Early
Mapema
Time, watch/es, hour/s
Saa
Mama ntilie
Street food vendor/kiosk
I go to the cinema every Sunday night
Huenda sinema kila Jumapili usiku
I usually get up much earlier in the dormitory
Kawaida huamka mapema zaidi bwenini
Gym (Treningsstudio)
Sehemu ya mazoezi
To wake up, to get up
Kuamka
Before
Kabla ya
First, at first
Kwanza
Day/s
Siku
Cinema/s, movies
Sinema
Do you go out with your friends?
Wewe huenda kutembea na rafiki zako?
Kutembea: To walk, to travel around
Boarding school
Shule ya bweni
School cafeteria
Mkahawa wa shule
It depends
Inategemea
Monday
Jumatatu (Third day)
Biashara ndogo / Juakali
Small street business
I have a lot of work
Nina kazi nyingi
-ingi: lots, a lot, much
Mitumba
Second hand clothing
Thursday
Alhamisi / Alkhamisi
Friday
Ijumaa (Congregation day)
To cook
Kupika
I work during the week
Ninafanya kazi siku za wiki
Do you play any sports?
Unacheza mchezo wowote?
Every
Kila
To wash clothes
Kufua nguo
Wednesday
Jumatano (Fifth day)
To rest/relax, to retire
Kupumzika
Habitual tense - Def.
Used to talk about events that take place on a regular basis, such as a daily routine
True, honestly, really (Adv)
Kweli
Cup/s
Kikombe/vikombe
I relax on the weekend with my family
Wikiendi hupumzika na familia yangu
Road/s, path/s, way/s
Njia
Dormitory
Bweni
More, too much, extra
Zaidi
To shave
Kunyoa ndevu
Ndevu: Beard/s
Clothes, clothing, dress
Nguo
Night
Usiku
Tuesday
Jumanne (Fourth day)
Game/s, match/es, play/s
Mchezo/michezo
Breakfast (2)
Chakula cha asubuhi
Chai ya asubuhi
After that
Baada ya hapo
To get dressed
Kuvaa nguo
Equal to
ni sawa na
-Equal to/same as life here at home? - .. Ni sawa na maisha ya hapa nyumbani
Do you sleep after that?
Baada ya hapo unalala?
To rent
Kukodi
School/s (2)
Shule, skuli
To exercise, to work out
Kufanya mazoezi
Fabric/s, material/s, texture/s
Mfumo
Homework (2)
- Kazi (‘Job, work, task, employment’) za shule
2. Mazoezi ya nyumbani
Different
Tofauti
Every
Kila
- huenda sehemu ya kupumzikia kila Jumamosi (We go to the park saturdays/every Saturday)
- Husoma Kiswahili kila Jumatatu na Jumatano (They study swahili every Monday and Wednesday)
How do you get to work?
Unaenda vipi kazini?
Afterwards, thereafter, then
Kisha
To understand
Kuelewa
Habitual tense - How to make
Add the prefix hu- to the verb. The verb don’t require any subject prefix, the subject is known only from context, and the tense carries an automatic sense of “usually”, “often”, “typically” etc.
-Kila siku huoga saa kumi na mbili asubuhui (I (you, they etc) take a shower at 6:00 am every day), yeye huenda sinema kila jumapili usiku (He/she goes to the movies every sunday night), wikiendi mimi hufua nguo (I wash my clothes on the weekend)
Job, work, employment
Kazi
Kazini: At work
Usually
Kwa kawaida
Kawaida: usual, customary, custom, habit
Dinner, evening meal
Chakula cha jioni
That’s true Indeed
Ni kweli
Exercise/s
Zoezi/mazoezi
Not bad
Sio mbaya
The habitual tense usually goes along with certain time expressions, name a few
Kwa kawaida (usually) Kila siku (every day) Kila wikiendi...
What do you do in the evening?
Unafanya nini jioni?
Egg/s
Yai/mayai
Near by, close by
Karibu
How’s life at college?
Vipi maisha ya chuoni?
What time do you get up?
Unaamka saa ngapi?
How many?
Ngapi?
By
Kwa
To brush your teeth
Kupiga mswaki
Rationale for naming of the Swahili week days
Named according to the muslim religious week; Friday is the last day, and also the day of prayer.
Hygiene, sanitation
Usafi
Then
Kisha
Bus/ses
Basi/mabasi
Wamachinga
Street traders
After
Baada ya
Street kiosks
Magenge
To get on, to climb, to get into vehicle
Kupanda
How
Vipi
Sunday
Jumapili (Second day)
That, then, at that time
Hapo
To buy
Kununua
To return, to come back
Kurudi
Life
Maisha
To take a shower or bath
Kuoga
Weekend/s
Wikendi
Do you like your classes and your professors?
Unapenda masomo yako na walimu wako?
Trade, business, commerce
Biashara
Sharp (at a specific time), exact
Kamili
It’s not the same
Sio sawa
What do you usually do on the weekend?
Kwa kawaida unafanya nini wikiendi?
Not the same, not okay, not right
Sio sawa
Saturday
Jumamosi (First day)
Lesson/s, subject/s, study/ies
Somo/masomo
Living room/s
Ukumbi wa kupumzikia/kumbi za kupumzikia
Which numbers are invariable
6-10 except 8
-The rest are variable and must agree with the noun (i.e. -moja, -tatu)
(Mtoto mnoja - One child. Kiti kimoja - One chair. Mbwa mmoja - One dog. Watu watatu - Three people. Vitabu vitano - Five books)
How is the day divided in Swahili
12 hours of daylight starting at 6 am and 12 hours of night starting at 6 pm. -> 7 pm = Hour one of the night/saa moja usiku
Early morning - Time, swahili (2)
5-5.59 am
Alfajiri / Asubuhi mapema sana
Morning - Time, swahili (2)
6-12 am
Asubuhi
Noon/afternoon - Time, swahili (2)
12-3 pm
Mchana
Late afternoon - Time, swahili (2)
3-5 pm
Alasiri
Evening - Time, swahili (2)
5-7
Jioni
Night - Time, swahili (2)
7 pm-5 am
Usiku
Which Swahili words needs to be used when giving the time
Saa (hour) -Saa is an N-class noun, so you always use the same forms of the numbers as you do when counting
Counting - Which noun class does the number used for counting agree with
N class (Moja, mbili, tatu, nne, tano, sita, saba, nane, tisa, kumi..)
Numbers without prefix 1-10
- -moja (Mtoto mmoja, kiti kimoja, mbwa mmoja..)
- -wili
- -tatu (Watu watatu)
- -nne
- -tano
- Sita
- Saba
- -nane
- Tisa
- Kumi
6:00 am/pm
Saa kumi na mbili asubuhi/jioni
7:00 am/pm sharp
Saa moja kamili asubuhi / jioni or usiku
8:00 am/pm
Saa mbili asubuhi/usiku
10:00 am/pm
Saa nne asubuhi/usiku
12:00 pm (12:00)/am (00:00)
Saa sita mchana / usiku
3:00 pm / am
Saa tisa alasiri / usiku
5:00 pm / am
Saa kumi na moja jioni/alfajiri
Half past (2)
Unusu
Na nusu
(Nusu: Half, part)
Quarter past
Na robo
Robo: Quarter
A quarter before
Kasorobo
Robo: Quarter
How to say another amount of minutes (Not half or quarter) after the hour
Na dakika + minutes
Dakika: Minute
Minute/s (Time)
Dakika
Second/s (Time)
Sekonde
1:30 am/pm
Saa saba unusu (na nusu) usiku/mchana
3:15 am/pm
Saa tisa na robo usiku / alasiri
5:45 am/pm
Saa kumi na mbili kasorobo alfajiri / jioni
11:10 am/pm
Saa tano na dakika 10 asubuhi / usiku
10:05 am/pm
Saa nne na dakika tano asubuhi/usiku
Of: How to form
Basic form is -a, prefix is according to noun class and the same as the one used for posessives
- M-Wa -> wa
- Ki/Ch-Vi/vy –> cha (sg) / vya (pl)
- N -> ya (sg), za (pl)
M-Wa noun class: Prefix for posessives and ‘of’
- Singular:
- Plural:
M-Wa noun class: Prefix for posessives and ‘of’
- Singular: w- (wa) (wangu, wako, wake…)
- Plural: w- (wa) (wangu, wako, wake…)
M(w)-Mi noun class: Prefix for posessives and ‘of’
- Singular:
- Plural:
M(w)-Mi noun class: Prefix for posessives and ‘of’
- Singular: w- (wa) (wangu, wako, wake..)
- Plural: y- (ya) (yangu, yako, yake..)
(M(w)-mi –> What You doing? Tenk kul kis med solbriller som henger på en benk)
(ji) -ma noun class: Prefix for posessives and ‘of’
1. Singular:
2. Plural:
(ji) -ma noun class: Prefix for posessives and ‘of’
1. Singular: l- (la) (langu, lako, lake …)
2. Plural: y- (ya) (yangu, yako, yake …)
(Ji-ma -> Love You! Tenk liten asiater som ser opp med store øyne)
Ki(ch)-Vi(vy) noun class: Prefix for posessives and ‘of’
- Singular:
- Plural:
Ki(ch)-Vi(vy) noun class: Prefix for posessives and ‘of’
- Singular: ch- (cha) (changu, chako, chake ..)
- Plural: vy- (vya) (vyangu, vyako, vyake …)
N noun class: Prefix for posessives and ‘of’
- Singular:
- Plural:
N noun class: Prefix for posessives and ‘of’
- Singular: y- (ya) (yangu, yako, yake …)
- Plural: z- (za) (zangu, zako, zake ..)
(N -> YoungZ. Tenk the New YoungZ)
U noun class: Prefix for posessives and ‘of’
- Singular:
- Plural:
U noun class: Prefix for posessives and ‘of’
- Singular: w- (wa) (wangu, wako, wake ..)
- Plural: z- (za) (zangu, zako, zake …)
(U going to the WZ. Tenk: U doing what?)
w- sg + w- pl ‘of’ and posessives -> Noun class
M-Wa (M(w)-mi noun class and u noun class also has w- for sg, but different for plural)
w- sg + y- pl ‘of’ and posessisves –> Noun class
M(w)-mi
M-Wa also has w- for sg and pl. U also has w- for sg.
L- sg + y- pl ‘of’ and posessisves –> Noun class
(ji)-ma
M(w)-mi also has y- for pl and N has y- for sg
ch- sg + vy- pl ‘of’ and posessisves –> Noun class
Ki(ch)-Vi(vy)
y- sg + z- pl ‘of’ and posessisves –> Noun class
N noun class
M(w)-mi also has y- for pl and (ji)-ma has y- for sg
w- sg + z- pl ‘of’ and posessisves –> Noun class
U noun class
M-Wa also has w- for sg. and pl.. M(w)-mi also has w- for sg. N also has z- for pl.
To converse
Kuzungumza
East Africa
Afrika ya Mashariki
East
Mashariki
West
Magharibi
North
Kaskazini
South
Kusini
-Afrika ya Kusini - South Africa
To be taught, To be educated
Kufundishwa
Body/ies
Mwili/miili
And so on/etc (4)
Kadhalika
Na kadhalika
Na mengineyo
Na nyenginezo
From time to time
Mara kwa mara
Mara moja
At once, Suddenly
Time, sequence, turn
Mara
Soap/s
Sabuni
Kwa (4)
For
With
By
To
Mvulana/Wavulana (2)
Boy/s
Youth/s
Haswa
Especially
To appear, to be seen, To seem
Kuonekana
-Kunaonekana kuwa sio usafi - It is considered/seen as unhygienic
Some, few (of)
Baadhi (ya)
Barber(s)
Kinyozi/vinyozi na kukatwa nywele
(Nywele - Hair)
(Kukatwa - To be cut)
To cut
Kukata
- Kukata nywele - To cut hair
- Kukata kucha - To cut nails
Razor blade/s
Kiwembe/viwembe
Washing machine
Mashine za kufulia
Kufulia - Laundry
Woman/women, lady/ladies
Mwanamke/wanamke
To wash/do the dishes
Kuosha vyombo
To herd (animals), to look after
Kuchunga
To rear/herd cattle
Kuchunga mifugo
To close, to be locked
Kufungwa
Bao
Board games
To play poker
Karata
Football
Mpira wa miguu
‘Ball of foot’
Playing field, open field, courtyard
Kiwanja/viwanja
-Kiwanja cha mpira - Soccer field
Samaki wa kukaanga
Fried fish
-Kukaanga - To fry
Vitumbua
Rice fritters
Maandazi
Buns
Friend/s
Rafiki
Discotheque/s
Ukumbi wa musiki, kumbi za musiki
To stay (i.e. at home)
Kubai
To listen
Kusikiliza
Musque/s
Miskiti
Church/es
Kanisa/makanisa
Hotuba
Sermon (religious), speech, lecture