

So:

• jina langu = my name

Compare:

• kitabu changu = my book
• rafiki yangu = my friend
• jina langu = my name

So the possessive changes depending on the noun class.

Kwenye rejesta means in the register, on the register, or in the record book, depending on context.

• kwenye = in/on/at
• rejesta = register, logbook, record book

With something like a register, English might say either:

• in the register
• on the register

Swahili uses kwenye very naturally here for location or surface/inside placement.

Yes. Kuweka basically means to put or to place, but in many contexts it can also mean to enter, to record, or to write down something in a specific place.

So in this sentence:

• niweke jina langu kwenye rejesta

literally feels like:

• I put my name in/on the register

But natural English is:

• write my name in the register
• enter my name in the register

So this is a good example of Swahili using a broader verb where English prefers a more specific one.

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

So nouns often appear without any article word:

• kamusi can mean a dictionary or the dictionary
• mkutubi can mean a librarian or the librarian
• rejesta can mean a register or the register

The exact meaning depends on context.

Yes, it is very normal.

The structure is:

• Nilipoazima kamusi = When I borrowed a dictionary
• mkutubi aliniambia = the librarian told me
• niweke jina langu kwenye rejesta = to put/write my name in the register

So the full flow is:

1. time clause
2. main clause
3. instruction clause

This is a very natural Swahili sentence pattern.