Rahma alisikitika alipopoteza kalamu yake darasani.

Because Swahili usually puts the subject inside the verb. In alisikitika, the prefix a- means he/she. Since Rahma is already named, a separate pronoun like yeye is not needed.

So:

• Rahma alisikitika = Rahma was sad
• literally, the verb already includes she/he

Not in this sentence. Swahili does not normally mark gender in verbs or possessives.

For example:

• a- can mean he or she
• yake can mean his, her, or sometimes its

So we understand she from the context or from the name Rahma, not from the grammar itself.

Alisikitika can be broken down like this:

• a- = he/she
• -li- = past tense
• sikitika = be sad, feel sorry, be upset

So alisikitika means she was sad or she became upset.

This is a very common Swahili pattern:

subject prefix + tense marker + verb

Alipopoteza means when she lost.

It can be broken down like this:

• a- = he/she
• -li- = past
• -po- = a relative/temporal marker, often giving the idea of when
• poteza = lose

So the whole word means something like when she lost or at the time she lost.

This is a common Swahili structure. For example:

• nilipofika = when I arrived
• alipoenda = when he/she went

Swahili often expresses ideas like when, where, or which by adding markers directly into the verb, instead of using a separate word the way English usually does.

So English says:

• when she lost her pen

But Swahili can build that idea into one verb:

• alipopoteza kalamu yake

This is very natural in Swahili and is something learners see often.

In Swahili, possessives usually come after the noun.

So:

• kalamu yake = her pen

Literally, it is more like:

• pen her/his

Also, the possessive has to agree with the noun class of the noun. Kalamu belongs to the noun class that takes the possessive form yake.

So:

• kalamu yangu = my pen
• kalamu yako = your pen
• kalamu yake = his/her pen

No. Yake does not show gender. It can mean:

• his
• her
• sometimes its

In this sentence, we translate it as her because the person is Rahma and the meaning makes that clear.

Darasani means in the classroom or in class.

The ending -ni is a very common locative ending in Swahili. It often adds the meaning in, at, or to a place.

So:

• darasa = class / classroom
• darasani = in the classroom / in class

Other common examples:

• nyumbani = at home
• shuleni = at school
• mezani = on the table / at the table

In this sentence, yes, it is fairly similar:

• Rahma = subject
• alisikitika = main verb
• alipopoteza kalamu yake = when she lost her pen
• darasani = in the classroom

But there are two important differences from English:

• the subject she is built into the verb
• the possessive comes after the noun: kalamu yake, not yake kalamu

Also, the idea of when is built into alipopoteza, rather than being a separate word.

Yes, that is a natural way to understand it in English. The core meaning is that Rahma felt sad because of the event of losing her pen in the classroom.

A very direct translation is:

• Rahma was sad when she lost her pen in the classroom

But in smoother English, you might also say:

• Rahma was upset after losing her pen in class
• Rahma felt sad when she lost her pen in the classroom

All of those match the Swahili sentence well.