Swahili - lesson six

The lesson you've been waiting for - Swahili names for animals you'll see on safari! Some of these you will no doubt recognize as they have been made popular in movies and pop culture. Others may be new to you. Work on them and you'll be at the head of the class while on safari!

Nyani Baboon

Nyati Buffalo

Duma Cheetah

Mamba Crocodile

Tembo Elephant

Twiga Giraffe

Koboko Hippo

Fisi Hyena

Chui Leopard

Simba Lion

Nyani Monkey

Nungunungu Porcupine

Mbuni Ostrich

Kifaru Rhino

Nyoka Snake

Ngiri Warthog

Nyumbu Wildebeest

Punda Milia Zebra

Photos courtesy Gretchen Healey

Swahili - lesson five

Today we're getting started on words and phrases you might use on safari. Take note and practice well. Your guide will be impressed!

Ni salama Kwenda kwa miguu huko? Is it safe to walk there?

Ni umbali gani kwenda...? How far is it to...?

Ni kitu gani kile...? What kind of ... is that?

Mnyama/ndege/mauwa/mti animal/bird/flower/tree

mlima/milimani mountain/mountain range

iwa lake

mbuga savannah

jia track

hifadhi ya mazingira nature reserve

mbingu sky

nyota star

jua sun

mvua rain

Next lesson will cover Swahili names for animals you will likely see on safari. Stay tuned!

Photos courtesy Gretchen Healey

Swahili - lesson four

Have you been practicing your Swahili? We've had three lessons so far. We have focused on greetings, basic expressions and making friends. Today, we will add a few more expressions and phrases that you might find useful in your travels.

Nina furaha. I'm happy.

Nina njaa. I'm hungry.

Nini kiu. I'm thirsty.

Nisaidie tafadhali? Can you help me?

Nimechoka. I'm tired.

Ni maridadi. It's beautiful.

Hii bei gani? How much is this?

Nikupatie kinywaji? Can I get you a drink?

Ni joto/baridi. It's hot/cold.

Natumai tutakutana tena. I hope we'll meet again.

Safari njema! Have a good trip!

Mbona unachecka? Why are you laughing?

Kivi kiswahili changu kibaya hivyo? Is my Swahili that bad?

That's all for today. Stay tuned for lesson five where we will look at some words and phrases that will come in most handy while on safari.

Photos courtesy Gretchen Healey

Swahili - lesson three

Our third foray into the Swahili language will concentrate on interactions with other people and making friends. After this lesson, you will be able to introduce yourself and learn a bit more about others.

Jina langu ni... My name is...

Nimefurahi kukutana nawe! Pleased to meet you!

Hujambo? (or Habari gani?) How are you?

Sijambo, wewe? Fine, thanks. And you?

Mnastarehe? Are you enjoying your stay?

Ndiyo, ninapapenda sana. Yes, I like it very much.

Unatoka wapi? Where do you come from?

Mimi ni... I'm...

Mmarekani American

Raiya wa Uingereza British

Mkanada Canadian

Leo kuzuri! What a lovely day!

Asante, nimefurahi sana jioni hii. Thank you, it's been a wonderful evening.

Nimestarehe. I've enjoyed myself.

More next time. Keep practicing!

Photos courtesy Gretchen Healey

Swahili - lesson two

Continuing on with useful words and phrases for your trip to East Africa, today we will focus on some more basic expressions. We will focus on questions and some practical phrases for conversing with your new language skills.

Wapi? - where?

Vipi? - how?

Lini? - when?

Nini? - what?

Kwa nini? - why?

Nani? - who?

Iko wapi...? - where is?

Umbali gani? - how far?

Muda gani? - how long?

Bei gani? - how much?

Sema pole pole, tafadhali? - Could you speak more slowly?

Sema tena tafadhali? - Could you repeat that?

Vipi unatamka? - How do you pronounce this?

Nifasirie hii, tafadhali? - Can you translate this for me?

Sifahamu - I don't understand

Nafahamu - I understand

Note that most Swahili words are pronounced phonetically. One word above that might give you pause is 'hii'; which is pronounced hee-ee. Give these words and phrases some practice before our next lesson. If you haven't planned your trip yet, give us a call and we'll work with you to customize a safari to Kenya, Uganda or Tanzania, so you can get some real world practice!

Photos by Gretchen Healey

Swahili

When you travel to a foreign country, it is considered courteous to learn a few words (or more) of the local language. It is sometimes hard to do when travelling to Africa, as many of the countries have more than one, if not dozens of official indegenous languages. East Africa is cooperative in that Swahili is widely spoken in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda; with nearly 50 million people speaking it across Africa and some pockets outside of the continent. While you could easily communicate by only speaking English, a little effort can go a long way with local residents.

We'll look at a few words and phrases in Swahili today that you can practice in advance of a trip. There will be future blogs with additional vocabulary; just search for them with the 'Swahili' keyword.

Jambo - hello

Mambo - hello (collq.)

Kwaheri - good-bye

Ndiyo - yes

Hapana - no

Asante - thank you

Asante sana - thank you very much

Si kitu - you're welcome

Samahani - excuse me

Hujambo - how are you ?

Sijambo, asante - very well, thanks.

Na wewe je - and you?

Nzuri - fine

Practice these words and phrases and check back for more lessons soon!