Baada ya chakula, tulikula mtindi na kuacha mabaki ya mihogo kwenye jokofu.

Baada ya means after.

It is a very common expression in Swahili, and it is followed by:

• a noun: baada ya chakula = after the meal / after food
• or an infinitive verb: baada ya kula = after eating

So in this sentence, Baada ya chakula sets the time: After the meal, ...

Both are possible, but they focus on slightly different things:

• baada ya chakula = after the meal / after the food
• baada ya kula = after eating

So chakula is a noun, while kula is the verb to eat.

In everyday use, baada ya chakula often sounds like after the meal, while baada ya kula sounds more like after eating as an action.

Tulikula breaks down like this:

• tu- = we
• -li- = past tense marker
• -kula = eat

So tulikula means we ate.

This is a very typical Swahili verb structure: subject marker + tense marker + verb stem

Because Swahili usually includes the subject inside the verb itself.

In tulikula, the tu- already means we, so a separate pronoun like sisi is not necessary.

You could say sisi tulikula for extra emphasis, but normally just tulikula is enough.

Here, na links two actions done by the same subject:

• tulikula mtindi
• na kuacha mabaki ya mihogo kwenye jokofu

Using the infinitive kuacha after na is a common way to continue the idea without repeating the full subject-tense pattern.

So this structure is similar to:

• we ate yogurt and left the cassava leftovers in the fridge

You may also hear or see na tuliacha, which is more explicit:

• tulikula mtindi na tuliacha mabaki ya mihogo kwenye jokofu

Both are understandable, but na kuacha is more compact.

Mtindi usually means yogurt or fermented milk, depending on context and region.

In many learning contexts, it is best translated as yogurt.

In Swahili, kula is often used for foods that are eaten with a spoon or are treated as food, even if they are soft, like yogurt.

So:

• kula mtindi = eat yogurt
• kunywa mtindi could also occur in some contexts, especially if it is more drink-like

The choice depends a bit on how the speaker thinks of it: as a food or as a drink. In this sentence, it is treated as food.

Literally, it means leftovers of cassava.

Breakdown:

• mabaki = leftovers / remains
• ya = of
• mihogo = cassava (plural form)

So a natural English translation is:

• cassava leftovers
• leftover cassava

This is a noun-linking pattern in Swahili often translated as of.

The connector changes to agree with the first noun.

Here:

• mabaki belongs to noun class 6
• the class 6 connector is ya

So:

• mabaki ya mihogo = leftovers of cassava

This agreement pattern is very common in Swahili.

Mihogo means cassava or cassava roots, depending on context.

It is the plural form. In real usage, food words like this are often translated naturally rather than word-for-word, so mabaki ya mihogo is best understood as leftover cassava.

Kwenye jokofu means in the refrigerator / in the fridge.

• jokofu = refrigerator, fridge
• kwenye is a locative expression meaning something like in / on / at, depending on context

Here it means in because a fridge is a container-like place.

So:

• kwenye jokofu = in the fridge

Yes, it could.

Both can mean in the fridge, but they feel slightly different:

• kwenye jokofu = common, natural locative expression
• katika jokofu = more specifically inside the fridge

In many everyday situations, either works.

Swahili does not have articles that work like English a/an and the.

So chakula, mtindi, mabaki, and jokofu can be interpreted from context:

• the meal
• some yogurt
• the leftovers
• the fridge

English often has to add articles when translating, but Swahili usually does not say them separately.