Stima iliporudi, tuliwasha taa sebuleni.

It has four parts:

• i- = the subject marker agreeing with stima
• -li- = past tense
• -po- = a relative marker that gives the sense of when
• rudi = return, come back

So iliporudi means something like when it returned.

Because stima takes this agreement pattern in Swahili, so the verb agrees with it using i- here.

That is why you get:

• Stima iliporudi = when the power returned

You can think of i- as the verb marker matching stima.

In everyday use, stima often refers to electrical power supply, especially in contexts like outages and restorations.

So in this sentence, stima iliporudi naturally suggests:

• the electricity came back
• the power came back

It is the normal kind of thing people say after a blackout or power cut.

Because Swahili often builds the meaning of when into the verb itself.

Here, the -po- inside iliporudi gives that sense. So instead of using a separate word, Swahili says it through the verb form.

That is very common and natural.

It breaks down like this:

• tu- = we
• -li- = past tense
• washa = switch on, turn on, light

So tuliwasha means we turned on or we lit.

Because the object is stated directly after the verb: taa.

In Swahili, if the object noun is actually present, you often do not need an object marker on the verb.

So:

• tuliwasha taa = we turned on the light(s)

If the noun were omitted and you were referring back to it, an object marker could appear instead.

It can be either, because taa has the same form for singular and plural in many everyday uses.

So depending on context, it can mean:

• a light / lamp
• lights

In this sentence, many learners will understand it as the lights, but the form itself does not change.

Sebule means living room or sitting room.

The ending -ni makes it locative, meaning something like:

• in
• at
• to

So sebuleni means in the living room here.

Yes. Both are possible.

• sebuleni = in the living room
• katika sebule = in the living room

The -ni form is very common and compact, so it sounds natural here.

Putting the time clause first is a very natural way to set the scene in Swahili, just like in English.

It tells the listener first when the main action happened, and then gives the main action:

• Stima iliporudi → the situation/time
• tuliwasha taa sebuleni → what happened next

So the order is very natural and easy to follow.

In practice, it helps locate the whole event, and especially the lights being turned on.

So the sentence naturally gives the idea:

• we turned on the lights in the living room

Swahili often allows this kind of locative phrase without making a big distinction between whether it attaches more to the verb or the noun. The meaning is clear from context.