What would you like?
Unataka nini?
Can i help you? (2)
Naweza kukusaidia?
Nikusaidie nini?
I would like this (N class singular)
Ninataka hii
Here you / Here you are
Hizi hapa
What time does the store (usually) open?
Duka hufunguliwa saa ngapi?
What time does the store (usually) close?
Duka hufungwa saa ngapi?
That’ll be great!
Nitafurahi sana!
You’re welcome back!
Karibu tena!
Price/s
Bei
Blouse/s
Blauzi
A little bit, small
-dogo
Clothing store/s
Duka la nguo/Maduka ya nguo
Shoe store/s
Duka la viatu/maduka ya viatu
Undershirt/s
Fulana
Expensive
Ghali
Jacket/s
Jaketi/majaketi
Credit card/s (2)
Kadi ya malipo/kadi za malipo
Krediti kadi
Like, if
Kama
Dress/es, robe/s
Kanzu
Shorts
Kaptura
Boot/s
Kiatu cha buti/viatu vya buti
Hat/s, cap/s
Kofia
Coat/s
Koti/makoti
To tell
Kuambia
TO choose, to pick out
Kuchagua
To explain, to give directions
Kuelekeza
To do
Kufanya
To know
Kujua
To pay
Kulipa
To increase
Kuongeza
To get
Kupata
To reduce
Kupunguza
To help
Kusaidia
To look for, to search for
Kutafuta
To want
Kutaka
To sell
Kuuza
Discusssion, conversation (Ji-Ma pl.)
Mazungumzo
Belt/s
Mkanda/mikanda
Used clothes
Nguo ya mtumba/nguo za mitumba
Cheap
Rahisi
Shirt/s
Shati/mashati
Sock/s
Soksi
Department store/s
Supamaketi
Pants
Suruali
Underpants
Suruali ya ndani/Suruali za ndani
Suit
Suti
Tie/s
Tai
Again
Tena
What can i do for you? (2)
Nikusaidie nini?
Naweza kukusaidia?
I would like some batteries
Ninataka betri
I’d like a map of the city
Nataka ramani ya mji
Note that the full form ninataka (i want, i’d like) is often shortened to nataka in spoken Swahili
I’d like to see some postcards
Nataka kuona postikadi
Note that the full form ninataka (i want, i’d like) is often shortened to nataka in spoken Swahili)
I want to buy some clothes
Nataka kununua nugo
What size do you wear?
Saizi gani unavaa?
I use small/medium/large
Ninavaa saizi ndogo / saizi ya kati / saizi kubwa
Small (size)
Saizi ndogo
Medium (size)
Saizi ya kati
Large (size)
Saizi kubwa
I don’t know my size
Sijui saizi yangu
Do you have this in a smaller size?
Hii mnayo ya saizi ndogo?
Do you have this in a larger size?
Hii mnayo ya saizi kubwa?
Do you have this in another color?
Hii mnayo ya rangi nyengine?
Could you show me that?
Unaweza kunionesha hiyo?
To show, to exhibit
Kunyonesha
How much do these cost?
Hizi hapa ni bei gani?
Please write down the price for me
Naomba niandikie bei
Come down a little bit on the price
Punguza bei kidogo
Why is it so expensive? (Used when one wants to bargain)
Mbona ghali sana?
-Mbona - Why, for what reason, how
May i pay by credit card?
Ninaweza kulipa kwa kadi ya malipo/krediti kadi?
No, cash only
Hapana, ni taslimu tu
Already, ready, prepared
Tayari
Yes/Sure, that would be great (‘yes, i’ll appreciate that very much’)
Ndio nitafurahi sana
How’s work?
Habari za kazi?
Total, sum, final result
Jumla
-Jumla itakuwa shilingi 900 (mia tisa) - The total amount will be sh. 900
Wow!
He!
Bras (BH)
Sidiria
Where in a sentence is usually wapi?
In the end
(Don’t forget that if you want to ask where something is, you use a special construction with -ko and the appropriate prefix for the noun class.)
-Baba yako anakaa wapi? Unakula wapi? Gari liko wapi? Walimu wako wapi?
Where in a sentence is usually ‘nini’ (What) placed?
In the end
-Hiki ni nini? (What is this?), utakula nini? (what will you eat?), unasoma nini?
(Nini cannot be used to refer to humans, there nani is used in the expression @Jina lako ni nani?’)
Vipi
- Definition
- Placement in sentence
= How, what … like
Either at the beginning of a sentence or at the end.
- Vipi watoto? (How are the kids?)
- Vipi Amerika (How is the US?/What’s the US like?)
- Leseni ya gari unapata vipi? (How do you get a driver’s license?)
- Mombasa unaenda vipi? (How do you get to Mombasa?)
To turn on, To hurt/cause pain
Kuwasha
Gani
- Translation
- Placement in sentence
= Which? as a question word on its own or as an interrogative adjective, meaning “what kind/sort of”
- Bei gani? (How much / ‘What kind of price’)
- Hiki ni kitabu gani? (Which book is this? / What kind of book is this?)
- Unapenda chakula gani? (What kind of food do you like?
- Leo utavaa nguo gani? (Which clothes will you wear today?)
Kwa nini?
- Translation
- Placement in sentence
= Why? for what?
Normally used at the beginning of a question.
-Kwa nini unanunua mitumba? (Why do you buy secondhand clothes?)
-Kwa nini unasoma Kiswahili? (Why are you learning Swahili?
-Kwa nini unapenda kuenda Kenya? (Why do you like going to Kenya?)
Lini?
- Translation
- Placement in a sentence
= When, but only in the context of “which day” (Not “at what time”, for which saa ngapi/wakati gani is used)
Can come anywhere in a sentence (Beginning, middle after the verb or at the end of the question)
-Baba yako atakuja lini? / Atakuja lini baba yako? (When (which day) will your father come?)
-Lini utaenda Tanzania? (When will you go to Tanzania?)
-Ulizaliwa lini? (When were you born)
When (‘at what time’)? (2)
Saa ngapi?
Wakati gani?
When were you born?
Ulizaliwa lini?
-Kuzaliwa - To be born
- ngapi?
- Translation
- Usage
= How many?
Unlike other question words, -ngapi takes a prefix to show agreement with the relevant noun class (Notice that when -ngapi means “how many”, it will always have plural agreement.)
- Mama yako ana watoto wangapi? (How many children does your mother have?)
- Nyumba ina vumba vingapi? (How many rooms does the have?)
- Wanafunzi wana vitabu vingapi? (How many books do the students have?)
Kiasi gani?
- Translation
- Usage
How much? (For asking about the amount of a “mass” or non-count noun, such as water, sugar, cofee, flour etc..)
- Unakunywa kahawa kasi gani? (How much coffee do you drink?)
- Unataka maji kiasi gani? (How much water do you want?)
- Unapenda sukari kiasi gani katika chai yako? (How much sugar do you want in your tea?)
To be patient, to wait for
Kusubiri
Mattress/es
Godoro/magodoro
To smell bad, to stink
Kunuka
Thief/ves
Mwizi/wezi
Girl/s
Msichana/wasichana
Nose/s
Pua
For which type of word are animate nouns in agreement with their own noun class, and not automatically M-Wa
Possessives (Subject prefixes and adjectives (among others) automatically agree with the M-Wa class)
-Kaka yako yuko wapi? (Where is your older brother?)
Island/s
Kisiwa/visiwa
Dirty, filthy
-chafu
Man/men
Mwanaume/wanaume
Liquor store
Duka la pombe
Mosquito/s
Mbu
Word/s
Neno/maneno
Sentence (setning)
Sentensi
Driver/s, chauffeur
Dereva/madereva
Attire, clothing, dress
Vazi
-Vazi rasmi - Official dress
Christian/s
Nasara/manasara
Religious
-a kidini
Belief, faith
Tumaini
Muslim/s
Mwislamu/waislamu
Shirt with long sleeves
Shati ya mikono mirefu
Tailor/s
Mshonaji/washonaji
Farmer/s, cultivator/s
Mkulima/wakulima
Together
Pamoja
To depend (on)
Kutegemea
Distinguished, esteemed, famous, important
Maarufu
Customer/s
Mteja/wateja
To sew, to stitch
Kushona
Celebration, party, ceremony, festival
Sherehe
Wedding/s
Harusi
Wedding celebration
Sherehe za harusi
Sikukuu
Holiday, festival
How to pronounce ‘r’
Like the r in rake, but slightly rolled
How to pronounce ‘j’
Like the j in jar (but with the tongue held more tightly against the roof of the mouth)
How to pronounce ‘dh’ (Fedha, aidha)
Like the th in either
How to pronounce ‘gh’ (Ghali, ghorofa)
Similar to French r
How to pronounce ‘th’ (thelathini, theluji)
Like the th in think
How to pronounce M in the beginning of a word
- m + consonant …
- mw …
- Pronounce m as its own consonant, almost like a short “mmm”, as in “mmm, that smells good”
- Mtoto, mtu, mzazi, mzee - M is not produced as a separate syllable, but as a combined sound with w
- Mwaka, mwenza, mwizi
How to pronounce N in the beginning of a word
- N + consonant …
- Ny …
- Ng …
- Pronounce n as its own consonant
- Ndizi, ndefu, ndyio, ndugu - Ny- is pronounced as on sound, like the ni in onion or ny in canyon
- Nyumba, nyani, nyumbu - As it is written
- Nguo, ngozi, ng’ambo
Among … / Some (of) / A few ( of)
Baadhi ya …
Reason/s
Sababu
Sort, kind, style, fashion
Mitindo
Dress styles, seams
Mishono
Huwa
Always be, usually be (Inflicted of kuwa)
To be available/obtainable, to be found
Kupatikakana
Kwa hivyo
Therefore
Fabric/s, material/s, cloth/s
Kitambaa/vitambaa
To measure
Kupima
Kind/s, type/s, sort/s
Aina
To instruct, to inform, to enlighten, to introduce someone
Kufahamisha
To know, to be acquainted with, to perceive, to understand, to comprehend
Kufahamu
To pick up, to carry, to transport
Kuchukua
Payment, salary
Malipo
To offer, to produce
Kutoa
-Anaweza kutoa - He can offer to …
True, correct, genuine
Sahihi
-Tahajia sahihi - Correct spelling ….
Baadae
Other (incorrect) way of spelling baadaye (afterwards, later on, thereafter, then)
To finish, to complete, to conclude
Kumaliza
Sana sana
Especially, particularly
Intellectual/s, educated person/people, professional/s
Mtaalamu/wataalamu
Mbalimbali
Different, diverse, various
Worker/s
Mfanyakazi/wafanyakazi
Kama vile
Such as, for example
Someone, somebody
Mtu
Properly, exactly, just right, completely
Hasa
Then
Basi
ili
In order that, so that
Bug/s, insect/s
Mdudu/wadudu
To sell
Kuuza
Easy
Rahisi
Fierce, cruel, mean, sharp, strong
-kali
Cupboard/s
Kabati/makabati
Head
Kichwa
Telephone/s
Simu
How many windows does this room have?
Chumba hiki kina madirisha mangapi?
-ngapi has to agree with the noun, like an adjective