Nilijaza troli kwa matunda na mboga, kisha nikasimama kwenye foleni ndefu.

It breaks down like this:

• ni- = I
• -li- = past tense marker
• -jaza = fill

So Nilijaza means I filled.

This is very normal in Swahili: subject, tense, and verb are often combined into one word.

Because Swahili usually puts the subject inside the verb.

So instead of saying something like I filled, Swahili can simply say Nilijaza, where ni- already means I.

If you wanted extra emphasis, you could add mimi:

• Mimi nilijaza troli... = I filled the trolley...

But normally, mimi is not needed.

Troli means trolley or shopping cart. Yes, it is a loanword from English.

This is common in modern Swahili, especially for supermarket vocabulary. Many everyday items have borrowed names, especially in urban speech.

Because Swahili often uses the pattern:

• kujaza kitu kwa kitu = to fill something with something

So:

• Nilijaza troli kwa matunda na mboga = I filled the trolley with fruit and vegetables

Here:

• troli = the thing being filled
• kwa matunda na mboga = what it was filled with

The na here does not mean with in the sense of fill with. It simply joins the two nouns:

• matunda na mboga = fruit and vegetables

Kisha means then, after that, or next.

It links one action to the next:

• Nilijaza troli..., kisha nikasimama...
• I filled the trolley..., then I stood...

It is slightly more formal or narrative in tone than halafu, but both can mean then.

Nikasimama uses the -ka- tense, which often shows the next action in a sequence.

Breakdown:

• ni- = I
• -ka- = consecutive/next-action marker
• -simama = stand / stop

So nikasimama means something like:

• and then I stood
• then I stopped

This form is very common in storytelling and narration when one event follows another.

Compare:

• Nilisimama = I stood / I stopped simply as a past action
• Nikasimama = then I stood / and I stopped as the next step in a sequence

In this sentence, nikasimama fits the flow very naturally.

It can mean both, depending on context.

• kusimama = to stand
• kusimama = to stop

Here, because of kwenye foleni (in the queue / line), the idea is:

• I stood in a long line
• or more naturally in English, I got in a long line

So the context tells you which sense is intended.

Kwenye can mean in, on, or at, depending on context.

In this sentence:

• kwenye foleni = in the line / in the queue

So kwenye is giving the location of the action.

You will see kwenye used very often in everyday Swahili for places and locations.

Because in Swahili, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• foleni ndefu = a long line
• literally, line long

This is the normal word order in Swahili.

The adjective root is -refu = long / tall.

In Swahili, adjectives usually agree with the noun class of the noun they describe. Foleni belongs to a class where the adjective commonly appears as ndefu.

So:

• foleni ndefu = a long queue

This agreement system is a big part of Swahili grammar.

Because these two nouns behave differently.

• tunda = fruit (singular)
• matunda = fruits / fruit (plural or collective)

But mboga often works as a general word for vegetables, greens, or vegetable food, and it often keeps the same form.

So:

• matunda = fruit(s)
• mboga = vegetables / greens

This is fairly normal. Not every Swahili noun makes singular and plural in the same way.

Yes. That would sound natural too.

• Nilijaza troli kwa matunda na mboga, halafu nikasimama kwenye foleni ndefu.

This still means the same thing.

A useful rough distinction is:

• kisha = a bit more formal, neat, narrative
• halafu = very common in everyday speech

Both are correct.

Not always. Foleni can refer to any kind of queue, line, or even a line of vehicles depending on context.

So it might mean:

• a line of shoppers
• a queue at a bank
• a traffic line / jam in some contexts

Here, because the speaker has just filled a trolley, foleni clearly means a checkout line or queue.