SWAHILI

A COMPLETE COURSE
FOR BEGINNERS

Learn to speak, understand, read, and write

Swahili with confidence j
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 Digitized by the Internet Archive
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— “KIVING AI
SWAHILI
KILO E ELE DURIE
FOR BEGINNERS

written by

Khalfan Mohamed and Abdulwahid Mazrui

edited by

Christopher A. Warnasch and Agnes C. Kimokoti

LIVING LANGUAGEsiha
Copyright O 2007 by Living Language, an imprint of Random House, Inc.

Living Language is a member of the Random House Information Group

Living Language and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Published in the United States by Living Language, an imprint of Random House, Inc.

www.livinglanguage.com

Editor: Christopher A. Warnasch

“Production Editor: Lisbeth Dyer
Production Manager: Thomas Marshall
Interior Design: Sophie Ye Chin

First Edition

ISBN: 978-1-4000-2346-2

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available upon reguest.

This book is available at special discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotions or
premiums. Special editions, including personalized covers, ercerpts of eristing books, and
corporate imprints, can be created in large guantities for special needs. For more information,
write to Special Markets/Premium Sales, 1745 Broadway, MD 6-2, New York, New York 10019
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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

109987654321
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Thanks to the Living Language team: Tom Russell, Nicole Benhabib,

Christopher Warnasch, Zviezdana Verzich, Suzanne McOuade,
Shaina Malkin, Elham Shabahat, Sophie Chin, Denise De Gennaro, Linda
Schmidt, Alison Skrabek, Lisbeth Dyer, and Tom Marshall.

DEDICATION

To
Fatma, Hanan, Haifa, and Ahmed
And to
Hafsa, Ammar, Arkam, and Adeela
 ZA ka mia
4
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”
Course Outline

Introduction ir

How to Use This Course ir

Swahili Spelling and Pronunciation viii

VOCABULARY STAM MAE

LESSON 1 HOW ARE YOU? 1

Saying hello and good-bye, other Subject Pronouns
greetings and courtesy ekpressions Subject Prefikes on Verbs
Verb Conjugation
Present Tense of “to Be”
Yes/No ANuestions
Negation of “to Be”

LESSON 2 MY FATHER AND MY MOTHER 15

Talking about the family Noun Classes and the M-Wa Class
Demonstratives

Possessives

Negation in the Present Tense

LESSON 3 THE HOUSE IS BEAUTIFUL 27

Around the home, everyday The Ki-Vi Noun Class
objects Agreement with Noun Classes
The N Class
“To Have”
Adjectives

LESSON 4 WHAT TIME DO YOU GET UP? 43

Everyday actions and routines The Habitual Tense
The Days of the Week
Numbers 1—-20
Telling Time
Erpressing “Of” and Possession
VOCABULARY GAME

LESSON 5 AT SCHOOL 57
School subjects, studying The Past Tense
The Past Tense of “to Be” and “to
Have”

The Negative Past Tense

Agreement with N- Class Nouns

Numbers 21—-1,000

LESSON 6 HOW WAS THE TRIP? 73

Talking about travel The Ji-Ma Noun Class
Subject Prefizes for the Ji-Ma
Noun Class
Ji-Ma Possessive Prefires
Ji-Ma Adjective Agreement
Ezpressing Location with —ko,
—po, and —mo
Past and Future Tenses with —po,
—ko, and —mo
LESSON 7 CAN | HELP YOU? 87
Making an appointment, using Commands
the telephone
The Future Tense
Monosyllabic Verbs
Dates, Months, and Years

LESSON 8 |'D LIKE TO BUY SOME CLOTHES 101

Clothing and shopping Nuestions and Nuestion Words
Review of Subject, Adjective,
Possessive, and Location Prefires

Review of Demonstratives
Review of Kuwa Na/“to Have”
Review of Possessive —a

LESSON 9 FOOD! 119

Food and restaurants The M-Mi Class

M-Mi Subject, Adjective,
Possessive, and Location Prefires

M-Mi Demonstratives

Course Outline
VOCABULARY
Kuwa Na/"to Have” with M-Mi
Nouns

Possessive —a with M-Mi Nouns 3sino)

3JUInNO
LESSON 10 AT THE HOSPITAL 135
Talking about health and thebody | Vowel Adjectives

The Causative Ertension

The Subjunctive
LESSON 11 AT AN INTERNET CAFE 153
Computers and the internet The Perfect Tense
The Perfect with —mesha—
The Passive Voice
—ingi (many) and —ingine (other/
another)
Asking “Which?”
LESSON 12 GOING TO THE BANK 173
Money and banking Ezpressing “All” or “the Whole”
(-ote)
Erpressing “Any” (—o —ote)
Erpressing Possession with —enye
The U- Noun Class

LESSON 13 OCCUPATIONS 189

Jobs, professions, and occupations Object Infizes for People
The Ku- Class

LESSON 14 FREE TIME! 205

Hobbies, entertainment, and Object Infikes for Things
leisure-time activities The Reflerive Infis ji

The Mahali Noun Class

LESSON 15 SPORTS AND THE OUTDOORS 225

Outdoor activities, sports, and Relative Pronouns
recreation Ekpressing “When” with —po
Erkpressing “If” with —ki— and
kama

Swaili—English Glossary 243

English—Swaili Glossary 267

Course ODutline vii

WA Da Sayi AYA NI
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vi INA IA
 Introduction

Swahili, or more properly Kiswahili, isa member of the Bantu language

family, a large family of languages spoken throughout a vast section of
sub-Saharan Africa. It's related to such languages as Zulu and Khosa
in South Africa; Sotho in Lesotho; Kongo in Angola, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo; and Fang in Ga-
bon, Eguitorial Guinea, and Cameroon. Swahili is a national language of
both Tanzania and Kenya, but it's spoken by millions more throughout
the region, in Uganda, Burundi, Somalia, Mozambigue, South Africa,
and beyond. For anyone interested in Bantu languages for personal
enrichment, traveling, or doing business in East Africa, Swahili is an
ezcellent choice.
This course is designed to provide you with an easy and practical introduc-
tion to the language. It will help you learn the basics of Swahili vocabulary,
structure, and conversation, so that youl| be able to take part in every-
day conversations, find your way around, and make yourself understood
in a range of situations in Swahili. Of course learning a language is nota
simple thing; it takes time, patience, and commitment, butit can bealotof
fun and very rewarding. This program doesn't assume that you have any
knowledge of Swahili, or that youre a whiz with grammatical concepts.
Everything is erplained in plain English, grammatical concepts are put in
simple language, and there are plenty of ekramples to help you understand
each point as you progress through the course. You'll probably find that
with this course, Swahili comes to you far more painlessly than you would
have imagined! But before you begin, take a moment to read the “How to
Use This Course” section, so that you can get the most out of Living Lan
guage Swahili.

HOW TO USE THIS COURSE

This beginner-level course is designed to use both audio and visual instruc
tion to help you master the basics of Swahili. No previous knowledge of
Swahili at all is assumed.
Following this introduction, you'l| find a section that teaches you every-
thing you need to know about Swahili spelling and pronunciation. Use it
in conjunction with the audio to become fully acguainted with the sounds
of Swahili. Imitate the native speakers that you hear, but don't be worried
if you don't sound guite native yourself. After all, you're not. Good pronun-
ciation will come in time. Just use the pronunciation section enough to
familiarize yourself with the sounds and spelling of Swahili. Then you can
begin the 15 lessons, each of which is dedicated to a particular topic and to
a number of structural points.
As a general piece of advice, fight the urge to skip ahead or rush over
any part of this course. It's designed in a careful seguence, and each
section represents a building block that adds to everything before it,
while at the same time preparing you for everything that comes after
it. Always move ahead at your own pace; if you don't understand some-
thing, or if you don't feel guite comfortable with some point, simply go
over it again. That's the best way to make sure your learning erperience
is painless and effective.
Each lesson of this course contains the following sections:

Vocabulary Warm-Up
The vocabulary warm-up kicks off the lesson with key words you'l| hear in
the dialogue. Many will be related to the topic of the lesson; some will be
related to the grammar you'l| be learning in that particular lesson.

The dialogue in each lesson serves the double purpose of allowing you
to read and hear natural Swahili at work and introducing you to Swahili
culture. Read these dialogues carefully; they'll contain the grammar and
key phrases that you will be learning later in the lesson. Don't be afraid to
read them several times, and listen to them on the recordings a few times,
as well. Always go at your own pace, and stick with a section until you're
comfortable with it.

Vocabulary

The vocabulary list contains new words from the dialogue as well as other
words related to the overall topic of the lesson. You can refer to this list
while reading through the dialogue, but of course the translation of the
dialogue is provided as well. Use the vocabulary lists as a chance to build
a good foundation for your Swahili vocabulary, one topic at a time. Ezperi-
ment with different methods of learning vocabulary—spoken or written
repetition, flashcards, practice sentences, Web searches ... Be creative, and
find what works for you.

Introduction
Key Phrases
The key phrases section contains more practical words or phrases related
to the lesson topic. Don't worry if you don't grasp the grammar behind
each phrase right away. Treat the phrases as ertended vocabulary lists; the uopnp
grammar will be filled in as you progress, and the idiomatic and practical
erpressions you learn in the key phrases will come in handy.

Culture Notes

Each lesson contains two culture notes. These notes are intended to give
you a window on Swahili culture. These notes cover topics such as food,
clothing, manners, and etiguette, and they also offer practical advice for
anyone traveling to the Swahili speaking region.

Grammar

Each lesson contains a number of notes on particular aspects of Swahili

grammar. These notes are introduced in a careful seguence, so that they
build on one another, and they erplain the key structures you encoun-
ter in the lesson, particularly the dialogue. Each point is erplained in
plain and simple language, and there are plenty of erzamples to help you
understand. Grammar can be tricky for many beginning language learn-
ers, especially with a language that looks and sounds so different from
English. But take your time on the grammar notes. Grammar is the nuts-
and-bolts of any language learning; without it, you wouldn't know how
to put words together!

Ekercises
The ezercises in each lesson will give you more opportunities to practice
the grammar and vocabulary you've learned in each lesson. Each lesson
includes an answer key at the end, so you can check your progress.

Independent Challenge
The most important part of learning a language is practice. These chal
lenge activities are designed to give you ideas for finding contests in your
life where you can practice your Swahili. They're meant as a guide; if you
feel inspired to create your own independent challenge activities, go right
ahead. The more contact you have with a language, the better you'l| learn
it. And don't forget about the internet. Language learners have an incred
ible tool at their disposal—they can find newspapers, blogs, online refer
ences, travel and tourism sites, and much, much more, all of which can be
used to add depth and color to language lessons.

Introduction yi
 Audio
The audio portion of this course is divided into two sets: Set A and Set B.
Set A includes the dialogue, vocabulary, key phrases, and several gram-
mar eramples from each lesson. This part of the audio course should be
used along with the book, following the order of each lesson, to allow you
to hear the words on the page in spoken Swahili. A good approach is to
read each section first without the audio so that you're prepared to get the
most out of the audio when you do listen to it. Then, take it step-bystep
and listen to each section at a time, always allowing yourself the time and
repetition that you need.
“Helpful Hint: Once you've listened to the dialogue several times while
reading along in the book, try listening to it without the help of the book.
This will help tune your ear to Swahili, and it will make understanding the
spoken language easier down the line.
Set B is intended to be used on the go to supplement your studies. It contains
the dialogue from each lesson, broken down into easily digestible sentences.
You'll hear pauses after each line of dialogue; use the pause to repeat the
line and practice your pronunciation. Set B also includes several audiovnly
erercises that do not appear in the book but are based on ezactly the same
grammar points. A good way to make use of Set B is to listen to it following
each lesson, once you've comfortably finished reading the test and listening
to the Set A audio. Use Set B wherever it's convenient for you—in the car,
on the train, at the gym, while you do dishes, in the garden... It's up to you.
You can also use Set B as a review of lessons you've long since completed to
keep you on your toes!

Glossary

At the end of this book you'lI find a Swahili—English / English-Swahili

glossary. It includes all of the words from the vocabulary lists, plus any
important vocabulary that's taught in the grammar notes. It also includes
a wide range of common and practical words that may not come up in
the contest of this course. It's not meant as a complete dictionary, butit
certainly includes enough to be a valuable reference tool for the begin-
ning student of Swahili.
As you use this course, keep this in mind: Language learning is a grad-
ual process; it won't happen overnight. Still, with repeated erposure and
Practice, you'lI find yourself becoming a better and better Swahili speaker
each time you pick up this course. But languages aren't just used in books;
theyre used by people. So, if you can, seek out speakers of Swahili where
you live or on the internet. That way, you can practice the language and
discover new people while you do. ;
Kila la heri! Best of luck!

vii, Introduction
|
 Swahili Spelling and
Pronunciation

Swahili spelling and pronunciation are probably easier than you think.
Swahili uses the same alphabet as English, and pronunciation of each letter
is very similar to English, for the most part. Best of all, Swahili is phonetic,
so what you see is what you say. Of course, Swahili sounds are not eractly
identical to English sounds, so let's look at each letter and focus on its pro-
nunciation, along with a few erzamples.

VOWELS:
Letter Approzimate Sound Eramples
a Like the a in father baba, kama
e Like the e in bet yeye, pete
i Like the ee in see, kiti, viti
but crisp. Don't glide
into a y sound at the
end.
0 Like the o in go, moto, soko
but clipped. Don't
glide into an 00 Or
a w sound. Keep the
o pure and crisp.
u Like the oo in mood huru, nusu

Be careful not to reduce vowels as in English. Swahili words are almost

always stressed on the second-to-last syllable, but even in unstressed sylla-
bles, vowels retain their full pronunciation. Double vowels are pronounced
separately, as two distinct syllables. So ifa word ends in two vowels, the
stress will fall on the first vowel:

makaa, wazee, hii, koo, kuu, nafuu, kuuliza

ed
In combinations oftwo or three different vowels, each vowel is pronounc
,
separately as its own syllable:
maendeleo,
kutia, abiria, chai, kuenda, zambarau, kuondoa, eusi, palilia,
kuzoea, kuzuia
 CONSONANTS:
Letter Approzimate Sound Eramples
b Like the bin bake baba, basi
d Like the din day dada, deni
F Like the fin far fisi, feni
g Like the g in go gani, gogo
h Like the hin hat hizi, hivi
j Like the jin jar jana, juzi
(but with the tongue
held more tightly
against the roof of
the mouth)
k Like the kin keep kesho, kijiko
l Like the Vin lion leo, lake
m Like the min moon moja, mama
n Like the nin not neno, nani
p Like the p in pull paka, pwani
r Like the rin rake, rangi, robo
but slightly rolled
s Like the sin same sisi, saba
t Like the tin top tano, tembo
V Like the vin very vipi, vazi
Ww Like the win we wale, wewe
y Like the y in yes yule, yai
za Like the zin zoo zawadi, zaidi

CONSONANT COMBINATIONS:

Letter Approzimate Sound Ezamples

ch Like the ch in choice chakula, chumba

dh Like the th in either fedha, aidha

gh Similar to French r ghali, ghorofa
kh Like the German Alkhamisi, Khadija
chin Bach
sh Like the sh in ship shuka, shauri
th Like the th in think thelathini, theluji

THE CONSONANT M

Many Swahili words begin with the combination of m— Plus

another conso-
nant. They may look intimidating, but they'e actually easy
to pronounce.
The m- is pronounced as its own consonant, almost like a
short “mmm,” as
in “Mmm, that smells good!”:

KiV Swahili Spelling and Pronunciation

mtoto, mtu, mzazi, mzee, mkulima, mji, mkate

In the combination mw- at the beginning of a word, though, m— is not

pronounced as a separate syllable:
mwaka, mwenza, mwizi, mwalimu, mwanafunzi

THE CONSONANT N

The consonant n- can also appear at the beginning of a word before an-
other consonant: uonepu
3uiljad
IJIYEMS
PUP
ndizi, ndefu, ndiyo, ndugu, njaa, njia, nchi

The combination ny- is pronounced as one sound, like the ni in onion or

the nyin canyon:
nyumba, nyani, nyumbu, nyoka
Finally, be careful of the combination ng—. When it's written without an
apostrophe, it sounds like the ng in finger or longer, with a pronounced g.
But when it's written ng', the combination is pronounced as one sound, like
the ngin sing or wrong:
nguo, ngozi, ngoma, ng'ambo, ng'ombe, ng'ofu

KV
swahili Spelling and Pronunciation
LESSON

Habari Gani?
HOWAA TSN UA

In this first lesson, you'l| learn how to greet people and use the most com-
mon courtesy ekpressions. Youll also learn subject pronouns, the present
form of the verb to be, and the present tense forms of other verbs. You'll
also become familiar with a great deal of vocabulary and culture to get you
started on the road to learning Swahili!
First, each lesson begins with a vocabulary warm-up. These words are re-
lated to the topic of the lesson, and many of them will appear in the dia-
logue, as well. Use these short warm-up lists as a way to transition into
each new lesson.

1A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

Karibu. Welcome.
Habari gani? How are you doing? How are
things?
Hujambo? Hi! How are you?
Sijambo. I'm fine.
Jina lako ni nani? What's your name?
Jina langu ni Ali. My name is Ali.
Sawa. Well. Okay.

Unasema Kiswahili? Do you speak Swahili?

Unasema Kiingereza? Do you speak English?
Nzuri. Good. Fine.
Asante. Thank you.

Kwaheri. Good-bye.

1B. DIALOGUE 1; GREETING FRIENDS

Lela and Ali are college students in Tanzania. 1t's morning, and Lela is on
her way to class when she passes by Ali's house.
 Ali: Habari gani?
Lela: Nzuri.
Ali: Hujambo?
Lela: Sijambo.
Ali: Habari za asubuhi?
Lela: Salama. Na wewe?
Ali: Salama.
Lela: Habari za hapa?
Ali: Nzuri tu. Na wewe?
Lela: Nzuri.
Ali: Karibu.
Lela: Asante sana.

Ali: How are you doing? (“What's the news?”)

Lela: Fine.
Ali: How are you?
Lela: T'm fine.
Ali: How are things this morning?
Lela: Fine (“peaceful”). And with you?
Ali: Fine.
Lela: How are things here?
Ali: Just fine. And with you?
Lela: Fine.
Ali: Welcome.
Lela: Thank you very much.

DIALOGUE 2: GREETING PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT AGE OR STATUS

Now listen to how Lela speaks to Baba Ali, Ali's father.

Lela: Shikamoo.
Baba Ali: Marahaba. Hujambo?
Lela: Sijambo.
Baba Ali: Habari za asubuhi?
 Lela: Nzuri.
Baba Ali: Habari za nyumbani?
Lela: Nzuri.
Baba Ali: Mama na baba hawajambo?
Lela: Hawajambo.
Baba Ali: Ndugu zako pia hawajambo?
MOH
ay
Noa
UDGDH
#IUDD
Lela: Wote hawajambo.
Baba Ali: Karibu nyumbani.
Lela: Asante sana.

Lela: Greetings!
Baba Ali: Greetings! How are you?
Lela: I'm fine.
Baba Ali: How's the morning going? (“What's the news
of the morning?”)
Lela: Fine.
Baba Ali: How are things at home?
Lela: Fine.

Baba Ali: How are (your) mom and dad?

Lela: They're good.
Baba Ali: Your siblings are fine, too?
Lela: (They're) all fine.
Baba Ali: Welcome.
Lela: Thank you.

DIALOGUE 3: INTRODUCTIONS AND ASKING SOMEONE'S NAME

Liz is an American student visiting Tanzania with a group of friends to

learn Swahili. She meets Ali on campus.
Liz Habari gani?
Ali: Nzuri sana. Hujambo?

Liz Sijambo. Habari za hapa?

Ali: Nzuri. Karibu.

Lia Asante. Jina lako ni nani?

Lesson 1
 Ali: Jina langu ni Ali. Na wewe?
Liz: Jina langu ni Liz. Ninatoka Marekani. Mimi
ni Mmarekani.
Ali: Nimefurahi kukuona.
Liz: Asante. Na mimi pia. Na huyu ni rafiki yangu.
Ali: Vizuri. Jina lake ni nani?
Liz: Jina lake ni Mark.
Ali: Nimefurahi kukuona, Mark. Huyu ni rafiki
yangu, jina lake ni Lela.
KAZ: Nimefurahi kukuona, Lela.

Ali: Tutaonana

|
KA Tutaonana.

Tiz: How are you doing?

Ali: Very well. How are you?
Kiza T'm fine. How are things here?
Ali: Fine. Welcome.
Liz: Thank you. What's your name?
Ali: My name's Ali. And you?
Kiza My name's Liz. 1 come from the United States.
T'm an American.
Ali: I'm happy to meet you.
kaza Thank you. And me too. And this is my friend.
Ali: Good. What's his name?
Biz: His name is Mark.
Ali: IUs nice to meet you, Mark. This is my friend;
her name is Lela.
Liz: It's nice to meet you, Lela.
Ali: See you.
Liz: See you.

1C. VOCABULARY

The vocabulary list from each lesson will give you a chance to
focus on indi-
vidual words and phrases from the dialogues. It will also introduc
e impor-

Swahili
tant related vocabulary. Ekperiment with several different ways to master
new vocabulary—spoken or written repetition, flashcards, labeling objects
in your home, typing the words into search engines... Be creative!
Asante. Thank you.
asubuhi morning
gani which, what
habari news
hapa here ai #!UDD
UDODH
MOH
3ly
ENDA

Hujambo? How are you?

huyu this
jina name
karibu welcome
kidogo a little, few

kukuona to see you, to meet you

kwaheri good-bye
lake his, her
lako your
langu, yangu my
mimi I

Mmarekani/Wamarekani an American/Americans

Mtanzania/Watanzania a Tanzanian/Tanzanians
mwanafunzi/wanafunzi student/s

na and, with
Nimefurahi. I'm glad. T'm happy.
nyumba house/s

nyumbani home, at home

nzuri good, fine

pia also

rafiki friend/s
salama peace, peaceful

sana very much, a lot

sasa Now

Lesson 1
Sijambo. T'm fine. I'm doing weli.
tu just, only
Tutaonana! See you!

wewe you
za of

1D. KEY PHRASES

Each lesson contains a Key Phrases list designed to give you more practi-
cal vocabulary related to the topic of the lesson. Now let's build on what
youve learned with more greetings used by Swahili speakers, as wellasa
few other forms you might use in greeting and introducing yourself and
others.
Hujambo? Hello! How are you? (sing.)
Hamjambo? Hello! How are all of you? (pl.)
Hatujambo. Were fine.
Habari gani? How are you doing? (“What's
the news?”)
Nzuri. Good. Fine.
Habari za asubuhi? Good morning!
Habari za mchana? Good afternoon!
Habari za jioni? Good evening!
Habari gani? How are you? (general)
Nzuri, asante. Fine, thank you.
Sijambo. T'm fine.
Jina lako ni nani? What's your name?
Jina langu ni... My nameis...
Jina lakeni.... His/Her nameis...
Nimefurahi kukuona. T'm glad to see you.
Kwaheri. Good-bye.
Tutaonana! See you!
Usiku mwema! Good night! (before bed)
Mchana mwema! / Siku nzuri! Have a nice day!
Jioni njema! Haye a nice evening!

Swahili
1E. CULTURE TOPIC 1
Swahili-speaking people use different forms of greetings depending on the
age or status of the person they're greeting, and also on time of the day. For
ekrample, people of the same age or status will ask each other Habari gani?
which literally means What's the news? The respondent will answer by
saying nzuri, which means fine or good. When a younger person greets an
older person, he or she will normally say shikamoo, and the respondent will
say marahaba. There may also be some regional variations, but the general
forms are universally applicable. While greeting one another, people usu- #JUDD
3aly
NDOA
IJDGDH
MOH
ally shake hands for a few seconds, smile, and share direct eye contact. In
some places, especially along the East African coast where the majority of
the population is Muslim, people greet one another by saying assalam alay-
kum, which is an Arabic phrase meaning peace be upon you. The response
is wa alaykum salaam, which means and upon you be peace.

1F. GRAMMAR
Grammar Topic 1; Subject Pronouns
Pronouns are words that stand in for nouns—1, she, it, they, and so on. Sub-
ject pronouns are specifically the pronouns that are used as the subject of a
sentence—the main doer of the action. In Swahili, the subject pronouns are:
mimi |

wewe you (singular, used with one person)

yeye he, she

sisi we

nyinyi you (plural), all of you, you all

wao they

Grammar Topic 2; Subject Prefikes on Verbs

In Swahili, there are special prefires—short pieces added to the beginning
of words—that are attached to verbs to represent the subject of the sen-
tence. It's not enough to use a subject pronoun alone. Below are the subject
prefires for the personal pronouns. In a moment youl| learn how they're
attached to a verb to show its conjugation—the pattern of changes it un
dergoes to match its subject.

mimi ni-

wewe ue

yeye a-

sisi tu-

nyinyi m-

wao wa-

Lesson 1
Grammar Topic 3: Verb Conjugation
A verb conjugation is a pattern of changes that a verb undergoes to “match”
its subject. In English, for erample, from the infinitive (basic form) to sing,
we say I sing, but she sings. In Swahili, verb conjugations work a bit differ-
ently, with things being added to the beginning (and even the middle!) of
a verb rather than the end. But don't worry; you'l| get used to it. Let's look
at the verb kutoka, which means to come from. The first step in the verb
conjugation process is to drop the infinitive part of the verb kutoka, which
is the prefiz ku—. That leaves us with the verb root toka. We then have to
add the infis (a chunk put into a word) -na-, which indicates the present
tense, and then the subject prefis to the very beginning. So, a Swahili verb
can be built with three elements in it: subject prefiz 4 tense infiz 4 verb
root. Here are ezamples of this with kutoka:
Mimi ninatoka Marekani. I come from the United States.
Wewe unatoka Marekani. You come from the United States.
Yeye anatoka Marekani. He/She comes from the United
States.
Sisi tunatoka Marekani. We come from the United States.
Nyinyi mnatoka Marekani. (All of) You come from the United
States.
Wao wanatoka Marekani. They come from the United States.
Now let's try that again with kusema (to speak). Again, we'll drop the ku-,
and then add the present tense infiz —na- along with the subject prefires.

Mimi ninasema Kiswahili. I speak Swahili.

Wewe unasema Kiswahili. You speak Swahili.
Yeye anasema Kiswahili. He/She speaks Swahili.
Sisi tunasema Kiswahili. We speak Swahili.
Nyinyi mnasema Kiswahili. (All of) You speak Swahili.
Wao wanasema Kiswahili. They speak Swahili.
Ekramples of other verbs that follow this pattern are: kusoma (to study/read),
kukaa (to live/stay), kupenda (to like/love), kulala (to sleep), kucheka (to
laugh), kuimba (to sing), kucheza (to play/dance), kuandika (to write), kusikia
(to hear), and kuona (to see). You may have noticed that all of the above verbs
in their infinitive form end with the letter —a. A few Swahili verbs do not
end with —a, but the majority of them do. However, all these verbs follow a
similar pattern when they are conjugated in the present (affirmative) tense
form. Here are some erzamples: kuishi (to live), “kujibu (to answer or respond),
kujaribu (to try), kurudi (to return to), and kufikiri (to think).

Swahili
Mimi ninaishi Marekani. I live in America.
Yeye anajibu. He/She is answering.
Sisi tunajaribu. We are trying.
Wewe unarudi Marekani? Are you returning to America?
Note that the present tense in Swahili can be translated as the simple pres-
ent in English (1 live, they speak) or the present progressive (she is an-
swering, we are trying), depending on contezt. Also note that sometimes IJDGDH
#!UDD
MOH
ally
NDA
the preposition is built into the Swahili verb, as in ninaishi (I live in) and
unatoka (you come from).

Grammar Topic 4: Present Tense of to Be

In English, the verb to be is pretty irregular—is, am, and are. In Swahili, the
verb to be in its present tense form is very simple, with just one form, ni.
Jina langu ni Liz. My name is Liz.
Mimi ni Mmarekani. T'm an American.
Mimi ni Liznahuyuni Mark. J'm Liz and this is Mark.
Sisi ni Wamarekani. We are Americans.
Sisi ni wanafunzi. We are students.

Grammar Topic 5: Yes/No Ouestions

To ask basic guestions in Swahili that can be answered with ndio (yes), also
spelled ndiyo, or hapana (no), sometimes la, from Arabic, simply add je to
the beginning of the guestion. You may also ask the same guestion without
the je, but you have to use rising intonation, just like in English.
Je, jina lako ni Ali?/ Is your name Ali?
Jina lako ni Ali?
Ndiyo. Jina langu ni Ali. Yes. My name is Ali.

Grammar Topic 6: Negation of to Be

The negative of the verb to be, ni, is the word si:
Jina lako ni Liz? Is your name Liz?
Hapana, jina langu si Liz. No, my name is not Liz.
Je, huyu ni Mark? Is this Mark?
Hapana. Huyu si Mark. No, this is not Mark.

Lesson 1
Wao ni Wamarekani? Are they Americans?
Hapana, wao si Wamarekani. No, they are not Americans.
Je, yeye ni mwanafunzi? Is he a student?
Hapana, yeye si mwanafunzi. —No,heis nota student.
Finally, note that in Swahili there are no articles like a, an, and the. These
words are understood from contest.

1G. READING

Liz ni mwanafunzi. Yeye anatoka Marekani. Anaishi New York. Yeye ana-
soma Kiswahili. Yeye anapenda Kiswahili. Mark ni rafiki wa Liz. Yeye pia
anatoka Marekani. Mark pia anasoma Kiswahili. Mark na Liz ni wanafunzi
na wanapenda Kiswahili. Wao wanakaa Tanzania sasa. Wanasoma Kiswa-
hili Tanzania. Liz na Mark si Watanzania, wao ni Wamarekani. Liz na Mark
wanasema Kiswahili kidogo tu. Wao wanasoma Kiswahili sasa.
Ali na Lela wanatoka Tanzania. Wao wanakaa Dar es Salaam. Ali na Lela si
Wamarekani, wao ni Watanzania. Wao wanasema Kiswahili na Kiingereza.
Baba Ali ni Mtanzania. Yeye anatoka Tanzania na anakaa Tanzania pia.
Lizis a student. She comes from the United States. She lives in New York. She
is studying Swahili. She likes Swahili. Mark is a friend of Liz. He also comes
from the United States. He also studies Swahili. Mark and Liz are students,
and they like Swahili. They now live in Tanzania. They're studying Swahili
in Tanzania. Liz and Mark are not Tanzanians; they are Americans. Liz and
Mark speak just a little Swahili. They're now studying Swahili.
Ali and Lela come from Tanzania. They live in Dar es Salaam. Ali and Lela
arent Americans; theyre Tanzanians. They speak Swahili and English. Ali's
father is a Tanzanian. He comes from Tanzania and also lives in Tanzania.

i1H. CULTURE TOPIC 2; THE SWAHILI LANGUAGE

Swahili is one of the most important sub-Saharan African languages. Mil-

lions of people from several countries in East and central Africa speak
Swahili. It's the national language of Tanzania and Kenya. Many people in
Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo, Malawi, Mozambigue, and the Comoros
speak Swahili as well, so it's a great language to know throughout much
of Africa.
Swahili belongs to the family of languages referred to as Bantu languages.
These languages are spoken in East, central, and southern Africa. Swahili
has borrowed many words from foreign languages, especially Arabic. It has
also borrowed to a lesser degree from English, Portuguese, Persian, Hindi,
German, and other languages. Even though its vocabulary has been so in-
fluenced by outside languages, Swahili is solidly a Bantu language, as it

Swahili
bears all the grammatical features of other Bantu languages. These will
become familiar to you as you progress through this course, and if you
ever want to study another Bantu language, such as Zulu, Khosa, Kongo,
Gikuyu, Luganda, Fang, or many others, your foundation in Swahili will
be very helpful.
Swahili was originally spoken along the coastline of East Africa and on the
adjacent islands. The language began to spread into the interior of East and
central Africa through the trade routes. As many Swahili-speaking traders,
including foreign merchants, ventured inland in search of merchandise, UDGDH
:JUD9
MOH
3ly
NDA
they introduced the language to the people who lived there. Swahili there-
fore became the lingua franca between the local peoples and the traders.
Initially the language was spoken along the trade routes, but it continued
to spread further inland, far away from the trading centers. The language
was further spread by missionaries seeking converts. Swahili became more
popular after Tanzania's independence and formation in 1964, when it was
officially declared the national language.

EKERCISES

Erercise 1. Use the following words to complete the dialogue. You don't
have to use all the words
nzuri hujambo tutaonana kwaheri sijambo langu gani nani
hamjambo.
A: Habari ?
Bi

an
B: Sijambo.
A:jinalikoni —.
B:jina nilLiz.

A: Kwaheri.
B:

A ia

B: Tutaonana.

Erercise 2. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate subject pronoun.

1. — ninasoma Kiswahili.
2. — unasoma Kiswahili.
3. — anasoma Kiswahili.
4. — tunasoma Kiswahili.

Lesson 1
 AA mnasoma Kiswahili.
6. wanasoma Kiswahili.

Ezercise 3. Negate the following sentences.

1. Mimi ni mwanafunzi.
2. Wewe ni Mmarekani.
3. Yeye ni mwalimu.
4. Sisi ni wanfunzi.
5. Nyinyi ni Wamarekani.
6. Wao ni Watanzania.

Ezercise 4. Answer the following guestions with both ndio and then
hapana.
1. Wewe mwanafunzi?

2. Liz ni Mtanzania?

3. Mark Mmarekani?

4. Baba Ali ni Mmarekani?

5. Lela na Ali ni Wamarekani?

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE-—SWAHILI JOURNAL

Now it's your turn to practice everything youve learned in this lesson
by putting it to use. Your first task: start a Swahili journal. Every day,
write a new entry. In the beginning this can be simple lists of things
that you want to know how to say in Swahili. (Use the glossary at the
end of this book or a dictionary. Also look online by typing “online
Swahili dictionary” into a search engine.) As you progress through the
course, your journal can evolve to include descriptions, sentences, and
even short passages about something you've done or esperienced. You
could even imagine conversations you might have on some topic. In
short, be creative! Don't worry about writing perfect, native Swahili;
just surround yourself with opportunities to be esposed to Swahili.
And here's a hint for learning vocabulary. Make flashcards of the vo-
cabulary lists from each lesson and keep them in your pocket. When
you have a spare moment—on the bus, while you're waiting for an
appointment, while dinner's cooking—flip through them. Start with
the Swahili sides, seeing if you can remember the English. Then, once
youve gotten that down, flip them over and go from English into Swa-
hili. It may sound very “elementary school” to you, but it's really a
great way to learn vocabulary.
|
j.

tai Swahili
ANSWER KEY

Evercise 1:
A: Habari gani?
B: Nzuri
A: Hujambo?
B: Sijambo. #!UD9
Enda
LDGDH
MOH
aliy
A: Jina lako ni nani?
B: Jina langu ni Liz.
A: Kwaheri.
B: Kwaheri.
A: Tutaonana.

B: Tutaonana.

Erercise 2: 1. Mimi ninasoma Kiswahili. 2. Wewe unasoma Kiswahili.

3. Yeye anasoma Kiswahili. 4. Sisi tunasoma Kiswahili. 5. Nyinyi mnasoma
Kiswahili. 6. Wao wanasoma Kiswahili.

Erercise 3: 1. Mimi si mwanafunzi. 2. Wewe si Mmarekani. 3. Yeye si mwalimu.

4. Sisi si wanafunzi. 5. Nyinyi si Wamarekani. 6. Wao si Watanzania.
Erercise 4: 1. Ndio, mimi ni mwanafunzi. Hapana, mimi si mwanafunzi.
2. Ndio, Liz ni Mtanzania. Hapana, Liz si Mtanzania. 3. Ndio, Mark ni
Mmarekani. Hapana, Mark si Mmarekani. 4. Ndio, Baba Ali ni Mmarekani
Hapana, Baba Ali si Mmarekani. 5. Ndio, Lela na Ali ni Wamarekani. Ha-
pana, Lela na Ali si Wamarekani.

Lesson 1
 CA KA
Ia WAUA A ISI, SI
SA SA SA Aa AOA LI ji
Wa UA Aaa ai UA
AU AA AA WARA I

” ii pe |
5 AI
si ka
ku I.E SA Ja

SA Wi Sa

La

Ni -<

pi

- —

UAE
LESSON

Baba Yangu na Mama Yangu

My Father and My Mother

In this lesson you'l! learn how to speak about your family, and you'lI also
learn how to introduce yourself and others to new acguaintances. In addi-
tion, youlIlearn how to say my, your, his, her, etc., with family relationship
terms, and you'l| learn how to negate verbs in the present tense. You'll also
be introduced to the concept of noun classes—a very central concept in
Bantu languages. As usual, let's warm up with some vocabulary.

2A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

baba yangu my father

mama yangu my mother
kaka yangu my older brother
dada yangu my sister
Karibu nyumbani. Welcome (to my) home.
Jina lako ni nani? What's your name?
Unaishi wapi? Where do you live?
Unakaa wapi? Where do you live? Where are
you staying?
Unafanya nini? What are you doing? What do
you do?
Unasema Kiswahili? Do you speak Swahili?
Unasema Kiingereza? Do you speak English?
Ninasema Kiswahili kidogotu. 1 speak just a little Swahili.
Kaa chini! Sit down! Have a seat!
Nimefurahi kukuona. I'm glad to see you.

2B. DIALOGUE: GETTING ACOUAINTED

Ali has invited Liz and her friend Mark to visit his home on the outskirts
of Dar es Salaam. Let's listen in.
 Liz: Hodi hodi!
Ali: Karibu
Liz: Asante.
Ali: Kaa chini.
Liz: Asante.
Ali: Huyu hapa ni baba yangu. Jina lake ni Juma.
Liz: Asante sana, nimefurahi kukutana na wewe
Baba Ali.
Ali: Na yule ni mama yangu. Jina lake ni Aisha.
Liz: Asante sana. Nimefurahi kukuona Mama
Ali.
Ali: Na wale ni ndugu zangu. Yule ni Daudi na
yule ni Sarah.
Liz: Asante.
Ali: Na hawa ni bibi yangu na babu yangu.
Liz: Asante. Na huyu ni rafiki yangu. Jina lake ni
Mark.
Ali: Asante. Karibuni nyumbani Mark na Liz.
Na baadaye Liz anasema na Baba Ali.
Jizi Habari za hapa Baba Ali?
Baba Ali: Nzuri. Habari za Marekani?
Ia, Nzuri.
Baba Ali: Unapenda Tanzania?
Liz: Ndio, ninapenda sana Tanzania.
Baba Ali: Unapenda Kiswahili pia?
Ja: Ndio ninapenda Kiswahili lakini sisemi
Kiswahili bado. Ninasema Kiswahili kidogo
tu. Unasema Kiingereza, Baba Ali?
Baba Ali: Mimi sisemi Kiingereza, ninasema
Kiswahili tu.
Liz: Mimi ninasoma Kiswahili, Chuo Kikuu cha
Dar es Salaam sasa.

Baba Ali: Wewe unatoka Washington DC?

Pazi Hapana, sitoki Washington DC, ninatoka

New York.

16 Swahili
 Baba Ali: Na rafiki yako anatoka wapi?
Liz: Rafiki yangu anatoka New York pia.
Baba Ali: Yeye anasema Kiswahili?
Liz: Hapana yeye hasemi Kiswahili.
Baba Ali: Nimefurahi kukuona. Karibu Tanzania.

Liz? Knock, knock!

Ali; Welcome.
Li Thank you.
i: Have a seat.

Thank you.
This is my father. His name is Juma.
Thank you very much. I'm glad to meet you, nbuUDA
pu
NbUDA
AW
DWDW
DgDg
Jayjow
jayjes
pue
Baba Ali.
: And that's my mother. Her name is Aisha.
Thank you. 1'm glad to see you, Mama Ali.
i; And those are my siblings. That's Daudi and
that is Sarah.

Thank you.
: And these are my grandmother and
grandfather.
Liz: Thank you. And this is my friend. His name is
Mark.
Ali: Thank you. Welcome to my home, Mark
and Liz.

And later Liz speaks with Baba Ali.

LIZI How are things here, Baba Ali?
Baba Ali: Fine. How are things in the United States?
Pazi Fine.
Baba Ali: Do you like Tanzania?
LIBA Yes, | like Tanzania very much.
Baba Ali: Do you like Swahili, too?
Liz Yes, I like Swahili, but I don't speak Swahili
yet. | only speak a little Swahili. Do you speak
English, Baba Ali?
 Baba Ali: I don't speak English, I only speak Swahili.
Lizi Now I'm studying Swahili at the University of
Dar es Salaam.
Baba Ali: Are you from Washington DC?
Liz; No, 1'm not from Washington DC, T'm from
New York.
Baba Ali: And where does your friend come from?
Jazi My friend comes from New York, too.
Baba Ali: Does he speak Swahili?
TIZI No, he doesn't speak Swahili.
Baba Ali: T'm glad to meet you. Welcome to Tanzania.

2C. VOCABULARY

Notice that in the following list, both singular and plural forms of many
of the nouns are given. In some cases, there is a difference (mtoto/watoto,
meaning child/children), and in others, the forms are the same in Swahili
(baba, meaning father/s). You'll learn all about Swahili plurals; for now, just
try to memorize the singular and plural forms.
baba father/s
babu grandfather/s
bibi grandmother/s, Mrs., Ma'am, Ms.
dada older sister/s
hapa here
Hodi hodi! Knock, knock!
jina/majina name/s
kaka older brother/s
Karibu! Welcome!
kuishi to live
kukaa to live, to stay, to sit
kulala to sleep
kuona to see
kupenda to like, to love
mama mother/s
mjomba/wajomba maternal uncle/s

Swahili
mjukuu/wajukuu grandchild/grandchildren
mke/wake wife/wives
mpwa/wapwa nephew/s
mtoto/watoto child/children
mtu/watu person/people
mume/waume husband/s
mwalimu/walimu teacher/s
mwanafunzi/wanafunzi student/s
mzazi/wazazi parent/s
mzee/wazee elder/s, older person/people
na and, with

nani? who?
NBUDA
Du
Jaujow
pgog
NBbUDA
AW
DWDW
Jayjej
pue
ndugu sibling/s, relative/s, cousin/s
nini? what?
nyanya grandmother/s
rafiki friend/s
shangazi paternal aunt/s

2D. KEY PHRASES

Here are some phrases that will come in handy when you want to talk
about your family and ask about others.
Habari za hapa? How are things here?
Hawa hapa ni bibi yangu na Here are my grandparents.
babu yangu.
Huyu hapa ni baba yangu. Here's my father.
Huyu ni rafiki yangu. This is myfriend.
Karibuni nyumbani. Welcome (to my) home.
Nimefurahi kuwaona. I'm glad to see/meet them.
Ninapenda sana Tanzania. I like Tanzania a lot.
Rafiki yako anatoka wapi? Where does your friend come
from?
Rafiki yangu anatoka My friend comes from
Los Angeles. Los Angeles.

Lesson 2
 Unapenda Kiswahili? Do you like Swahili?
Unapenda Tanzania? Do you like Tanzania?

2E. CULTURE TOPIC 1; POLITE FORMS OF ADDRESS

Many people who live in East Africa and some parts of central and south-
ern Africa speak Swahili as either their first or their second language. Even
though the customs of these people may differ in some ways, they do share
common traits of African culture. One such trait is that elders are held in high
esteem. This custom is manifested in the language, so the learner should take
care to learn proper forms of address that show respect. A younger person
cannot, for erample, address a superior by first name. In the dialogue, for
erample, you heard Liz address Ali's parents as Baba Ali and Mama Ali. Baba
and Mama are similar to the titles Mr. and Mrs./Ms. Other terms of address
such as Bwana (Mr.) and Bibi (Mrs.) are also very common. Some people may
be addressed by professional title, such as mwalimu (teacher), daktari (doc-
tor), profesa (professor), and so on. As in English, it's also possible to address
someone by his or her relationship to you, such as bibi (grandma), mjomba
(maternal uncle), shangazi (paternal aunt), etc.

2F. GRAMMAR

Grammar Topic 1; Noun Classes and the M-Wa Class

Take a look at a few of the nouns you've learned so far: Mmarekani/

Wamarekani (American/s), Mtanzania/Watanzania (Tanzanian/s), mwa-
nafunzi/wanafunzi (student/s), mtoto/watoto (child/ren), mjukuu/wajukuu
(grandchild/ren), and mwalimu/walimu (teacher/s). Do you notice any pat-
tern? All of the singular forms begin with m-, and the plurals begin with
wa-—. That's because all of these nouns belong to the same class, unsurpris-
ingly called the M-Wa Class.
A noun class is a category of nouns that are linked by form and some-
times also by meaning. You can tell from the eramples that the M-Wa Class
includes humans, and in fact it also includes such other living beings as
animals and insects. Nouns belonging to the same class function grammati-
cally in the same way. For erample, the plurals in this class are formed
by replacing the m— with wa-—. There are other aspects of grammar that
behave differently depending on class, but weli get to all of that later, piece
by piece. For now, just be aware that Swahili nouns are divided into eight
classes, the first of which is the M-Wa Class, denoting people and other
animate beings.

Grammar Topic 2; Demonstratives

Demonstratives are the words we use to point to people or things. For
nouns of the M-Wa Class, the demonstratives are huyu (this), hawa (these),

20 Swahili
yule (that), and wale (those). These demonstratives are only used with
M-Wa nouns. You'll learn the others as you learn more noun classes.
Huyu ni Ali. Yule ni Lela. This is Ali, That is Lela.
Huyu ni mwalimu. This is a teacher.
Wale ni Ali na Lela. That's (“those are”) Ali and Lela.
Hawa ni baba na mama. These (people) are (my) mother
and father.
Hawa ni wanafunzi. These are students.
Wale ni watoto. Those are children.

Grammar Topic 3: Possessives

Possessives, which show ownership or belonging, are words like my or your
in English. In Swahili, possessives are formed by taking a possessive root
and adding a prefiz depending on the noun class. Let's start by learning the
possessive roots: nBuDA
NbUDA
AwW
AW
DWDW
DU
Jayjow
DGDg
jayjej
pue

-angu (my) -etu (our)

-ako (your) -enu (your (pl.))

-ake (his, her) -ao (their)

The M-Wa possessive prefir is w— for both singulars and plurals, so the pos-
sessives are wangu (my), wako (your), wake (his, her), and so on. Here are a
few eramples of M-Wa nouns with possessives. Notice that the possessive
follows the noun, unlike in English.
Hawa ni watoto wangu. These are my children.
Yule ni mwalimu wetu. That is our teacher.
Hawa ni wazazi wenu? Are these your parents?
Hawa ni wazazi wetu. These are our parents.
Wale ni watoto wao. Those are their children.
Mume wake anasema Kiswahili. Her husband speaks Swahili.
You've actually already seen the possessive in Jina lako ni nani? (What is
your name?) and Jina langu ni Ali. (My name is Ali.) As you can see, the pos
sessive prefis for the noun jina is l-, because jina is not in the M-Wa Class,
You'll learn the other noun classes gradually.

Grammar Topic 4: Negation in the Present Tense

In Lesson 1, you saw that in conjugating Swahili verbs, you have to include
at least three elements: the subject prefis, the tense infis, and the verb root.
Now let's see how to negate verbs in the present tense. There are a few im

Lesson 2 21
 portant characteristics of the negative present tense form. First, the affirma-
tive ending -a changes to —i in the negative. Second, the present tense infik
—-na- is omitted. And third, the negative prefiz ha-— (as in hapana, meaning
no) is added. The only ezception is in the mimi (1) form, where the prefir is
si— instead of ha—. Also, in the wewe (you, singular) and yeye (he/she) forms,
the -ain ha- is “absorbed” by the vowel at the beginning of the subject pre-
fikes u— and a—. That gives you the following conjugation of kutoka (to come
from), with hyphens added only to indicate the components:

Affirmative Negative

prefik 4 -na- tverbstem neg. prefi£ 4 neg. stem

mimi ni-na-toka si-toki

|wewe Ki h-u-toki

yeye ka h-a-toki

| sisi MIN L ha-tu-toki

nyinyi m-na-toka ha-m-toki

WA wa-na-toka ha-wa-toki

Let's look at ezamples with kusoma (to study/learn). Notice again that the
Swahili may be translated either as the simple present (studies) or the pres-
ent progressive (is studying) in English. And don't forget that the yeye
forms can mean either he or she.
Mimi ninasoma. I'm studying./I study.
Mimi sisomi. T'm not studying./I don't study.
Wewe unasoma. You're studying./You study.
Wewe husomi. You aren't studying./You don't
study.
Yeye anasoma. He's studying./He studies.
Yeye hasomi. She's not studying./She doesn't
study.
Sisi tunasoma. We're studying./We study.
Sisi hatusomi. We are not studying./We don't
study.
Nyinyi mnasoma. You (all) are studying./You (all)
study.
Nyinyi hamsomi. You (all) are not studying./
You (all) don't study.
Wao wanasoma. They're studying./They study.

22 Swahili
Wao hawasomi. They're not studying./They don't
study.
The Swahili verbs that don't end with the letter —a, such as kuishi (to live),
kujaribu (to try), kujibu (to answer/respond), kurudi (to return), and kufikiri
(to think), don't change their ending when negated.
Mimi siishi Marekani I don't live in the United States.
Yeye harudi Marekani. She's not retuning to the U.S.
Wewe hujibu. You're not responding.
Wao hawafikiri. They don't think.
Sisi hatujaribu. We aren't trying.

2G. READING: UKOO WA BABA ALI

Baba Ali anatoka Tanzania na anakaa Dar es Salaam. Mama Ali ni mke wa
DWDW
NbUDA
AW
DU
jayiej
Jayjow
DgDg
pue
baba Ali. Yeye anakaa Dar es Salaam pia. Baba Ali ni mume wa Mama Ali.
Baba Ali na Mama Ali ni wazazi wa Ali. Sarah na Daudi pia ni watoto wa
Baba Ali na Mama Ali.
Baba Ali anapenda watoto. Watoto wake ni Ali, Sarah na Daudi. Ali anaso-
ma Kiingereza Chuo Kikuu cha Dar es Salaam. Yeye anapenda Kiingereza.
Sarah anapenda watoto pia lakini hapendi Kiingereza. Yeye hasemi Kiin-
gereza. Adili ni mtoto wa Sarah. Baba Ali ni babu wa Adili na mama Ali ni
bibi wa Adili. Ali ni mjomba wa Adili na Adili ni mpwa wa Ali. Adili pia ni
mjukuu wa Baba Ali na Mama Ali.

Baba Ali's Family

Baba Ali comes from Tanzania and lives in Dar es Salaam. Mama Ali is Baba
Ali's wife. She also lives in Dar es Salaam. Baba Ali is Mama Ali's husband.
Baba Ali and Mama Ali are Ali's parents. Sarah and Daudi are Baba Ali and
Mama Ali's children too.
Baba Ali likes children. His children are Ali, Sarah, and Daudi. Ali studies
English at the University ofDar es Salaam. He likes English. Sarah likes chil
dren, too, but doesn't like English. She doesn't speak English. Adili is Sarah's
child. Baba Ali is Adili's grandfather, and Mama Ali is Adili's grandmother.
Ali is Adili's uncle, and Adili is Ali's nephew. Adili is also Baba Ali and Mama
Ali's grandchild.

2H. CULTURE TOPIC 2: SWAHILI-SPEAKING FAMILIES

The meaning of family in many Swahili speaking communities goes beyond

the concept of the “nuclear” family known in the West, that is, a couple or
single parent with one or more children. The word that is closest to family

Lesson 2 23
in Swahili is ukoo, but it encompasses a much wider range of relationships.
Ukoo includes people who share a common ancestor but who may now
belong to many more individual family units. So, ukoo means something
along the lines of a kinship group. Another word related to the concept
of family is jamaa, which literally translates as relative rather than family
member in its narrower sense.
Belonging to the wider family kinship group comes with responsibilities;
each individual is responsible to the whole group. For ezample, those who
are better-off have the obligation of caring for the less fortunate. But such
wide and strong family ties have great advantages, too. It is still regarded
as a noble duty to care not only for one's immediate parents but also for
uncles, aunts, and grandparents. So, kinship ties often mean security in
old age.
Of course, with the advance of urbanization and increasing physical and
social mobility, such traditional relations are beginning to erode. For es-
ample, families often produce fewer children, and kinship ties may be
broken—at least geographically—by opportunities away from the family.
As is often the case, traditional ways do not always miz well with newer
ways, at least not during periods of social change. But perhaps well see a
unigue marriage of the new and the old as Swahili-speaking communities
change with the times but hold onto their traditions.

EKERCISES

Evercise 1. Fill in the blanks with the appropriate phrases.

: Unapenda Tanzania?
Ndio, —.
: Unapenda Kiswahili pia?
Ndio, —.
: Unasema Kiingereza?
Ndio,
: Wewe unatoka Washington DC?
Hapanajwu.

: Yeye anasema Kiswahili?

Si
uu
:Hapana,yeye...

Erercise 2. Change the following sentences from singular to Plural. That is,
change both the noun prefiz and the demonstrative.
1. Yule ni mzee.

2. Yule ni mwalimu.

Swahili
3. Yule ni mtoto.
4. Huyu ni mwalimu.
5. Huyu mwanafunzi.

6. Huyu ni mzee.

Erercise 3. Supply the correct form of the possessive.

1i.Waleniwatoto—.(their)
2. Hawani wezee ———. (our)

3. Yulenimwalimu — .(my)
4.Huyunimtoto — .(her)

Erercise 4. Negate the following sentences.

1. Mimi ninasoma Kiswahili. NbUDA
Aw
AW
DU
DWDW
JayioWw
DgDg
jaylej
pue
2. Wewe unasoma Kiswahili.

Yeye anasoma Kiswahili.

Sisi tunasoma Kiswahili.

. Nyinyi mnasoma Kiswahili.

WO
Wa
CO,
. Wao wanasoma Kiswahili.

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

It's once again your turn to practice everything you've learned in this
lesson by putting it to use. Imagine that your Swahili-speaking friend
is visiting you during a family gathering. Introduce him or her to your
ertended family and friends, and write down the dialogue in your
journal. You could also erplore the internet in Swahili by typing the
phrase ukoo wangu (my family) into a search engine. See what comes
up, and see if you recognize any words. Or, go through your old fam-
ily albums and label photos that you find with phrases such as baba
yangu, mama yangu, kaka yangu, dada yangu, and so on.

ANSWER KEY

Krercisa 1

A: Unapenda Tanzania?
B: Ndio, mimi ninapenda Tanzania.
A: Unapenda Kiswahili pia?

Lesson 2 25
B: Ndio mimi ninapenda Kiswahili.
A: Unasema Kiingereza?
B: Ndio mimi ninasema Kiingereza.
A: Wewe unatoka Washington DC?
B: Hapana, mimi sitoki Washington DC.
A: Yeye anasema Kiswahili?
B: Hapana, yeye hasemi Kiswahili.
Ezercise 2: 1. Wale ni wazee. 2. Wale ni walimu. 3. Wale ni watoto. 4. Hawa
ni walimu. 5. Hawa ni wanafunzi. 6. Hawa ni wazee.

Erercise 3: 1. Wale ni watoto wao. 2. Hawa ni wezee wetu. 3. Yule ni

mwalimu wangu. 4. Huyu ni mtoto wake.

Ezercise 4: 1. Mimi sisomi Kiswahili. 2. Wewe husomi Kiswahili. 3. Yeye

hasomi Kiswahili. 4. Sisi hatusomi Kiswahili. 5. Nyinyi hamsomi Kiswahili.
6. Wao hawasomi Kiswahili.
LESSON

Nyumba ni Nzuri!
The House Is Beautiful!

In this lesson, you'l| get a tour of a house that someone is considering rent-
ing. Naturally, youlllearn a lot of basic vocabulary for talking about things
around the house. You'll also learn some descriptive words, including col-
ors. As far as Swahili grammar is concerned, you'l| make great progress
by learning two more noun classes, the Ki-Vi Class and the N- Class. With
three noun classes under your belt, you'l| be able to see how different types
of agreement work in each of the noun classes you know. You'll also learn
how to say have in Swahili and how to use adjectives. Lesson 3 covers a lot
of important ground, so don't be afraid to take it slowly. Let's begin with a
vocabulary warmup!

3A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

kwa mwezi per month

mwenyenyumba landlord/landlady
ni bei gani? how much?
Nimeipenda. I like it.
Nitakupigia simu. TI call you.
Tutaongea. We'll talk.
Twende... Lets D0sse
Uko wapi? Where are you?

3B. DIALOGUE: AROUND THE HOUSE

Alice is looking for a house to rent. First, you'l| hear Alice's phone call to
the landlord, and then you'lI listen in as she visits the house.
Mwenyenyumba: Nyumba ina vyumba vitatu. Kimoja
kikubwa na viwili vidogo. Chumba kikubwa
kina choo ndani.

Alice: Sawa. Kuna sehemu ya kulaza gari?

 Mwenyenyumba: Ndio. Pia nyumba ina jiko kubwa, stoo,
sehemu ya kulia, ukumbi wa kupumzikia na
choo kingine.
Alice: Je, nyumba ina maji ya bomba?
Mwenyenyumba: Ndio, inayo.

Alice: Sawa. Je nyumba ina jenereta na pia ina

bustani?
Mwenyenyumba: Hapana. Nyumba haina jenereta lakini ina
bustani.
Alice: Sawa. Ni bei gani kwa mwezi?
Mwenyenyumba: Dola mia nne kwa mwezi.
Siku ya pili.
Alice: Hodi.
Mwenyenyumba: Karibu!
Alice: Asante. Habari za mchana?
Mwenyenyumba: Nzuri. Karibu ndani.
Alice: Asante.

Mwenyenyumba: Sawa. Sasa hii nyumba ina vyumba vitatu

vya kulala. Hiki ni chumba kikubwa cha
kulala. Chumba hiki kina choo. Pia kina
kitanda kikubwa.
Alice: Sawa. Vyumba vidogo vina vyoo pia?
Mwenyenyumba: Hapana. Vyumba vidogo havina vyoo.
Hiki hapa kimoja. Hiki ni chumba kidogo.
Hakina choo. Chumba kingine kidogo ni
sawa na hiki.
Alice: Sawa.
Mwenyenyumba: Hii hapa ni stoo na hili hapa ni jiko.
Alice: Sawa. Ukumbi uko wapi?
Mwenyenyumba: Huu hapa ukumbi na hapa ni sehemu ya
kulia.
Alice: Ukumbi ni mzuri na mkubwa!

Mwenyenyumba: Ndio. Sasa twende nje. Hii hapa ni sehemu

ya kulaza gari.
Alice: Sawa asante. Nyumba ni nzuri na
nimeipenda. Nitakupigia simu Jumatatu.

28, Swahili
 Mwenyenyumba: Sawa. Tutaongea Jumatatu.
Alice: Kwaheri.
Mwenyenyumba: Sawa. Kwaheri.

Landlord: The house has three bedrooms, one big room

and two small rooms. The big room has its
own separate bathroom.
Alice: Okay. Does the house have a garage?
Landlord: Yes, it does. The house also has a big kitchen,
a pantry, a dining room, and a living room. It
#UNZN
DGWnAN
3dUL
asnoH
si
ilnjAnea
Ju
also has another bathroom.

Alice: Okay. Does the house have running water?

Landlord: Yes, it does.
Alice: Does it have a generator and a garden?
Landlord: No. It doesn't have a generator, butit hasa
yard.
Alice: Okay. How much is the rent per month?
Landlord: It is $400 per month.

The nezt day.

Alice: Knock, knock!

Landlord: Welcome!
Alice: Thank you. How's your day going?

Landlord: Good. Come on in. (“Welcome in.”)

Alice: Thank you.
Landlord: Okay. So, this house has three bedrooms. This
is the big bedroom. The room has a bathroom.
It has a big bed, too.
Alice: Okay. Do the small rooms have bathrooms as
well?
Landlord: No. The small rooms don't have bathrooms.
Here's one. This is the small bedroom. The
other small room is similar to this one.

Alice: Okay.
Landlord: This is the pantry, and this is the kitchen.
Alice: Okay. Where's the living room?

29
Lesson 3
 Tandlord: This is the living room, and this is the dining
room.
Alice: The living room is big and beautiful!
Landlord: Yes. Let's go outside now. This is the
garage.
Alice: Okay. Thanks. The house is beautiful, and I
like it. VI call you on Monday.
Landlord: Okay. Talk to you on Monday.
Alice: Bye.
Landlord: Okay. Bye.

3C. VOCABULARY

In this list you'll see some adjectives, or descriptive words, that begin with
dashes, such as —dogo (small), and others that don't, like manjano (yellow).
You've probably figured out by now that prefizes play an important role in
Swahili grammar, and this is true of adjectives as well. You'll learn about
that in this lesson.

anuani/anwani address/es
au Or
bluu blue
bustani yard/s, garden/s
choo/vyoo bathroom/s
chumba cha kulala/vyumba bedroom/s
vya kulala
chumba/vyumba room/s
dirisha/madirisha window/s
—dogo small, little
—ekundu red
—eupe white
—eusi black
fleti apartment/s
gari/magari car/s
—ingine other e
jiko/majiko kitchen/s, fireplace/s, oven/s,
stove/s

30, Swahili Saa

Jumatatu Monday
kijani green
kitabu/vitabu book/s
kitanda/vitanda bed/s
kiti/viti chair/s
kompyuta computer/$
—kongwe old
kuangalia to view, to watch

—kubwa big DGWnAN

3JUL
aSsnoH
Si
iInjane
JU
iUNZN
kuja to come
kula to eat

kulala to sleep
Kima... Thereis/are...

kuona to see
lakini but

manjano yellow

meza table/s

mlango/milango door/s

—moja one
ndani inside

nje outside

nyumba house/s

pya new

runinga, televisheni television/s

Sawa. Okay.

sehemu ya kulia/ dining room/s

sehemu za kulia
stoo pantry/ies

—tatu three

ukumbi/kumbi living room/s

umeme electricity

wapi? where?

Lesson 3
 —wili two

-zuri beautiful, nice

3D. KEY PHRASES

Here are some key phrases for talking about the home:
Nyumba hii ina vyumba vitatu. This house has three bedrooms.
Hiki ni chumba cha kulala. This is a bedroom.
Chumba hiki kina choo. This room has a bathroom.
Vyumba vidogo vina vyoo pia? Do the small rooms have
bathrooms too?
Hili hapa ni jiko. This is the kitchen here.
Ukumbi uko wapi? Where is the living room?
Ukumbi ni mzuri na mkubwa. The living room is big and
beautiful.
Twende nje. Let's go outside.
Nyumba ni nzuri. The house is beautiful.
Tunaangalia televisheni. WeTre watching television.
Ninasoma kitabu. 1'm reading a book.

3E. CULTURE TOPIC 1: FURNISHING A HOME IN

TANZANIA OR KENYA

If you ever need to rent a house or apartment in Kenya or Tanzania, it's

of
course possible that your new home will be fully furnished. But if
it's not,
you'li need to know where to find furniture and other household essentials
.
Of course, details will vary from place to place, but here are some
gen-
eral guidelines. Furniture such as beds, couches, or dressers can be
bought
cheaply in open markets (sokoni), at the auction (mnadani), or at
one ofthat
many carpentry workshops (viwanda vya useremala) you'lI find.
H'sa good
idea to ask what type of wood furniture is made of, because
cheaper fur-
niture made of softer wood will of course not last as long as
harder wood.
And don't be shy about haggling! The price that's initially asked
may not
be the actual price, and customers are in fact erpected to bargain.
Of course
there are big stores like Nakumatin Kenya and Shoprite in
Tanzania. There
are also some small stores that sell furniture (maduka
ya fanicha). The fur-
niture available in these stores is normally imported,
and prices may reflect
that. Furniture available in the local auctions (minadani
) is inerpensive,
but may not be of the best guality. And if you don't need
the furniture for a
long time, renting is always an option. Kitchenware
such as plates (sahani),
Ja Swahili
glasses (gilasi), knives (visu), forks (uma), spoons (vijiko), bottles (chupa),
teapots (buli za chai), coffee makers (mideli ya kufanya kahawa), pots (vi-
bakuli or vyungu), pans (masufuria), and so on, can be bought both at open
markets and in the big stores.

3F. GRAMMAR

Grammar Topic 1; The Ki-Vi Noun Class

The second noun class that you'l| become acguainted with is the Ki-Vi Class,
which mostly includes words for inanimate objects, but also has a few oth-
er types of words. As you can guess, the singular of these nouns begins
with ki-, and the plural begins with vi—. A few erzamples of Ki-Vi nouns are: DGWnNAN
JUL
ilnjinea
3asnoH
si
JU
iUNZN
kitanda/vitanda (bed)/s), kiti/viti (chair/s), kitabu/vitabu (book/s), kitu/vitu
(thing/s), kichwa/vichwa (head/s), kikombe/vikombe (cup/s), and kisu/visu
(knife/knives). If the root part of the noun begins with a vowel, the prefikes
become ch- and vy-, as in chumba/vyumba (room/s) and chakula/vyakula
(food/s). The names of languages, such as Kiswahili and Kiingereza, are also
in the Ki-Vi class, but naturally there are no plural forms.

Grammar Topic 2; Agreement with Noun Classes

Now that you've gotten two noun classes under your belt, M-Wa and Ki-
Vi, it's a good time to start to see how agreement works in Swahili based
on noun classes. The concept is simple—any element of a sentence that's
linked to a particular noun will show its relationship by “agreeing” with
the noun. So, different elements—verbs, adjectives, possessives, and so
on—will take different prefikes that agree with the noun class of the noun
that they're related to. Let's take a look at a pair of eramples. Thankfully,
the word for long and tall is the same in Swahili, so the eramples are as
similar as possible:
Mtu mrefu huyu anatoka Kenya. This tall person comes from Kenya.
Kisu kirefu hiki kinatoka Kenya. This long knife comes from Kenya.
In the first erample, the noun mtu (person) is a M-Wa noun, so the adjec-
tive agrees by taking the prefis m—. The demonstrative (this) has the form
huyu, and the verb takes the M-Wa subject prehis a-, as you learned in les-
so
son 1. But in the second ekrample, the noun kisu (knife) is a Ki-Vi noun,
the adjective takes the prefiz ki-, the demonstrative has the form hiki, and
the verb takes the subject prefir ki—. So, in this course, as you learn new
noun classes, you'l| also go through a list of agreement patterns subject
prefires, possessive prefikes, demonstratives, and so on. Here's a sugges
tion: start to get used to these patterns by making a table that you can add
onto, or by drawing up a noun class “cheat sheet” on an inder card. That
way, you can always go back and check on prefikes that you might not
remember.
33
Lesson 3
 Now let's look at how agreement works with the M-Wa class and the Ki-Vi
class, starting with subject prefizes. Do you remember the subject prefizes
that you learned in the first lesson? To review, those were: ni— (for mimi/
I), u— (for wewe/you, sing.), 4— (for yeye/he, she), tu— (for sisi/we), m— (for
nyinyi/you plural), and wa- (for wao/they.) Those prefikes are the ones that
you use if a pronoun is the subject cf a sentence. But if an M-Wa noun is
the subject of a sentence, then the subject prefizes are a- in the singular,
and wa- in the plural. You'll notice that those are eractly the same as the
prefires used for pronouns in the third person, which makes a lot of sense,
since they all refer to animate beings, such as people. In fact, whenever
a noun refers to an animate being, no matter what class it belongs to, it
uses those subject prefizes. But for the Ki-Vi class, the prefikes are even
easier—they"e ki- in the singular, and vi- in the plural, as you saw in the
“knife” ekamples above. Here are a few more ezamples:

Mimi ninatoka Marekani. I come from the United States.

Mtu anatoka Nairobi. The person comes from Nairobi.
Watu wanatoka Nairobi. The people come from Nairobi.
Kitabu kinatoka Tanzania. The book comes from Tanzania.
Vitabu vinatoka Tanzania. The books come from Tanzania.
Subject prefikes aren't the only type of agreement you'l| see with noun
classes, though. In lesson 2 you learned both demonstratives and posses-
sives, although only for the M-Wa class. To review, you learned the demon-
stratives huyu (this), hawa (these), yule (that), and wale (those.) And you
also learned that the prefiz w- is used for possessives with M-Wa nouns,
Siving you: wangu (my), wako (your), wake (his/her), wetu (our), wenu (your,
pl.), and wao (their.)

For Ki-Vi nouns, the demonstratives are: hiki (this), hivi (these), kile (that),
and vile (those.) Can you see the ki of the singular and the vi of the plural
in those forms? For possessives, there's a different prefir used for singu-
lar (ki—) nouns and for plural (vi—) nouns. But you actually already know
it. Do you remember the special forms of ki— and vi- before vowels? They
were ch- and vy-, and since the possessives without their prefizes begin
with vowels, those are the forms that you use with Ki-Vi nouns. For sin-
gular possessions, that's: changu (my), chako (your), chake (his/her), chetu
(our), chenu (your, pl.), and chao (their), and for Plural possessions that's:
vyangu (my), vyako (your), vyake (his/her), vyetu (our), vyenu (your, pl),
and vyao (their).

Hiki ni kitanda changu. This is my bed.

Hivi ni vitanda vyangu. These are my beds.
Kile ni choo chetu. That's cur bathroom.
Hivi ni vitanda vyao. These are their beds.

34 Swahili ima
Vile ni vitanda vyenu. Those are your (pl.) beds.
Hiki ni kisu chako? Is this your knife?
Hivi ni vijiko vyetu. These are our spoons.

Grammar Topic 3: The N- Class

The third noun class that you'll learn is called the N- Class, because
some of the nouns in this class begin with one of the nasal sounds n-,
ny-, m-, or ng-—. For erzample: nyumba (house/s), njia (road/s), mbwa
(dog/s), ng'ombe (cow/s), ndizi (banana/s), ngoma (drumy/s), mvua (rain/s),
nyoka (snake/s). But a lot of the nouns in this class do not begin with
any prefiz at all: tembo (elephant/s), simba (lion/s), paka (cat), chupa
(bottle/s). There are a few family and relationship terms, which you DgWNAN
JU
#UNZN
3Jyl
ashoH
si
iInidnea
actually learned in the last lesson, in this class as well: baba (father/s),
mama (mother/s), dada (sister/s), kaka (brother/s), rafiki (friend/s). Fi-
nally, a lot of foreign loan words belong to the N- class. Of course, you
don't really need to know that they come from other languages, but
here they are in case you're interested: lugha (language/s, from Arabic),
safari (trip/s, Arabic), kahawa (coffee, Arabic), saa (hour, watch, Arabic)
meza (table/s, Portuguese), gereza (prison/s, Portuguese), motokaa (car/s),
kompyuta (computer/s), stoo (pantry/ies), posta (post office/s), stampu"
(stamp/s), sukari (sugar), teksi (tari/s), televisheni (television/s). As you
can tell from the ezamples, there isn't one unifying theme to the N- Class.
It's pretty mized! But one important thing to notice about all N- nouns
is that their singular and plural forms are identical. But you'l| still al-
ways be able to tell if one is singular or plural by the agreement patterns
that other words will show.
go through all of the types of agreement that you've learned
So, then, let's
for the M-Waand Ki-Vi classes, and apply them to the N- class. First, the
that you put on verbs to agree with N- nouns is i— in the sin-
subject prefir
in the plural. That's one way you can tell whether an N- noun
gular, and zi—
is singular or
plural.
Kompyuta inatoka Marekani. — The computer comes from the U.S.
Kompyuta zinatoka Marekani. The computers come from the U.S.
The N-noundemonstratives are: hii (this), ile (that), hizi (these), and zile (those).
And the possessive prefikes are y—in the singular, and z—in the plural.
Kompyuta yangu inatoka My computer comes from the U.S.
Marekani.
Motokaa zao zinatoka Japani. — Their cars come from Japan.
Zile ni nyumba zetu. Those are our houses.
Hii ni saa na ile ni taa. This is a watch, and that's a lamp.

# Both stampu and stempu are used in Swahili.

35
Lesson 3
 Grammar Topic 4: “To Have"
To say “have” in Swahili, you use the ezpression kuwa na, which literally
means “to be with.” In the present tense, you only use the —na portion,
which acts as a verb root. That means that you have to add a subject prefiz,
which of course depends on the class of the possessor.
Mimi nina pesa. I have money.
Mtoto ana kitabu. The child has a book.
Watoto wana vitabu. The children have books.
Chumba kina kabati. The room has a dresser.
Vyumba vina vitanda. The rooms have beds.
Nyumba zina vyumba. The houses have rooms.
Posta ina choo. The post office has a bathroom.
To negate “have,” you might guess that you need to use the negative marker
ha-. Just don't forget that a— “absorbs” the a- in ha-, and don't forget that
the mimi negative prefiz is si—.
Mimi sina pesa. 1 don't have money.
Mtoto hana kitabu. The child doesn't have a book.
Watoto hawana vitabu. The children don't have books.
Chumba hakina kabati. The room doesn't have a dresser.
Vyumba havina vitanda. The rooms don't have beds.
Nyumba hazina vyumba. The houses have no rooms.
Posta haina choo. The post office doesn't have a
bathroom.

Grammar Topic 5: Adjectives

Now let's look at using adjectives, or descriptive words. If youve studied
other languages, you know that adjectives often agree with the nouns that
they describe. Swahili is no different, but as you can probably guess
by
now, that agreement comes in the form ofa prefir added to the beginning
of the adjective. That's why in the vocabulary list you saw adjectives
listed
with a dash, as in —refu (tall, long), to show thata Pprefir has to be
added to
the beginning. The adjective prefir for M-Wa and Ki-Vi nouns
is simple—
it's the same eract prefir as the noun itself.
Huyu ni mtoto mrefu. This is a tall child.
Hawa ni watoto warefu. These are tall children.
Kile ni kisu kirefu. That's a long knife.
Vile ni visu virefu. Those are long knives.

Swahili
The adjective forms used with N- nouns are a bit more complicated, so
we'li come back to them later. There are actually two types of adjectives
in Swahili, though: the variable ones that agree, as in —refu, and invari-
able ones that never change, as in safi (clean.) You can tell the difference
in the vocabulary lists because the variable adjectives will be listed with a
hyphen, but the invariable ones won't. (Take a look back at the vocabulary
list to see some eramples.)
Hawa ni watoto safi. These are clean children.

Kile ni kisu safi. That's a clean knife.

And finally, there's one important point to remember about adjectives that
refer to animate beings—people or animals. No matter what the noun class
may be, the adjective always takes the M-Wa form, because that's the main FUNZA
DGWNAN
JU
Jay
ashnoH
si
ilnjiine
class of animate beings, as you remember from Lesson 2. This is similar
to the case of subject prefires, which are always in the M-Wa form for any
animate subject.

Huyu ni paka mkubwa. This is a big cat.

Dada yake mzuri anaishi His pretty sister lives in Nairobi.
Nairobi.

3G. READING: KUSAIDIA MAJIRANI

Kusaidiana ni jambo muhimu sana katika utamaduni wa Waswahili. Maji-

rani wengi huishi kama ndugu. Kama unahamia katika nyumba mpya, ni
vizuri kuenda kuwasalimia majirani na kujitambulisha.

Majirani wanaweza kuja kuazima au kuomba kitu kutoka nyumba yako.

Na wewe unaweza kufanya hivyo ukitaka. Kwa mfano jirani anaweza kuja
kuazima pasi au baiskeli. Kama una gari majirani wanaweza kuja kukuom-
ba uwasaidie usafiri kwa mfano wa kuenda kupeleka mgonjwa hospitali.
Kama nyumba yako ina kisima au ina maji ya bomba, majirani wanaweza
kuja kuomba maji kama wao hawana. Kama utapata matatizo ya ghafla
katika nyumba yako kama vile moto, basi majirani hufika kwanza kabla ya
watu wa zima moto na kuweza kukusaidia.

Majirani pia hutembeleana kama mmoja ana matatizo. Kwa mfano wakati
wa msiba majirani hupeana pole. Kama jirani mmoja ni mgonjwa wengine
huenda kumuangalia. Haya ndio maisha ambayo majirani wanaishi katika
nchi za waswahili.

Helping Your Neighbors

Helping one another is very important in Swahili culture, Many neighbors
live like relatives. If you move into a new house, it's a good idea to go and see
your neighbors and introduce yourself.

Lesson 3 E
 Neighbors may come and ask for or borrow something from you. You can do
the same thing ifyou want. For erample, a neighbor could come and borrow
an iron or a bicycle. If you have a car, neighbors could come and ask for a
ride to the hospital in order to take a sick person. If your house has a well or
has running water, neighbors could come to ask for water if they don't have
any. If you have an emergency in your house like a fire, your neighbors will
be the first to come to try to help before the firemen.
Neighbors also visit each other if someone has some problem. For ezample,
during a time of grieving, neighbors console one another. If a neighbor is
sick, others will go and pay a visit. This is a typical life for neighbors in
Swahili culture.

3H. CULTURE TOPIC 2

There are generally two major types of houses found in Swahili speak-
ing communities. There are modern houses (nyumba za kisasa/nyumba za
mjini), which are mainly found in towns and cities (mijini), and traditional
houses (nyumba za asili/nyumba za shamba) which are found in the vil-

ment (saruji) and iron sheets (mabati) for the roof (paa). The layout of such
houses will be familiar to you. They will have a dining area (ukumbi wa
kulia), bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room (ukumbi wa mapumziko), bath-
room and a pantry. The living room will be the most important room, both
for family and for any guests who drop by for a visit. Anyone who enters
the house will leave their shoes at the door, since people don't wear shoes
inside houses.
Apartment houses (nyumba za fleti) are also found in more developed ar-
eas. Mombasa in Kenya and Zanzibar in Tanzania are known for their old
stone buildings (nyumba za mawe). In the suburban areas (ng'ambo/nje ya
mji/uswahilini), there's a misture of modern houses and traditional ones.

The traditional houses are built using available local materials, such as mud
(udongo) for the walls and palm tree fronds (makuti) or local grass (nyasi)
for the roofs. While it's very rare to find these types of houses in towns or
cities, few modern houses may be found in rural areas. One of the most
visible differences between the two types of houses is that the bathrooms
and kitchens of the traditional houses are built separately from the main
house. Also, because most traditional houses are owned by people with low
incomes, these houses will normally have no electricity. People use lamps
(kandili/koroboi), and they get their water from wells (visima). They also
use firewood (kuni) for cooking.
It's very common for a guest to be invited outside on a floor mat (mkeka).
Families in the countryside (mashamba) usually sit on the porch outside
their homes (barazani) in the evening and talk. This is the most important
space of the house. Some families still use this place to tell stories to their
children in the evening. Most traditional houses don't have separate living

38; Swahili
rooms or dining rooms, and usually a corridor is used as a dining area. For
those houses that do have a dining room, it may be converted into a bed-
room in the evening.
Since most people in East Africa have ertended families, it's very rare to
find a family living on its own as a nuclear family. Other relatives and par-
ents from both sides may also be found living in the same house. So homes
may be rather full by Western standards, with more than eight people liv-
ing in one ertended family unit.

EKERCISES

Erercise 1. The following list contains singular nouns and demonstratives

from the three noun classes you've learned so far. Change each phrase into
the plural, and then give the translation for both the singular and plural j DGWnNAN
iUNZN
JU
3yl
asnoH
si
ilnjiinea
Phrases.
1. mpwa yule
2. ndizi hii

3. mwalimu huyu
4. kikombe hiki
5. chupa ile
6. chakula kile
7. njia hii
8. kitu hiki
9. mzee huyu
10. mbwa huyu
Erercise 2: Translate each of the following English sentences into Swahili.
Each sentence includes the verb “have.”
1. The room hasa big bed.
2. The room doesn't have a bed.
3. The rooms have tables.
4. The rooms don't have tables.
5. The small rooms don't have bathrooms.
6. The house has a garden.

Erercise 3: Use the appropriate demonstrative in each sentence.

1. Kitanda ni kikubwa. (this)

2. Chumba kina choo. (this)

Lesson 3 39
 3.Vyumba — nivyoo. (those)
4.Vitanda ni vizuri. (these)
5.Vyumba — vina vitanda. (those)

Esercise 4: Make sentences with the following words, starting with “Nyum-
ba...” and the espression for “to have.” Make both affirmative (has...)
and negative (doesn't have...) sentences.
1. stoo
2. bustani
3. vyumba
4. choo
5. jiko

Ezercise 5: Fill the blanks with the adjectives in parentheses. Make sure the ad-
jectives provided agree with noun class. For N- Class nouns, use no prefires.
1i.Nyumbayakoni (beautiful) na (big).
2.Kisuhikini — (small).
3.Vitandani (small).
4.Motoka (blue)ni (beautiful).
5.Bustaniyakoni (green).
6.Kitabu (black) ni changu.

Ezercise 6: Use the appropriate demonstratives and forms of “to have” in

the following sentences. The translations are given to help you.
1. Nyumba vyumba vitatu. (This house has three rooms.)
2.Nyumba ninzurilakini — fanicha. (This house is good but fit) has
no furniture.)
.Nyumba
Ww nikubwa. (That house is big.)
4. ukumbi wakupumzikiamkubwana jiko zuri. (Zt has a big living
room and (it) has a good kitchen.)
5.Bustani — nikubwa na nzuri. (This yard is big and beautiful.)
6. Vitanda ni vizuri sana. (These beds are very good.)

SA Swahili
 INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Imagine that a new Swahili friend has asked you to describe your
house. Using the vocabulary you've learned in this lesson, write a
paragraph in Swahili describing your house. This is also a good time
to organize yourself so that you can easily master the Swahili noun
classes as they come. Make a table, with eight columns for the nouns
classes, and fill in the first three: M-Wa, Ki-Vi, and N-. Then, make
Tows for the prefires you've learned so far—subject prefikes, adjec-
tive prefikes, and possessive prefires. Include both singular and plural
forms. And don't forget the four demonstratives, this, that, these, and
those. You'll add more rows as you learn more grammar. If you prefer
a different system, you could start an indez card cheat sheet for each ;UNZN
DGWNAN
JU
iinjiin
yi
asnoH
s|
class. You'll see that most Swahili grammar comes down to noun class-
es and prefires, so build a solid foundation in them, and the language
will come much more easily!

ANSWER KEY

Erercise 1: 1. mpwa yule (that nephew), wapwa wale (those nephews);

2. ndizi hii (this banana), ndizi hizi (those bananas); 3. mwalimu huyu (this
teacher), walimu hawa (these teachers); 4. kikombe hiki (this cup), vikombe
hivi (these cups); 5. chupa ile (that bottle), chupa zile (those bottles); 6. chaku-
la kile (that food), vyakula vile (those foods); 7. njia hii (this road), njia hizi
(these roads); 8. kitu hiki (this thing), vitu hivi (these things); 9. mzee huyu
(this parent/elder), wazee hawa (these parents/elders); 10. mbwa huyu (this
dog), mbwa wale (those dogs)
Erercise 2: 1. Chumba kina kitanda kikubwa. 2. Chumba hakina kitanda.
3. Vyumba vina meza. 4. Vyumba havina meza. 5. Vyumba vidogo havina
vyoo. 6. Nyumba ina bustani.
Erercise 3: 1. Kitanda hiki ni kikubwa. 2. Chumba hiki kina choo. 3. Vile ni
vyoo. 4.Vitanda hivi ni vizuri. 5. Vyumba vile vina vitanda.
Ezercise 4: 1. Nyumba ina stoo. Nyumba haina stoo. 2. Nyumba ina bustani.
Nyumba haina bustani. 3. Nyumba ina vyumba. Nyumba haina vyumba.
4. Nyumba ina choo Nyumba haina choo. 5. Nyumba ina jiko. Nyumba
haina jiko.
Erercise 5: 1. nzuri, kubwa. 2. kidogo. 3. vidogo. 4. bluu, nzuri. 5. kijani.
6. cheusi.
Erercise 6: 1. Nyumba hii ina vyumba vitatu. 2. Nyumba hii ni nzuri la
kini haina fanicha. 3. Nyumba ile ni kubwa. 4. Ina ukumbi wa kupumzikia
mkubwa na ina jiko zuri. 5. Bustani hii ni kubwa na nzuri. 6. Vitanda hivi
ni vizuri sana.

Lesson 3 LI
 wi kui aa ui wA EA
TA UA Wanu SA WA ai CL ae ye
UAE KA WA AA aa Ua
wa waa ia AA mi CA AA kai Ai
KUA

Wi WA ua lee NA AI UA
, j Se aa y ari kha wali
UWA II UE WA Aaa hi ui wa
Aa Aa

di MA ' AI DCI 4

apa

LI LI
BESSON

Unaamka saa ngapi?

What time do you get up?

In this lesson, you'l| learn the vocabulary and structures you need to talk
about your daily activities. You'll be introduced to the habitual tense, the
days of the week, telling time, and other important topics and ezpressions
related to daily routines. You'll also learn how to say “of” and erpress pos-
session similar to the English “John's” or “the girl's.” First, let's get started
with a vocabulary warm up.

LA. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

sio sawa not the same, not okay, not right

Inategemea. It depends.
mkahawa wa shule school cafeteria
kwa mfano for erample
baada ya hapo after that
kufanya mazoezi to erercise, work out
chakula cha jioni dinner, evening meal
kazi za shule, mazoezi homework
ya nyumbani
Ni kweli. That's true. Indeed.
kufua nguo to wash clothes
shule ya bweni boarding school

LB. DIALOGUE; LIFE AT SCHOOL

Jerome studies at a boarding school in western Kenya. At the end of his

first semester he comes home for the holidays and meets with Esther. Esther
wants to know about life at the boarding school compared to life at home.

Esther: Hujambo Jerome?

Jerome: Sijambo. Na wewe je?
 Esther: Mimi sijambo. Habari za shule?
Jerome: Sio mbaya.
Esther: Vipi maisha ya shule ya bweni ni sawa na
maisha ya hapa nyumbani?
Jerome: Hapana. Sio sawa. Kwa mfano katika shule
ya bweni tunaamka mapema zaidi.
Esther: Unaamka saa ngapi?
Jerome: Kila siku ya shule mimi huamka saa 12
(kumi na mbili) kamili asubuhi. Kwanza
hufanya mazoezi kidogo, kisha huoga,
hupiga mswaki na hunyoa ndevu. Baada
ya hapo huvaa nguo na hunywa chai ya
asubuhi. Kawaida hula mayai na mkate.
Esther: Unaenda shule kwa miguu?
Jerome: Ndio, mimi huenda shule kwa miguu na
huanza masomo saa tatu asubuhi.
Esther: Kwa kawaida unakula wapi?
Jerome: Siku za shule hununua chakula na hula
katika mkahawa wa shule.

Esther: Unarudi saa ngapi bwenini kutoka shule?

Jerome: Inategemea. Lakini kwa kawaida hurudi saa
11 (kumi na moja) jioni.
Esther: Unafanya nini jioni?
Jerome: Jioni mimi huenda kwenye sehemu ya
mazoezi kwa saa moja. Hurudi kutoka
mazoezi saa moja usiku.
Esther: Baada ya hapo unalala?
Jerome: Hapana, silali. Kabla ya kupika chakula cha
jioni, huoga na huangalia TV. Kisha hula
chakula cha jioni na hufanya kazi za shule.
Baada ya kufanya kazi za shule hulala.
Esther: Ni kweli kuwa maisha ya shule ya bweni
ni tofauti! Kwa kawaida unafanya nini
wikiendi?
Jerome: Kwa kawaida wikiendi hufua nguo na
hutembelea marafiki.
Esther: Kuna sinema karibu?

Lu Swahili
 Jerome: Ndio. Mimi huenda sinema kila Jumapili
usiku.

Esther: How are you, Jerome?

Jerome: T'm fine. How about you?
Esther: T'm fine. How was school?
Jerome: Not bad.
Esther: What's life at boarding school like? Is it the
same as life here at home?
Jerome: No. It's not the same. For erample, we get up
early at boarding school.
idn
pywodun
<1dpobu
ndA
393
DDs
Jwli
0p
JeyM
Esther: What time do you get up?
Jerome: Every school day I get up at 6:00 am sharp.
First, 1 erercise a little bit, then take a shower,
brush my teeth, and shave. After that I get
dressed and have breakfast. 1 usually have
eggs and bread.
Esther: Do you go to school on foot?
Jerome: Yes, I go to school on foot, and we start our
classes at 9:00 a.m.
Esther: Where do you usually eat?
Jerome: On school days I buy food and eat at the
school cafeteria.
Esther: What time do you get back from school?
Jerome: It depends. But I usually come back at 5:00 in
the evening.
Esther: What do you do in the evening?
Jerome: In the evening 1 go to the gym for an hour. I
come back at 7:00 p.m.
Esther: Do you go to bed after that?
Jerome: No, 1 don't sleep. Before eating dinner, 1 take
a shower and watch TV. Then 1 eat dinner and
do my homework. After doing my homework I
go to sleep.
Esther: Life at the boarding school sure is different!
What do you usually do on the weekends?

Lesson 4 45
 Jerome: Usually I wash my clothes and visit friends on
the weekends.

Esther: Is there a cinema nearby?

Jerome: Yes, I go to the movies every Sunday night.

LLC. VOCABULARY

baada ya after
chakula/vyakula food
kabla ya before
kamili sharp fat a specific time), eract
kila every
kisha then
kuamka to wake up, get up
kuenda to go
kula to eat
kununua to buy
kunyoa ndevu to shave
kuoga to take a shower or bath
kupiga mswaki to brush your teeth
kupika to cook
kurudi to return, to come back
kwa by
kwa kawaida usually
kwanza first, at first
maisha life
mapema early
saa time, watch/es, hour/s
shule, skuli school/s
siku day/s
sinema cinema/s, movies
tofauti different
wapi? where?

Swahili
zaidi more, too much, ertra
zoezi/mazoezi erercise/s

4D. KEY PHRASES

Now let's learn some key phrases that you may need to talk about your
daily activities and ask others about theirs.
Vipi maisha ya chuoni? How's life at college?
Unapenda masomo yako na Do you like your classes and your
walimu wako? professors?
Kawaida huamka mapema 1 usually get up much earlier in
zaidi bwenini. the dormitory.
Unaenda vipi kazini? How do you go to work? zidobu
ndA
333
;dn
DDS
DJWDDU
JeyMm
dwi
O0p

Ninapanda basi kuenda kazini. I take the bus to go to work.

Ninafanya kazi siku za wiki. I work during the week.
Nina kazi nyingi. I have a lot of work.
Unafanya nini jioni? What do you do in the evening?
Unacheza mchezo wowote? Do you play any sports?
Baada ya hapo unalala? Do you sleep after that?
Kwa kawaida unafanya nini What do you usually do on the
wikiendi? weekend?
Wewe huenda kutembea na Do you go out with your friends?
rafiki zako?

Wikiendi hupumzika na familia I relas on the weekend with my

yangu. family.
Huenda sinema kila Jumapili I go to the cinema every Sunday
usiku. night

LE. CULTURE TOPIC 1

Until recently, there was a common erpectation of young people in East

African countries that once they finished their studies, they would find
employment in the government. Today, though, young people realize that
jobs do not come automatically and that there simply aren't enough posi
tions available for everyone. An enterprising but very difficult solution for
a young person, particularly a young man, who finds himself without em
ployment, is to open up a small business on the street selling merchandise
(biashara ndogo ndogo/juakali). The daily routine for these small traders
(wamachinga) is to wake up very early in the morning, perhaps at 5:00

Lesson 4 47
 a.m., to prepare their kiosks (magenge). These kiosks are usually in open
spaces, and the wamachinga sell small electronic items such as calculators
and cell phone chargers, secondhand clothing (mitumba), toiletries, ciga-
rettes (sigara), and so on. Normally they offer these items at a discount.
And wherever you find these wamachinga and their kiosks, you will also
find women who sell them food (mama ntilie). The food may be served in
the open, or in small shelters. Wamachinga who aren't lucky enough to
have kiosks may stand at intersections, trying to sell their goods to passing
motorists, or they may simply walk the streets carrying their merchandise.
Many of the wamachinga who do their business in big cities (mijini), like
Nairobi or Dar es Salaam, do not actually live in the cities, where rents are
relatively high. Those who can might live in rented rooms (vyumba vya ku-
kodi), which they share with several other people. Housing is not the only
difficulty they must deal with. Hygiene (usafi), too, may be a problem, as
public bathrooms (vyoo) and clean running water (maji) can be rare in the
spaces where small traders are able to do business. Unfortunately, this dif-
ficult way of making a living is the daily routine for many young people.

LF. GRAMMAR

Grammar Topic 1; The Habitual Tense

This tense is used to talk about events that take place on a regular basis,
such as a daily routine. It's not difficult to form the habitual tense, because
it doesn't reguire any subject prefir. Simply add the prefir hu- to the verb.
The subject is known only from contezt, and the tense carries an automatic
sense of “usually,” “often,” “typically,” and so on. The only important thing
to note about the habitual tense is that it's most often used along with
a specific time reference. Take a look at the following erzamples, keeping
in mind that the eract subjects would be demonstrated in the contezt of
conversation.

Kila siku huoga saa kumi na I (you, they, etc.) take a shower at
mbili asubuhi. 6:00 a.m. every day.
Yeye huenda sinema kila He/She goes to the movies every
Jumapili usiku. Sunday night.
Wikiendi mimi hufua nguo. I wash my clothes on the weekend.
Hunyoa ndevu kila siku. I (he/we) usually shavefs) every
day.
Sometimes, Swahili speakers also use the —na-— present tense to erpress
their daily activities. But whenever the hu— tense marker is used, there are
time erpressions that go with it. You saw many ofthese in the dialogue: kwa
kawaida (usually), kila siku (every day), kila wikiendi (every weekend)
The negative of the habitual (hu-—) tense is the same as the negative of the
present (-na-—) tense:

48, Swahili
Siendi sinema kila Jumapili 1 don't go to the movies every
usiku. Sunday night.
Wanafunzi hawafuinguozao — The students do not wash their
wikiendi. clothes on the weekend.
Yeye hanyoi ndevu kila siku. He does not shave every day.

Grammar Topic 2: The Days of the Week

Now that you've learned the habitual tense, it's a good time to learn the
days of the week, which are typical time erpressions that can be used with
this tense. The days of the week in Swahili are named according to the
Muslim religious week; Friday is the last day, and also the day of prayer.

Jumamosi Saturday (First Day)

DIWDDUN
idpobu
338
“dn
ndA
DDsS
Jwi)
0p
JeyM
Jumapili Sunday (Second Day)
Jumatatu Monday (Third Day)
Jumanne Tuesday (Fourth Day)
Jumatano Wednesday (Fifth Day)
Alhamisi / Alkhamisi Thursday
Ijumaa Friday (Congregation Day)
To say that you habitually do something on a particular day, use the word
kila (every).
Huenda sehemu ya We go to the park Saturdays /
kupumzikia kila Jumamosi. every Saturday.
Husoma Kiswahili kila They study Swahili every Monday
Jumatatu na Jumatano. and Wednesday.

Grammar Topic 3: Numbers 1-20

The numbers 1—z20 that you use for counting or doing math in Swahili are:

1 moja 6 sita 11 kumi na moja 16 kumi na sita

2 mbili 7 saba 12 kumi na mbili 17 kumi na saba

3 tatu 8 nane 13 kumi na tatu 18 kumi na nane

4 nne 9 tisa 14 kumi na nne 19 kumi na tisa

5 tano 10 kumi 15 kumi na tano 20 ishirini

If you use a number to guantify a noun, as in “three people,” the number

has to agree with the noun. That means that it will take on prefires de
pending on noun class. The numbers in the table above, which you use to

Lesson 4 49
count, are actually the forms for the N- Noun Class, so you'd use them with
such nouns as nyumba (house/s) or ng'ombe (cow/s). For other classes, you
put the appropriate adjective prefiz on the following stems. Notice that
sita (6), saba (7), tisa (9), and kumi (10) are invariable forms, used for any
noun class.
1-moja 3-tatu 5 —tano 7 saba 9 tisa
2 —wili 4 -nne 6 sita 8-nane lokumi
Here are a few eramples of numbers with agreement markers:
mtoto mmoja kiti kimoja mbwa mmoja
(one child) (one chair) (one dog)
watu watatu vitabu vitano nyumba mbili
(three people) (five books) (two houses)
Note that agreement must also be on the forms of the numbers combined
with kumi (ten).
vitabu kumi na vitatu (13 books) watu kumi na watano (15 people)

Grammar Topic 4; Telling Time

Now that youve learned the numbers in Swahili, you're ready to learn how
to tell time. In the dialogue, you heard Jerome say: Hurudi kutoka mazoezi
saa moja usiku. (1 come back from ezercising at 7:00 p.m.) You know that
moja means one, not seven, though, so how can the phrase saa moja usiku
mean “7:00 p.m.”? It all has to do with how the day is divided in Swahili
culture into twelve hours of daylight and twelve hours of darkness. The
day begins at 6:00 a.m., and the night begins at 6:00 p.m. Therefore, 7:00 is
“hour one of the night,” or saa moja usiku. But just as we can say in English
morning, noon, afternoon, late afternoon, evening, and so on, the day in
Swahili can be divided more precisely:
5:00 a.m.—5:59 a.m. alfajiri / asubuhi mapema early morning
sana

6:00 a.m.—11:59 a.m. asubuhi morning

12:00 p.m.—2:59 Pp.m. mchana noon/afternoon

3:00 p.M.—4:59 p.m. alasiri late afternoon

5:00 p.mM.—-6:59 p.m. jioni evening

7:00 p.m.—4:59 a.m. usiku night

Note that you need to use the word saa (hour) when giving the time in
Swahili. Saa is an N- Class noun, so you always use the same forms of the
numbers as you do when counting. Another useful word is kamili (sharp).
Here are some more eramples:

Swahili
6:00 a.m./p.m. saa kumi na mbili asubuhi/jioni
7:00 a.m./p.m. sharp saa moja kamili asubuhi/jioni/
usiku
8:00 a.m./p.m. saa mbili asubuhi/usiku
9:00 a.m./p.m. saa tatu asubuhi/usiku
10:00 a.m./p.m. saa nne asubuhi/usiku
11:00 a.m./p.m. saa tano asubuhi/usiku
12:00 p.m./a.m. saa sita mchana/usiku
r
1:00 p.m./a.m. saa saba mchana/usiku
2:00 p.m./a.m. saa nane mchana/usiku
3:ioo p.m./a.m. saa tisa alasiri/usiku
D)WDDU
Mm
!dobu
jad
“dn
nda
DDsS
0p
Ju
dJwij
4:oo p.m./a.m. saa kumi alasiri/usiku
5:00 p.m./a.m. saa kumi na moja jioni/alfajiri
Finally, if you want to erpress “guarter past,” “half past,” etc., you need a few
more vocabulary items. Unusu and na nusu mean the same thing, “half past,”
na robo means “guarter past,” and kasorobo means “a guarter before.” To say
another amount of minutes after the hour, use na dakika (and minutes).
1:3o a.m./p.m. saa saba unusu (na nusu) usiku/
mchana
3:15 a.m./p.m. saa tisa na robo usiku/alasiri
5:45 a.m./p.m. saa kumi na mbili kasorobo
alfajiri/jioni
11:10 a.m./p.m. saa tano na dakika kumi asubuhi/
usiku
10:05 a.m./p.m. saa nne na dakika tano asubuhi/
usiku

Grammar Topic 5: Ekpressing “Of” and Possession

As you already know, in Swahili many different elements in a sentence
have to agree with the nouns that they'e related to: verbs, adjectives,
possessives, etc. In the dialogue from this lesson, you actually saw guite
a few eramples of another kind of agreement with nouns. Take a look
at these eramples again: siku ya shule (school day), siku za shule (school
days), sehemu ya mazoezi (gym, “place of erercises”), chakula cha usiku
(dinner, “food of the evening”), kazi za nyumbani (homework). Even
though the English translations don't contain the preposition of, they're
part of the Swahili meaning. For erample siku ya shule (school day)
literally means “day of school.” Now take a closer look at the form that

Lesson 4
 of takes: ya, za, cha... As you can probably guess, this form changes
depending on the class of the noun it's linked to. The basic form of
of in Swahili is —a, and onto this you add a prefir that varies by noun
class. The prefiz is the same that you use for the possessives, which you
learned in Lesson 3.
Take as an erzample siku ya shule. The word siku (day) is an N- Class
noun. The possessive prefiz that you learned in the last lesson for N-
Class nouns is y- in the singular, and z- in the plural. Since siku is sin-
gular, you get siku ya shule. But in the plural, you get siku za shule. For
Ki-Vi Nouns, the prefires are ch- for singular, and vy- for plural. So, you
have chakula cha jioni (dinner, “food of the evening”), and vyakula vya
watoto (children's food). For M-Wa Nouns, the possessive prefiz is w—
for both singular and plural. So, “a student of Swahili” is mwanafunzi
wa Kiswahili. Here are some more ezamples. Notice that this construc-
tion can be translated into English as of, as an apostrophe s, or even as
a compound (two part) noun:
Mtoto wa Ali anazungumza Ali's son conyerses in French.
Kifaransa.
Huyu ni mjomba wa Ali. This is Ali's uncle.
Hiki ni kitabu cha Kiswahili. This is a Swahili book / a book of
Swahili.
Hii ni kompyuta ya baba yangu. This is my father's computer.

4G. READING: USAFI

Kama ilivyo katika utamaduni wa nchi nyengine, watoto katika nchi za

Afrika Mashariki hufundishwa kufanya usafi wakiwa wadogo. Watoto hu-
fundishwa usafi wa mwili, nguo, chakula na mengineyo. Watoto hutakiwa
kupiga mswaki mara mbili kwa siku. Hupiga mswaki baada ya kuamka
na kabla ya kulala. Kwa kawaida watoto pia huoga mara mbili asubuhi na
jioni. Watoto hutakiwa kuoga kwa sabuni.
Watoto hawaachiwi kuwa na nywele kubwa, haswa wavulana. Kuwa na
nywele kubwa au ndefu kunaonekana kuwa sio usafi. Baadhi ya watoto
hupelekwa kwa kinyozi na kukatwa nywele. Wazazi wengine huwakata
watoto wao nywele wenyewe. Kama watoto ni wadogo, wazee huwakata
kucha kwa kiwembe. Watoto hukatazwa kukata kucha kwa meno.
Watoto pia hufundishwa wakiwa wadogo kufua nguo zao wenyewe. Baada
ya kufua nguo kwa kawaida watoto hufundishwa kupiga pasi. Katika seh-
emu nyingi za Afrika Mashariki hakuna mashine za kufulia.
Kawaida watoto wanawake hufundishwa kuosha vyombo na kufagia
nyumba, na kufanya usafi wa jumla wa nyumba. Kawaida watoto wengi
wanaume hawafanyi kazi hizi. Wao hufanya kazi za nje kama kuchunga
mifugo, kuchanga kuni, kukata majani na nyenginezo.

52 Swahili
Hygiene

Children in East Africa, just like in other countries' cultures, are usually taught
matters of hygiene when they're still young. Children are taught personal hy-
giene, hygiene for clothes, for food, and so on. Children typically have to brush
their teeth twice a day. They usually brush their teeth after getting up and
before they go to bed. Typically children also take a bath twice in the morning
and in the evening. Children have to take a bath with soap.
Children, especially boys, aren't allowed to grow long hair. To grow long hair
is considered to be unhygienic. Some children are taken to a barber to have
their hair cut. Other parents cut their children's hair themselves. If the chil-
dren are small, parents clip their children's fingernails with a razor. Children
are usually strongly discouraged from biting their nails!
Children are also taught while they are small, to wash their clothes by
themselves. After washing their clothes children are typically taught how DHUN
DU
<Idobu
ja8
idn
nda
pdDs
0p
JbyM
Jwli
to iron their clothes. Washing machines are not available in many places
in East Africa.

Young girls are typically taught how to wash utensils, sweep the house, and
do general household cleaning. Usually many boys do not do these household
chores. They normally do outside work like rearing cattle, splitting wood,
mowing, and so on.

LH. CULTURE TOPIC 2; THINGS TO DO IN THE

EVENING IN EAST AFRICA

If you're interested in the daily life of people in Swahili speaking cultures,

you may be wondering what people do (hufanya) outside of their work
lives. Of course, one option is simply to rest (kupumzika) after a hectic day.
After all, many offices (ofisi nyingi) close (hufungwa) after 5:00 p.m. (saa
kumi na mojajioni).

For entertainment, people may like (hupenda) to play (kucheza) local games
in the evening. You can see people playing poker (karata) and board games
(bao), while others look on with interest. Of course, board games are not for
everyone. Many people like to play or watch soccer (mpira wa miguu), so
they spend a lot of time in open soccer fields (viwanja vya mpira).
But this has typically been a man's hobby; it has been very rare to see women
in these places, although this is beginning to change slightly. As women in
East African culture are usually responsible for running the home, a great
deal of their time is spent preparing food. Some items that women cook are
buns (maandazi), rice fritters (vitumbua), fried fish (samaki wa kukaanga),
and chapati (a flat loaf of bread). But naturally, women do spend some time
relaring, and you might see groups of women enjoying one another's com
pany, talking, and even braiding one another's hair. These days you might
also find women going to the gym, playing netball or basketball, or jogging.

Lesson 4 53
 Young people in East Africa spend time doing many of the same things
that young people everywhere do. They go to the movies (sinema) with
friends (marafiki), or perhaps to discothegues (kumbi za muziki). Some
people are homebodies, so they stay (kubaki) at home and watch (huanga-
lia) TV or listen (husikiliza) to the radio. Muslims may go to the mosgues
(misikitini) in the evening to pray, learn about Islam, or listen to sermons
(hotuba). Christians also may attend church (kanisa) services every Sunday
or Saturday and some evenings during the week.

EKERCISES

Ezercise 1. Use the appropriate form of —a in the following.

1. Hiki ni chumba watoto.
2.Hiinikompyuta — baba.
3.Kitanda baba na mama ni kikubwa.
4.Hawaniwatu Kenya.

5.Hivinivyoo — wanawake.
6.Ndege — Kenya ni wazuri.
7-Bustani — nyumba hii ni kubwa.
8.Hizinimeza kompyuta.
9. Mwanafunzi — Kiswahili anaenda Tanzania.

Erercise 2. Now translate each of the following days of the week, either into
Swahili or into English.
1. Jumatatu

2. Thursday
3. Jumanne

4. Friday
5. Jumapili

6. Wednesday
7. Saturday

Erercise 3. Write the eguivalent time in the following by using numbers and
a.m. or p.m. For erample, saa moja kamili asubuhi would be “7:00 a.m.”

1. Saa kumi na mbili jioni.

2. Saa saba usiku.

3. Saa tano asubuhi.

SL Swahili
4. Saa nane mchana.
5. Saa tatu usiku.

Erercise 4. Now say the following times in Swahili.

1. 10:00 a.m.
2. 3:00 a.m.
3. 7:00 p.m.
4. 4:00 p.m.
5. 8:00 a.m.

Erercise 5. Now make sentences out of the following. You'll need to trans-
late the day of the week into Swahili, convert any times into Swahili, and zidobu
jad
idn
ndA
DNYWDD
DDS
Jwi)
0p
JbuM
you'l| also need to use the present habitual (hu) tense.
Ekrample: Kila siku / amka/ (6:00 a.m.) Kila siku huamka saa kumi
na mbili asubuhi.
Mm . Sunday/ fua nguo / asubuhi.
2. Kila /Monday / enda shule / saa tatu asubuhi.

. Kwa kawaida watoto / oga / asubuhi na jioni.

. Watoto/ lala /mapema kila siku.

. Baba / nyoa ndevu / 8:00 a.m.

. Kwa kawaida
Kaa watoto wadogo / katwa kucha / kila Saturday.

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Make a list of ten common daily activities, and use the glossary, a
dictionary, or an online reference to translate them into English. After
you've got your list of ten new vocabulary items, try making sentences
by using them along with days of the week or times of the day. Add
a few items to this list every day or every week, record them in your
journal, and watch your vocabulary grow!

ANSWER KEY

Evercise 1: 1. Hiki ni chumba cha watoto. 2. Hii ni kompyuta ya baba. 3. Ki

tanda cha baba na mama ni kikubwa. 4. Hawa ni watu wa Kenya. 5. Hivi ni
vyoo vya wanawake. 6. Ndege wa Kenya ni wazuri. 7. Bustani ya nyumba hii
ni kubwa. 8. Hizi ni meza za kompyuta. 9. Mwanafunzi wa Kiswahili anaenda
Tanzania.

Lesson 4 55
 Ezercise 2: 1. Jumatatu—Monday. 2. Thursday—Alhamisi. 3. Jumanne—
Tuesday. 4. Friday—Ijumaa. 5. Jumapili—Sunday. 6. Wednesday—
Jumatano. 7. Saturday—Jumamosi.

Erercise 3: 1. 6:00 p.m. 2. 1:00 a.m. 3. 11:00 a.m. 4. 2:00 p.m. 5. 9:00 Pp.m.

Ezercise 4: 1. Saa nne kamili asubuhi. 2. Saa tisa usiku. 3. Saa moja usiku.
4. Saa kumi jioni. 5. Saa mbili asubuhi.
Erercise 5: 1. Jumapili hufua nguo asubuhi. 2. Kila Jumatatu huenda shule
saa tatu asubuhi. 3. Kwa kawaida watoto huoga asubuhi na jioni. 4. Watoto
hulala mapema kila siku. 5. Baba hunyoa ndevu saa mbili asubuhi. 6. Kwa
kawaida watoto wadogo hukatwa kucha kila Jumamosi.

56, Swahili
LESSON

Shuleni
AtsScnool

This lesson will focus on schools, so you'l| learn a lot of new and useful
vocabulary for talking about studies. You'll also learn several important
grammatical points, including the past tense, numbers 21 through 1,000,
and agreement with N- Class nouns. As usual, let's start with a vocabulary
warm-up.

5A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

baada ya masomo after studies/lessons/classes

Bila shaka! Of course! (“Without doubt!”)
Habari za likizo? How was the break?
kama unapenda if you like
kumaliza masomo to finish studies
karatasi ya kuchapishia printing paper
kwa likizo for break, for vacation
wakati wa likizo (during the) time of break
kwa nini? why?
kwa sababu because
labda maybe, perhaps
masomo ya lugha language studies
shule ya sekondari secondary school
Tungependa kununua... We would liketo buy...

vifaa vya shule school items, school supplies

Ulienda wapi? Where did you go?

Ulifanya nini? What did you do?

kuwaona wazazi to see parents

kwa ajili ya for (the purpose of)

 5B. DIALOGUE: AT SCHOOL

Musa and Pendo are secondary school students. Musa comes from Dar es
Salaam, and Pendo from Arusha. They meet at the bookstore and talk about
their recent school break.

Musa: Habari za likizo Pendo?

Pendo: Nzuri tu. Na wewe?

Musa: Nzuri. Ulienda wapi kwa likizo?

Pendo: Nilienda nyumbani kuwatembelea wazazi
wangu.
Musa: Wazazi wako wanaishi wapi?
Pendo: Wanaishi Arusha.
Musa: Na wewe ulifanya nini wakati wa likizo?
Pendo: Nilipumzika na nilifanya mazoezi ya
mtihani.
Musa: Kwa nini?

Pendo: Kwa sababu ninataka kufanya mtihani.

Musa: Unafanya mtihani gani?
Pendo: Mtihani wa kumaliza masomo ya shule ya
sekondari.
Musa: Unafanya mtihani wa masomo gani?
Pendo: Ninafanya mtihani wa bayolojia, fizikia,
kemia na hesabu.
Musa: Kwa nini unafanya masomo haya?
Pendo: Kwa sababu ninataka kuwa daktari.
Musa: Lakini masomo haya ni magumu!
Pendo: Ndio lakini ninayapenda masomo haya.
Wewe unapenda masomo gani?
Musa: Mimi ninapenda historia, jiografia, uchumi )

na lugha za kigeni.
Pendo: Unapenda lugha gani?
Musa: Ninapenda Kiingereza, Kihispania na
Kitaliano.
Pendo: Lakini masomo ya lugha ni magumu!
Musa: Hapana, si magumu kama unayapenda.

Swahili
Baadaye Musa anazungumza na mwenyeduka.
Muuzaji: Habari gani?
Musa: Nzuri. Na wewe?

Muuzaji: Nzuri sana. Karibu.

3V
100425
1uajny3
Musa: Asante. Tungependa kununua vifaa vya
shule.
Muuzaji: Wewe unataka vitu gani?
Musa: Mimi ninahitaji vitabu, madaftari, kalamu,
penseli za rangi, karatasi za kuandikia, na
mkoba wa shule.
Muuzaji: Unaweza kununua vitu hivi hapa. Unahitaji
nini zaidi?
Musa: Ninahitaji sare za shule na viatu pia. Pia
ninataka disketi za kompyuta na karatasi za
kuchapishia.
Muuzaji: Wewe ni mwanafunzi wa shule gani?
Musa: Mimi ninasoma shule ya sekondari .
Muuuzaji: Ulimaliza shule ya msingi?
Musa: Ndio, nilimaliza.

Muuzaji: Utapenda kufanya nini baada ya masomo?

Musa: Nitapenda kuwa mwalimu wa Kiingereza.
Muuzaji: Unapenda kufundisha?
Musa: Ndio ninapenda kufundisha sana.
Muuzaji: Basi utakuwa mwalimu mzuri.
Musa: Labda!
Muuzaji: Bila shaka!
Musa: Asante. Kwaheri.
Muuzaji: Haya, kwaheri.
Musa: Tutaonana.

Muuzaji: Tutaonana.

Musa: How was break?

Pendo: Just fine. And you?
Musa: Fine. Where did you go for break?

Lesson 5 59
 Pendo: 1 went home to visit my parents.
Musa: Where do your parents live?
Pendo: They live in Arusha.
Musa: And what did you do during break?
Pendo: ITrested and studied for ezams (“did ekram
practice”).
Musa: Why?
Pendo: Because I want to take my erams.
Musa: Which erams will you take?
Pendo: Erams for completing secondary school.
Musa: Which subjects are you taking erams for?
Pendo: TII do biology, physics, chemistry, and math.
Musa: Why are you studying these subjects?
Pendo: Because I want to become a doctor.
Musa: But these subjects are difficult!
Pendo: Yes, but I like these subjects. What subjects do
you like?
Musa: 1 like history, geography, economics, and
foreign languages.
Pendo: Which languages do you like?
Musa: 1 like English, Spanish, and Italian.
Pendo: But languages are difficult!
Musa: No, they're not difficult if you like them.
Later Musa talks with the bookstore salesperson.

Salesperson: How are you doing?

Musa: Fine. And you?
Salesperson: Erscellent. Welcome.
Musa: Wed like to buy some school supplies.
Salesperson: What supplies do you need?
Musa: I need books, notebooks, pens, colored pencils
writing pads, and a school bag.
ha

Salesperson: You can buy these things here. What else do

you need?

60, Swahili
 Musa: I need a school uniform and shoes. 1 also want
a computer diskette and printing paper.
Salesperson: Which school do you go to?
Musa: I go to secondary school.
JV
100425
1uajny2
Salesperson: Did you finish elementary school?
Musa: Yes, I did.
Salesperson: What would you like to do when you finish
school?
Musa: T'd like to be an English language teacher.
Salesperson: Do you like teaching?
Musa: Yes, | like teaching very much.
Salesperson: So you'lI be a good teacher!
Musa: Maybe.
Salesperson: Yes, of course!
Musa: Thank you. Good-bye.
Salesperson: See you!

Musa: See you!

5C. VOCABULARY

bayolojia biology

daftari/madaftari notebook/s

daktari/madaktari doctor/s

darasa/madarasa classroom/s

disketi diskette/s

fizikia physics

geni foreign

—gumu hard, difficult

hesabu, hesabati mathematics

historia history

jiografia geography

kalamu pen/s

kama if, when

61
Lesson 5
 kemia chemistry
kifaa/vifaa item/s, supply/ies
kuandika to write
kufanya jaribio/mtihani to take a test
kuhitaji to need
kukumbuka to remember
kumaliza to finish
kununua to buy
kupumzika to rest, to relar
kusoma to study, to read
likizo break,/$, vacation/$, leave/s
lugha language/s
mtihani/mitihani eram)/s, test/s
penseli pencil/s
rangi color/s, paint/s
somo/masomo subject/s
uchumi economics
wakati/nyakati time/s
zaidi more
zoezi/mazoezi erercise/s

5D. KEY PHRASES

Here are some phrases to talk about school and

studies.
Mimi ni mwanafunzi katika I'm a student at the university.
chuo kikuu.

Nitamaliza masomo/ T'U graduate this year.

Nitahitimu mwaka huu.

Dada yangu yuko shule ya My sister is in primary/

msingi. elementary school.
Mtihani wa kumaliza masomo The secondary school final eram is
ya shule ya sekondari ni mgumu.
difficult.
Unapenda somo gani zaidi? What's your favorite subject?
Masomo ya lugha ni muhimu. Tanguage studies are important.
62, Swahili
 Ninahitaji kompyuta mpya. I need a new computer.
Unafanya mtihani gani? Which eram are you taking?
Lazima nisome kwa ajili ya I have to study for my ezam.
mtihani.
ALI

Nilipumzika wakati wa likizo. IT rested during the break. 1V

100425
1ua/ny$
Nimefaulu mtihani! I passed my eram!

5E. CULTURE TOPIC 1; EDUCATION

Most people agree that education (elimu) is the best way to empower the
economically and socially disadvantaged. For that reason, it has become a
priority for nearly every country to provide education to its people. Despite
this goal, there are still millions of children across the world who do not
have access even to elementary education. This is a particular problem for
developing countries, especially those in Africa.
Compared to many other African countries, Tanzania and Kenya have
achieved a high degree of success in this area. In recent years, governments
in these countries have succeeded in providing basic education to all school-
age children. In Tanzania, this has been achieved partly due to the unifying
role of Swahili. Unlike many other countries in Africa, elementary schools in
Tanzania do not use a foreign language as a medium of instruction. This is
because few African countries are fortunate enough to have one indigenous
national language, and as a result, they turn to European languages for such
purposes as government, business, and education. Still, despite its achieve-
ments, the government of Tanzania guarantees children only seven years of
compulsory elementary education. Upon completion of those seven years,
children must take a national eram (mtihani wa taifa), after which fewer
than fifty percent of them are able to continue with secondary education.
of
Those who pass this eram take another four, and then two, more years
secondary education before they graduate (kumaliza masomo/kuhitimu) and
apply (kuomba) to a university (chuo kikuu). At the university, they take an
other three years to graduate, or more depending on the program.
In Kenya, another Swahili-speaking country, education is provided on the
eight-four-four basis, meaning that students acguire elementary education
Af
for eight years and then attend secondary school for another four years.
ter four years of secondary school, students go to the university for another
four (or more) years.

5F. GRAMMAR

Grammar Topic 1; The Past Tense

formation to be
If you/ve studied other languages, you may erpect tense
and irregular forms to
very difficult, with all sorts of different endings
63
Lesson 5
 memorize. Tenses in Swahili, you'lI be happy to know, are actually much more
straightforward. As you've already learned, a verb contains at least three ele-
ments: a subject prefis 4 a tense infir 4 a verb root. Simply by changing the
tense infir you can change from present to past or future. As an overview,
here are the tense infizes. Of course you already know the present:

Present Tense Infik Past Tense Infi£ Future Tense Infi£

-na- -li- -ta-

Now let's see how this system works with three verbs that you know—
kusoma (to study/read), kusema (to speak) and kutoka (to come from):
: Present Past Future

Mimi ninasoma Kiswahili. j Mimi nilisoma Kiswahili. Mimi nitasoma Kiswahili.

I study Swahili. | studied Swahili. I will study Swahili.

Mimi . Kiswahili. Mimi nilisema Kiswahili. Mimi nitasema Kiswahili.

| speak Swahili. | spoke Swahili. I will speak Swahili.

Mimi ninatoka Marekani. Mimi nilitoka Marekani. Mimi nitatoka Marekani.

I come from the U.S. | came from the U.S. 1 will come from the U.S.

The great thing about tense infikes is that they never change, no matter
what
the noun class of the subject is, or whether the subject is a person, animal,
or
thing. What will change is the subject marker, of course. Since you ve learned
three noun classes so far, let's review those subject markers:

M-Wa Class Ki-Vi Class N- Class

ni— tu—

u- m—

a— wa— ki— via ka zi

Don't forget that the M-Wa Class is the class of human beings,
so there are
first person (1, we) and second person (you) subject prefires
as well as third
person (he, she, they). But the Ki-Vi and N- Classes only
have singular and
Plural third person prefires, referring to “it” and “they”
for non-humans.
And remember, ifa noun refers to an animate being,
no matter which class
it belongs to, the M-Wa subject prefires will be used.
Here are some es-
amples of past tense verbs with different subjects:
Redio” iliharibika. The radio broke down.
Kitabu kilipotea. The book got lost.

“ Both redio and radio are used in Swahili.

64, Swahili
Vitabu viliuzwa. The books were sold.

Ndege iliruka. The airplane flew.

Ndege ziliruka. The airplanes flew.
Ndege aliruka. The bird flew.
100425
3V
1uajny3s
Ndege waliruka. The birds flew.
Take note of the last four eramples. The noun ndege, an N- Class noun, can
mean either “bird” or “airplane.” Since it's an N- Class noun, its plural is the
same as its singular, but any associated agreement markers will reflect its
number. When meaning “airplane,” an inanimate noun, ndege takes regular
N- Class subject prefires. But when it means “bird,” an animate noun, ndege
takes M-Wa subject prefires.

Grammar Topic 2; The Past Tense of “to Be" and “to Have"
In Lesson 1 you learned that there is one simple form in Swahili for “am,”
“are,” and “is”: ni, which is si in the negative. In the past tense, though, the
verb kuwa is used to ezpress “was” and “were”:
Mimi nilikuwa mwanafunzi. I was a student.
Chakula kilikuwa kizuri. The food was good.
Nyumba ilikuwa ndogo. The house was small.
To espress “have” in the past, the same forms are used, but na is included,
just as in the present:
Nilikuwa na pesa. I had money.
Chumba kilikuwa na kitanda The room had one bed.
kimoja.
Mji ulikuwa na watu wengi. The city had many people.

Grammar Topic 3: The Negative Past Tense

It's easier to negate a verb in the past tense than itis to negate a verb
in the present tense. All you have to do is use the negation marker (ha-)
along with the subject prefis and the infinitive (ku—) form of the verb So, to
negate sisi tulisoma (we studied), we have ha— 4 —tu—4 kusoma: sisi hatu
kusoma (we didn't study). The only erception is when the subject is mimi
(1). The negative form as you know is si-, without the ha— marker. So mimi
nilisoma (1 studied) becomes mimi sikusoma (1 didn't study). Finally, notice
pre
that the vowel in ha- adjusts to fit the “you” prefir u— and the “he/she”
fr a—: ha- 4 -u- becomes hu-, and ha- 4 —a— 4 becomes ha-.

Mimi nilisoma Kiswahili. Mimi sikusoma Kiswahili.

I studied Swahili. I didn't study Swahili,

65
Lesson 5
 Wewe ulisoma Kiswahili. Wewe hukusoma Kiswahili.
You studied Swahili. You didn't study Swahili.
Yeye alisoma Kiswahili. Yeye hakusoma Kiswahili.
He/She studied Swahili. He/She didn't study Swahili.
Sisi tulisoma Kiswahili. Sisi hatukusoma Kiswahili.
We studied Swahili. We didn't study Swahili.
Nyinyi mlisoma Kiswahili. Nyinyi hamkusoma Kiswahili.
You (all) studied Swahili. You (all) didn't study Swahili.
Wao walisoma Kiswahili. Wao hawakusoma Kiswahili.
They studied Swahili. They didn't study Swahili.
And here are some ezamples with “be” and “have” in the negative past:
Mimi sikuwa mwanafunzi. 1I was not a student.
Chakula hakikuwa kizuri. The food wasn't good.
Nyumba haikuwa ndogo. The house wasn't small.
Sikuwa na pesa. 1 didn't have any money.
Chumba hakikuwa na kitanda. The room had no bed.
Mji haukuwa na watu wengi. The city didn't have many people.

Grammar Topic 4: Agreement with N- Class Nouns

In this section we're going to take a moment to review different aspects
of agreement with N- Class nouns. As you've already seen, the subject
prefikes for this class are i- in the singular and zi- in the plural,
and
these sounds show up in other types of agreement as well. Possessives,
for erample, take the prefires y-— in the singular, and z-— in the plural.
Also
note that the demonstratives are: hii (this), hizi (these), ile (that),
and zile
(those). For this reason, the N- Class is often referred to as the I-Zi
Class.
As you know, an important thing to keep in mind about this
class is that
the singular and plural forms of the nouns themselves are identical.
How-
ever, the agreement markers on other elements of the sentence—
verbs,
possessives, demonstratives, etc.—will clearly show
the number.
kalamu yangu, kalamu zangu my pen, my pens
nyumba yako, nyumba zako your house, your houses
ndoto hii, ndoto hizi this dream, these dreams
Motokaa yangu iliharibika. My car broke down.
Motokaa zangu ziliharibika. My cars broke down.
Shule yao ilifungwa. Their school was closed.

Swahili
Shule zao zilifungwa. Their schools were closed.
Kompyuta yake haikuharibika. Her/His computer did not
break down.
Kompyuta zake hazikuharibika. Her/His computers did not
break down. JV
|00425
Juajny35

If you think back to Lesson 3, when you were introduced to adjective agree-
ment, you learned that there are two types of adjectives, variable and in-
variable. While invariable forms never change, variable adjectives agree
with the nouns they modify by taking a prefir that, in the case of M-Wa and
Ki-Vi nouns, is identical to the noun prefir itself. An important ezception to
remember is that adjectives that describe animate nouns will always take
the M-Wa prefizes, no matter what class the nouns belong to.

mtoto mrefu — a tall child watoto warefu - tal! children

kisu kirefu — a long knife visu virefu — long knives
mbwa mkubwa - a big dog mbwa wakubwa - big dogs
dada yake mzuri — his beautiful dada zake wazuri — his beautiful
sister sisters
Adjective agreement with N- Class nouns is slightly more complicated, be-
cause the forms of the prefires vary from adjective to adjective, and some-
times even the adjective root itself is altered. This happens because the
prefir is not always a “stable” n—. Think of it instead as a variable that will
change forms depending on what it precedes. You may have noticed this
in the nouns themselves—sometimes they begin with m-, n-, ny-, Or ng-,
(all nasal sounds), or sometimes with no obvious prefis at all, especially,
but not only, in the case of the foreign words that have been absorbed into
Swahili. For plenty of eramples, take a look back at Lesson 3, Grammar
Topic 3. The prefikes that adjectives take to agree with N- Class nouns
follow this same pattern, which means that they may seem very irregular.
But there is a pattern. And one thing is simple—adjectives that agree with
N- Class nouns, like those nouns themselves, have identical singular and
plural forms. Let's try to make sense of the pattern of adjective prehres
with N- Class nouns.

If an adjective stem begins with -d, —2,0r —-g, it takes the prefir n— to agree
with N- Class nouns. If you say each of those sounds, you'l| notice that
they're pronounced with the tongue very close to where n— is pronounced,
so the N- Class prefis follows the path of least resistance and becomes n-—.
Here are eramples with —dogo (small), zuri (beautiful), and gumu (dit
ficult, hard).

kalamu ndogo a small pen, small pens

nyumba nzuri a beautiful house, beautiful houses

kazi ngumu hard work

67
Lesson 5
 If the adjective stem begins with —b, the N- Class agreement prefiz will be
m-. Again, pronounce those two sounds and notice how similarly they're
formed. The adjective —baya (bad) is such an erzample. Also note that —pya
(new) follows this pattern.
kahawa mbaya bad coffee
meza mpya a new table, new tables
If the adjective stem begins with a vowel, the prefis will be ny- or y-—. Ey-
amples are —ingi (many), —-eupe (white), and —ote (all). An esception is —ema
(good), which becomes njema to agree with N- Class nouns.
safari nyingi many trips
chaki nyeupe white chalk
sukari yote all the sugar
sukari nyeupe white sugar
mvua njema good rain
In many cases, there is no prefis at all when an adjective agrees with an N-
Class noun. This happens if the adjective begins with a nasal —n,—m, or —ng, or
ifit begins with —p,—f—t, —s, —sh, —ch, or —k. But remember that —pya (new)
is
an ekception. Some eramples are: —kubwa (big), kongwe (old), —chafu (dirty),
—nne (four), —moja (one), pana (wide), fupi (short), and tatu (three).
shule kubwa a big school, big schools
redio kongwe an old radio, old radios
stoo chafu a dirty storeroom, dirty
Storerooms
njia pana a wide road, wide roads
kompyuta tatu three computers
There are two cases where the adjective stem itself
actually changes to
agree with N- Class nouns. If the adjective begins with
—r, the —r will change
to —d, and the prefis will be n—. An erample is —refu
(long, tall). Also, if the
adjective begins with —w, the —w will change to —b,
and the prefis will be
m-—. An erample is —wili (two).
ndizi ndefu a long banana, long bananas
lugha mbili two languages
And of course, keep in mind that animate nduns—ones
that refer to people
or animals—will always take M-Wa agreement
on the adjective. A lot of
N- Class nouns refer to animals, but any adjecti
ves that you use to describe
them will act as if the nouns were M-Wa Class
nouns:
tembo mkubwa, tembo a big elephant, big elephants
wakubwa
rafiki wawili two friends
68, Swahili
Grammar Topic 5; Numbers 21-1,000

In the last lesson you learned the numbers 1-20. Now let's add to that
by learning how to count from 21 through 1,000. 21 through 99 are very
straightforward. There are numbers for the “tens” place, to which you add
“ones” onto them with the word na (and):
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1uajny2$5
3V
20 ishirini 37 thelathini na saba zo sabini
21ishirininamoja yo arobaini Bo themanini
22 ishirini na mbili 49 arobaininatisa go tisini
30 thelathini 50 hamsini 99 tisini na tisa
35 thelathini natano 60 sitini 100 mia
The only thing to keep in mind is that —moja, —wili, —tatu, —nne, —tano,
and —nane agree when used after a tens-place number, just as they do
on their own.

watu ishirini na wawili 22 people

viti thelathini na vitano 35 chairs

The word for one hundred is mia, and for one thousand, it's elfu. To say two
hundred, three hundred, etc., the number of hundreds comes after mia, and
itis in the N- Class.

101 mia na moja 300 mia tatu

125 mia na ishirini na tano 472 mia nne, sabini na mbili

200 mia mbili 587 mia tano, themanini na saba

230 mia mbili na thelathini 1000 elfu

56. READING: SHULE ZA AFRIKA YA MASHARIKI

Watoto wa Afrika ya Mashariki wanapenda sana kusoma na kucheza.

Watoto wadogo wanaanza masomo katika shule za chekechea. Baada ya
shule ya chekechea wao huenda shule ya msingi. Watoto husoma shule ya
chekechea kwa mwaka mmoja au miaka miwili.

Watoto wa Tanzania husoma shule ya msingi miaka saba. Watoto wa Ke

nya husoma shule ya msingi miaka minane. Baada ya shule ya msingi wa
nafunzi husoma shule ya sekondari.
Wanafunzi wa Kenya husoma shule ya sekondari miaka minne. Baadaye
wao huenda Chuo Kikuu miaka minne au ziadi. Watoto wa Tanzania hu
soma shule ya sekondari miaka sita na baadaye huenda Chuo Kikuu. Wa
nafunzi wa Tanzania husoma Chuo Kikuu miaka mitatu.

Lesson 5 69
 Schools in East Africa
Children in East Africa like to study and play. Small children begin their
studies in kindergarten. After kindergarten, they go to elementary school
They go to kindergarten for one year or two years.
Tanzanian children go to elementary school for seven years. Kenyan children
go to elementary school for eight years. After elementary school children go
to secondary school.
Kenyan children go to secondary school for eight years. After that, they go
to university for four years or more. Tanzanian children go to secondary
school for sir years, and then go to the university. They go to university for
three years.

5H. CULTURE TOPIC 2: EDUCATION AND

EMPLOYMENT

Not so long ago in Africa, education was a privilege available only to the
few. In pre-independence Africa, not all children had access to education.
Instead, education was available to very few children who lived in cities,
and also to a few children who belonged to the rural elite, for ezample, the
children of chiefs, colonial administrators, or religious leaders. A modern
education was therefore a certain path toward a prestigious job with the co-
lonial administration. Anyone who went to school in those days was guar-
anteed a government job, not to mention all the benefits that came with it.
In fact, it was a customary erpectation that every child who went to school
would then go on to work for the government.
Nowadays there are more educational opportunities, and many more
people have access to education regardless of economic or political status.
However, there are fewer employment opportunities in the government,
and many college graduates remain unemployed long after completion of
their studies. The government can no longer employ all university gradu-
ates, and the weak private sector cannot absorb all of the unemployed.
Unemployment is therefore common among African college graduates
these days. Unemployment among those without a college education is
even worse. As more and more young people enter the job market and find
themselves without meaningful employment, some turn to petty trading
in large cities, as discussed in Lesson 4, while most simply join the ranks
of the unemployed.

EKERCISES

Brercise 1: Change each of the following sentences into the past tense.
1. Yeye anatoka Zanzibar.
2. Wanafunzi wanasoma Kiswahili.

70, Swahili
 3. Mama yangu anasema Kifaransa.
4. Sisi tunaenda sinema.
5. Wewe unaoga.

Ekercise 2: Negate the following past tense sentences.

1uajn
10042
3V
1. Liz alisoma Kiswahili.
2. Kitabu kilipotea.
3. Motokaa zao ziliuzwa.
4. Ali na Liz waliishi Tanzania.
5. Kompyuta zake zilipotea.

Erercise 3: Make the following sentences plural.

1. Motokaa yangu ilipotea.
2. Shule yake ilifungwa.
3. Nyumba kongwe ilianguka.
4. Radio yangu ilitoweka.
5. Kompyuta yangu iliharibika.

Erercise 4: Translate the following into Swahili.

1. This is a good computer.
2. She would like to buy four books and two pens.
3. The little children went to the movies.
4. That's an old car.
5. They usually study French at 3:00 in the afternoon.

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Make a list of five activities that you did yesterday, and five that you
did not do. Use the glossary or a dictionary if you need to look up any
new verbs in Swahili. Use those verbs to make sentences in the past
tense, five affirmative, and five negative. Challenge yourself by cre-
ating sentences that use adjectives, and practice using correct agree-
ment. One thing to keep in mind when you're looking up verbs in
Swahili is that they're often listed without the ku— prefir, even though
that's the convention used in this course. For erample, if you look up
“read (to)” in the glossary, you'll see kusoma. Elsewhere you may see
soma or —soma. Either way, you know what to do to conjugate.

Lesson 5 71
 ANSWER KEY

Ezercise 1: 1. Yeye alitoka Zanzibar. 2. Wanafunzi walisoma Kiswahili. 3. Mama

yangu alisema Kifaransa. 4. Sisi tulienda sinema. 5. Wewe ulioga.

Erercise 2: 1. Liz hakusoma Kiswahili. 2. Kitabu hakikupotea. 3. Moto-

kaa zao hazikuuzwa. 4. Ali na Liz hawakuishi Tanzania. 5. Kompyuta
zake hazikupotea.

Ezercise 3: 1. Motokaa zangu zilipotea. 2. Shule zake zilifungwa. 3. Nyum-

ba kongwe zilianguka. 4. Radio zangu zilitoweka. 5. Kompyuta zangu
ziliharibika.

Erercise 4: 1. Hii ni kompyuta nzuri. 2. Angependa kununua vitabu vine

na kalamu mbili. 3. Watoto wadogo walienda sinema. 4. Lile ni gari kon-
gwe. 5. Wao husoma Kifaransa saa tisa mchana.

72, Swahili
LESSON

Habari za safari?
How was the trip?

In Lesson 6, you'll learn how to ask about and espress location. You'll be
introduced to another noun class, the Ji-Ma class, for which you'lI learn all
the subject prefires, possessive prefires, adjective prefikes, and so on. First,
let's start with a vocabulary warm-up.

6A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

Unaweza kuniita... You can call me...

Habari za safari? How was the trip?
Safari ni ndefu. The trip is long.
barabara road, street
kituo cha basi bus station
karibu na... MTI WE aiLia io SADA
kwa gari by car
mbuga wildlife park, preserve
Maasai Mara The Maasai Mara National Park
Mlima Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro
kupanda mlima to climb a mountain, go
mountain climbing
Wanyama wako mbugani. The animals are in the park.

6B. DIALOGUE: SAFARI

Margaret is an American tourist visiting East Africa for a wildlife safari

She is met by Ales, a representative of the tour company that arranged her
trip, at the Nairobi International Airport. Margaret has a few places that
she'd like to see, but she's unfortunately a bit confused about East African
geography. Listen in on the conversation.
Aler: Habari gani bibi?

Margaret: Nzuri.
 Alez: Wewe ni Bibi Margaret Anderson kutoka
Marekani?
Margaret: Ndio, mimi ni Bibi Margaret Anderson.
Unaweza kuniita Margaret.
Alez: Habari za safari?

Margaret: Nzuri lakini safari ni ndefu na nimechoka

sana.

Alez: Pole.
Margaret: Asante.

Alez: Unaweza kwenda hoteli kupumzika sasa.

Margaret: Ndio, ninahitaji kupumzika.
Alez: Vizuri. Gari lako hili hapa.
Margaret: Asante. Gari ni zuri sana!
Alez: Sasa tunaenda hoteli.
Margaret: Hoteli yangu iko wapi?
Alez: Hoteli yako iko barabara ya Kenyatta.
Tunaenda hotelini sasa.
Siku inayofuata Alez anampeleka Margaret kituo cha basi kwa ajili ya sa-
fari katika mbuga ya Maasai Mara.
Alez: Sasa tunaenda kituo cha basi.

Margaret: Kituo cha basi kiko wapi?

Alez: Kituo cha basi kiko karibu na kituo cha
treni. Kwanza unapanda basi kutoka
Nairobi na baadaye unaenda mbugani kwa
gari. Wanyama wako mbugani.

Margaret: Mimi ninataka kupanda Mlima wa

Kilimanjaro pia.
Alez: Mlima wa Kilimanjaro uko Tanzania hauko
Kenya.

Margaret: Ninataka kuona mbuga ya wanyama ya

Serengeti pia.
Alez: Vizuri lakini Serengeti iko Tanzania pia.
Margaret: Alaa kumbe!

Alez: Ndio. Hapa Kenya kuna mbuga ya wanyama

ya Maasai Mara.

741 Swahili
 Margaret: Sawa. Basi sasa nitaenda Maasai Mara na
baadaye nitatembelea Tanzania kuona
Serengeti na kupanda Mlima wa Kilimanjaro.

Alesr: How are you doing, Ma'am?

Margaret: Fine.

Aler: Are you Ms. Margaret Anderson from the

United States?
Margaret: Yes, I'm Margaret Anderson. You can call me
Margaret. <UDJDS
:d1J)
LIDGD
DZ
34)
MOH
SPM

Ales: How was the trip?

Margaret: Good, but the trip was long and T'm so tired.
Aler: Sorry.
Margaret: Thank you.
Alez: You can go to the hotel to rest now.
Margaret: Yes, I need to rest.
Alesr: Well, here is your car.
Margaret: Thank you. The car is ercellent!
Alesz: Now we!li get going to the hotel.
Margaret: Where is my hotel?
Ales: Your hotel is on Kenyatta Road. We're going
to the hotel now.
Then, the following day, Alez takes Margaret to the bus station, where she'll
head to the Maasai Mara National Park for a safari.
Alesr: Now were going to the bus station.
Margaret: Where is the bus station?
Alesr: The bus station is near the train station. First
you take a bus from Nairobi, and then you
go to the park by car. The animals are in the
park.
Margaret: I also want to climb Mountain Kilimanjaro.
Alesz: Mt. Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania; it's not in
Kenya.
Margaret: I also want to see the Serengeti National
Park.
Ales: Fine, but the Serengeti National Park is also
in Tanzania.

Lesson 6 13
 Margaret: Is that so?
Ales: Yes. Here in Kenya is the Maasai Mara
National Park.

Margaret: Okay. So now TI go to Maasai Mara, and

then I'll visit Tanzania to see the Serengeti
National Park and climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.

60. VOCABULARY

barabara road/s, street/s

barabara kuu highway/s
basi so
basi/mabasi bus/es
duka/maduka store/s
gari/magari car/s
hoteli hotel/s
jengo la ofisi/majengo ya ofisi office building/s
kanisa/makanisa church/es
karibu nearby, close
kati kati ya mji downtown, city center
kituo cha basi/vituo vya basi bus station/s
kituo/vituo station/s, stop/s, stand/s
kuchoka to be tired
kufika/kuwasili to arrive
kuhitaji to need
kuona to see
kuondoka to leave, depart
kupanda to climb
kupumzika to rest

kuweza to be able
mbali far
mbuga wildlife park/s
mkahawa/mikahawa restaurant/s
mlima/milima mountain

Swahili
mnyama/wanyama animal/s
msikiti/misikiti mosgue/s
pesa, fedha money
safari trip/s, safari/s
sasa now
shilingi shilling/s
soko/masoko market/s
treni/matreni train/s
<UDfD
di)
UDGD
DZ
Sem
3y)
MOH
ufuko/fuko, ufukwe/fukwe, beach/es
Ppwaa/mapwaa
uwanja wa ndege/viwanja airport/s
vya ndege
—zuri, —a kupendeza, —a kuvutia interesting

6D. KEY PHRASES

Here are some key phrases that will come in handy when you're asking
where important places are.
Mabasi ya kuenda mjini yako Where are the buses to the city?
wapi?
Hoteli yangu iko wapi? Where is my hotel?
Kituo cha basi kiko wapi? Where's the bus station?
Vipi ninaweza kuenda kituo How do I get to the train station?
cha reli/treni?
Nauli kiasi gani? What's the fare?
Kuna safari za kwenda Are there tours to the wildlife
mbugani? park?
Ni mbali kutoka hapa? Is it far from here?
Alaa kumbe? Is that true? Is that so?

6E. CULTURE TOPIC 1; TOURISM (UTALII)

In East and central Africa, particularly in Kenya and Tanzania, there are
many famous national parks that are well known for their wildlife, so tour
ism is an important part of the economy in these regions. In Kenya, tourists
can visit the Maasai Mara National Park, the Amboseli National Park, and

Lesson 6
 Tsavo National Park. In Tanzania, Mount Kilimanjaro is of course a favorite
destination, as well as the world-renowned Serengeti National Park, Seal-
ous National Park, Ngorongoro Crater National Park, and others.
Tanzania and Kenya are particularly favored for wildlife watching, as the
two countries border each other and are located along an important wildlife
migratory route. Between July and August millions of wildebeests migrate
from the Serengeti Plains in northern Tanzania toward the Maasai Mara
National Park in southern Kenya in search of greener grazing grounds. In
October those millions of wildebeests move back from southern Kenya to
northern Tanzania before the season of heavy rain begins. Watching the
migration of these millions of animals moving together over the plains
is an esperience of a lifetime, and it attracts tens of thousands of tourists
every year.
There are other favorite tourist destinations in the region, too. Uganda,
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo are well-known for their
mountain gorilla sanctuaries.
The East African coast is also renowned for its many pristine beaches and
wonderful holiday resorts. Mombasa, Lamu and Malindi in Kenya, and the
islands of Zanzibar and Pemba in Tanzania boast some of the best beach
holiday resorts in the world.

6F. GRAMMAR

Grammar Topic 1; The Ji-Ma Noun Class

Now let's look at another noun class, the Ji-Ma class, which includes many
different types of nouns, ranging from body parts that occur in pairs, to
fruits and plants, to inanimate objects, to mass or non-count nouns. As
you can guess, ji— is the singular prefis, and ma- is the plural, but many
Ji-Ma singulars do not have any prefir. Some eramples of Ji-Ma nouns are:
jicho/macho (eye/s), sikio/masikio (ear/s), jino/meno (tooth/teeth), jani/ma-
jani (leaf/leaves, grass), chungwa/machungwa (orange/s), limau/malimau
(lemon/s), ua/maua (flower), tunda/matunda (fruit/s), jiwe/mawe (stone/s),
jambo/mambo (matter/s, affair/s), dirisha/madirisha (window/s), duka/
maduka (shop/s), jina/majina (name/s), gari/magari (car/s), treni/matreni
(train/s), yai/mayai (egg/s), sanduku/masanduku (bor/es), daftari/madaft-
ari (notebook/s), and somo/masomo (study/studies, subject/s). There are a
few very common Ji-Ma nouns that only have plural forms: maji (water),
maziwa (milk), mafuta (oil), maisha (life), maumivu (pain), and mapokezi
(reception desk).
By now you know that demonstratives, as well as prefires on verbs, posses-
sives, and adjectives, all vary depending on noun class. Let's start with Ji-Ma
demonstratives, which are hili (this), haya (these), lile (that), and yale (those).
Hili ni daftari, na lile ni This is a notebook, and thatisa
sanduku. bor.

78 Swahili AA Aaaa
Haya ni matunda , na yale These are fruits, and those are
ni maua. flowers.

Grammar Topic 2; Subject Prefikes for the

Ji-Ma Noun Class
Remember that the (third person) subject prefikes for M-Wa nouns are
a— and wa-, for Ki-Vi nouns they are ki— and vi-, and for N- nouns they are
i— and zi—. For Ji-Ma nouns, the singular prefir is li-, and the plural prefir is
ya-—. Let's look at some eramples with verbs in a few tenses.
Machungwa haya yanatoka These oranges come from Florida.
Florida. #UDfDS
di)
DZ
UDGD
3y)
MOH
SeM

Basi linaondoka kituoni. The bus is leaving from the

station.
Gari hili liliharibika. This car broke down.
Matunda yalianguka kutoka Fruits fell from the tree.
mtini.

Matreni yalifika mapema. The trains arrived early.

Treni litafika kesho. The train will arrive tomorrow.

Now let's look at some negative ezamples. Don't forget that to form the
negative present (na) tense, you use the negative prefiz ha— plus the nega-
tive stem of the verb, ending in —i, without the prefir. To negate the past
tense, use the negative prefir ha-, followed by the subject prefis —Li— or
—ya-, and the verb in its infinitive ku— form.
Malimau haya hayatoki Florida. These lemons don't come from
Florida.
Treni halifiki mapema. The train isn't arriving early.
Gari lile halikuharibika. That car didn't break down.

Madaftari haya hayakupotea. These notebooks were not lost.

Mabasi hayakuondoka kituoni. The buses did not leave the
station.

Grammar Topic 3: Ji-Ma Possessive Prefikes

You've already seen the singular Ji-Ma possessive prefis in the common es
pressions Jina lako ni nani? (What is your name?) and Jina langu ni Ali (My
name is Ali). The plural form is y—. So the Ji-Ma possessives in the singular
are langu (my), lake (your), lako (his/her), letu (our), lenu (your), and lao
(their). In the plural, they are yangu, yake, yako, yetu, yenu, and yao:

Basi lake linaondoka kituoni. His bus is leaving the station.

Gari langu liliharibika. My car broke down.

Lesson 6 19
Bega lako liliuma. Your shoulder was aching.
Madaftari yetu yalipotea. Our notebooks were lost.

Treni lao lilifika mapema. Their train arrived early.

Grammar Topic 4: Ji-Ma Adjective Agreement

Now let's look at adjective agreement. Most adjectives do not take any pre-
fir to agree with singular Ji-Ma nouns, but they take the prefiz ma- to agree
with plural Ji-Ma nouns. Let's see how that works with —zuri (good), -dogo
(small), and —baya (bad):
gari zuri (a beautiful car) magari mazuri (beautiful cars)
chungwa dogo (a small orange) machungwa madogo (small
oranges)
tunda baya (a bad piece of fruit) matunda mabaya (bad fruits)
There are just a few minor ezceptions to this rule. If the adjective only has
one syllable, as in —pya (new), then the singular adjective takes the prefir
ji—. If the adjective begins with a vowel, such as —ingi (a lot), —eupe (white),
—eusi (black), or —ekundu (red), then the singular prefir is j-, and the ma- of
the plural loses its —a:
gari jipya (a new car) magari mapya (new cars)
jua jingi (a lot of sun) —
giza jingi (much darkness) —
gari jeupe (a white car) magari meupe (white cars)
daftari jeusi (the black notebook) madaftari meusi (the black
notebooks)
jiwe jekundu (a red stone) mawe mekundu (red stones)
Here are some erample sentences with adjectives:

Musa alinunua gari jekundu. Musa bought a red car.

Wanafunzi wanapenda magari Students like big cars.
makubwa.
Madaftari madogo hayakupotea. The small notebooks were not lost.
Matunda mengi yalioza. Many fruits were rotten.
Darasa letu ni dogo. Our classroom is small.

Grammar Topic 5: Ekpressing Location with

—ko, -po, and -mo
In the dialogue you came across the sentence Hoteli iko wapi? (Where is
the hotel?) This is an erample of a special way of asking about location

Swahili
that's used in Swahili. Instead of using the eguivalent of “is” and a location
Phrase, Swahili uses —ko along with a location prefiz that varies depending
on noun class:
M-Wa Ki-Vi NI Ji-Ma

yu— / wa— ki— 7 vi— aa aa li- / ya-

As you can see, the prefires are the same as the subject prefires, with the
erception of singular M-Wa nouns, where the prefis is yu— (instead of a-).
Here are some eramples:
Liz yuko wapi? #UDJD
di)
DZ
UDGD
SPM
34)
MOH
Where is Liz?
Liz na Mark wako wapi? Where are Liz and Mark?
Kiti kiko wapi? Where's the chair?
Vitabu viko wapi? Where are the books?
Shule iko wapi? Where's the school?
Nyumba ziko wapi? Where are the houses?
Gari lako liko wapi? Where is your car?
Madarasa yako wapi? Where are the classrooms?
To answer these guestions, you combine the appropriate prefis with either
—ko, —po, or —mo, depending on the nature of your answer. The suffiz —ko
erpresses a general location, —po erpresses a specific location, and —mo es-
presses location inside of something. Finally, a special location suffis —ni is
added onto the noun erpressing the location, as in nyumbani (in the house,
at home) or shuleni (at school), darasani (in the classroom), sokoni (at the
market), dukani (at/in the store). So, —ni may be translated as a preposition,
such as in, at, on, inside, to, and so on. Let's see how that works:
Mwalimu yuko wapi? Yuko nyumbani. (He's at home.)
(Where is the teacher?)
Yumo darasani. (He's in the
classroom.)
Kitabu kiko wapi? Kitabu kimo mfukoni.
(Where is the book?) (The bookis in the bag.)
Kitabu kipo mezani. (The book
is on the table.)
Finally, to negate location ekpressions, just add the negative prehz ha— be
fore the subject prefiz and —ko, —po, or —mo:
Mwalimu hayuko nyumbani. The teacher is not at home.
Wanafunzi hawamo darasani. The students are not in the
classroom.

Lesson 6 81
 Kitabu hakipo mezani. The book is not on the table.

Vitu haviko dukani. Things are not at the store.

Kalamu haimo mfukoni. The pen is not in the bag/pocket.

Penseli haziko dukani. Pencils are not at the store.

Basi haliko kituoni. The bus is not at the station.

Machungwa hayako sokoni. Oranges are not in the market.

Grammar Topic 6: Past and Future Tenses with

—po, -ko, and -mo
If you want to use a past or future tense constructions with a —po, —ko, or
—mo location phrase, youl|need to use the appropriate form of the verb
kuwa (to be).
Mwalimu yuko nyumbani. The teacher is at home.

Mwalimu alikuwako The teacher was at home.

nyumbani.
Mwalimu atakuwako The teacher will be at home.
nyumbani.
Wanafunzi wamo darasani. The students are in the classroom.

Wanafunzi walikuwamo The students were in the

darasani. classroom.

Wanafunzi watakuwamo The students will be in the

darasani. classroom.

Kitabu kipo mezani. The book is on the table.

Kitabu kilikuwapo mezani. The book was on the table.
Kitabu kitakuwapo mezani. The book will be on the table.
Vitu viko dukani. The things are in the shop.
Vitu vilikuwako dukani. The things were in the shop.
Vitu vitakuwako dukani. The things will be in the shop.
To negate these sentences, follow the rules you learned for negating the
past tense in Lesson 5. We'll come back to the future later, but you can see
from the ezamples below that the main distinction is that in future nega-
tives, you keep the tense infiz.
Mwalimu hayuko nyumbani. The teacher isn't at home.
Mwalimu hakuwako The teacher wasn't at home.
nyumbani.

82; Swahili
 Mwalimu hatakuwako The teacher won't be at home.
nyumbani.
Wanafunzi hawamo darasani. The students aren't in the
classroom.
Wanafunzi hawakuwamo The students weren't in the
darasani. classroom.
Wanafunzi hawatakuwamo The students won't be in the
darasani. classroom.
Kitabu hakipo mezani. The book isn't on the table.
<UDfD
di)
DZ
JDGD
3y)
MOH
SPM
Kitabu hakikuwapo mezani. The book wasn't on the table.
Kitabu hakitakuwapo mezani. The book won't be on the table.
Vitu haviko dukani. The things aren't in the shop.
Vitu havikuwako dukani. The things weren't in the shop.
Vitu havitakuwako dukani. The things won't be in the shop.

6G. READING

Wanyama wengi wanaishi katika mbuga za wanyama za Afrika. Watalii wen-

gi wanatembelea Afrika ya Mashariki kuona wanyama hawa. Wanyama hawa
ni simba, tembo, kifaru, twiga, kiboko na wengine wengi. Serikali za Kenya na
Tanzania zinalinda mali asili hizi kwa sababu watalii wanaleta pesa nyingi.
Watalii wengi wanatoka Marekani na Ulaya kuona wanyama katika Afrika.
Serikali zinapata pesa nyingi za kigeni kwa utalii. Watalii wanakaa katika
hoteli na wanakula chakula na wanalala. Kwa hivyo wanalipa pesa nyingi
kununua huduma hizi.
Watalii pia wanapenda kupumzika katika pwani kupata upepo wa bahari.
Kwa hivyo watalii wengi pia wanatembelea pwani ya Afrika ya Mashariki.
Katika pwani ya Afika ya mashariki kuna hoteli nzuri na kubwa pia. Watu
wengi wanapenda hoteli hizi kwa sababu wanapata huduma na chakula
kizuri cha baharini.

Many animals live in the wildlife parks in Africa. Many tourists visit East Af
rica to see these animals. These animals include ("are like”) lions, elephants,
rhinos, giraffes, and many others. The governments of Tanzania and Kenya
protect these natural resources, because tourists bring in a lot of money.

Many tourists come from the United States and Europe to see the wildlife
in Africa. The tourists stay in hotels, where they eat and sleep. Therefore
they pay a lot of money for these services. Tourists also like to relas on the
beaches to enjoy the sea breezes. Therefore many tourists also visit the East
African coast. On the East African coast there are big and beautiful hotels.
Many people like these hotels because they get services and good seafood.

Lesson 6 83
6H. CULTURE TOPIC 2: ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS

Many African cities, like cities in other developing areas, are ezperiencing a
very high rate of growth. These cities are unable to cope with the rapid er-
pansion of the population, and there are many unplanned neighborhoods,
a lot of traffic jams, and overcrowded buses. Cities like Nairobi, Dar es Sa-
laam, and Kampala are struggling to improve the city public transportation,
but moving from one point to another may be a difficult ezperience for a
stranger, especially during the rush hours.
As a result of poor urban planning, many neighborhoods do not have proper
street names, so it can be difficult to find a specific address, and even more
difficult for a tourist to ask directions! If you ask for directions in a Swahili
speaking city, don't be surprised if the answer contains a lot of landmarks
instead of specific street names or numbers of blocks. You may here, for
erample, “go until you find the big tree (mti mkubwa) on your right hand
side (upande wa mkono wa kulia).” You may also be asked to look for a big
building (jumba kubwa) or a small hill (kilima kidogo) on the left hand side
(upande wa mkono wa kushoto). Of course you may be told to “turn right”
(pinda kulia) or “turn left” (pinda kushoto). You may also hear such ezpres-
sions as mbele ya (in front of) or nyuma ya (behind) to describe the location
of something. But don't be afraid to ask. Most people are very friendly and
will do everything they can to help a stranger.

EKERCISES

Erercise 1. Negate the following sentences, and translate your answers into
English.
1. Gari langu liliharibika.
2. Bega lako liliuma.
3. Daftari letu lilipotea
4. Basi lenu liliondoka kituoni.

5. Treni lao lilifika mapema.

Erercise 2: Change each of the following sentences by making the subjects

Plural. Translate your answers.
1. Basi liliondoka.

2. Daftari lilipotea.

3: Mtoto yuko mbugani.

4. Kitabu changu kipo mezani.

5. Mtu yumo hotelini.

Swahili
 Erercise 3: Ask about the location of each of the following, following the
erample in 1.
1. walimu: Walimu wako wapi?
2. nyumba (singular)
3. madarasa
4. tunda
5. kiti

6. vitabu
<UDfD
di)
DZ
UDGD
3y)
MOH
SeM
7. mtoto
8. radio (plural)

Ekercise 4. Negate the following sentences.

1. Mwalimu yuko darasani.
2. Wanafunzi wako nyumbani.
. Kitabu kimo mkobani.
. Vitu viko sokoni.
. Kalamu ipo mezani.
ja
Ta . Penseli ziko mfukoni

Treni liko kituoni.

.Machungwa yako nyumbani

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Imagine yourself at an airport in a Swahili speaking country. You're

looking for a place to stay, and you'd also like to find out about tourist
attractions in the country. Write a dialogue between yourself and the
tourist information agent at the airport. As always, look up any new
vocabulary, and add it to your journal.

ANSWER KEY

Erercise 1: 1. Gari langu halikuharibika. My car did not break down. 2. Bega
lako halikuuma. Your shoulder was not aching. 3. Daftari letu halikupotea.
Our notebook was not lost. 4. Basi lenu halikuondoka kituoni. Your bus did
not leave the station. 5. Treni lao halikufika mapema. Their train did not
arrive early.

Lesson 6 85
 Erercise 2: 1. Mabasi yaliondoka. The buses left. 2. Madaftari yalipotea.
The notebooks were lost. 3. Watoto wako mbugani. The children are in the
park. 4. Vitabu vyangu vipo mezani. My books are on the table. 5. Watu
wamo hotelini. The people are in the hotel.
Ekercise 3: 1. Walimu wako wapi? 2. Nyumba iko wapi? 3. Madarasa yako
wapi? 4. Tunda liko wapi? 5. Kiti kiko wapi? 6. Vitabu viko wapi? 7. Mtoto
yuko wapi? 8. Radio ziko wapi?
Ezercise 4: 1. Mwalimu hayuko darasani. 2. Wanafunzi hawako nyumbani.
3. Kitabu hakimo mkobani. 4. Vitu haviko sokoni. 5. Kalamu haipo mezani.
6. Penseli hazimo mfukoni. 7. Treni haliko kituoni. 8. Machungwa hayako
nyumbani.

86, Swahili
LESSON

Nikusaidie nini?

Ca nsi ne! YOU?

In this lesson, you'll learn how to make an appointment, so you'lI be in-

troduced to useful vocabulary such as months and dates. You'll add to you
knowledge of Swahili grammar by learning about commands, the future
tense, and more. First, let's start with a vocabulary warm-up.

7A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

Njoo kesho. Come tomorrow.

Usije leo. Don't come today.
Sina nafasi. I don't have timef/the chance.
Una nafasi? Do you have time?
Nina miadi. I have an appointment.
kesho kutwa the day after tomorrow
wiki ijayo nesrt week
Hayupo. He/She isn't here.
mtafiti wa wanyama wildlife researcher
kuonana na to meet with
uhifadhi wa wanyama wildlife conservation

7B. DIALOGUE: MAKING AN APPOINTMENT

Eric, a wildlife researcher, is making a phone call to set up an appointment

with the director of the Wildlife Research Institute in Kampala. Listen in
as Eric speaks to Helen, the director's administrative assistant, and tries to
set up an appointment.

Helen: Haloo, Taasisi ya Uchunguzi wa

Wanyamapori. Nikusaidie nini?
Eric: Haloo, Jina langu ni Eric Field. Mimi ni
mtafiti kutoka Marekani. Ninataka kuweka
miadi na mkurugenzi.
 Helen: Miadi ya nini?
Eric: Ningependa kuzungumza na mkurugenzi
kuhusu uhifadhi wa wanyama.
Helen: Samahani, mkurugenzi hayupo.
Eric: Je, nitaweza kumwona kesho?
Helen: Hapana, kesho hana nafasi pia. Kesho
atakuwa na mkutano. Unaweza kuja wiki
ijayo?
Eric: Ndiyo nitaweza. Nije lini?
Helen: Njoo Jumatatu, wiki ijayo.
Eric: Samahani sitaweza kuja Jumatatu sitakuwa
na nafasi.
Helen: Sasa tutafanya nini?
Eric: Nitaweza kuja Jumanne au Jumatano.
Helen: Samahani, mkurugenzi hatakuja ofisini
Jumanne na Jumatano. Yeye atasafiri na
hatarudi mpaka Alkhamisi.
Eric: Basi nitakuja Alkhamisi.
Helen: Hapana Usije Alkhamisi, njoo Ijumaa. Fika
mapema Ijumaa.
Eric: Sawa. Nitafika saa mbili asubuhi.
Helen: Vizuri. Tutaonana Ijumaa.
Eric. Tutaonana.

Helen: Wildlife Research Institute. Can 1 help you?

Eric: Hello, my name is Eric Field, and T'm an
American researcher. | want to make an
appointment with the director.
Helen: For what purpose?
Eric: Id like to talk to the director about wildlife
conservation.
Helen: T'm sorry, the director is not here.
Eric: Can I see him tomorrow?
Helen: No, tomorrow he's net available. Tomorrow he'l
be having a meeting. Can you come nest week?
Eric: Yes, | can. Which day should I come?

88, Swahili
 Helen: Come on Monday, nest week.
Eric: I'm sorry, 1 won't be able to come on Monday.
1I won't be available.
Helen: S0, now what are we going to do?
Eric: IT can come on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Helen: T'm sorry, the director won't come to the |
office on Tuesday and Wednesday. He'll be
traveling, and won't return until Thursday.
diay
;NdA
aipIDs
JUU
|UE)
Eric: So T'll come on Thursday.
Helen: No, don't come on Thursday, come on Friday.
Get here early on Friday.
Eric: Okay. I'll get there at eight o'clock.
Helen: That's fine. See you on Friday.
Eric. See you.

7C. VOCABULARY

au OT
dakika minute/s
jangwa/majangwa desert/s
kalenda calendar/s
kaskazini north
kiangazi/viangazi dry season/s
kipupwe/vipupwe cold season/s
kuchelewa to be late
kufika to arrive

kuja to come
kujibu to answer

kulia right
kuondoka to leave

kupiga simu to make a phone call

kurudi to come back, return

kushoto left
kusini south

kuuliza to ask

Lesson 7 89
 kuwa na ahadi to have an appointment
kuweka miadi to make an appointment
kuzungumza to talk, converse
magharibi west, dusk

majira ya baridi winter (no singular form)

mapema early
mashariki east
mchana daytime
miadi appointment/s (no sing. form)
mkurugenzi/wakurugenzi director/s
mkutano/mikutano meeting/s
mnyamapori/wanyamapori wildlife, wild animal/s
msaidizi/wasaidizi assistant/s
msimu wa kiangazi/misimu dry season/s
ya kiangazi
msimu wa mvua/misimu rainy season/S
ya mvua
msimu/misimu season/s
mwaka/miaka year/s
mwezi/miezi month/s, moon/s
Njoo! Come!
Samahani. Sorry. Ercuse me.
sekunde second/s
Subiri! / Ngoja! Wait! Be Patient!
tarehe date/s
wiki week/s
wikiendi (also: wikendi) weekend/s
ziwa/maziwa lake/s

7D. KEY PHRASES

Here are some key phrases for making appointments.

Ningependa kuzungumza na... I would.like totalkto...
Nikusaidie nini? How can I help you? /What can I
help you with?

90, Swahili
Ninahitaji kuonana na... I need to meet with...
Nije lini? When shall 1 come?
Ninaweza kuja kesho? Can I come tomorrow?
Njoo baadaye. Come later.
Lini ninaweza kupiga simu tena? When can I call back?
Saa ngapi? What time?
Ninaweza kuacha ujumbe? Can I leave a message?
Rudia tafadhali. Repeat (that), please. djay
nd
aiIpi
<!UIU
|ue)
Zungumza pole pole tafadhali. Speak (more) slowly, please.
Andika tafadhali. Write (that down), please.
Usikate simu tafadhali. Please hold the line.

7E. CULTURE TOPIC 1; MIADI:; APPOINTMENTS

Whether you're making an official (rasmi) or personal (binafsi) appoint-

ment, youre essentially making a promise to someone that you're going to
be in a particular place at a particular time. It's no wonder, then, that there
are two ezpressions for appointment in Swahili—miadi, which you already
know, and also ahadi, or “promise.” There is a perception—both inside and
outside of Africa—that African people are not guite as sensitive to time
(wakati) and commitments to appointments as elsewhere, and that every-
thing moves along rather slowly (polepole) on the African continent. That's
not eractly fair, though. Africans are sensitive to time and their ahadi, but
they also have to cope with other factors that people in more “time sensitive”
cultures have the lukury of not worrying about. For erample, a person must
often cover long distances (masafa marefu) to reach facilities or services
(huduma), and if there is public transportation available, it can be unreliable
and even downright chaotic. These factors can of course make it difficult to
get anywhere at all, let alone to an appointment on time! Then there are also
poor road conditions (hali mbaya ya barabara), traffic jams (msongamano
wa magari), and other unezpected events. So, if you make an appointment
during your stay in Africa, it's wise to set aside additional time (muda wa
ziada) to deal with unezpected eventualities that you may not be used to
dealing with. And if you do business in Africa (or anywhere else for that
matter), always keep in mind that the reality of time tends to vary somewhat
from place to place!

7F. GRAMMAR

Grammar Topic 1; Commands

The imperative, or command form, in Swahili is easy to master. There are
both singular and plural commands, and affirmative and negative as well.

Lesson 7
91
 Singular affirmative commands consist simply of the verb root. To form plu-
ral affirmative commands, change the final —a of the root to —e, and then add
—ni. If the root ends in —u or —i, simply add —ni without any vowel change.
Sinzular io one AI Plural (To more than one person)

| San Resdi wa Someni! All of you, Read! Study!

|Sema. Speak. Semeni. Speak. (All of you)

“Andika. Write Andikeni. Write.

Lala. Sleep. Lie down. Laleni. Sleep. Lie down.

| Amka! Wake up! Amkeni. Wake up!

Simama! Stand up! Simameni. Stand up!

Cheza! Play! Dance! Chezeni. Play! Dance!

Jaribu. Try. Jaribuni. Try.

“Rudi. Return. Rudini. Return.

Fikiri. Think! Fikirini. Think!

Furahi. Be happy! Furahini. Be happy!

Now let's look at negative commands, which are formed a bit differently.
Negative commands have both a subject prefis, u— for singular and m- for
Plural, and a negation marker, —si, immediately after the subject prefir.
These are attached to the verb root. If the verb root ends in —a, it is changed
tojse:

u—/m- 4-si— 4 verb root (-a- —e).

So, from kusema (to speak), we have ussitsem 4 e (don't speak) and
m4sisem 4 e (all of you, don't speak). Let's look at some other eramples:

Affirmative Singular Negative Plural Negative

Soma. Read. Study. Usisome. Don't read/study. —Msisome.

Andika. Write. Usiandike. Don't write. Msiandike.

Lala. Sleep. Usilale. Don't sleep. Msilale.

Cheza! Play! Dance! Usicheze. Don't play/dance. Msicheze.

Jaribu. Try. Usijaribu. Don't try. Msijaribu.

Rudi. Return. Usirudi. Don't return. Msirudi.

Fikiri. Think. Usifikiri. Don't think. Msifikiri.

Furahi. Be happy. Usifurahi. Don'tbe happy. Msifurahi.

92; Swahili
There are just two common ezceptions to these rules. The verbs kuja (to
come) and kuenda (to go) have irregular command forms:
Infinitive Affirmative Negative
| Kuja (to come) Njoo!/Njooni! Usije!/Msije!

Kuenda (to go) Nenda!/Nendeni! Usiende!/Msiende!

Grammar Topic 2; The Future Tense

You already know that tense is shown in Swahili by using different infikes
inda
did
|UE)
aipids
alulU
between the subject prefir and the root of a verb: —na— marks the present
tense, —li— marks the past, and —ta— marks the future. So, you have: ninalala
(I am sleeping), nililala (1 slept), and nitalala (1 will sleep). Here are a few
erample sentences in all three basic tenses. As always, take note of the sub-
ject prefires, which correspond to different noun classes.
Present Past Future

Liz anasoma Kiswahili. Liz alisoma Kiswahili. Liz atasoma Kiswahili.

Liz is studying Swahili. Liz studied Swahili. Liz will study Swahili.

Gari linaharibika. Gari liliharibika. Gari litaharibika.

The car is breaking down. The car broke down. The car will break down.

Nyumba inaanguka. Nyumba ilianguka. Nyumba itaanguka.

The house is falling down. — The house fell down. The house wili fall
down.

Watoto wanalala. Watoto walilala. Watoto watalala.

The children are sleeping. The children slept. The children will sleep.

Nyumba zinaanguka. Nyumba zilianguka. Nyumba zitaanguka.

The houses are falling The houses fell down. The houses will fall down.

down.

To negate the future tense, simply add the negative prefiz ha— before the
subject prefis:
Basi halitaondoka kwa wakati. The bus will not leave on time.

Mwalimu hatafundisha The teacher won't teach French.

Kifaransa.
Magari hayataharibika tena. The cars will not break down
again.

Mosi hatasoma leo usiku. Mosi will not study tonight.

93
Lesson 7
 Grammar Topic 3: Monosyllabic Verbs
Most of the verbs you've learned so far have more than one syllable in their
root forms: kusoma (to read, study), kuondoka (to leave), kufika (to arrive), ku-
lala (to sleep), kufundisha (to teach), and so on. There are also monosyllabic
verbs in Swahili, meaning that once you take off the ku- of the infinitive,
youTe left with a one-syllable verb root: kula (to eat), kufa (to die), kuja (to
come), kunywa (to drink), and so on. The rules for conjugating monosyllabic
verbs are slightly different from other verbs. First of all, you usually keep the
ku-— of the infinitive when conjugating the verb, instead of dropping it.
Present Past Future

Mimi ninakula mkate. Mimi nilikula mkate. Mimi nitakula mkate.

/'m eating bread. l ate bread. I will eat bread.

Simba anakula MA Simba alikula nyama. Simba atakula nyama.

The lion is eating meat. The lion ate meat. The lion will eat meat.

Simba anakufa. Simba alikufa. Simba atakufa.

The lion is dying. The lion died. The lion will die.

Mwalimu anakuja. Mwalimu alikuja. Mwalimu atakuja.

The teacher is coming. The teacher came. The teacher will come.

Tembo anakunywa maji. Tembo alikunywa maji. Tembo atakunywa maji.

The elephant is drinking The elephant drank The elephant will drink
water. water. water.

But when you negate a monosyllabic verb in the Present tense, you drop
the ku- of the infinitive, just as with other verbs.
Mimi ninakula mkate. Mimi sili mkate.
T'm eating bread. T'm not eating bread.
Simba anakufa. Simba hafi.
The lion is dying. The lion isn't dying.
Tembo anakunywa maji. Tembo hanywi maji.
The elephant drinks water. The elephant doesn't drink water.
In the past tense, though, you keep the ku— in negation.
Mimi nilikula mkate. Mimi sikula mkate.
I ate bread. 1 didn't eat bread.
Simba alikula nyama. Simba hakula nyama.
The lion ate meat. The lion did not eat meat.

94, Swahili E wana

Simba alikufa. Simba hakufa.

The lion died. The lion didn't die.

Mwalimu alikuja. Mwalimu hakuja.
The teacher came. The teacher didn't come.
Tembo alikunywa maji. Tembo hakunywa maji.
The elephant drank water. The elephant didn't drink water.
The ku- is also kept when negating the future of monosyllabic verbs: aipIDs
JUJU
day
:noA
ue)
|
Mimi nitakula mkate. Mimi sitakula mkate.
I will eat bread. I will not eat bread.
Simba atakula nyama. Simba hatakula nyama.
The lion will eat meat. The lion will not eat meat.
Simba atakufa. Simba hatakufa.
The lion wili die. The lion will not die.
Mwalimu atakuja. Mwalimu hatakuja.
The teacher will come. The teacher will not come.
Tembo atakunywa maji. Tembo hatakunywa maji.

The elephant will drink water. The elephant will not drink water.

Grammar Topic 4: Dates, Months, and Years

The names of the months in Swahili look very similar to their English
counterparts, with some slight modification so that they fit into the Swahili
sound system better:

Januari Mei Septemba

Februari Juni Oktoba

Machi Julai Novemba

Aprili Agosti Disemba

Here are some important erpressions to know when asking about or tell
ing the date:

Tarehe ngapi? What's the date?

Leo ni tarehe ngapi? What's today's date?

Leo ni tarehe kumi na tatu Today is March 13th.

Machi.

Lesson 7
95
 Leo ni Jumatano, tarehe Today is Wednesday,
mosi” Novemba. November ist.

Leo ni Ijumaa, tarehe ishirini Today is Friday, January 23rd.

na tatu Januari.

“Mosi is an archaic Swahili word for “first.” Nowadays it is used only to

identify the first day of a month, and in the word for Saturday, Jumamosi.
Muslim Swahili speakers also use it in their Islamic calendar to name the
first month of the year (mfunguo mosi). It may also be used, though rarely
now, as a name for the first male child.

Notice that the way to ask for the date is: Leo ni tarehe ngapi? Literally,
that means, “Today is how many dates?” The answer will be: Leo ni tare-
he...(number) mwezi wa... (month) mwaka... (year), where you start
with date, the month and then the year. You may also include the day of the
week if necessary, which will come first before the date:

Tarehe mosi mwezi wa Januari January 1st, 1 999.

mwaka elfu moja mia tisa na
tisini na tisa.

Tarehe ishirini na nane mwezi February 28th, 2005.

wa Februari, mwaka elfu mbili
na tano.
Tarehe ishirini na tano mwezi December 25th, 1988.
wa Disemba mwaka elfu moja
mia tisa na themanini na nane.

There is another way of referring to months, according to their number

rather than name. So, January is the first month (mwezi wa kwanza),
Feb-
ruary is the second (mwezi wa pili), March is the third (mwezi wa tatu),
April is the fourth (mwezi wa nne), and December is the twelfth (mwezi
wa
kumi na mbili). Notice that the possessive —a connects the number and
the
month, as in mwezi wa kwanza (the month of the first) or mwezi
wa pili
(the month of the second). Also note that the cardinal numbers
(one, two
three, four) and ordinal numbers (first, second, third, fourth)
are the same
in Swahili, ercept for first (kwanza) and second (pili).

Tarehe kumi na sita mwezi wa June 16th, 1976.

sita mwaka elfu moja mia tisa
na sabini na sita.

Tarehe thelathini na moja October 31st, 1971.

mwezi wa kumi, mwaka elfu
moja mia tisa na sabini na
moja.

Tarehe nane mwezi wa tatu March 8th, 2006.

mwaka elfu mbili na sita.

96, Swahili
7G. READING: BARA LA AFRIKA

Watu wengi wanafikiri Afrika ni nchi moja kubwa ingawa Afrika ni bara
kubwa sana. Hawajui kwamba bara la Afrika lina nchi hamsini na nne na
watu zaidi ya milioni mia saba. Kaskazini ya Afrika kuna jangwa kubwa la
Sahara. Afrika ya Mashariki kuna mlima mrefu wa Kilimanjaro. Pia kuna
maziwa makubwa ya Viktoria na Tanganyika. Jangwa la Kalahari liko kusi-
ni-magharibi ya Afrika.
Nchi kubwa zaidi ya Afrika kwa eneo ni Sudan. Sudan in watu milioni the-
lathini na moja. Nchi ya Afrika yenye watu wengi zaidi ni Nigeria. Nigeria djay
nda
ue)
|aipiDs
lulu
ina watu zaidi ya milioni mia moja na ishirini. Ethiopia pia ina watu wengi.
Ethiopia ina watu milioni sitini na tano. “Egypt” au Misri kwa Kiswahili pia
ina watu wengi na idadi ya watu wake ni milioni sitini na saba. Afrika ya
Kusini ina watu milioni arobaini na nne.
Watu wa Afrika wanazungumza zaidi ya lugha mia nane. Watu wengi wa
kaskazini ya jangwa la Sahara wanazungumza Kiarabu. Watu wa kusini ya
jangwa la Sahara wanazungumza lugha nyingi tofauti. Lugha kubwa zaidi
ni Kiswahili, Kihausa, Kiyoruba, Kizulu, na kadhalika. Watu wengi pia ka-
tika Afrika wanazungumza Kiingereza na Kifaransa.

The Continent of Africa

Many people think that Africa is one big country, although it is a very big conti-
nent. They do not know that Africa has fifty-four countries, and more than seven
hundred million people. In North Africa, there is the great Sahara Desert. In East
Africa, there is the tall Mount Kilimanjaro. There are also the great lakes of Vic-
toria and Tanganyika. The Kalahari Desert is located in the southwest ofAfrica.
The biggest country by area is Sudan. Sudan has thirty-one million people.
The African country with the most people is Nigeria. Nigeria has more than
one hundred and twenty million people. Ethiopia also has many people. It has
sirty-five million people. Egypt, or Misri in Swahili, also has many people, and its
population is sisty seven million. South Africa has forty-four million people.
The people ofAfrica speak more than eight hundred languages. Many people
to the north of the Sahara Desert speak Arabic. People to the south of the
Sahara speak many different languages. The biggest languages are Swahili,
Hausa, Yoruba, Zulu, and so on. Many people in Africa also speak English
and French.

7H. CULTURE TOPIC 2: MWALIKO (INVITATIONS)

According to traditional African hospitality, there is no need for a person to

invite a friend or relative into his or her home for a visit. Instead, a friend
or relative is at all times welcome, and the doors are always open for him
or her. So if you are in Africa and would like to visit a friend's home, don't
wait for an invitation! The unannounced drop-in visit is acceptable, as long

97
Lesson 7
 as it isn't too early, before eight in the morning, or too late at night, nine
o'clock or later.

When visiting a friend, you may take a gift with you to give to your host as a to-
ken of thanks and friendship. Typical gifts are those that may not be available
in the neighborhood or those that may have connection to one's age, gender,
profession, or location. They might include a pen for someone working in an
office, a rare book for a student, a diary, a yearbook, a wall calendar, a flashlight
for an elderly man living in a village, or even a shirt or Tshirt for a friend. A
pair of khanga (the type of colorful cloth used by Swahili women for wrap-
ping around their bodies) could be a perfect gift. However, your hosts will be
surprised if you bring some sort of prepared food, as is often the custom in
the West. Among Swahili-speaking people, the concept of a potluck lunch or
dinner, where guests bring different items to share in one big meal together, is
guite alien. So, while it is considered important to ezchange gifts with friends,
they will not ezpect you to bring food or drink to a lunch or dinner. Likewise,
if you invite friends to your home for a meal or party, do not erzpect them to
bring food or drink, unless you specifically ask them.

While erchanging gifts is important and customary among Swahili-speaking

people, there are a few differences a Westerner may notice in the ritual.
First of all, your host may not unwrap your gift immediately, and instead
he or she will probably set it aside to open later, after you've left. In fact, it's
customary to open gifts after guests have left. This follows the assumption
that the value of the gift is not in the gift itself, but rather in the willingness
of the gift-giver. Conseguently, do not espect a great emotional response
or display when you present your gift. While the chorus of “You shouldn't
have!” and “It's lovely!” is an erpected part of the gift ritual in the U.S., this
is not the case in Swahili-speaking cultures. Keep in mind that this doesn't
mean that your gift isn't appreciated, though!
Of course, a Swahili-speaking friend may also invite you to lunch or din-
ner ata restaurant, rather than in the home. In this case, it's usually the
responsibility of the person who did the inviting to settle the bill. In fact,
he or she may be offended if you insist on making the payment yourself.
If you feel that you need to repay your friend's generosity, you may simply
invite him or her to another meal, and as the one doing the inviting, it will
be erpected that you'lI pay. In fact, this is something you should keep in
mind whenever you invite people to a meal. Your friends won't make the
assumption that everyone will split the bill, so if that's your intention, you
should let them know in advance! Thankfully, you're more likely than not
to come across people who are accustomed to American or Western Euro-
pean traditions, so this concept may not be totally foreign to them.

There's one more point to keep in mind when firing appointments

with
new friends. Don't be offended if your new friend shows up late, or
even
not at all. There are many events that may prevent someone from making
it to an appointment, and even though they may seem trivial
to an out-
sider, they are associated with different erpectations within the
culture of

98 Swahili
Swahili-speaking people. For ezample, when a neighbor dies, it is erpected
that everyone in the neighborhood attend the funeral, even if that means
missing an important appointment or meeting. Don't take this as a sign
of a relared attitude toward the value of your time. For an East African, it
simply reflects the reality that important complications arise in life, and
they may interfere with our plans and best intentions.

EKERCISES

Erercise 1: Give the negative forms of each of the following commands.

djoy
inda
ue)
|aipiDs
Jlulu
1. Simama!
2. Cheza!
3. Someni!

4. Jaribu.
5. Rudi.
6. Njooni.

7. Fikiri.
6. Furahi.

Ezercise 2: Change each of the following sentences into the future tense.
1. Treni lilifika saa moja na nusu.
2. Tulienda sinema saa mbili.
3. Watoto wanacheza bustanini.
4. Musa na Pendo wanasema Kiswahili shuleni.
5. Basi liliondoka kituoni saa tatu na dakika kumi.

Erercise 3: Make each of the following future tense sentences negative.

1. Gari litaharibika.
2. Nyumba itaanguka.
3. Mabega yatauma.
4. Watoto watalala.
5. Nyumba zitaanguka.

Erercise 4: Negate the following sentences, which all contain monosyllabic

verbs.

1. Simba anakula nyama.

2. Simba anakufa.

Lesson 7
 3. Mwalimu anakuja.
4. Sisi tunakula mkate.
5. Mtoto anakunywa maji

Ezercise 5: Translate the following dates and times.

1. Jt's one o'clock in the afternoon.
2. 1t's 7:30 in the evening.
3. Today is Monday.
4. Today is Tuesday, March 14th.
5. Today is Saturday, September 9th, 2008.

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Think back to the last time you had to call someone and make an ap-
pointment, whether with a doctor or dentist, for a hair cut, or even
for a job interview. Write down as much of ithe dialogue as you can
remember, and then try to translate it into Swahili. Naturally, you may
need the help of a dictionary, but don't worry about translating every
single small detail. Just try to capture the general gist of the dialogue,
and of course the dates, days, times, and so on. As always, add new
vocabulary to your journal, and practice it along with the vocabulary
offered in this course.

ANSWER KEY

Erercise 1: 1. Usisimame. 2. Usicheze. 3. Msisome! 4. Usijaribu. 5. Usirudi.

6. Msije. 7. Usifikiri. 8. Usifurahi
Ekercise 2: 1. Treni litafika saa moja na nusu. 2. Tutaenda sinema saa mbili.
3. Watoto watacheza bustanini. 4. Musa na Pendo watasema Kiswahili shu-
leni. 5. Basi litaondoka kituoni saa tatu na dakika kumi.
Erercise 3: 1. Gari halitaharibika. 2. Nyumba haitaanguka. 3. Mabega
hayatauma. 4. Watoto hawatalala. 5. Nyumba hazitaanguka.
Erercise 4: 1. Simba hali nyama. 2. Simba hafi. 3. Mwalimu haji. 4.
Sisi
hatuli mkate. 5. Mtoto hanywi maji.
Erercise 5: 1. Ni saa saba mchana. 2. Ni saa moja na nusu
usiku.. 3. Leo ni
Jumatatu. 4. Leo ni Jumanne, tarehe kumi na nne mwezi wa tatu.
5. Leo ni
Jumamosi tarehe tisa mwezi wa tisa mwaka elfu mbili na nane.

100 Swahili
BESSON

Ninataka Kununua Nguo.

l'd Like to Buy Some Clothes.

In this lesson, you'lI listen in as someone goes clothes shopping, so you'll

learn a lot of important new vocabulary for clothing, shopping, and differ-
ent types of stores. Since you'li need to ask a lot of guestions when you go
shopping, you'l| learn all about guestion formation in Swahili, including
guestion words. And you'l| also take a moment to review some key aspects
of Swahili grammar that have to do with noun classes: agreement prefises,
demonstratives, ekpressing “to have,” and “of.” First let's start with a vo-
cabulary warm-up.

8A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

Ni bei gani? How much does this cost?

Unataka nini? What would you like?
Naweza kukusaidia? Can I help you?
Ninataka hii. I would like this.
Hizi hapa. Here you go. Here they are.
Duka hufunguliwa saa ngapi? What time does the store open?
Duka hufungwa saa ngapi? What time does the store close?
Nitafurahi sana! That'li be great!
Karibu tena! Please come again!

8B. DIALOGUE: BUYING CLOTHES

Edward studies Swahili at Nairobi University. He wants to find a local store

where he can buy some clothing. He runs into his teacher, Nuru, who gives
him advice on where to find inerpensive clothes. Let's listen in.

Nuru: Hujambo Edward?

Edward: Sijambo mwalimu. Shikamoo.
Nuru: Marahaba. Unaenda wapi?
 : Ninatafuta nguo madukani.
: Umeshapata tayari?
: Hapana. Sijapata. Nguo ni ghali sana.
: Najua kuwa nguo katika maduka haya ya
mjini ni ghali. Unataka kununua nguo rahisi?
Edward: Ndio nitafurahi sana.
Nuru: Unataka nguo nzuri za mitumba?
Edward: Ndio, kama ni nzuri nitanunua.

Nuru: Unataka kununua nini?

Edward: Ninataka kununua shati, suruali, kaptura,
koti na kofia.

Nuru anamuelekeza Edward wapi anaweza kupata nguo za mitumba. Baa-

daye Edward anaenda. Alipofika mazungumzo yalikuwa kama hivi:
Edward: Habari za kazi.
Muuzaji: Nzuri. Karibu. Nikusaidie nini?
Edward: Ninataka kununua nguo. Bei gani?
Muuzaji: Chagua unayoipenda baadaye
nitakwambia bei.
Edward anachagua nguo. Amepata suruali, shati, kaptura, koti na kofia.
Edward: Hizi hapa zitakuwa bei gani?
Muuzaji: Suruali Shilingi 300 (mia tatu), shati
Shilingi 150 (mia na hamsini), kaptura
Shilingi 100 (mia), koti Sh. 300 (mia tatu) na
kofia Shilingi 50 (hamsini). Jumla itakuwa
Shilingi 900 (mia tisa).
Edward: He! Mbona ghali sana! Punguza bei kidogo.
Muuzaji: Sio ghali. Wewe unazo bei gani?
Edward: Mimi ninazo 750 (mia saba na hamsini).
Muuzaji: Ongeza hamsini. Fanya 800 (mia nane).
Edward: Sawa. Hizi hapa pesa zako.
Muuzaji: Sawa. Asante. Kwaheri na karibu tena.
Edward: Asante.

Nuru: How are you Edward?

Edward: T'm fine, Teacher. Shikamoo.

102 Swahili
 Nuru: Marahaba. Where are you going?
Edward: 1'm looking for some clothes, in stores.
Nuru: Have you gotten them already?
Edward: No, 1 haven't gotten them yet. They're really
erpensive.
Nuru: I know that clothes in the stores downtown
are erpensive. Do you want to buy some
inezpensive clothes?
Edward: Sure, that would be great. (“Yes, VI
appreciate that very much.”)
Nuru: Do you want some nice second-hand clothes?
Edward: Yes, if theyTe nice, TII buy them.
Nuru: What do you want to buy?
Edward: I want to buya shirt, pants, shorts, a coat, and DnununyI
DJDIDUIN
:ONn5N
Ang
“SayJoj
awos
ajii
03
p.|
a hat.
Nuru gives Edward directions to a place where he can get second-hand
clothes. Then Edward goes there. This is how the conversation between
Edward and the salesperson went.
Edward: How are you? (“How's work?”)
Salesperson: Good. What can I do for you?
Edward: Id like to buy some clothes. How much fare
they)?
Salesperson: Choose what you like, then TI tell you the
price.
Edward picks out the clothes. He takes (has gotten) a pair of pants, a shirt,
a pair of shorts, a coat, and a hat.
Edward: How much are these?

Salesperson: 300 Shillings for the pants, Sh. 150 for the
shirt, Sh. 100 for the shorts, Sh. 300 for the
coat, and Sh. 50 for the hat. The total amount
is Sh. 900.
Edward: Wow! That's very ezpensive. Come down a
little bit!
Salesperson: It's not erpensive. How much do you have?
Edward: I have Sh. 750.
Salesperson: Add Sh. 50. Makeit Sh. 8oo0.
Edward: Okay. Here's your money.

Lesson 8 103
 Salesperson: Okay. Thanks. Good-bye, and please come
again. (“Welcome again.”)
Edward: Thanks.

8C. VOCABULARY

bei price/s
blauzi blouse/s

—-dogo a little bit, small

duka la nguo/maduka ya nguo clothing store/s
duka la viatu/maduka ya viatu shoe store/s

fulana undershirt/s

ghali erpensive

jaketi/majaketi jacket/s
kadi ya malipo/kadi za malipo, credit card/s
krediti kadi
kama like, if
kanzu dress/es, robe/s
kaptura shorts
kiatu cha buti/viatu vya buti boot/s
kiatu/viatu shoe/s

kofia hat/s, cap/s

koti/makoti coat/s

kuambia to tell
kuchagua to choose, to pick out
kuelekeza to erplain, to give directions
kuenda to go
kufanya to do
kufika to arrive
kufurahi to be happy
kujua to know
kulipa to pay
kununua to buy

104. Swahili
kuongeza to increase
kupata to get
kupenda to like, to love
kupunguza to reduce
kusaidia to help
kutafuta to look for, to search for
kutaka to want
kuuza to sell
kuweza to be able to (can)
mazungumzo discussion, conversation (Ji-Ma pl.)
mkanda/mikanda belt/s
nguo clothes
“S3UI0))
DIDUIN
0OnbN
awosA
Dnunun
DI
p.|
ajii
oj
nguo ya mtumba/nguo za used clothes
mitumba
rahisi cheap
shati/mashati shirt/s
soksi sock/s
supamaketi department store/s
suruali pants
suruali ya ndani/suruali za ndani underpants
suti suit
tai tie/s
tena again

8D. KEY PHRASES

Here are a few useful phrases that you can use when you go shopping.
Nikusaidie nini? What can I do for you?
Ninataka betri. I would like some batteries.
Nahitaji filamu ya kamera. I need a roll of film.
Nataka ramani ya mji.” I'd like a map of the city.
Nataka kuona postikadi. I'd like to see some postcards.
“Note that the full form ninataka (1 want, V'd like) is often shortened to
nataka in spoken Swahili.

Lesson 8 105
 Nataka kununua nguo. I want to buy some clothes.

Saizi gani unavaa? What size do you wear?

Ninavaa saizi ndogo/saizi ya I take a small/medium/large.

kati/saizi kubwa.
Sijui saizi yangu. I don't know my size.

Hii mnayo ya saizi ndogo? Do you have this in a smaller size?

Hii mnayo ya saizi kubwa? Do you have this in a larger size?

Hii mnayo ya rangi nyengine? Do you have this in another color?

Unaweza kunionesha hiyo? Could you show me that?

Hizi hapa ni bei gani? How much do these cost?
Naomba niandikie bei. Please write down the price
for me.
Punguza bei kidogo. Come down, a little bit on the
price.

Mbona ghali sana? Why is it so erpensive? (Used

when one wants to bargain.)

Ninaweza kulipa kwa kadi ya May I pay by credit card?

malipo? (krediti kadi)
Ninaweza kulipa kwa cheki za May I pay by traveler's check?
wasafiri?
Hapana, ni taslimu tu. No, cash only.

8E. CULTURE TOPIC 1; WHERE TO BUY CLOTHES

Just like in many other countries, clothes in East Africa are sold both in
stores and in open markets. For new clothes (nguo mpya), you usually have
to go to a store. As you would esrpect, there is a whole range of types of
stores, from small shops and stands to larger department stores. In Nairobi,
department stores are referred to as supermarkets by locals. Eramples are
Nakumatt, Skymart, and Uchumi. These stores offer clothing at a range of
prices, so they appeal to a wide clientele. Similar large stores in Zanzibar
are Suma and Muzamil. You may recognize the names of the popular de-
partment stores in Tanzania—ShopRite and Woolworth's.

Another option for buying clothes is to go to the open markets. There, you
can find a wide selection of secondhand clothes (mitumba), which have
become very popular in East Africa. Literally, mitumba means “bales,”
because these clothes arrive in bales, usually from Europe or the United

106 Swahili
States. Many young people have seized on this as a business opportu-
nity, and secondhand market stalls are an important source of income
for some people. Initially, it was believed that only poor people made
use of this option for obtaining clothing, but this is not the case any
more. Middle class people also buy secondhand clothing, much as is the
case with “vintage” and thrift shops in the United States and elsewhere.
As you might suspect, the clothes are cheap (rahisi), but also of good
guality (nzima). You can buys shirts (shati), pants (suruali), shoes (viatu),
ties (tai), and other items. Perhaps surprisingly, more intrepid shoppers
can even buy underpants (chupi), socks (soksi), and bras (sidiria), but of
Course not everyone is comfortable taking advantage of those options! If
you do visit a secondhand clothing market in East Africa, you probably
won't be the only foreigner there, as these places are becoming popular
for tourists, too.

8F. GRAMMAR
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Grammar Topic 1: Guestions and Ouestion Words
In Lesson 1 you learned how to use the guestion particle je to ask simple
yes/no guestions. Remember that the particle is optional; a guestion can
also be asked just by raising the intonation. Notice, though, that word order
does not change:
Je, Ali anatoka Florida?
Ali anatoka Florida? Does Ali come from Florida?
Je, mabasi yaliondoka?
Mabasi yaliondoka? Did the buses leave?
Notice that je is used when there is no guestion word. You've come across
several Swahili guestions words throughout this course, though. Let's take
a closer look at them all:
Wapi? (Where?)
The guestion word wapi is usually at the end of the guestion. Don't forget
that if you want to ask where something is, you use a special construction
with —ko and the appropriate prefis for the noun class:

Baba yako anakaa wapi? Where does your father live?

Unakula wapi? Where do you eat?
Unasoma Kiswahili wapi? Where do you study Swahili?
Ninaweza kununua wapi? Where can I buy?
Gari liko wapi? Where is the car?
Walimu wako wapi? Where are the teachers?

Lesson 8 107
 Nini? (What?)
The guestion word nini is also usually placed at the end of the sentence:
Hiki ni nini? What is this?
Utakula nini? What wili you eat?
Unasoma nini? What do you study?
Dukani ulinunua nini? What did you buy at the store?
Nani? (Who?)
This guestion word could either be placed at the beginning or at the end
ofa sentence. When used at the beginning, it is usually followed by a verb,
and it acts as the subject of the sentence: Nani anaenda dukani? (Who is
going to the store?) If the object of the sentence is what's being guestioned
by who, then nani will usually appear at the end of the sentence. In these
cases, the verb will have an object infiz, which you'l| learn later: Unamta-
futa nani? (Who are you looking for?)

Nani huyu? Who is this?

Utakuja na nani? Who will you come with? With
whom will you come?
Unampenda nani? Who do you love/like?
Yule ni nani? Who is that?
You may be wondering why nani appears in the ezpression Jina lako ni
nani? Nini (what) cannot be used to refer to humans, so in this contezt nani
can be translated as “what?”
Vipi? (How?)
This guestion word can also be placed at the beginning of a sentence or
at the end. Note that vipi can mean “how,” and it can also be translated as
“what... like” in some conterts:
Vipi watoto? How are the kids?
Vipi Amerika / Marekani? How is the U.S.? What's the U.S.
like?
Leseni ya gari unapata vipi? How do you get a driver”'s license?
Nyumbani nitarudi vipi? How will 1 go back home?
Unawasha vipi kompyuta hii? How do you start this computer?
Mombasa unaenda vipi? How do you get to Mombasa?
Gani? (Which? What kind/sort of?)
Gani can be used as a guestion word on its own, meaning “which,” and it
can also be used as an interrogative adjective, meaning “what kind/sort of.”

108, Swahili
 You may recognize it in the erpression bei gani? (How much?) Literally,
that phrase means “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?
Amepata mtoto gani? What kind of child (boy or girl)
did she have?
Kwa nini? (Why? For What?)
Kwa nini is normally used at the beginning of a guestion:
Kwa nini unanunua mitumba? Why do you buy secondhand
clothes?
Kwa nini unasoma Kiswahili? Why are you learning Swahili? DYDIDUI
-saujop
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awosA
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Kwa nini unapenda kuenda Why do you like going to Kenya?

Kenya?

Lini? (When?)

Lini means “when,” but only in the contest of “which day,” and not “at what
time.” “What time” in Swahili is saa ngapi or wakati gani? Notice that lini
can come at the beginning, in the middle after the verb, or at the end of
the guestion:

Baba yako atakuja lini?/ When (which day) will your father
Atakuja lini baba yako? come?
Lini Utaenda Tanzania? When will you go to Tanzania?
Ulizaliwa lini? When were you born?
Lini ulianza kusoma kitabu When did you start reading this
hiki? book?
-ngapi? (How many?)
Unlike other guestion words, —ngapi takes a prefis 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 How many children does
wangapi? your mother have?
Nyumba ina vyumba vingapi? . How many rooms does the house
have?
Wanafunzi wana vitabu How many books do the students
vingapi? have?

Lesson 8 109
 Unataka suruali ngapi? How many pants do you want?
Kenya ina matreni mangapi? How many trains are there in
Kenya (“does Kenya have?”)
Kiasi gani? (How much?)
If you want to ask about the amount of a “mass” or non-count noun, such
as water, sugar, coffee, flour, and so on, use kiasi gani?

Unakunywa kahawa kiasi gani? How much coffee do you drink?

Unataka maji kiasi gani? How much water do you want?
Unapenda sukari kiasi gani How much sugar do you want in
katika chai yako? your tea?

Grammar Topic 2: Review of Subject, Adjective, Possessive,

and Location Prefikes
Now let's take a moment to review prefikes for each of the four noun class-
es that you've learned so far. Remember that there is a full set of personal
subject prefikes for M-Wa nouns, corresponding to 1, you, we, all of you,
he, she, it, and they. But the other classes, which refer to nonhumans, only
have third person (it/they) prefires. And of course, no matter which class it
belongs to, an animate noun will take M-Wa agreement.
M-Wa Ki-Vi N> Ji-Ma

ni tu—

nm

a—-/wa- KIS vi isi li— 7 ya—

Ninakunywa kikombe cha T'm drinking a cup of coffee.

kahawa.
Tunaenda kununua nguo. WeT're going to buy clothes.
Asha anapenda samaki. Asha likes fish.
Wataenda Tanzania kwa ndege. They'll travel to Tanzania by
plane.
Ulinisubiri kwa saa ngapi? How long did you wait for me?
Mtarudi lini? When will you be back?
Chai hii inatoka India. This tea comes from India.
Nyumba zilianguka kwa upepo The houses fell because of strong
mkali. winds.
Kitabu hiki kinauzwa. This book is on sale.

0| Swahili
 Vitanda vina magodoro? Do the beds have mattresses?
Gari lina maili nyingi. The car has high mileage.
Mayai mabovu yananuka. Rotten eggs stink.
Adjective agreement in Swahili, as you know, is shown by appropriate
prefires on the (variable) adjectives. Remember that invariable adjectives
never change. Also keep in mind that adjectives describing animate be-
ings—people or animals—will always have the M-Wa agreement, no mat.-
ter what the class of the noun may be. To review the rules for agreement
with N- Class nouns, turn back to Lesson 5. To review the slight irregulari-
ties with Ji-Ma nouns, turn back to Lesson 6.

M-Wa Ki-Vi N— Ji-Ma

m- /wa- ki- I vi- (n-,m-, zali

ny-,—) ma—-

Mtoto huyu ni mzuri. This child is beautiful. pnununy

“ONnbBN
Ang
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awos
03
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aji

Tembo ni wanyama wakubwa. Elephants are big animals.

Sipendi chakula hiki kwa 1 don't like this food because it's
sababu ni kibaya. bad.
Vyumba vile ni vichafu. Those rooms are dirty.
Mwizi ana nywele nyeusi. The thief has black hair.
Msichana ana pua ndogo. The girl has a small nose.
Baiskeli zile ni mbovu. Those bikes are broken.
Machungwa haya ni makubwa These oranges are big but bitter.
lakini machungu.
Ninalipenda ua hili jeupe. I like this white flower.
Gari jipya ni ghali. A new car is erpensive.
Possessives are formed by adding the appropriate prefis to the possessive
stem: —angu (my), —ake (your), —ako (his/her), —etu (our), —enu (your, plu-
ral), and —ao (their). The prefizes are:

M-Wa Ki-Vi Ne Ji-Ma

w-/ wa ch- / vy- ye z> I-/y-

Huyu ni mke wangu. This is my wife.

Wanafunzi wangu ni wazuri. My students are good.
Je, hiki ni kitabu chako? Is this your book?
Viatu vyake vinanuka! His/Her shoes stink!

Lesson 8 mm
 Baba yetu jina lake ni Morris. Our father”'s name is Morris.
Kompyuta zao zimeharibika. Their computers are broken.
Tulipata mapokezi mazuri. We got good reception.
Magari yenu yanafanana. Your cars look alike.

Location is also ezpressed with prefizes in Swahili. The following prefires

are added onto —ko to show general location, —po to erpress specific loca-
tion, and —mo to ezpress location inside of something:

M-Wa Ki-Vi Nn Ji-Ma

yu— / wa— kisii izi li—/ya—

Wanyama wazuri wako wapi? Where are (there) beautiful

animals?
Kaka yako yuko wapi? Where is your older brother?
Kisiwa cha Zanzibar kiko wapi? Where is Zanzibar Island?
Kipo Tanzania. It (Zanzibar) is in Tanzania.
Sukari imo kwenye chai? Is there sugar in the tea?
Kaseti zako zimo ndani ya boksi. Your cassettes are in the bor.
Matatizo yapo kila nchi. There are problems in every
country.
Limau liko wapi? Where is the lemon?

Grammar Topic 3: Review of Demonstratives

The following table summarizes all of the demonstratives you've learned
so far:

M-Wa Ki-Vi N- Ji-Ma

this huyu hiki hii hili

these hawa hivi hizi haya

that yule kile ile lile

those wale vile zile yale

Huyu ni mjomba wangu. This is my maternal uncle.

Hawa ni tembo. These are elephants.
Yule ni nyoka. That is a snake.
Wale ni walimu wetu. Those are our teachers.

112 Swahili
 Hiki ni kikombe changu. This is my cup.
Hivi ni visu vya mezani. These are table knives.
Choo kile ni kichafu. That bathroom is dirty.
Vile ni vyoo vya wanaume. Those are men's restrooms.
Hii ni Mbuga ya Serengeti. This is Serengeti National Park.
Hizi ni ndizi. These are bananas.
Ile ni teksi. That is a tazi.
Zile ni chupa za soda. Those are soda bottles.
Hili ni duka la pombe. This is a liguor store.
Haya ni maziwa. This is milk.
Lile ni basi la Mombasa. That is a Mombasa bus.
Yale ni mawe makubwa. Those are big rocks.
pnununy
DDIDUIN
0ON5N
Ang
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Grammar Topic 4; Review of Kuwa Na | to Have

“Have” is erpressed in Swahili by the construction kuwa na. The —na acts as
a verb root, and the appropriate subject prefires are added to it. To negate
kuwa na, the negative marker ha- is used:
Stempu zina picha ya simba. The stamps have a picture of
a lion.
Kikombe kina picha ya mbwa. The cup hasa picture of a dog.
Basi halina viti vingi. The bus does not have many seats.
Hoteli ile ina mbu. That hotel has mosguitoes.
Mwalimu ana mke. The teacher has a wife.
Babu na bibi wana wajukuu. Grandpa and grandma have
grandchildren.
Ndizi zina protini. Bananas have protein.
Lugha hii ina maneno marefu. This language has long words.
Nyoka hawana miguu. Snakes do not have legs.
Bustani haina maua. The garden has no flowers.
Gari lake lina dereva. His/Her car has a driver.

Grammar Topic 5: Review of Possessive -a

Finally, don't forget that “of” is erzpressed in Swahili with —a plus a prefir that
changes form depending on the noun class of the thing that's possessed:

Lesson 8 113
KA WA JA . cha / vya ya / za la / ya

kitanda cha mbwa the dog's bed

jicho la kulia right eye
hoteli za Nairobi Nairobi hotels

daftari la Kiswahili Swahili notebook

8G. READING: WASHONAJI NGUO AFRIKA

MASHARIKI

Pamoja na watu kununua nguo madukani na kwenye mitumba, watu wengi

bado wanawategemea washonaji wa nguo. Washonaji wa nguo ni maarufu
sana katika nchi za Afrika Mashariki.
Wanawake ndio wateja maarufu wa washonaji wa nguo. Wanawake hu-
penda kushona nguo mpya kwa ajili ya kuvaa wakati wa sherehe za harusi
au sikukuu kama vile Idd au Krismasi. Baadhi ya sababu zinazowafanya
wanawake wapende kushona nguo zao kwa washonaji ni pamoja na kwam-
ba wanawake hupenda mitindo na mishono mipya ya nguo kila baada ya
muda. Mishono wanayoihitajia kawaida huwa haipatikani madukani. Na
kama inapatikana nguo hizo huwa ghali sana. Kwa hiyo wanawake hu-
nunua vitambaa wanavyovipenda na baadaye huvipeleka kwa washonaji
nguo. Mshonaji humpima mteja wake na humuuliza aina ya mshono anao-
ipenda. Baada ya hapo mshonaji humfahamisha mteja wake siku ya kuja
kuchukua nguo zake. Anaweza kutoa malipo ya kwanza na baadae hum-
aliza anapokuja kuchukua nguo.
Wanaume pia hupeleka nguo zao kwa washonaji nguo. Wanaume, sana
sana wataalamu hupenda suruali na suti zao zishonwe na washonaji.
Washonaji wa nguo pia ni maarufu kwa kushona sare za watu mbalimbali;
kama vile wanafunzi, wafanyakazi wa mahoteli na wengineo. Watu wen-
gine wanaowatumia washonaji nguo ni watu wanaotengeneza nguo zao.
Kwa mfano kama mtu amenunua nguo hasa kwenye mitumba na haimfai
vizuri, basi huenda kwa mshonaji nguo ili aitengeneze.

Tailors in East Africa

Even though it's possible to buy new clothes in stores and at the second-
hand clothing market, a lot ofpeople still depend on tailors. Tailors are very
famous in East Africa. Women are the tailors' principal customers. Women
like to make new dresses when they need to attend a wedding, or during a
big festival like Christmas and the Muslim holiday of Fid. Among the rea-
sons why women have their dresses made by tailors is that they want to be
up-to-date with the latest styles and fashions for dresses. Some of the styles

Swahili
 women need are not always available in the stores. Even if they
are avail-
able, the clothes will be very erpensive. So women buy fabric that they
like,
and then later send it to the tailors. The tailor measures the customer
and
lets her choose the style of dress she would like. After that, the tailor
tells the
customer to come back after a few days to pick up her dress. The customer
may pay in advance, and then pays the rest at the moment when she
comes
to pick up her clothes.
Men also have some of their clothing made by tailors. Men, particularly pro-
fessionals, like to have their pants and suits made by the tailors. Tailors
are
also known for making uniforms for different people, for ezample, students,
hotel workers, and so on. Tailors are also used by people who need to alter
their clothes. For erample, if someone buys a piece of secondhand clothing Ni
that doesn't fit properly, the person takes the clothing to a tailor to have it
altered.

8H. CULTURE TOPIC 2: CLOTHING IN EAST AFRICA

DIDUIN
'OnbN
Ang
Dnunun
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03
ajii
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As is the case in many places, in East Africa it's often possible to identify
the community to which a person belongs by their attire (vazi). One very
unigue community in Kenya and Tanzania is the Masai (Wamaasai). These
pastoral people reside in northern Tanzania in Arusha, Mara, and other
places bordering Kenya. There are also a lot of Masai in southern Kenya.
Masai men wear a traditional blood-red shoulder cloak called a rubega, and
the women typically wear red clothing and strings of beautifully colored
beads (shanga) around their necks.
Of course, religion also plays a major role in determining how some people
dress. For ezample, adherents of certain Christian sects, such as Akorino in
Kenya, wear white robes. Muslims (Waislamu) also wear particular cloth-
ing. In Mombasa, Zanzibar, and Dar es Salaam, it's common to see women
with covered heads, wearing black veils (mabuibui), when they walk in the
streets. Muslim men, especially on Friday, wear white robes (kanzu) with
small caps (kofia). It's also common, especially in the coastal regions, to see
women wrapped ina long piece of colorful cloth called a kanga, also known
as a leso. The kanga allow wearers to avoid erposing their bodies, and they
may even feature a proverb or a message significant to the wearer.
In big cities such as Nairobi or Dar es Salaam, it's common to see office
workers or government officials wearing suits (suti) and ties (tai). They may
also opt to wear a traditional southern African suit called a kaunda. This suit
is not worn with a tie, and both the jacket and pants are of the same color.
Women who work in offices may choose skirts (skati) and blouses (blauzi),
much as in the West. For less formal occasions, such as going out to a restau
rant, people may choose to wear a shirt with long sleeves (shati ya mikono
mirefu), perhaps with a tie. Jackets are less common, escept in cooler areas.
And of course, as is the case in just about every corner of the globe, you'lI
also see plenty of people wearing jeans and T-shirts in casual settings.

Lesson 8 115
 As a tourist or visitor to a different culture, there are some clothing issues
that you need to keep in mind. While larger cities tend to be more tolerant
when it comes to acceptable clothing, guests in certain places, such as Zanzi-
bar, need to be more careful. Women, especially, should avoid clothing that
ezposes the thighs, navel, back, or too much of the breasts. Many Muslim
women cover their heads and even their faces, but this is not imposed upon
tourists and non-Muslims, sometimes even when visiting religious places.
Foreign women living or working in Zanzibar may opt to cover their heads
as a show of respect for the culture, although again this is not obligatory. East
African men very rarely wear shorts (kaptura) in public, so male tourists may
follow this lead as a show of respect, as well. Since many people go to the
coastal areas of East Africa for the beaches, it's worth pointing out that tour-
ists should confine themselves to specially designated beaches for swimming
and sunbathing. In these areas, usually immediately around resorts, there is
no need to be worried about bathing attire. But in other areas, in villages for
erample, tourists will offend local people by walking around in bathing suits
or bikinis, and it is not uncommon for insensitive tourists to be booed.

EKERCISES

Erercise 1: Use the appropriate form of the possessive —a in the following

sentences.
1. Haya ni maji kunywa.

v .Hilininanasi Zanzibar.
3. Hizinikompyuta shule.
4. Hikinikichwa— samaki.

5 .Yulenimke — mjomba.
6 .Hilinijino. mbwa.
7uHii niichupatui umaji.
8. Hivinivikombe — kahawa.
9. Madirisha chumba hiki ni makubwa.
10. Lile ni gazeti Kenya.
11. Hizi ni mvua Masika.
12. Haya ni maziwa ng'ombe.

Erercise 2: Complete the following sentences by translating the English

words and by adding the appropriate missing prefires.
1. (This) ni gari —angu (singular).
2. Machungwa (these) ni —etu.

116 Swahili
 3. Ninapenda hoteli (this) na bustani (that) (singular).
4. Chumba (that) kina choo (small).
5. Mdudu (this) ni—baya.
6. Nyumba (theirs) inauzwa lakini haina jiko (big).
7. Jina —ako ni (long).
8. Ndizi (plural) (of) Brazil ni (good).
9. Anuani —ao (singular) ni —pya.
10. Lugha (this) ni (easy).
11. Simba (this) ni —kali.

Erercise 3: Fill the blanks in the following sentences with the appropriate
form of “have.”
1.Kwaninijiko makabati? (Negative)
pnununy
'SUJOD
DIDUIN
0On5N
Ang
DI
awos
aji
03
p.|
2.Babayangu
— meno. (Negative)

3 .Kichwachake — nywele. (Negative)

4 .Sisi
nyumba kubwa. (Affirmative)
5..Kanisalile viti (Affirmative) lakini — meza. (Negative)
6. Mtotowake
simu mpya. (Affirmative)
7- Ninapenda machungwahaya — kokwa. (Negative)
8.Teksihii dereva. (Negative)
9.Chakula — chumvi. (Affirmative)
10. Kompyuta — virusi. (Affirmative)
11i.Duka — makarani wazuri. (Affirmative)
12. Mbugahizi — wanyama wengi. (Negative)
13.Maziwa — mafuta. (Affirmative)

Erercise 4: Translate the following sentence into Swahili.

1. Why do you like pineapples?
2. Where will you go this weekend?
3. What kind of car do you like?
4. When will you come?
5. How many oranges do you want?
6. How many windows does this room have?
7. What will you eat in the evening?

Lesson 8 17
 INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Go to your closet and choose five or siz articles of clothing. For each
one, write a sentence identifying and describing it. Use a dictionary or
glossary if you need help, and as usual, keep track of the new words
you learn. Then, to see eramples of some of the Swahili clothing men-
tioned in the culture note, use a search engine to find images of Masai
and kanga.

ANSWER KEY

Ezercise 1: ya; 2. la; 3. za; 4. cha; 5. wa; 6. la; 7. ya; 8. vya; 9. ya; 10. la; 11. za;
12. ya.
Ezercise 2: 1. Hili ni gari langu. 2. Machungwa haya ni yetu. 3. Ninapenda
hoteli hii na bustani ile. 4. Chumba kile kina choo kidogo. 5. Mdudu huyu
ni mbaya. 6. Nyumba yao inauzwa lakini haina jiko kubwa. 7. Jina lako ni
refu. 8. Ndizi za Brazil ni nzuri. 9. Anuani yao ni mpya. 10. Lugha hii ni
rahisi. 11. Simba huyu ni mkali.
Ezercise 3: 1. halina; 2. hana; 3. hakina; 4. hatuna; 5. lina, halina; 6. ana;
7. hayana; 8. haina; 9. kina; 10. ina 11. lina; 12. hazina; 13. yana
Ezercise 4: 1. Kwanini unapenda mananasi? 2. Utaenda wapi wikiendi hii?
3. Unapenda gari gani? 4. Utakuja lini? 5. Unataka machungwa mangapi?
6. Chumba hiki kina madirisha mangapi? 7. Jioni utakula nini?

"8 Swahili
LESSON

Chakula
Food

In this lesson you'll listen in as someone orders food in a restaurant. Natu-

rally, you'l| learn very important vocabulary, and you'll have a chance to
learn some practical key espressions as well. This lesson will also give you
some valuable information on the table manners and food etiguette of Swa-
hili people. You'll also make great progress in your grammar by learning a
fifth noun class, the M-Mi Class. Let's begin with a vocabulary warm-up!

9A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

Nikusaidie nini? What can 1 do for you?

bei za vyakula/menyu food price (list)/menu
ukutani on the wall
pilau ya kuku spiced cooked rice with chicken
wali mweupe plain cooked rice
samaki wa kukaanga fried fish
sahani nzima full plate
samaki wa kipande fish in pieces
samaki mzima whole fish
hamna tabu no problem
kila kitu everything

9B. DIALOGUE: AT A RESTAURANT

After a long day, Jane is at a local restaurant to order some food. Let's
listen in.
Mhudumu: Karibu mteja. Habari gani?
Jane: Nzuri tu.
Mhudumu: Nikusaidie nini?
 Jane: Kuna chakula gani?
Mhudumu: Angalia bei za vyakula pale ukutani.
Jane anaangalia bei ya vyakula, baadaye anamwita mhudumu.
Jane: Naomba pilau ya kuku.
Mhudumu: Pilau ya kuku imeisha.
Jane: Kuna pilau ya nini?
Mhudumu: Pilau imeisha hivi sasa. Kuna wali mweupe tu.
Jane: Sawa. Basi naomba wali mweupe, na
maharagwe na samaki wa kukaanga.
Mhudumu: Unataka sahani nzima au nusu?

Jane: Sahani nzima. Nina njaa sana.

Mhudumu: Unataka samaki mzima au samaki wa
kipande?
Jane: Samaki wa kipande. Nichagulie kipande
kikubwa.
Mhudumu: Sawa. Nikuletee kinywaji gani?
Jane: Naomba soda yoyote baridi sana. Unajua leo
joto sana. Nina kiu sana.
Mhudumu: Hutaki kitu kingine?
Jane: Hapana, asante. Itakuwa bei gani kila kitu?
Mhudumu: Itakuwa Shilingi 3000. (elfu tatu)
Jane: Hizi hapa pesa.
Mhudumu: Sawa. Subiri nakuletea chakula.
Baada ya dakika chache mhudumu analeta chakula. Jane anaona hamna
kisu wala uma.

Jane: Tafadhali niletee uma na kisu.

Mhudumu: Samahani unajua watu wengi hapa hula kwa
mikono, kwahiyo kawaida hatuleti chakula
pamoja na kisu na uma. Subiri nakuletea.
Mhudumu anaenda kumletea Jane uma na kisu na anarudi na kumpa.
Jane: Asante.
Mhudumu: Hamna tabu.

Waiter: Welcome, customer. How are you?

Jane: Good.

120, Swahili
 Waiter: What can 1 do for you?
Jane: What sort of food do you have?
Waiter: Look at the menu on the wali.
po00oj
DjnyDyYI
Jane looks at the menu; then she calls the waiter.

Jane: Can I get chicken pilau?

Waiter: Were out of chicken pilau.
Jane: What kind of pilau do you have?
Waiter: Were out of pilau for now. We only have
plain rice.
Jane: Okay. Can I have plain rice, beans, and fried
fish?
Waiter: Do you want a full plate or a half?
Jane: A full plate. 1'm very hungry!
Waiter: Do you want a whole fish or a piece?
Jane: A piece offish. Please choose a big piece for me.
Waiter: Okay. Which drink would you like?
Jane: Can I have any very cold soda? It's so hot
today. I'm so thirsty.
Waiter: Anything else?
Jane: No, thanks. How much is that?
Waiter: It's Sh. 3000.
Jane: Here you are.
Waiter: Okay. T'll bring your order shortly.
After a few minutes the waiter brings the food. Jane doesn't see any knife
or fork.
Jane: Please bring me a knife and a fork.
Waiter: 1'm sorry. You know, many people around here
eat with their hands, so we usually don't bring
a knife and a fork when we serve food. Hang
on. (“Be patient.”) TU bring them for you
shortly.
The waiter goes to get the knife and the fork for Jane, and then he gives
them to her.
Jane: Thanks.
Waiter: No problem.

Lesson 9 121
 9C. VOCABULARY

aisikrimu ice cream

bia, pombe beer
chai tea
chumvi salt
chupa bottle/s
glasi glass/es
haragwe/maharagwe bean/s
hindi/mahindi corn (mostly used in the plural)
juisi juice
kahawa coffee
kali SOUT
karoti carrot/s
kijiko/vijiko spoon/Ss
kikombe/vikombe cup/s
kikopo/vikopo can/s, tin/s
kinywaji/vinywaji drink/s, beverage/s
kipande/vipande piece/s
kisu/visu knife/ves
kitango/vitango cucumber/s
kitunguu thomu/vitunguu garlic/pieces of garlic
thomu
kitunguu/vitunguu onion/s
kiu thirst
kiungo/viungo spice/s
kuangalia to watch
kuchemsha to boil
kuchoma to roast
kuchukua to carry, to take, to hold, to keep
kuita to call
kujua to know
kukaanga to fry
kuku chicken

122 Swahili
kuna there is, there are
kuoka to bake
kuomba to ask
P00J
DINyDY
kupa to give
kupika to cook
kurudi to return
kusaidia to help
kusubiri to wait, to be patient
kutaka to want
leo today
kiazi/viazi, mbatata potato/es
mbogamboga vegetables
mchicha spinach
mkahawa/mikahawa restaurant/s
mkate/mikate bread/s
mkono/mikono arm/s, hand/s
mteja/wateja customer/s
muhogo/mihogo cassava/s
mvinyo wine
nazi coconut/s
ndizi banana/s$
nepkini, sarvieti napkin
njaa hunger
nusu half
nyama meat
nyama ya ng'ombe beef
nyama ya nguruwe pork
pale there (over there)
pilipili spice, pepper, chili
pilipili manga black pepper
sahani plate/s
saladi salad

Lesson 9 123
 saladi ya matunda fruit salad
siagi butter
soda soda
sukari sugar
supu soup
—tamu sweet
tangawizi ginger
tufaa/ matufaa apple/s
tunda/matunda fruit/s
tungule (nyanya) tomato/es
uma/nyuma fork/s
unga flour
wali rice
-zuri delicious

9D. KEY PHRASES

Here are some erpressions that will come in handy when youre at a
restaurant.
Tunaomba meza ya watu A table for two, please.
wawili, tafadhali.
Niletee orodha ya chakula, The menu, please.
tafadhali.
Niletee orodha ya mvinyo, The wine list, please.
tafadhali.
Kuna chakula gani? What sort of food do you have?
Una chakula cha mboga Do you have vegetarian dishes?
mboga?
Naomba wali mweupe. Can I have plain rice?
Nina njaa sana. I'm very hungry.
Nina kiu sana. I'm very thirsty.
Ninataka kinywaji. I would like something to drink.
Naomba soda baridi sana. Can I have a cold soda?
Tafadhali niletee uma nakisu. Please bring me aforkanda
knife.

124 Swahili
Niletee hesabu (bili) tafadhali. Please bring me the check (bill).
Bakshishi imo ndani? Is the tip included?

P00j
DjNyDy)
9E. CULTURE TOPIC 1; RESTAURANTS IN TANZANIA
AND KENYA

Food is doubtlessly one of the greatest joys of travel for many people. So
it's not surprising that restaurants are high on the list of places to visit
for many tourists. If you prefer restaurants (mikahawa or hoteli) that are
similar to what you find in the West, your best bet in East Africa is to look
in hotels, such as Serena in Tanzania and Kenya, or the Hilton in Nairobi.
Many of the customers in these restaurants are foreigners, and while the
ingredients may be local, the cuisine is likely to be European or American
inspired. On the menu (orodha ya bei ya vyakula or menyu) of these res-
taurants youre likely to see starters, main courses, desserts, etc., just as at
home. There are other hotels—the Holiday Inn, the Intercontinental, Dia-
mond Plaza, and so on—that have restaurants that are open to the public
and that offer familiar food. Other options for eating “close to home” are
the restaurants with English names, such as Kenchick and Food Court in
Kenya, or Alcove and Chicken Tikka Inn in Dar es Salaam, to name just a
few. It's even possible these days to find fast food restaurants like Subway
and Kentucky Fried Chicken in Nairobi and in Dar es Salaam. These res-
taurants will operate almost in the same manner as in the West, but will
not be that big.
Of course, many travelers intentionally avoid eating the same food they eat
at home! If you crave a more authentically local erperience, youre going to
have to venture into a local restaurant. Most of these restaurants are found
close to the areas where offices and other business are located. It's also pos-
sible to find some of these restaurants in residential areas, where they serve
mostly bachelors. You can identify a local restaurant by its name, most
likely, which will be traditional and Swahili, such as Mansura Restaurant
in Nairobi, Tausi Restaurant in Zanzibar, or Al-Uruba restaurant in Dar es
Salaam. These restaurants will sell anything from french fries with fried
chicken (chipsi na kuku) to most local foods, served in accordance with the
local culture. For erample, it is impossible to find a restaurant that serves
pork in Muslim Zanzibar. In the past it was almost impossible to find a
place that served a heavy dinner in Zanzibar. But these days a famous place
called Forodhani attracts a lot of local people and tourists alike who want to
have a meal in the evening.

Unlike in the West, some local restaurants, particularly those that are lo
cated in residential areas, will not have a waiter who will come to take
your order, so don't erpect to be handed a menu by a greeter and shown to
your table. The menu may even be posted on the wall, or the entire meal
may have been planned by the owner or cook, so you'l| be served what's
available. If the restaurant doesn't serve or has run out of the dish youre

125
Lesson 9
 looking for, it's not considered rude for you to leave and look for another
place that does offer what you want. If there's a choice, when you decide
what you want, order it at the counter, which is where, incidentally, youII
pay when youre done. In fact, you may be reguired to pay in advance, as
indicated by a sign: “malipo mwanzo.” The waiter will bring you the food
that you ordered when it's ready. Keep in mind that these restaurants tend
to be smaller, with tables arranged much closer to one another than what
you might be accustomed to.
When you get to your table, you won't find napkins (tishu) waiting there
for you. Napkins are generally available at the restaurant counter, and cus-
tomers help themselves. Don't be surprised if you see other customers eat-
ing with their hands; this is acceptable table manners in many parts of
the world. If you choose to eat with your hand, be sure to use your right
hand, as eating with the left hand is considered to be at least odd, if not
downright rude and unhygienic, especially in Muslim communities. And
before you eat, be sure to wash your hands in the wash basin provided.
If you eat with utensils (vyombo), simply leave them on the table along
with the plates when you're through, and then they will be collected and
cleaned. You are very unlikely to find disposable plates and plastic uten-
sils. When you're ready to pay the bill, simply ask naomba kulipa? (Can
I pay?) Sometimes be prepared to be asked to remind the waiter in local
restaurants what you have eaten (umekula nini). Tipping (kutoa bakshishi)
is not reguired in local restaurants, as it is not part of East African culture.
In large hotels on the other hand, where foreigners have made a practice of
it, tipping has come to be erpected.
Another eating option that you may find in East Africa is food from mobile
vans, particularly in shopping and business areas. There are also food vendors
who sell pieces of spicy meat roasted on a skewer (mishikaki/nyamachoma) in
open places. This could be served with fries. To play it safe, you should avoid
these places if they don't appear sanitary.

9F. GRAMMAR

Grammar Topic 1; The M-Mi Class

The fifth noun class that you'll learn is called the M-Mi Class. As you can
guess, nouns in this class begin with m- in singular and mi- in the plural.
There are two general characteristics that can be saidof the M-Mi Class.
First,
there are a lot of names of trees and plants in the class: mti/miti (tree/s),
mchungwa/michungwa (orange tree/s), mgomba/migomba (banana
plant/s),
muwa/miwa (sugar cane/s), mlimau/milimau (lemon tree/s),
mnanasi/mina-
nasi (pineapple plant/s), mnazi/minazi (coconut palm/s), mwembe/miembe
(mango tree/s). Second, there are no names of people or animals in
the M-Mi
Class. Otherwise, it's a pretty mized bag: mkate/mikate (bread/s),
mkahawa/
mikahawa (restaurant/s), mwili/miili (body/bodies), mkono/mikono
(hand/s),
mguu/miguu (leg/s), moyo/mioyo (heart/s), mwaka/miaka
(year/s), mlango/

126, Swahili
milango (door/s), mlima/milima (mountain/s), mji/miji (town/s, city/cities), 3
moto/mioto (fire/s), mchuzi/michuzi (stew/s), mto/mito (river/s, pillow/s), 8
mkoba/mikoba (basket/s, bag/s), mfuko/mifuko (pocket/s). >
ba
As you can probably see in the list above, the prefir m— becomes mw- be- 5
fore a vowel, as in mwembe, mwili, or mwaka. The words moyo and moto,
though, are erceptions to this rule. Also notice that in the word muwa, the
prefir is mu-— instead of m-.

Grammar Topic 2: M-Mi Subject, Adjective, Possessive,

and Location Prefires
Now let's go through all of the types of agreement prefires that you've
learned for the other four noun classes, and apply them to the M-Mi class.
First, the subject prefir that you put on verbs to agree with M-Mi nouns is
u— in the singular, and i- in the plural:
Mkahawa unauza mikate. The restaurant sells bread.
Mikahawa inauza mikate. The restaurants sell bread.
Mti ulianguka. The tree fell down.
Miti ilianguka. The trees fell down.
The adjective prefikes for M-Mi nouns are the same prefires as on the noun
itself. There are three simple esceptions to this rule. First, the prefiz m— be-
comes mw- before a vowel. Second, the plural prefir mi- changes to my—
before —e. Third, the —iin mi- is dropped when the adjective starts with an
—i. As usual, there is no prefis before an invariable adjective.

Kilimanjaro ni mlima mrefu. Kilimanjaro is a tall mountain.

Mikate ni midogo. The loaves of bread are small.
Mombasa na Zanzibar ni Mombasa and Zanzibar are
miji mizuri. beautiful cities.
Mfuko ni mweupe. The bag is white.
Mitaa ni myembamba. The streets are narrow.

Kuna miji mingi mwambao. There are many cities on the coast.

Mji ni safi. The town is clean.

To form the possessives, add the prefis w-— for singular, and y— for plural.
So, the M-Mi possessives in the singular are wangu (my), wake (his/her),
wako (your), wetu (our), wenu (your), and wao (their). In the plural, they are
yangu, yake, yako, yetu, yenu, and yao:

Mji wangu ni mdogo. My town is small.

Mzigo wake ni mkubwa. His/Her luggage is large.

Mikono yako ni michafu. Your hands are dirty.

Lesson 9 kali
 To ezpress location with the M-Mi Class, use u— in the singular, andi- in the
plural, along with —ko, —po, or —mo.

Mikoba yangu iko wapi? Where are my bags?

Mtaa huu upo mjini. This street is in the town.
Mchezo huu umo mawazoni. This play is in my mind.

Grammar Topic 3: M-Mi Demonstratives

The M-Mi demonstratives are: huu (this), ule (that), hii (these), and ile
(those).
Huu ni mkono wangu. This is my hand.
Mikate hii ni yake. These loaves of bread are his.
Huu ni mto na ile ni milima. This is a river, and those are
mountains.
Ile ni mikono na hii ni miguu. Those are hands, and these are
legs.

Grammar Topic 4: Kuwa Na | “to Have" with M-Mi Nouns

To erpress have with M-Mi nouns, use the subject prefires u— with singu-
lars, and i—- with plurals:

Mto una samaki. The river has fish.

Mito ina samaki The rivers have fish.
Mtaa una jina. The street has a name.
Miji ina majina. The cities have names.
Don't forget that to negate have, just use the negative marker ha—:
Mto hauna samaki. The river has no/doesn't have fish.
Mito haina samaki. The rivers have no/don't have fish.
Mji hauna jina. The city doesn't have a name.
Miji haina majina. The cities don't have names.

Grammar Topic 5: Possessive —a with M-Mi Nouns

The prefires used with possessive -a in the M-Mi Class are w- in the
sin-
gular, and y- in the plural. These are the same as the prefires used
with
possessives:
Mkoba wa mwalimu upo The teacher's bag is in the
darasani. classreom.
Mito ya nchi ile ni michafu. The rivers of that country are
dirty.

128 Swahili
9G. READING: VYAKULA AFRIKA MASHARIKI

Kwa kuwa kuna makabila mengi katika Afrika Mashariki, pia si ajabu ku-
ona kuwa kuna vyakula vya aina tofauti katika sehemu hizi. Aina za vyaku- Pp00oj
DjnyDy)
la pia hulingana na maeneo wanayoishi watu. Kwa mfano watu ambao
wanakaa karibu na bahari au maziwa hupenda sana kula samaki. Wamasai
ambao ni wafugaji hunywa maziwa kama chakula chao kikuu.
Watu wengi wa Afrika Mashariki wanapenda sana chai wakati wa asubuhi
na usiku. Hii ni kutokana na ukweli kwamba Kenya na Tanzania ni nchi
zinazolima chai. Ni kawaida kwa wageni wanapofika kukaribishwa kwa chai
kwanza. Watu wengi hunywa chai yenye sukari na mara nyingi na maziwa.
Pia chai kwa Waswahili ina maana pana zaidi. Chai humaanisha chakula cha
asubuhi au jioni kwa watu wa mwambao hasa Zanzibar. Kawaida Waswahili
hasa watu wa Zanzibar na Mombasa hawali chakula kizito asubuhi na usiku.
Watu hunywachai na mikate. Watu pia hunywa chai na maandazi(mahamuri),
vitumbua, chapati, mkate wa mchele na mengineyo. Pia watu wengine wa
Afrika Mashariki hunywa chai na viazi, muhogo, ndizi mbichi za kupikwa,
mahindi au chakula cha kiporo. Watu wengine hula vyakula hivi pamoja
na vitoweo. Kwa mfano watu wanaweza kula muhogo kwa samaki au supu
ya nyama. Wengine hula mikate na mayai ya kukuaanga. Watu hunywa uji
kama hawana sukari ya kuweka kwenye chai. Watu hunywa uji wa unga wa
ngano, mahindi, mtama au uwele.

Vyakula vizito kama ugali, chakula maarufu sana Afrika Mashariki na

kwengineko Afrika, Githeri, chakula maarufu kwa Wakikuyu huko Kenya
au wali, maarufu kwa watu wa pwani (mwambao), kawaida huliwa wakati
wa mchana na usiku kwa baadhi ya watu. Watu wa pwani kawaida hawali
vyakula hivi asubuhi au usiku. Kwa kawaida watu wa mwambao hula wali
wakati wa mchana. Wali huliwa na mchuzi wa samaki, nyama au kuku.
Pia watu wengine hufanya mboga kama kitoweo. Watu wengi wa Kenya
hupenda kutumia sukuma wiki kama kitoweo cha ugali.
Mikahawa katika sehemu za Afrika Mashariki pia huuza chakula kwa mu-
jibu wa wakati. Kwa mfano huwezi kupata wali katika mikahawa wakati
wa asubuhi. Na kawaida chai haiuzwi wakati wa mchana katika mikahawa
ya kawaida ya Tanzania. Mikahawa (hoteli) ya kawaida ya Zanzibar haiuzi
kahawa. Kahawa huuzwa mitaani na wauzaji maalum. Kahawa huuzwa
na hunywewa sana nchini Kenya hasa Nairobi na sehemu nyengine zenye
baridi. Watu wa sehemu hizi hupenda sana kunywa kahawa.

Food in East Africa

Because there are alot of ethnic groups in East Africa, itis not unusual to see
that there are varieties of food in these areas. The kinds of food also depend
on the areas where those people live. For ezample people who live close to
the sea or lakes like to eat fish.Masai who are herders drink milk as their
main food.

129
Lesson 9
 Many people in East Africa like to drink tea in the moming and in the eve-
ning. This is due to the fact that Kenya and Tanzania are tea-growing coun-
tries. It is usual for a visitor to be served with tea first. People drink tea with
sugar and most likely with milk. Chai for Swahili people has a broader mean-
ing, too. Chai means “breakfast” and “dinner” to the people who live on the
coast, particularly Zanzibar. Usually Swahili people, particularly those who
live in Zanzibar and Mombasa, do not eat a heavy meal in the morning or in
the evening. People usually drink tea with mkate wa boflo/mkate wa mofa
fa kind of bread). They may also drink tea with buns, rice fritters, chapati
(flat round bread which looks like a thick tortilla), mkate wa mchele fa kind
of rice cake), and so on. Also, some people in Kenya and Tanzania drink tea
with sweet potatoes, cassava, cooked raw plantain, corn or the leftovers of
the previous dinner. Some people eat their breakfast with a side dish. For
instance, people may eat cassava with fish or beef soup. Others eat bread
with fried egg. People drink porridge in the morning ifthey do not have sugar
to put in their tea. They drink porridge made from wheat, corn, sorghum, or
millet flour.

A heavy meal like ugali (cornmeal mush), a very popular food in Easi Africa
and other parts of Africa, githeri (corn and bean stew), a very popular tradi-
tional food among the Kikuyu in Kenya, or wali (cooked rice), a very popular
food on the coast, is eaten in the aftemoon or in the evening by some people.
Most people on the coast do not eat these kinds of heavy meals in the eve-
ning. Rice is usually eaten with fish stew, beef, or chicken. Other people use
vegetables as their side dish. A lot of people in Kenya like to eat sukuma wiki
(a type of vegetable similar to collard greens, usually boiled with tomatoes
and onions) as a side dish for ugali.
Restaurants in East Africa typically sell food in accordance with the time of
the day. For instance, you cannot get wali in restaurants in the morning. Usu-
ally tea is not sold in the afternoon (during lunchtime) in local restaurants
in Tanzania. Local restaurants in Zanzibar do not sell coffee. Coffee is sold
in the streets by special traditional vendors. Coffee is widely sold and drunk
in Kenya, particularly Nairobi, and other places where the climate is colder.
People in these areas like to drink coffee a lot.

9H. CULTURE TOPIC 2; SWAHILI TABLE MANNERS

One of the things that can be very embarrassing in a foreign country is not
knowing the erpected table manners (adabu za mezani or adabu za chaku-
la) of the culture. This situation can be even more difficult to navigate if
different religious traditions or customs come into play. For the people of
the Swahili-speaking coast, watu wa pwani, Islam is the dominant religion,
and many of the food-related customs and table manners are related to
religion or the influence of the Arabic culture on the region.

For erample, children are taught when they are little that they should eat
with their right hand (mkono wa kulia), whether they are actually eating
with

130 Swahili
their hands or usinga fork (uma) or a spoon (kijiko). The only time when this
rule is relared is if someone cannot use his or her right hand due to an injury.
Otherwise, it is rude in Swahili culture to eat with the left hand (mkono wa
kushoto), which is considered to be a dirty hand (mkono mchafu).
Ppo00j
DjM/DyY)
Because people eat with their (right) hands, it is of course important and
erpected that everyone wash their hands (kuosha/kunawa mkono) before
eating. Just as in the West, it is considered unhygienic to eat without wash-
ing your hands. In a family or group of people eating together, the oldest
person will be given priority to wash his or her hands first, and then the
others will follow. The oldest people also enjoy the privilege of not being
left at the table; children or young adults are erpected not to leave the
table before their elders. Actually, a table may not be involvedatall, itisa
very common practice for Waswahili to eat sitting on a floor mat (mkeka
or jamvi). There, people will gather around a big round tray (sinia) or plate
(sahani), eating from it. It is also common for women and men to eat sepa-
rately at gatherings, for religious reasons.
Of course, not all table manners need to be learned from culture to culture;
some are universal or just plain common sense. It is impolite in Swahili
culture—just as in Western culture—for people to speak with their mouths
full, to chew with their mouths open, to make noise while eating, and so on.
It is also considered rude for someone to blow his or her nose in front of
others, during a meal or otherwise. If you need to blow your nose, ercuse
yourself and go someplace where you can be alone. If you're a student,
do not eat in the classroom, as this is considered improper. Of course, a
very good rule of thumb in any situation is simply to observe what people
around you are doing—or not doing—and follow suit.

EKERCISES

Erercise 1. The following list contains singular nouns and demonstratives

from both the Ji-Ma and M-Mi noun classes. Change each phrase into the plu-
ral, and then give the translation for both the singular and plural phrases.
HM . mkahawa ule

2. chungwa hili
. mlango huu
. gari lile
. mlima ule
. gazeti hili
. papai hii
. duka lile

oa
AAA
WA
aa
AA
ua. mwaka huu

10. mkono ule

Lesson 9
131
 Ezrercise 2: The following sentences have some grammatical errors, which
are in italics. Rewrite the sentences correctly.
1. Mkoba huyu ni changu.
2. Mikate anauzwa mkahawa kile.
3. Mto Nile hakina samaki.
4. Mchungwa si mti warefu.
5. Mikeka yale ni mkubwa.

Erercise 3: Fill in blanks in the following sentences with the appropriate

word. A clue is given in parentheses.
1. nimkoba mwalimu. (This,of)
2.Ninapenda mkate — mchelenamaziwa sukari. (of, of)
3. Madirisha ni na . (these, beautiful, big)
#iMzigoz uni zwui(ihatiyours)
5. nimwaka nne. (This,of)

Erercise 4: Translate each of the following English sentences into Swahili.

Each sentence includes the verb “have.”
1. The bread has salt.
2. The stew has no salt.
3. Mt. Meru has big trees.
4. The kitchen has bugs (wadudu).
5. Papayas (mapapai) have seeds.

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Imagine that you have to esplain the typical cuisine or table manners
of your culture to a Swahili speaking friend. Prepare a list of the most
important vocabulary words you'l| need, usinga dictionary if neces-
sary. Write out several sentences or a short paragraph.

ANSWER KEY

Brercise 1: 1. mkahawa ule (that restaurant), mikahawa ile (those restaurants);

2. chungwa hili (this orange), machungwa haya (these oranges); 3. mlango huu
(this door), milango hii (these doors); 4. gari lile (that car), magari yale (those
cars); 5. mlima ule (that mountain), milima ile (those mountains); 6. gazeti
hili
(this newspaper), magazeti yale (those newspapers); 7. papai hili (this papaya),

132 | Swahili
 mapapai haya (these papayas); 8. duka lile (that shop), maduka yale
(those
shops); 9. mwaka huu (this year), miaka hii (these years); 10. mkono ule (that
hand), mikono ile (those hands)
Ekercise 2: 1. Mkoba huu ni wangu. 2. Mikate inauzwa mkahawa ule. 3. Mto
Nile hauna samaki. 4. Mchungwa si mti mrefu. 5. Mikeka ile ni mikubwa. DIMIDY)
P00j
Erercise 3: 1. huu, wa; 2. wa, ya; 3. haya, mazuri, makubwa; 4. huu, wako;
5. huu, wa
Erercise 4: 1. Mkate una chumvi. 2. Mchuzi hauna chumvi. 3. Mlima Meru
una miti mikubwa. 4. Jiko lina wadudu. 5. Mapapai yana kokwa.

Lesson 9 133
Ma mua ai

AA ui
 LESSON

10 Hospitalini
At the Hospital

In this lesson, you'lI listen in on a conversation between doctor and patient,

so you'li learn useful vocabulary and erpressions for talking about health
and the body. Then, you'll ekzpand your knowledge of Swahili grammar by
focusing on some irregular adjectives and important verb forms. First, let's
start with a vocabulary warm-up.

10A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

kuonana na daktari to see the doctor

Fungua mdomo. Open your mouth.
Funga mdomo. Close your mouth.
dawa za kufukuza mbu mosguito spray
uchunguzi wa damu blood test
matokeo ya uchunguzi wa damu blood test result
kupigwa shindano to be injected
Pole sana. TI am very sorry. (to show
sympathy)
Inawezekana... It's possible that...
Itabidi... It'll be necessaryto...
mkono wa kulia right hand
Sina nguvu. I'm feeling weak. I have no
strength.

10B. DIALOGUE: AT THE HOSPITAL

Erick, an American student visiting Kenya and Tanzania, has not been feel
ing weli lately. He goes to see a doctor to get medication. First, he is at
tended to by a nurse, who registers him and then takes his blood sample
before sending him to the doctor. Let's listen to the dialogue:
 Mwuguzi: Hujambo?
Erick: Sijambo kidogo.
Mwuguzi: Jina lako nani?
Erick: Jina langu Erick Lewis.
Mwuguzi: Una miaka mingapi?
Erick: Ishirini na sita.
Mwuguzi: Unakaa wapi?
Erick: Ninakaa Eastleigh.
Mwuguzi: Una tatizo gani?
Erick: Ninataka kuonana na daktari. Ninahisi nina
malaria.

Mwuguzi: Itabidi nikutoe damu kidoleni kwanza. Lete

kidole chako cha gumba cha mkono wa
kulia.
Erick: Sawa.

Baada ya dakika chache mwuguzi anakuja na kumpa Erick majibu ya damu

yake na anamwelekeza kuenda kumwona daktari.
Daktari: Karibu.
Erick: Asante.
Daktari: Habari gani?
Erick: Sio mbaya.
Daktari: Vipi unasumbuliwa na nini?
Erick: Kwa kweli sijui ni maradhi gani. Labda nina
malaria.
Daktari: Unahisi vipi.
Erick: Kwanza ninahisi mwili wote unaniuma.
Miguu, hasa kwenye magoti, mikono nahisi
sina nguvu, kichwa kinauma na kuna wakati
ninahisi kizunguzungu na macho yanakuwa
kama hayaoni. Pia ninahisi maumivu ya
mgongo na kiuno.
Daktari: Pole sana. Choo unapata?
Erick: Ninaharisha. Tumbo linauma mara kwa
mara. Na ninapokula kitu basi mara
nyengine ninatapika. Pia nikikojoa nahisi
mkojo unauma pia.
AA

36| Swahili
 Daktari: Jee una maumivu ya kifua?
Erick: Kifua kinauma na ninakohoa pia.
Daktari: Tafadhali fungua mdomo. Sasa funga.
Daktari: Naona una kila dalili za malaria. Pia
matokeo yako ya uchunguzi wa damu
yanaonesha una malaria. Sasa nitakuandikia
sindano nne za kwinini. Utapiga kwa siku
nne. Leo utapiga moja, kesho moja, kila JuijDudso
JeHIdsOH
JV
3y)
siku moja.
Erick: Nitapigwa wapi? Mkononi?
Daktari: Hapana utapigwa matakoni?
Erick: Sawa.
Daktari: Pia nimekuandikia dawa hapa ununue.
Hizi hapa ni dawa za malaria na hizi hapa
dawa za maumivu. Unahitaji kula vizuri
kabla ya kula dawa hizi. Usile dawa kabla
ya kula chakula. Na baada ya kula dawa
unahitaji kupumzika. Pia usisahau kutumia
chandarua ili mbu wasikupate na pia jipake
dawa za kufukuza mbu. Unajua nchi zetu
zina mbu wengi wa malaria.
Erick: Sawa.

Daktari: Umewahi kula dawa za kinga?

Erick: Ndio nilikula nilipokuwa Marekani.

Daktari: Inaonekana kinga yako haikusaidia au
imepungua nguvu.
Erick: Inawezekana ni hivyo.
Daktari: Baada ya kumaliza hizi dawa, unaweza kula
tena dawa za kinga.
Erick: Sawa asante.
Daktari: Sawa. Haya kwaheri.
Erick: Asante tutaonana.

Nurse: How are you doing?

Erick: Not so good.
Nurse: What's your name?
Erick: My name's Erick Lewis.

Lesson 10 137
 Nurse: How old are you?
Erick: Twenty-siz.
Nurse: Where do you live?
Erick: 1 live in Eastleigh.
Nurse: What's the matter with you?
Erick: Td like to see a doctor. I think I have malaria.
Nurse: TII need to take your blood sample from your
finger first. Give me your right thumb.
Erick: Okay.
After a while the nurse returns and gives Erick the results of his blood test,
and Erick is directed to go see the doctor.
Doctor: Comein.

Erick: Thanks.
Doctor: How are you?

Erick: Not bad.

Doctor: What's wrong with you?
Erick: Actually 1 don't know what's wrong with me.
Maybe I have malaria.
Doctor: Describe how you feel to me.
Erick: My whole body hurts. My legs, particularly,
my knees; my arms feel really weak (“have
no strength”), my head hurts, and sometimes
I feel dizzy and can't see right. 1 also have a
backache and 1 have pain in my hips.
Doctor: 1'm sorry to hear that. Do you go to the
bathroom regularly?
Erick: 1 have diarrhea. I have freguent stomachaches,
and when 1 eat something, 1 sometimes vomit.
Also, when I urinate I feel pain.
Doctor: Do you have any chest pain?
Erick: 1 have chest pain, and 1'm also coughing.
Doctor: Open your mouth please. Now close.
Doctor: It seems you have all the symptoms of
malaria. And your blood test shows that you
have it, too. Now TII prescribe four guinine

38 swahili
 injections for you. You'll take them for four
days. Today you'l! take one, tomorrow one,
and each day one.
Erick: Where will 1 be injected, in my arm?
Doctor: No, it will be in your backside.
Erick: Okay.
Doctor: Also, TII prescribe some medicine that you JulDUudsoH
JeNdsOH
3V
3y)
can buy. This one over here is for malaria,
and this one is a painkiller. You'll need to
have a good full meal before taking these
medicines. Don't take them before eating.
Then you'll need to rest after taking the
medicines. Also, make sure you don't forget to
use a mosguito net over your bed to protect
yourself from being bitten. Also, use mosguito
body repellants. You know our countries have
many mosguitoes that carry malaria.
Erick: Okay. Thank you.
Doctor: Did you take any malaria prevention drugs?
Erick: Yes, I did, when I wasin the U.S.

Doctor: It seems the drugs either did not help or are

not potent anymore.
Erick: That's possible.
Doctor: After you've taken these drugs, you can take
the prevention drugs once again.
Erick: Okay, thank you.
Doctor: Okay, then, bye.

Erick: Thank you. Good-bye.

10C. VOCABULARY

bega/mabega shoulder/s

chandarua/vyandarua mosguito net/s

chango/machango intestine/s

choo/vyoo stool; toilet/s, bathroom/s

daktari/madaktari doctor/s

dalili symptom/s

Lesson 10 139
 damu blood
dawa medicine/s, drug/s

goti/magoti knee/s
gumba thumb/s
hasa particularly
hospitali hospital/s
jicho/macho eye/s
jino/meno tooth/teeth
kichwa/vichwa head/s
kidole/vidole finger/s, toe/s
kifua/vifua chest/s
kinga prevention
kipima joto/vipima joto thermometer/s
kisugudi/visugudi elbow/s
kiuno/viuno hip/s
kizunguzungu dizziness
kliniki clinic/s
koo/makoo throat/s
kuandika to write
kuelekeza to direct
kuharisha to cause diarrhea
kuhisi to feel
kukohoa to cough
kukojoa to urinate
kulia right
kupata to get, obtain, suffer (an illness)
kupiga chafya to sneeze
kupumzika to rest
kupungua to decrease
kusahau to forget
kusumbuliwa to be troubled, to be disturbed
kutapika to vomit

140 swahili
 kutoa to deliver, to give, to offer,
to remove
kutumia to use
kuuma to hurt
kuumwa na kichwa to have a headache
kuwa na homa to have a fever
labda perhaps —Juijoyd
JeNdsoH
JU)
3V
mara kwa mara freguently
maradhi disease/s, ailment/s
matokeo results
maumivu pain
mdomo/midomo mouth/s
mgongo/migongo back/s
mguu/miguu leg/s, foot/feet
mkojo/mikojo urine
mkono/mikono arm/s, hand/s
moyo/mioyo heart/s
mwuguzi/wauguzi nurse/s
mwili/miili body/ies
nchi country/ies
ngozi skin
pafu/mapafu lung/s
pua nose/s
shingo neck/s
sikio/masikio ear/s

sindano needle/s, syringe/s

tako/matako buttocks, backside
tumbo/matumbo belly/ies, stomach/s

ubongo brain
uchunguzi/chunguzi invyestigation/s
ulimi/ndimi tongue/s
uso/nyuso face/s

Lesson 10 ILI
 10D. KEY PHRASES

Now let's focus on some key ezpressions for talking about health.
Ninataka kuonana na daktari. I want to see the doctor.

Unasumbuliwa na nini? What's troubling you?

Nimeungua. I've burned myself.
Nimejikata. Te cut myself.
Nafikiri nimevunjika mkono. I think I broke my arm.
Unahisi vipi? How do you feel?
Ninahisi mwili wote unaniuma. I feel like my whole body hurts.
Ninahisi sina nguvu. I feel weak.
Kichwa kinauma. I have a headache.
Ninahisi kizunguzungu. I feel dizzy.
Nina homa. I have a fever.
Ninaharisha. I have diarrhea.
Tumbo linauma. I have a stomachache.
Ninatapika. I'm throwing up.
Kifua kinauma. I have chest pains.
Ninakohoa. I'm coughing.
Unatumia dawa yoyote? Are you taking any medication?
Kuna kitu kinakudhuru? Do you have any allergies?
Ninadhuriwa na penisilini. 1 am allergic to penicillin.
Nina mimba. / Mimi ni mja T'm pregnant.
mzito.

10E. CULTURE TOPIC 1: HOSPITALS IN KENYA

AND TANZANIA

Today in Kenya and Tanzania, there are both public hospitals (hospitali za
serikali) and private hospitals (hospitali binafsi). The eristence of public
hospitals is a great benefit to many people, who are able to receive hospital
services (huduma za hospitali) regardless of their income. But naturally,
there are stark differences between public and private facilities, and people
who can afford private care usuallyoptforit.
At public hospitals there are usually long lines of patients (wagonjwa) wait-
ing to receive medical care, and there are relatively few doctors available to

142 Swahili
 treat everyone. Although medical attention is free or costs are
shared with
the patients in public hospitals, people do not receive drugs (dawa)
free of
charge. Instead, patients get advice from a doctor, as well as a
prescription
(cheti), and they must pay for the medication themselves. There
are even
Occasions when relatives of patients reguiring surgery (upasuaj
i) must pay
for the necessary eguipment.
Private hospitals, on the other hand, offer better services to the people who
can afford it. These hospitals keep records and charge patients, and some
of
them have specialized clinics (kliniki maalum) for specific diseases (magon- !U1I
|elid
34)
JV
jwa maalum). For ezample, Hindu Mandal Hospital in Tanzania is known
for heart diseases (magonjwa ya moyo), KCMC Moshi has a well-known eye
clinic (kliniki ya macho) and Aga Khan in Nairobi is a well-known referral
hospital (hospitali ya rufaa). There are also private medical dispensaries
(zahanati) in many places, which, like private hospitals, offer a higher tier
of service for a price.
Of course, for the majority of people living in Kenya and Tanzania, public
hospitals are the only option. Most people in Tanzania, particularly in Dar
es Salaam, get their health services (huduma za afya) at Muhimbili Hos-
pital, which is the largest public referral hospital in the country. There is
also Bugando Hospital in Mwanza. Apart from the hospitals, the govern-
ment also has built several dispensaries in villages across the country. In
Kenya, the major public referral hospital is Kenyatta National Hospital
in Nairobi. Moi Referral Hospital is an important public hospital in the
North Rift Valley.

10F. GRAMMAR

Grammar Topic 1: Vowel Adjectives

Agreement prefikes on adjectives that start with vowels are slightly differ-
ent from the ones on adjectives starting with consonants. Let's take a look
at each of the five noun classes you've learned so far, using as eramples the
adjectives -embamba (thin, skinny, narrow), —-eupe (white), —eusi (black),
and —ekundu (red).

M-Wa Class: The regular adjective prefikes are m- in the singular, and w-
in plural. Before vowels, those prefikes become mw- and w-:
Ni msichana mwembamba. She is a skinny girl.
Nina paka mweusi na mbwa I have a black cat and two white
wawili weupe. dogs.
Ki-Vi Class: The regular adjective prefires are ki— and vi-, but before vow
els, those endings become ch- and vy-:

Juma ana kitabu kimoja Juma has a/one red book and two
chekundu na vitabu viwili white books.
vyeupe.

Lesson 10 143
 Hoteli ina vitanda vyembamba The hotel has narrow, white beds.
vyeupe.
with
N- Class: Remember that N- Class adjective prefises are guite irregular
adjectives beginnin g with consonan ts (see lesson 5). Before vowels, though,
the prefiz is always ny-, in both singular and plural:
Zawadi ana nywele nyeusi. Zawadi has black hair.
Ninaona nyumba nyekundu I see a red house and a black
na nyumba nyeusi. house.
Ji-Ma Class: Adjectives agreeing with Ji-Ma nouns usually take no prefir
in the singular (with some ezceptions; see lesson 6) and ma- in the plural.
Before vowels, the prefikes are j- in the singular, and m- in the plural:
Mti huu una matunda meusi This tree has black fruit and thin
na majani membamba. leaves.
Sina gari jekundu. Nina gari I don't have aredcar; IT havea
jeupe. white car.
M-Mi Class. The regular adjective prefikes with this class are the same as
the noun prefizes: m— and mi-—. But before vowels, those prefires become
mw- and my-:
Nyumba ina mlango mweupe The house has a narrow white
mwembamba. door.
Una mikono myembamba! You have thin arms!

Grammar Topic 2; The Causative Erktension

In English, you can take a basic verb and ertend its meaning in a number
of ways. For ezample, if you use “make” plus the basic verb, as in “make
return” from “return,” you have what's called the causative. That name isn't
surprising, because if you make someone return, youre causing him or
her to return. Swahili has a special way of ertending the meaning of basic
verbs, by adding suffizes called ertensions, and one of these ertensions
gives you the causative. To take our English ezample and apply it to Swa-
hili, kurudi means “to return,” and by changing the ending to —isha, you
have kurudisha, which means “to make return,” “to cause to return,” or “to
bring back.” There are a few different forms of the causative ertension, but
the characteristic consonant is —sh- or —z-.
1. Take off the final vowel on the infinitive, and if the nearest remaining
vowelis aa, i, Or U, then the causative ertension takes the form —isha:

kurudi (to return) 2 kurud... tisha kurudisha (to cause to return, bring back)

Ali anarudisha vitabu. Ali is bringing back the books.

kuzama (to drown) 2 kuzam... tisha kuzamisha (to cause to drown, sink)

Upepo umezamisha meli. The storm caused the ship to sink.

144 Swahili
 2. If the nearest remaining vowel is e or 0, then the causati
ve ertension
takes the form —esha:

|kusoma (to read, tostudy)<kusomi.—. kusomesha (to cause to study, teach)

esha

Mwalimu huyu anasomesha Kiswahili.

This teacher teaches Swahili.

kukopa (to borrow) > kukop 4 esha kukopesha (to make borrow, lend)

Nimemkopesha Ali pesa. 1U1/D

|Lhd
3y)
JV
I have lent Ali some money.

3- Most verbs whose root forms end in -k undergo a slight modification

when the causative ertension is added. The —k changes to —sh, and no
fur-
ther syllable is added:
kukumbuka (to remember) kukumbusha (to make remember,
remind)

Picha hii inanikumbusha zamani. This picture reminds me of the past.

kuwaka (to burn, be on fire) kuwasha (to light on fire)

Nani amewasha majani? Who has set the leaves on fire?

Note that the common verbs kuandika (to write) and kucheka (to laugh) are
erceptions to this rule. Their causative forms are kuandikisha (to register)
and kuchekesha (to make laugh, to amuse).
4. Some verbs insert a —z- in their causative forms, while the verb kulala
changes its last consonant to —z. Also, if a verb root ends in —n, the caus-
ative is formed with —ny-:

kuuma (to hurt, to be painful) kuumiza (to hurt, to cause pain)

Viatu vyangu vinaniumiza. My shoes are hurting me.

kulala (to sleep) kulaza (to cause to sleep, to put to bed)

Dawa zinalaza. The drugs make you sleepy.

kupona (to get better, recover) kuponya (to make better, to cure)

Dawa hii inaponya malaria? Does this medicine cure malaria?

Lesson 10 145
5. You can also form causative verbs from adjectives and nouns. Simply
a,
take off the final vowel, and add —isha if the nearest remaining vowelis
i, or u, and —esha if the nearest remainin g vowel is —0 or —e.

Zsafi earn) Wsndha (to dear)

bora (good, better)

| kuboresha (to make better, to improve)

“rahisi (easy) kurahisisha (to simplify)

Sa Gi ia kumaanisha (to mean)

sababu (reason, cause) kusababisha (to cause)

ha hili kwa La nini? What does this word mean?

Paa alisababisha ajali. The deer caused an accident.

Grammar Topic 3: The Subjunctive

The subjunctive is a very useful verb form in Swahili. It's a polite form,
used to make reguests, suggestions, Or give directives. It's very easy to form.
If the verb ends in —a, simply change it to —e, and drop the tense infiz. If
the verb ends in another vowel, don't change it to —e. The ku is dropped in
the monosyllabic verbs.
anasoma (he/she is reading) asome (he/she should read)

"tunaenda (we go) tuende / twende (let's go)

unajaribu (you are trying) ujaribu (you should try)

ninakula (/ eat) nile (/ should eat)

There are certain words that often go together with the subjunctive in sen-
tences: afadhali (it's better that/to...,oughtto...), lazima (it's necessary
that/to..., must), tafadhali (please), and ni bora (it's better that/to...):

Ni bora uowe. (from kuowa") It's better that you get married
(said to a man).
Afadhali twende hospitali. It's better that we go to the
(from kuenda) hospital.
Ni lazima utumie chandarua. It's necessary that you use a
(from kutumia) mosguito net.
Karibu ukae. (from kukaa) Have a seat.
Lazima unywe dawa. (from It's necessary that you take
kunywa) (“drink”) some medicine.
“Note thatin Swahili, men marry (kuowa) and woman get married (kuolewa).
You'll learn more about the passive (lewa) form of verbs in Lesson 11.

Swahili
 To form the negative subjunctive, simply insert —si— betwee
n the subject
prefis and the verb stem. This form is used to make negativ
e suggestions,
give negative commands, and so on:

Tusiende Mombasa. (from Let's not go to Mombasa.

kuenda)
Usipige Picha hapa. (from Don't take pictures here. /
kupiga) You shouldn't take pictures here.
Usivute sigara. (from kuvuta) Do not smoke. 1UII
|LNd
ay)
JV
Usile nyama. (from kula) You shouldn't eat meat.
The subjunctive is also used to espress a purpose clause, usually
with the
Phrase “in order to...” in English. The subjunctive clause is introduced
by
ili (in order to/that):
Walienda hospitali ili They went to the hospital (in
wamuone daktari. order) to see the doctor.
Anajifunza Kiswahili ili He's studying Swahili (in order) to
afanye kazi Kenya. work in Kenya.

10G. READING: MATATIZO YA AFYA

Kama nchi nyingi za joto, Tanzania na Kenya zina matatizo ya afya yanayo-
lingana. Homa ya malaria, kipindupindu na ukimwi ni matatizo makubwa
katika nchi hizi.
Malaria imekuwa sugu kwa sababu bado watu na serikali wameshindwa
kuweka mazingira safi ili kuwanyima mbu mazalio. Pia kutokana na watu
wengi kuwa ni maskini, wengi wanashindwa kutumia vyandarua au kutu-
mia dawa za kufukuzia mbu. Pia watu walio wengi wanakosa lishe bora in-
ayowasababishia kutokuwa na kinga nzuri katika miili yao. Dawa za kutibu
malaria pia ni tatizo kwa sababu hazitibu ipasavyo. Ni jambo la kawaida
kusikia mtu anasema kuwa amekula dawa lakini bado ana malaria. “Wa-
dudu wa malaria wanakuwa sugu kwa dawa.
Tatizo lingine ni ukimwi. Watu wengi, haswa vijana, wanaambukizwa na
ukimwi na baadaye wanakufa. Kuna sababu nyingi kuelezea kuhusu nam
bari kubwa ya watu wanaoambukizwa na ukimwi katika Afrika. Sababu
moja ni kutokuwa na njia ya kupata huduma ya afya na upimaji. Hii ni
shida kwa sababu watu wengi haswa mashambani, wanakaa mbali na
hospitali na hawana pesa za kulipa ili kupata matibabu. Sababu zingine
ni ukosefu wa elimu ya kutosha kuhusu jinsia safi, kutotumia kondomu,
uambukizaji usio makusudi, umaskini ambao unaleta shida nyingi zingine
kama wasichana vijana kupata mimba, na pia kutokupata chakula kizuri
na cha kutosha; urithi wa wanawake wajane katika makabila fulani, watoto
ambao wanazaliwa na akina mama walio na ukimwi, n.k. Ukosefu wa ku
tokuwa na njia ya kupata madawa ya ukimwi ni shida kubwa sana Afrika,

Lesson 10 147
 na watu wengi sana hufa kwa sababu ya ukosefu wa matibabu halisi au ya
kufaa.
Tatizo jengine ambalo hutokezea mara kwa mara ni ugonjwa wa kipindu-
pindu. Ugonjwa huu husababishwa na watu kutumia maji machafu. Kuna
maeneo mengi ya Kenya na Tanzania ambako watu wake hawapati maji
safi ya kunywa. Tatizo hili husababisha watu kutumia maji ambayo si safi.
Jambo hili hupelekea watu kupata ugonjwa huu wa kipindupindu. Ugon-
jwa huu ni hatari kwasababu watu huweza kupoteza maisha mara moja.
Mgonjwa huharisha na kutapika maji ya mwilini. Kama mgonjwa hakuwa-
hiwa kupelekwa hospitali, anaweza kufariki. Pia watu wanaomshuhulikia
wanaweza kuambukizwa kama hawana kinga.

Health Problems

Like many tropical countries, Tanzania and Kenya have similar health problems.
Malaria, cholera, and AIDS are the most serious diseases in these countries.

Malaria has become chronic because the government and public have failed
to keep the environment clean so that the mosguitoes do not have breed-
ing areas. In addition, because many people are poor, they cannot afford to
use mosguito nets or mosguito spray. Also, many people do not have proper
nutrition, which keeps them from having proper immune systems in their
bodies. Drugs to cure malaria are also a problem, because they do not cure it
entirely. It is common to find people who have taken medication but who still
have malaria. Malaria parasites have become resistant to the medication.
Another problem is AIDS. A lot of people, particularly the youth, are infected
by HIV/AIDS and later die. There are many reasons to erplain why a large
number of people are infected by HIV/AIDS in Africa. One reason is the
lack of access to healthcare and testing. This is a problem because many
people, especially in the countryside, stay far away from hospitals and have
no money to pay for treatment. Other reasons are lack of enough education
on safer ser, not using condoms, unintentional transmission, poverty, which
causes many other problems such as teen pregnancy and not getting enough
proper food, widow inheritance by certain ethnic groups, children being born
to mothers who are infected already, etc. Lack of access to HIV/AIDS medica-
tion is also a major problem in Africa, and many people die due to lack of
proper treatment.
The other problem that often appears is cholera. This kind of disease is
caused by unsanitary water. There are many places in Kenya and Tanzania
where people do not have clean drinking water. This problem leads people
to use unsanitary water. This causes people to get cholera. This is a very
dangerous disease, because people can die within a short period. A patient
gets diarrhea, vomiting, and a rapid loss ofbodily fluids. If the patient is not
taken to the hospital immediately, he or she may die. People who take care of
the patient can also become infected if they do not take precautions.

148, Swahili
 10H. CULTURE TOPIC 2; VISITING THE SICK
Visiting the sick (kutembelea/kutazama wagonjwa) is one of the
things that
people in Kenya and Tanzania consider to be very important.
It's an im-
portant cultural and even religious erpectation within communi
ties that
healthy people will show their Support for family, friends, and neighbor
s
who are sick. In fact, ifa person neglects this duty, people in the
commu-
nity will take note of this failure.
Because people live in tight knit communities, it's very easy to know when 1UIID
|ehid
yi
3V
someone falls ill (anapoumwa) or is admitted (kulazwa) into the
hospital.
Close relatives and friends visit patients almost every day, but even people
Who are not guite so close are espected to make at least one visit. Naturally,
to accommodate this custom, hospitals have adeguate visiting hours (saa
za kuangalia wagonjwa), and patients typically receive as visitors not just
family and friends, but also neighbors, schoolmates, colleagues, and so on.
If you're staying in Kenya or Tanzania and have a friend or colleague who
is ill, you may want to visit him or her at home to wish a speedy recovery
(apone haraka). You may bring something to drink, but food is not er-
pected. Similarly, if you know someone who is in the hospital, it's a kind
gesture for you to make a visit. There are many things you may wish to say,
none of which are particularly foreign to Western culture: Umelazwa tangu
lini? (How long have you been in the hospital?) Unasumbuliwa na nini?
(What's wrong with you?) Wanasema watakuweka hapa mpaka lini? (Do
you know how long you'll be here?) Unaweza kula? (Are you able to eat?)
Unahitaji kitu chochote nikuletee? (Is there anything that I can bring you?)
If the person has been in the hospital for more than two days and you were
unable to visit, you may want to erplain: Nilikuwa sijui kama umelazwa. (I
didn't know that you were admitted.) Of course, you'I) most likely be one of
many people who are trying to make a visit, so you should limit your time
so that others have a chance to see the patient.

EKERCISES

Erercise 1:

Use the subjunctive to give some advice in the following contests. Use the
verb phrase in parentheses as a prompt.
1. Someone is smoking a cigarette and coughs. (kuvuta sigara)
2. Someone is planning to go to Kenya and Tanzania. (kujifunza Kiswahili)
3. Someone is tired. (kupumzika)
4. Someone is not feeling well today. (kuenda hospitali)
5. Your friend is about to take a photo where pictures are prohibited. (ku
piga picha)

Lesson 10 149
 Evsercise 2:

Change the following words into causatives, and take a guess at their new
meanings.
1. kuanguka (to fall)
2. kuchemka (to be boiling)
. kugeuka (to turn)
. kuamka (to wake up)
. hakika (certainty)
KA
aa
Wa,. kukauka (to dry)
7. lazima (obligation)
8. kulala (to sleep)
9. kusimama (to stop)
10. kusikia (to hear)

Baerese

Rewrite the following sentences by correcting the italicized grammatical

error.
H . Mkoba wangu ni meusi.
NN . Ninapenda mikate mwembamba.

WW . Ndege (pl.) waekundu ni wazuri sana.

asi. Vitabu vyako ni vipi? Vieusi au vieupe?

yi . Magari eupe ni mazuri.

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

A friend of yours is traveling to Kenya and then to Tanzania. By using

subjunctives and your knowledge of health concerns in these coun-
tries, give your friend some advice for a safe and healthy trip. Look
up any new vocabulary that you need, and addit to your list. Another
activity that would help you practice the vocabulary you've learned is
to imagine that you've got a bad cold, and you have to describe your
symptoms in Swahili. Write five or sir sentences that you could use
during a doctor's appointment.

ANSWER KEY

Brercise 1: 1. Afadhali usivute sigara. 2. Ni bora ujifunze Kiswahili. 3. Afad-

hali upumzike. 4. Ni bora uende hospitali. 5. Usipige picha hapa.
|
150, Swahili
 Evercise 2: 1. kuangusha (to cause to fall); 2. kuchemsha (to boil);
3. ku-
geuza (to make turn around, to turn something around); 4. kuamsha (to
wake
Someone up, to rouse from sleep); 5. kuhakikisha (to ensure, make
certain);
6. kukausha (to cause to dry, to dry something off); 7. lazimisha (to compel,
to obligate); 8. kulaza (to cause to lie down, to put to sleep); 9. kusimam
isha
(to stop something); 10. kusikiliza (to make listen)
Ekercise 3: 1. Mkoba wangu ni mweusi. 2. Ninapenda mikate myembam
-
ba. 3. Ndege (pl.) wekundu ni wazuri sana. 4. Vitabu vyako ni vipi? Vyeusi
au vyeupe? 1U1/D
|LHd
3)
JV

5- Magari meupe ni mazuri.

Lesson 10 151
DA
 LESSON

il Kwenye Intanet Kafe

Atan Internet Cafe

This lesson will focus on computers and the internet, so you'lI learn a lot
of useful vocabulary that's essential to today's world. For grammar, you1
erpand your knowledge of the Swahili verb system by learning the perfect
tense and the passive forms, which are common in both Swahili and English.
Youllalso learn how to use the adjectives —ingi (many) and —ingine (another/
other). Finally, you'll learn the guestion suffis —pi, meaning “which?” But
let's get started with some warm-up vocabulary.

11A. WARM-UP VOCABULARY

Nataka kuchati. I want to chat.

Hapana tabu. No problem.
Ni kweli. It's true. That's right.
Karibu ukae. Welcome, have a seat.
Nitalipa bei gani? How much do I owe (“will I pay”)?
kufungua kompyuta to switch on the computer
Zinapatikana. They're available.
Inategemea. It depends.
mara nyengine another time, sometimes

Nipo kazini. I'm at work.

acha nitembelee let me visit
acha nisome let me read
vinaagizwa they'rre imported
Vinapatikana wapi? Where do you get them?

11B. DIALOGUE: GETTING ONLINE

David, an American tourist, is talking to Rehema, an attendant at an inter

net cafe in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
 David: Hujambo?
Rehema: Mimi sijambo na wewe?
David: Mimi mzima pia. Habari za kazi?
Rehema: Si mbaya. Nikusaidie nini?
David: Ningependa kutuma e-mail Marekani.
Inawezekana?
Rehema: Hakuna tabu. Hali sio mbaya. Tuna
kompyuta nyingi hazina watu.
David: Sawa, nataka kucheti pia kama hali
inaruhusu.
Rehema: Sawa, unaweza. Lakini hapa bado tunatumia
modem. Hatuna DSL au broadband.

David: Hapana tabu. Muhimu ni kuweza tu

kuwasiliana.
Rehema: Unapenda kompyuta gani PC au Apple?
David: Mimi napenda PC. Nimezoea sana PC. Sasa
nitalipa bei gani kwa saa moja?
Rehema: Unaweza kulipa shilingi elfu moja za
Tanzania kwa saa.
David: Sawa.

David anakaa kitako na anaanza kufungua kompyuta.

David: Samahani, mbona hii kompyuta haifanyi
kazi?
Rehema: Labda imezimwa. Angalia kama skrini
imewashwa.
David: Ni kweli, imezimwa.

Rehema: Basi subiri niiwashe halafu utaanza

kufanya kazi.
David: Sawa. Lakini mnatumia brauza gani?
Rehema: Tunatumia “Safari,” “Internet Ezplorer” na
nyengine. Unaweza kuchagua.

David: Na kompyuta zenu ni kongwe au mpya?

Rehema: Tuna kompyuta za kisasa na za zamani.
Nyengine zina prosesa kubwa na nyengine
ndogo.
David: Na vipi kasi ya mtandao?

154 Swahili
 Rehema: Kasi yake sio mbaya lakini inategemea
wakati na kompyuta pia.
David: Na vipi kuhusu vifaa vya kompyuta
mnapata wapi?
Rehema: Kuna maduka mengi ya kompyuta na ya
vifaa vya kompyuta.
David: Na vipi kuhusu programu?
Rehema: Programu zinapatikana lakini ni ghali.
David: Kwa nini ni ghali?
Rehema: Nafikiri ni kwa sababu vitu hivi vinatoka afDy
akuam
Jaudj
Jouja
9Je)
JV
UP
nchi za nje. Sisi hapa hatutengenezi
kompyuta au programu za kompyuta.
Kwa hivyo vitu hivi vinaagizwa kutoka
ng'ambo.
David: Oh! Kompyuta sasa inafanya kazi na
nimeweza kuingia katika mtandao.
Ninataka kuangalia ukurasa wangu na
kuweka picha zangu. Na acha niangalie
tovuti ya kazini kwangu na nisome
barua zangu.

David: How are you doing?

Rehema: I'm fine. How about you?
David: 1'm all right. How's work?
Rehema: Not bad. How may I help you?
David: T'd like to send an e-mail to the U.S. Is that
possible?
Rehema: No problem. We have lots offree computers;
theyTe not being used (“occupied”).
David: Td also like to chat, if that's okay (“if
conditions allow”).
Rehema: That's fine; you can. But were still using the
modem. We don't have DSL or broadband.

David: No problem. The important thing is to be able

to communicate.
Rehema: Which computers do you like, PCs or Apple?
David: 1 like PCs. 1'm really used to PCs. Now, how
much will I pay for one hour?

Lesson 11
 Rehema: You can pay one thousand Tanzanian shillings
per hour.
David: Okay.
David sits down and tries to turn on the computer.
David: Ezcuse me, why isn't this computer working?
Rehema: Maybe it's switched off. Look if the screen is
turned on.
David: That's right; it's switched off.
Rehema: So let me switch it on, and then you can get
started (“you'll start working”).
David: That's great, but which browser do you use?
Rehema: We use Safari, Internet Erplorer, and others.
You can choose.
David: And your computers, are they old or new?
Rehema: We have modern and old ones. Some have
bigger processors and some (have)
smaller ones.

David: And how fast is the internet?

Rehema: The speed isn't bad, but it depends on the
time and also on the computer.
David: And how about computer accessories—where
do you get them from?
Rehema: There are lots of computer and computer
accessory stores.
David: And how about software?
Rehema: Software's available, but it's erpensive.
David: Why is it erpensive?
Rehema: I think it's because these things come from
foreign countries. We don't make computers
or computer programs here. These things are
imported from overseas.
David: Oh! The computer”s working now, and T1'm
online (“Tve been able to get the internet”).
1 want to see my personal homepage and
upload my photos. And let me get on my
company (“workplace”) website and read my
e-mails.

56 Swahili
11C., VOCABULARY

CD-ROM (sidiromu)” CD-ROM

e-mail/barua pepe” e-mail/s
Endelea! Continue! Go on!
faili/mafaili” file/s
hali situation, condition, status
huru free
keyboard” keyboard/s
kifaa/vifaa tool/s, accessory/ies afny
akuam
Jaupju
ue
JaulaJ
3je)
JV
kompyuta ya/za mkononi laptop computer/s
kuangalia to watch, to look at
kuangalia e-mail to check your e-mail
kuchapisha to print
kufungua faili to open a file
kuhifadhi faili to save a file
kuhusu about
kuingia katika tovuti to log on to a website
kupatikana to be available
kutembelea to visit
kutengeneza to manufacture, to fik
kutuma to send
kutuma ujumbe to send a message
kuweka to put, to place
kuzoea to be used to
mashine ya/za kuchapisha printer/s
(printa”)
mawasiliano communication

neno la siri password

ng'ambo Overseas
picha picture/s, photograph/s

Samahani. Ercuse me. 1'm sorry.

skrini” (kioo/vioo cha/vya screen/s

kompyuta")

Lesson 11 157
 tabu problem, hardship
tovuti website
tu just, only

uhuru freedom
waraka/nyaraka (dokyumenti”) document/s
word processor” word processor
—zima healthy, whole, complete
“Computer-related words are relatively new in Swahili, and in most cases,
people use the word in the original language (English). Even when new
Swahili words ezist—for ezample, baruapepe (e-mail) or tovuti (website)—
people more often than not will use the English word. In some cases,
when the words are not complez, they're adapted to Swahili, for erample,
faili (file).

11D. KEY PHRASES

Here are some key erpressions that will come in handy when talking about
computers and the internet.
Ningependa kutuma e-mail. Id like to send an e-mail.
Anuani yako ya e-mail ni ipi? What's your e-mail address?
Wapi nitaweza kupata mtandao? Where can I get onto the internet?
Mnatumia brauza gani? Which browser do you use?
Una ukurasa wako? Do you have a personal
homepage?
Anuani ya tovuti ni ipi? What's the URL?

Kampuni yako ina tovuti? Does your company have a

website?
Hoteli ina huduma za mtandao? Does the hotel have internet
access”

Nimehifadhi faili katika folda I saved the file in a new folder.

jipya.

Tafadhali tuma kwa Please send (it) as an attachment.

kiambatisho.

Ningependa kuchapisha waraka. Td like to print a document.

Una printa ya rangi? Do you huve a color printer?
Ninatumia PC kazini na Apple Tusea PC at work and an Apple
nyumbani. at home.

158, Swahili
11E. CULTURE TOPIC 1; INTERNET SERVICES:
HUDUMA ZA INTANET/MTANDAO

In Africa, as in many places, there has been very rapid growth of internet use
in recent years. Internet service is available in all large cities, although a lot
remains to be done to improve the guality of the service. According to statis-
tics, while there has been significant internet penetration into Africa in recent
years, this growth has been concentrated mostly in northern and southern
Africa, especially in Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia in the north, and
South Africa in the south. Sub-Saharan Africa, on the other hand, has lagged
behind. The difference between internet usage rates in Africa and the rest of
the world is partly due to the low level of income of many Africans, and partly v

due to the low capacity of the communication infrastructure in many African de)
akuamy
Juju,
af)
JV
UL
Jaujaj
countries.

Access to computers in Africa is mostly available through public computer

facilities, such as business centers and cybercafes. Several people may
therefore use a single computer. This may obscure the real statistics about
computer use in those countries. Still, internet use is mostly concentrated
in the capital cities and other major towns, anditis often difficult to access
this service in the rural areas. This is the situation in East Africa, where the
internet is widely available in cities like Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu in
Kenya, Dar es Salaam, Arusha, and Zanzibar in Tanzania, or Kampala and
Jinja in Uganda, just to mention a few.

1iF. GRAMMAR

Grammar Topic 1; The Perfect Tense

So far you've learned only three basic Swahili tenses, present, past, and
future. Now you'l| be introduced to the perfect tense marker —me-, which
is eguivalent to the English present perfect with “have,” as in “have done,”
“have gone,” etc. That is, the perfect tense in Swahili erpresses a completed
or accomplished act. The perfect tense may also be used in Swahili to er
press a state of being, such as being late or being tired.
Let's first look at an erzample from our dialogue. You read the phrase ni
mezoea sana PC (1'm really used to PCs). This ezpresses a state of having
become used to something, so the perfect marker is used. To break the
verb down into its smaller parts, you have: ni (1) 4 me (perfect marker) 4
zoea (stem of “to get used to”), which means “1 have gotten used to” or "1
am used to.” Other eramples of the perfect ekpressing a state of being are:
ni4 me4 chelewa (1'm late, | have become late) or ni 4 me 4 choka (1'm tired,
Vve gotten tired). The most common use of the perfect tense, however, is to
ezpress an action completed in the immediate past:
Mwalimu amefika. The teacher has (just) arrived.
Wanafunzi wameondoka. The students have (just) left.

Lesson 11 159
 Mpishi amepika kuku. The cook has cooked chicken.
Mwanafunzi amejifunza The student has learned Swahili.
Kiswahili.
Lucy ameenda darasani. Lucy has gone to class.
Wageni wamefika. The guests have arrived.
Basi limeondoka. The bus has left.
Kiti kimevunjika. The chair is broken.
As you can see from the eramples, the rule is the familiar one: subject
marker 4 tense infiz 4 verb stem. To negate the perfect tense, simply re-
place the perfect infik —me- with -ja-, and add the appropriate negative
prefir before the subject marker. This construction can often be translated
with “not... yet” in English.
Nimezoea sana PC. Bado sijazoea sana PC.
T'm really used to PCs. T'm not really used to PCs yet.
Nimechelewa. Sijachelewa.
T'm late. T'm not late.
Wanafunzi wameondoka. Wanafunzi hawajaondoka.
The students have left. The students haven't left yet.
Lucy ameenda darasani. Lucy hajaenda darasani.
Lucy has gone to class. Lucy hasn't gone to class yet.
Wageni wamefika. Wageni hawajafika.
The guests have arrived. The guests haven't arrived yet.
Basi limeondoka. Basi halijaondoka.
The bus has left. The bus hasn't left.
Kiti kimevunjika. Kiti hakijavunjika.
The chair is broken. The chair isn't broken.

Grammar Topic 2: The Perfect with -mesha-

It's also possible to ezpress the perfect tense with the infik —mesha-— instead
of the simpler —me—. The —sha part ofthis infik comes from the verb kuisha
(to endor to finish), so this ertended infiz carries more of an emphasis that
the action has already taken place. For erample, nimeshasoma can be trans-
lated as “IT have already read/studied.” Keep in mind that there is no gTeat
difference between the perfect with —me- and the perfect with —mesha-.
The latter simply adds emphasis:
Mwalimu ameshaondoka. The teacher has already left.
Watoto wameshakula chakula The children have already eaten
cha jioni. dinner.

160 Swahili
Mti umeshaanguka. The tree has already fallen down.
Miti imeshakatwa. The trees have already been cut.
Basi limeshaondoka. The bus has already left.
Maji yameshamwagika. The water has already been
spilled.
Kitabu kimeshapotea. The book has already been lost.
Viti vimeshaibiwa. The chairs have already been
stolen.
Nyumba zimeshajengwa. The houses have already been
built.
afvy
akuam
Jaudju
aje)
JV
UL
Jaujaj
Umeshachelewa. You're already late.
The negation of —mesha- is the same as the negation of —me-—. Simply add the
negative prefir before the subject prefis, and replace —mesha- with -ja-—:
Mwalimu ameshaondoka. Mwalimu hajaondoka.
The teacher has already left. The teacher hasn't left yet.
Watoto wameshakula chakula Watoto hawajala chakula cha
cha jioni. jioni.
The children have already The children haven't eaten dinner
eaten dinner. yet.
Miti imeshakatwa. Miti haijakatwa.
The trees have already been cut. The trees haven't been cut yet.

Grammar Topic 3: The Passive Voice

In an English active sentence such as “The professor wrote the article,”
the subject (the professor) is the doer of the action. In a passive sentence,
though, the direct object (the article) becomes the subject, and the former
subject, if it is ekpressed at all, is introduced by the preposition “by”: “The
article was written by the professor.” In Swahili, the passive is ekpressed
with a verb estension, similar to the causative ertension that you learned
in Lesson 10. The basic passive eztensions is —wa:
kusema (to speak) kusemwa (to be spoken)
kuimba (to sing) kuimbwa (to be sung)
kupiga (to hit/beat) kupigwa (to be hit/beaten)
kupika (to cook) kupikwa (to be cooked)
kuuza (to sell) kuuzwa (to be sold)
kuwasha (to switch on/burn) kuwashwa (to be switched on/
burned)
kufundisha (to teach) kufundishwa (to be taught)

Lesson 11 161
kujenga (to build) kujengwa (to be built)
kutengeneza (to manufacture/ — kutengenezwa (to be
Ji) manufactured/fized)
kupenda (to like/love) kupendwa (to be liked/loved)
If the basic verb ends in —ia or —ea, the passive eztension involves inserting
a —w- between those two vowels:
kusaidia (to help) kusaidiwa (to be helped)
kutumia (to use) kutumiwa (to be used)
If the basic verb ends in —aa or —ua, the passive eztension is —Liwa. If the
verb stem ends in —oa (-owa), the passive eztension is —lewa:
kuzaa (to have a child) kuzaliwa (to be born)
kununua (to buy) kununuliwa (to be bought)
kuteua (to appoint) kuteuliwa (to be appointed)
kufua (to wash clothes) kufuliwa (to be washed)
kuchukua (to carry) kuchukuliwa (to be carried)
kuondoa (to remove) kuondolewa (to be removed)
kutoa (to take or put out) kutolewa (to be taken or put out)
kuoa (to marry, saidofaman) kuolewa (to get/be married, said
of a woman)
As you've seen before, there are many Swahili verbs that come from non-
Bantu languages, especially Arabic. For these verbs, the passive ertension
involves changing the final vowel to if it doesn't already end in —i, and
then adding —wa:
kuharibu (to destroy) kuharibiwa (to be destroyed)
kujaribu (to try/test) kujaribiwa (to be tried/tested)
kusalimu (to greet) kusalimiwa (to be greeted)
kuhitaji (to need) kuhitajiwa (to be needed)
kukubali (to accept) kukubaliwa (to be accepted)
There are two common ezceptions to this rule: kusamehe (to forgive) be-
comes kusamehewa (to be forgiven), and kusahau (to forget) becomes kusa-
hauliwa (to be forgotten).
The last special case is monosyllabic verbs, which must be learned on a
case-by-case basis. Luckily, there are only three common ones:
kula (to eat) kuliwa (to be eaten)
kupa (to give) kupewa (to be given)
kunywa (to drink) kunywewa (to be drunk)

Swahili
Now let's look at some eramples of the passive voice in use. Just as in En-
glish, when you convert a Swahili active voice sentence into a passive one,
the object of the sentence becomes the subject, and the (former) subject
can be introduced with na (by). That means that the subject marker on
the passive verb agrees with what would have been the object of the active
sentence. Take a look at the following pairs. Notice that you can manipulate
the tense of the passive with the appropriate tense infikes.

Mwalimu anafundisha Kiswahili kinafundishwa na

Kiswahili. mwalimu.

The teacher is teaching Swahili. Swahili is taught by the teacher.

Wanyama wanakunywa maji. Maji yananywewa na wanyama.
akuamy
afDyI
JaUDJU
aje)
JauJaJ
JV
UP
The animals are drinking water. The water is being drunk by the
animals.
Mwanafunzi aliharibu kiti. Kiti kiliharibiwa na mwanafunzi.

A student destroyed the chair. The chair was destroyed by the

student.
Askari aliondoa gari. Gari liliondolewa na askari.

The police officer moved the car. The car was moved by the police
officer.
Raisi atateua waziri. Waziri atateuliwa na raisi.

The president will appoint the The minister will be appointed by

minister. the president.
To negate a passive verb, follow the same rules as you would for an active
verb:

Kiswahili kinafundishwa na Kiswahili hakifundishwi na

mwalimu. mwalimu.

Swahili is taught by the teacher. Swahili isn't taught by the teacher.

Maji yananywewa na wanyama. Maji hayanywewi na wanyama.
The water is being drunk by The water isn't being drunk by
animals. animals.
Kiti kiliharibiwa na Kiti hakikuharibiwa na
mwanafunzi. mwanafunzi.

The chair was destroyed by a The chair wasn't destroyed by the

student. student.

Gari liliondolewa na askari. Gari halikuondolewa na askari.

The car was moved by the The car wasn't moved by the
police officer. police.

Lesson 11 163
 Waziri atateuliwa na raisi. Waziri hatateuliwa na raisi.

The minister will be The minister won't be appointed

appointed by the president. by the president.

Grammar Topic 4: -ingi (many) and -ingine

(other/another)
The adjective “many” is formed by affizing the subject prefiz of the noun
being described onto the adjective —ingi, in some cases with slight modi-
fication. Therefore, there is no single form of the word “many” in Swahili.
Instead, it varies according to the different noun classes, both in their sin-
gular and plural forms. So far, we have discussed five noun classes in both
the singular and plural, so let's see the different forms of —ingi.
M-: mtu (a person), mwanafunzi (a
student), mwalimu (a teacher), mtoto
(a child), etc. -

Wa-: watu (people), wanafunzi (students),

walimu (teachers), watoto (children), etc. wengi

Ki—: chakula (food), kitabu (a book), kitu

(a thing), kiti (a chair), kiatu (a shoe),
chumba (a room), kichwa (a head) kingi

Vi—: vyakula (food), vitabu (books), vitu

(things), viti (chairs), viatu (shoes),
vyumba (rooms), vichwa (heads) vingi

Ji—: jivu (ash), jua (sun), joto (heat) jingi

Ma-—: magari (cars), maua (flowers),

meno (teeth), matunda (fruits), maji
(water), maziwa (milk) mengi

N—: ndizi (banana), nyanya (tomato),

nyama (meat), nyumba (house),
kalamu (pen), radio (radio) nyingi

N—: ndizi (bananas), nyanya (tomatoes),

nyama (meat), nyumba (houses),
kalamu (pens), radio (radios) nyingi

M-—: mchuzi (stew), mkate (bread) mwingi

Mi—: mikate (bread), miti (trees),

mito (rivers, pillows), mikono
(hands/arms), miguu (legs/feet) mingi

164 Swahili
 Keep in mind that even though some nouns are g$rammatically
singular
(like chakula, “food”), they're non-count, or “mass,” nouns, so
you can use
the appropriate form of —ingi, in which case it translates as “a
lot of” or
“much.” If a singular class contains no non-count nouns, it's not
possible to
use a form of —ingi. This is the case of the singular nouns of the M-Wa
class;
there are no singular non-count nouns, so there is no form of —ingi.
(You
can't logically say “many child,” in other words.) In other classes, you
can
only use —ingi with non-count singulars, or of course with all plurals.
Notice that with the plural nouns of the M-Wa class, the subject prefir wa- is
attached to the adjective —ingi (wa 4 ingi) but instead of waingi, the form is
wengi: watoto wengi (many children). For the Ki-Vi class you combine the
prefir ki— with —ingi to get kingi, in which case one jiis dropped: chakula kingi
(a lot of food), viti vingi (many chairs). For Ji-Ma plurals, the appropriate form Jaudju,
afvy
akuamy
9Je)
JauJaj
JV
UP
is mengi rather than maingi: magari mengi (many cars), machungwa mengi
(many oranges), macho mengi (many eyes), and so on. For N- nouns, the ad-
jective is formed with the prefis ny—: nyumba nyingi (many houses), nyama
nyingi (a lot of meat), kalamu nyingi (many pens), radio nyingi (many radios).
Finally, for the M-Mi class, the combination m 4 ingi is modified to produce
mwingi. Again that applies only to noncount nouns: mchuzi mwingi (a lot of
stew or sauce) or moto mwingi (a lot of fire). In the case of countable plural
nouns, the combination of mi 4 ingi produces mingi: miguu mingi (many
legs), mikono mingi (many hands/arms), miti mingi (many trees), etc.

Lesson 11 165
 Similar to —ingi is the adjective —ingine, meaning “other” or “another.” This
adjective can be used with both singulars and plurals, count or non—count.
The forms are:
/M-: mtu (person), mwanafunzi (student),
mwalimu (teacher), mtoto (child), etc. mwengine

Wa-: watu (people), wanafunzi

(students), walimu (teachers), watoto
(children), etc. wengine

Ki-: chakula (food), kitabu (a book),

kitu (a thing), kiti (a chair), kiatu
(a shoe), chumba (a room), kichwa
(a head) kingine

Vi-: vyakula (food), vitabu (books),

vitu (things), viti (chairs), viatu (shoes),
vyumba (rooms), vichwa (heads) vingine

Ji-: jivu (ash), jua (sun), joto (heat) jingine

Ma-: magari (cars), maua (flowers),

meno (teeth), matunda (fruits),
maji (water), maziwa (milk) mengine

N-: ndizi (banana), nyanya (tomato),

nyama (meat), nyumba (house),
kalamu (pen), radio (radio) nyingine

N-: ndizi (bananas), nyanya (tomatoes),

nyama (meat), nyumba (houses),
kalamu (pens), radio (radios) nyingine

M-: mchuzi (stew/sauce), mkate (bread) mwingine

Mi-: mikate (breads), miti (trees),

mito (rivers/pillows) mingine

166 Swahili
 Grammar Topic 5; Asking “Which?”
The guestion suffir —pi, along with a prefis, is used to ask “which?”
This
form is normally used to ask “which” among similar or related
objects.
Again, it is the noun class system that determines the prefir thatis
attached
to the guestion suffiz —pi. The forms are given in the following table. Take
note that some forms are not as you might erpect them to be.

M-: mtu (person), mwanafunzi (student),

mwalimu (teacher), mtoto (child), etc. yupi

Wa-: watu (people), wanafunzi

(students), walimu (teachers), watoto
(children), etc. wepi
j afvyi
akuamy
Jaudju
aje)
jaulaju
UL
JV
Ki-: chakula (food), kitabu (a book),
kitu (a thing), kiti (a chair), kiatu (a shoe),
chumba (a room), kichwa (a head) kipi

Vi—: vyakula (food), vitabu (books),

vitu (things), viti (chairs), viatu (shoes),
vyumba (rooms), vichwa (heads) vipi

Ji-: jivu (ash), jua (sun), joto (heat) lipi

Ma-: magari (cars), maua (flowers),

meno (teeth), matunda (fruits),
maji (water), maziwa (milk) yapi

N-: ndizi (banana), nyanya (tomato),

nyama (meat), nyumba (house),
kalamu (pen), radio (radio) ipi

N-: ndizi (bananas), nyanya (tomatoes),

nyama (meat), nyumba (houses),
kalamu (pens), radio (radios) zipi

M-: mchuzi (stew/sauce), mkate (bread) upi

Mi-: mikate (breads), miti (trees),

mito (rivers/pillows) ipi

Unapenda kitabu kipi zaidi? Which book do you like most?

Unapenda vitabu vipi? Which books do you like?
Familia yako inaishi Which house does your family
nyumba ipi? live in?
Unasema lugha zipi? Which languages do you speak?

Lesson 11 167
 11G. READING: KOMPYUTA NA UTAMADUNI

Kompyuta imekuwa chombo muhimu cha mawasiliano katika karne ya ishi-

rini na moja. Miaka michache nyuma, watu hawakufikiri kuwa kompyuta in-
geweza kuleta mapinduzi katika mawasiliano. Siku hizi watu wengi hawawezi
kufikiria vipi wanaweza kuishi bila ya kompyuta.
Kompyuta zimebadili sana maisha ya watu. Sasa watu wanaweza kutumia
kompyuta kuandika na kutuma barua pepe, kutuma picha, na kuzungumza
moja kwa moja. Watu wanaweza pia kutumia kompyuta kujifunza mambo
mengi kama sayansi, sanaa na utamaduni.

Lakini kompyuta pia zimesaidia kuathiri na kubadili utamaduni wa watu

wengine. Kwa mfano sasa hivi watu wanaweza kutumia kompyuta ku-
zungumza na watu wa sehemu nyingi za dunia. Wanaweza pia kueneza
mafunzo mazuri au mabaya kwa kompyuta. Watu wanaweza pia kutumia
kompyuta kutafuta na kupata marafiki, kutafuta wachumba wa kike au wa
kiume.
Kwa hivyo kompyuta zimebadili maisha na utamaduni wa watu wengi.
Kompyuta pia zimesaidia kuharakisha kuenea kwa utandawazi. Kompyuta
zimeanza pia kubadili maisha na utamaduni wa Afrika kwa sababu utan-
dawazi haujui mipaka.

Computers and Culture

The computer has become an important communication tool in the twenty-
first century. A few years back, people did not think that the computer could
bring a revolution in communication and information technology. Nowadays,
many people cannot imagine how they could live without computers.
Computers have altered people's lives very much. Now people can use com-
puters to send e-mails, to send photographs, and to have direct communica-
tion. People can also use computers to learn many things like science, art,
and culture.
Nevertheless, computers have also helped to affect and change other people's
cultures. For erample, now people can use the computer to communicate
with people in different parts of the world. They can also spread good and
bad ideas ("teachings”) by computer. People can also use computers to make
friends or to look for a fiancee orfiance.

Therefore, computers have changed the lives and culture of many people.
Computers have also helped to accelerate the spread ofglobalization. Com-
puters have started to change life and culture in Africa because globaliza-
tion knows no boundaries.

Aa |

168, Swahili
 11iH. CULTURE TOPIC 2; USE OF COMPUTERS
In East Africa, the use of computers in business and government is not
as
Widespread as in other parts of the world. Many government offices, espe-
cially at the provincial and district levels, are not yet computerized,
and
the same applies to the majority of small businesses. The bulk of computer
use can be found in government offices in capital cities, and in the branch
Offices of big multinational companies, banks, airlines, and travel agencies.
But even where computers are in use, their utilization is restricted by lim-
ited skills on the part of the workforce, or by lack of the necessary infra-
Structure. In many offices, computers are used only as secretarial tools,
such as for writing and printing office documents, and not as data storage,
information processing, or communication tools. This means that a great
deal of information is still kept in paper files, and accessing such informa- liafvy
akuam)
Jaudju
aje)
Jaulaj
Jy
UE
tion in government offices is becoming more and more difficult.
Of course, simple economics is a major obstacle when it comes to computers.
They are simply too erpensive for many people, given levels of income. Small
businesses also come up against economic barriers; small business owners
findit difficult to install computers because of high maintenance costs and low
business turnover. Even though there are plenty of computer eguipment sup-
pliers, hardware is very erpensive, being imported from overseas, and there-
fore out of reach for the average small business owner. Software, too, comes at
a price that most individuals and small business owners cannot afford.

EKERCISES

Erercise 1: Translate the following into Swahili.

1. The student has gotten tired.
2. Our teachers are late.
3. The new computers have arrived.
4. Your laptop is broken.
5. Their files are lost.
6. 1 haven't checked my e-mail.

Erercise 2: Negate the following sentences.

1. Wanafunzi wamefika.
2. Mwalimu ameondoka.
3. Mtoto amelala.
4. Walimu wamechelewa.
5. Mwanafunzi ameamka.

Lesson 11 169
 Erercise 3: Write the passive voice forms of the following sentences, and
translate your answers. The English translations of the active sentences
have been provided.
1. Askari aliondoa magari. The police officer moved the cars.

2. Mwenyenyumba anapangisha The landlord is renting the house.

nyumba.
3. Lucy anauza kompyuta. Lucy is selling a computer.

4. David alioka mkate. David baked bread.

Ezercise 4: Using the adjective —ingi, provide the Swahili eguivalents of the
following sentences:
1. Many people learn Swahili.
2. Many trees fell down.
3. A lot of food was eaten.
4. Students bought many books.
5. | bought many pieces of fruit (fruits).
6. Many laptops have been bought.

Ezercise 5: Use the —pi (which) guestion word to ask the following gues-
tions in Swahili:
1. Which student did not come?
2. Which children are sleeping?
3. Which food is bad?
4. Which rooms are good?
5. Which eye is hurting?
6. Which cars are bad?
7. Which website is yours?
8. Which houses is he renting?

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

You've probably learned by now that there are several websites of

value and interest to students of Swahili. If you haven't, use a search
engine and look up sites related to Swahili language, Swahili gram-
mar, Kenyan culture, Tanzanian culture, and so on. Choose one, and
familiarize yourself with its features. Then prepare eight or ten sen-
tences in Swahili describing it. What information is there? How do
you use it? Why is it useful to someone learning Swahili?

170, Swahili
 ANSWER KEY

Erercise 1: 1. Mwanafunzi amechoka. 2. Walimu wetu wameche

lewa.
3. Kompyuta mpya zimefika. 4. Kompyuta yako ya mkononi imehari-
bika. 5. Mafaili yamepotea. 6. Sijaangalia e-mail zangu.
Ekercise 2: 1. Wanafunzi hawajafika. 2. Mwalimu hajaondoka. 3.
Mtoto
hajalala. 4. Walimu hawajachelewa. 5. Mwanafunzi hajaamka.
Erercise 3: 1. Magari yaliondolewa na askari. The cars were moved by the
police officer. 2. Nyumba inapangishwa na mwenyenyumba. The house is
being rented by the landlord. 3. Kompyuta inauzwa na Lucy. The computer
is being sold by Lucy. 4. Mkate uliokwa na David. The bread was baked
by David.
afoy
JauDJu,
akuamy
3Je)
JauJaJu
JV
UP
Ekercise 4: 1. Watu wengi wanajifunza Kiswahili. 2. Miti mingi ilianguka.
3- Chakula kingi kililiwa. 4. Wanafunzi walinunua vitabu vingi. 5. Nili-
nunua matunda mengi. 6. Kompyuta nyingi za mkononi zimenunuliwa.
Erercise 5: 1. Mwanfunzi yupi hakuja? 2. Watoto wepi wanalala? 3. Chakula
kipi ni kibaya? 4. Vyumba vipi ni vizuri? 5. Jicho lipi linauma? 6. Magari yapi
ni mabaya/mabovu? 7. Tovuti ipi ni yako? 8. Nyumba zipi anakodisha?

Lesson 11 171
HII
 LESSON

12 Kuenda Benki
Going to the Bank

In this lesson, you'l| learn your way around a bank in Swahili,

so youII
learn very useful vocabulary for money, erchange rates, bank
accounts,
and so on. You'll also learn about postal service in the three East
African
countries: Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. For grammar, you! learn
a new
noun class, the U- Class, as well as the adjectives —ote (all, whole),
—o —ote
(any), and the form —enye (having, with). But let's start with a vocabula
ry
warm-up.

12A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

juu ya kiti on the chair

kujaza fomu to fill out forms
kitambulisho identity card
pasi ya kusafiria passport
akaunti ya akiba savings account
akaunti ya hundi checking account
kadi ya malipo credit card
pesa taslimu cash
nyingine nyingi many more

12B. DIALOGUE: CHANGING MONEY AND

OPENING AN ACCOUNT

In this dialogue, a client is asking the bank clerk about changing foreign
currency and opening a bank account. Listen to their conversation.

Mteja: Habari gani?

Karani: Nzuri sana. Karibu.

Mteja: Ninahitaji kubadilisha pesa za kigeni na

kufungua akaunti.
Karani: Vizuri. Kaa kitako juu ya kiti. Utahitaji
kujaza fomu.
Mteja: Sawa hapana tabu.
Karani: Ni lazima pia uwe na kitambulisho chenye
picha.
Mteja: Ninaweza kutumia leseni ya udereva?
Karani: Ndiyo unaweza. Unaweza pia kutumia pasi
yako ya kusafiria.
Mteja: Ninaweza pia kufungua akaunti ya pesa za
kigeni?
Karani: Ndiyo unaweza kufungua akaunti ya pesa za
kigeni na za hapa.
Mteja: Vizuri. Sasa, ninaweza kufungua akaunti
kwa dola au yuro?
Karani: Unaweza kufungua kwa zote, dola na yuro.

Mteja: Je, ninaweza kufungua akaunti ya akiba au

ya hundi?
Karani: Unaweza kufungua yo yote, ya akiba au ya
hundi.
Mteja: Na unaweza kuniambia viwango vya
kubadilisha pesa?
Karani: Bila shaka!

Mteja: Niambie basi, dola moja ya Kimarekani ni

bei gani?
Karani: Dola moja ya Kimarekani ni sawa na Shilingi
elfu moja na mia moja za Kitanzania.
Mteja: Na yuro?
Karani: Yuro moja ni Shilingi elfu moja na mia nne
za Kitanzania.

Mteja: Na je, ninaweza pia kununua pesa za kigeni

hapa?
Karani: Ndiyo unaweza.
Mteja: Pesa gani naweza kununua?

Karani: Unaweza kununua Dola za Kimarekani,

Yuro, Paundi za Kiingereza, Yeni za
Kijapani, na nyingine nyingi.
Mteja: Je, kuna mashine za ATM hapa?
 Ndiyo kuna mashine za ATM. Lakini si
benki zote zenye ATM.
Je, naweza pia kutumia kadi ya malipo
kununua vitu?
Ndiyo unaweza lakini katika baadhi ya
maduka makubwa tu.
Sasa nitawezaje kufanya malipo?
Watu wengi hapa wamezoea kutumia pesa
taslimu. Nuag
3Ulo9
vpuan
Yyueg
3dyj
0)
Mteja: Asante sana kwa msaada wako.

Karani: Usijali. Nimefurahi kukusaidia. Umeshajaza

fomu?
Mteja: Ndio nimeshazijaza.
Karani: Vizuri. Sasa unaweza kubadilisha pesa na
kufungua akaunti yako.
Mteja: Asante sana.

Customer: How are you doing?

Clerk: I'm fine. Welcome.
Customer: I need to change money and open an account.
Clerk: Okay. Have a seat. You'lI need to fill out some
forms.
Customer: Okay. No problem.
Clerk: You must also have a photo ID.
Customer: Can 1 use a driver's license?
Clerk: Yes, you can. You can also use your passport.
Customer: Can 1 open a foreign currency account, too?
Clerk: Yes, you can open a foreign currency account,
as well as a local currency one.
Customer: Good. Now, can 1 open an account in dollars
Or euros?
Clerk: You can open in both dollars and euros.
Customer: Can 1 open a savings or checking account?
Clerk: You can open either (“any”), savings or
checking.

Lesson 12 175
 Customer: And can you tell me the erchange rate?
Clerk: Yes, of course!
Customer: So, tell me, how much is one American dollar?

Clerk: One American dollar is egual to one thousand

one hundred Tanzanian Shillings.
Customer: And euros?

Clerk: One euro is egual to one thousand four

hundred Tanzanian Shillings.
Customer: And can I buy foreign currency here?
Clerk: Yes, you can.
Customer: Which currency can I buy?
Clerk: You can buy American dollars, euros, British
pounds, Japanese yen, and many others.
Customer: Are there ATM machines here?

Clerk: Yes, there are ATM machines. But not all

banks have ATMs.
Customer: Can I use the credit card to buy things, too?
Clerk: Yes, you can, but only in some large stores.
Customer: So how will I make payments?
Clerk: Many people here are accustomed to using
cash.
Customer: Thank you very much for your help.
Clerk: No problem! 1'm glad to help you. Have you
filled out the forms?
Customer: Yes, I've filled them out.
Clerk: Good. Now you can change your money and
open your account.

Customer: Thank you very much.

12C. VOCABULARY

—a bei nafuu affordable

akaunti account/s
akiba savings
asilimia percentage

176 Swahili
 ATM ATM
baadhi some
bajeti budget
bei price/s
dola dollar/s
—enye thamani valuable (having value)
fomu form/s
ghali 3ulog
uag
vpuan
yueg
Jay)
0)
erpensive
hisa stock/s
hundi check/s
kitega uchumi/vitega uchumi invyestment/s
kiwango cha riba/viwango interest rate/s
vya riba
kubadilisha to change, to ezchange
kufunga to close, to tie
kufungua to open
kujaza to fill out
kulipa to pay bills
kumudu to afford
kupandishwa to get a raise
kupata to earn, to get, to catch
kupata mkopo to get a loan
kutia sahihi to sign
kutoa pesa to withdraw money from
an account
kuvunjisha cheki to cash a check

kuweka akiba to save

kuweka kitega uchumi to invest

kuweka pesa to deposit money into an account

kuweka rehani to mortgage
leseni license/s
malipo payment

Lesson 12 177
 mashine machine/s

masikini poor

mkopo/mikopo loan/s

msaada/misaada help, aid

mshahara/mishahara salary/ies

noti bill/s, paper money

paundi pound/s

peni/mapeni coin/s

pesa (plural) money

rahisi cheap

rehani (dhamana) mortgage

risiti receipt/s

sahihi signature/s

soko la hisa stock market

tajiri rich

tawi/matawi branch/es (of a bank)

yeni yen
yuro euro/s

12D. KEY PHRASES

Here are some key phrases that will come in handy when speaking about
money and banking.
Ninahitaji kubadilisha pesa I need to erchange foreign
za kigeni. currency.
Ningependa kufungua akaunti. T'd like to open an account.
Viwango vya kubadilisha pesa What are today's erchange rates?
leo ni vipi?
Je, ninaweza kununua pesa Can I buy foreign currency here?
za kigeni hapa?
Kiwango cha riba ni kipi? What's the interest rate?

Je kuna malipo ya huduma? Is there a service fee?

Kuna mashine ya ATM karibu? Is there an ATM nearby?

178 Swahili
 Tafadhali tia sahihi na tarehe Please sign and date this form.
kwenye fomu hii.
Ningependa kuvunjisha hundi/ T'd like to cash this check.
cheki hii.
Unataka noti ndogo ndogo au How would you like the money, in
kubwa kubwa? small or large bills?
Naweza kupata hii katika Can I have this in small bills?
noti ndogo ndogo?
Pesa zitakuwa katika akaunti The money will be in your account Nuag
Sulog
vpuan
yueg
ay)
0)
yako wiki ijayo. nest week. |
Naweza kulipa kwa hundi Can I pay by traveler's check?
ya wasafiri?

Naweza kulipa kwa kadi Can I pay by credit card?

ya mkopo?

Tunapokea kadi ya krediti We accept credit or debit cards.

au ya benki.

Tunapokea pesa taslimu tu. We accept cash only.

Siwezi kumudu. I can't afford (that).
Nimepandishwa mshahara. I got a raise.
Bahashishi imo ndani yake? Is the tip included?
Kodi (ya mauzo) imo ndani Is (sales) tar included?
yake?

12E. CULTURE TOPIC 1: BANKING SERVICES

IN EAST AFRICA (HUDUMA ZA BENKI KATIKA
AFRIKA YA MASHARIKI)

There is a relatively developed network (mtandao) of banking services

(huduma za benki) in East Africa. These services are however concentrated
in the big cities and some midsize towns; in rural areas, people still travel
long distances (masafa marefu) to get to a bank. In Kenya, Uganda, and
Tanzania, you can find many branches (matawi) of local and international!
banks (benki za kimataifa), as many international banks from Europe and
the United States have begun to do business in the region. You can also
find ATMs in many major cities, though these have yet to reach smaller
towns (miji midogo) and rural areas (sehemu za mshambani). Speaking of
cash, it's important to remember that business (biashara) in these coun
tries is mostly based on cash transactions, and the use of checks, debit, or
credit cards is still limited.

Lesson 12 179
 to worry
For an overseas traveler visiting a big town, there's no need
wasi wasi) about having to carry huge amount s of cash, be-
(kuwa na
clients will readily
cause most businesses that cater to international
(hundi za wasafiri ). In fact, it's
accept credit cards or traveler's checks
to carry large amount s of cash. It's also impor-
not advisable for people
s ac-
tant to know that many facilities that cater to international traveler
lly
cept payments (malipo) in foreign currency (pesa za kigeni), especia
za
in U.S. dollars. In fact, in some places such as tourist hotels (hoteli
kitalii) bills are always settled in foreign currency . There are also many
foreign ekchange bureaus in cities and at major airports. In the last few
decades, the governments in these countries have liberalized foreign
eschange regulations, so you can easily buy or sell foreign currency at
these bureaus.

12F. GRAMMAR

Grammar Point 1; Ekpressing “All” or “the Whole"

The suffiz —ote in Swahili, along with a prefiz determined by the class of
the noun being modified, is used to erpress “all” or “the whole.” Here are all
the forms of —ote in the noun classes that you've learned so far:
M- Class: mtu wote the whole person

Wa- Class: watu wote all people

Ki- Class: chumba chote the whole room

Vi- Class: vyumba vyote all rooms

N- Class: nyumba yote the whole house

N- Class: nyumba zote all houses

Ji- Class: gari lote the whole car

Ma- Class: magari yote all cars

M- Class: mguu wote the whole leg

Mi- Class: miguu yote all legs

You may have noticed in the table above that the subject prefires are slightly
modified from what you might erpect, and the agreements slightly changed.
But there is logic behind these modifications. For erample, in the singular of
the N- Class, instead of agreeing with the subject prefir —i, producing nyumba
iote, there is a slight spelling alteration, and the form is nyumba yote. You can
hear the similarity in the pronunciations of ipte and yote. Similarly, in the
singular of the M-Mi Class, instead of mti uote, the correct form is mti wote,
and again, if you pronounce those two forms, you can hear how they're re-
lated. Let's look at how this construction is used in a few sentences:

180 Swahili
 Pesa zake zote zimo katika All his money is in a savings
akaunti ya akiba. account.
Nilitoa pesa zangu zote. I withdrew all my money.
Mashine zote za ATM All of the ATM machines have
zimeharibika. broken down.
Anatumia mshahara wake She spends her whole salary on
wote kwa kodi ya nyumba. rent.
Don't forget that pesa (money) is a Plural N- noun: pesa zake
(not yake),
pesa zangu (not yangu.)
ppuan)
piuag
Suio9
YuPg
ay
0)

Grammar Topic 2; Ekpressing "Any"

Swahili uses a two-part phrase to erpress the eguivalent of the English
word “any.” It is called the “—0 —ote” form, because it consists of two
suf.
fikes, —0 and —ote, onto which the appropriate prefires are added. Those
prefikes of course depend on noun class. The forms for all the classes that
you know so far are given below. Notice that for the most part, they follow a
pattern; the prefizes for both —o and —ote are the same as what you learned
above for the simple —ote (all, the whole). The only ezception is the prefis
for the singular of the M-Wa Class, which is y—. But youve come across
this prefir for singular M-Wa nouns before, namely, in ezpression location:
Mwanafunzi yuko darasani. (The student is in the classroom.) An easy way
to remember this prefiz is to keep in mind the word yeye (he or she); that
may remind you of the esception ye yote. This erception usually applies to
human beings only, though, and for all other creatures that belong to the
M-Wa class, the correct form is wowote: mnyama wo wote (any animal).

M- Class: mwanafunzi ye yote (human) any student

M- Class: mnyama wo wote (nonhuman) any animal

Wa- Class: wanafunzi wo wote any students

Ki- Class: kitu cho chote any thing

Vi- Class: vitu vyo vyote any things

N- Class: kalamu yo yote any pen

N- Class: kalamu zo zote any pens

Ji- Class: tunda lo lote any fruit

Ma- Class: matunda yo yote any fruits, pieces of fruit

M- Class: mkono wo wote any hand

Mi- Class: mikono yo yote any hands

Lesson 12 181
 Grammar Topic 3: Ekpressing Possession with -enye
o
In English, you can ezpress possession with such phrases as “that/wh
has...,”“with...,”0r “having...” In Swahili, the correspo nding construc-
tion is formed with the appropriate prefikes added to the word —enye. So,
“the
for erample, benki zenye ATM can mean “the banks that have ATMs,”
banks with the ATMs,” or “the banks having an ATM.” Let's look at the
forms for all the noun classes you know so far. Take note of the many ways
that this construction can be translated into English:
| M- Class: mtu mwenye pesa | j a person who has money

Wa- Class: wanafunzi wenye vitabu the students that have books

Ki- Class: chakula chenye sukari food with sugar

Vi- Class: vyumba vyenye watoto rooms that have children

N- Class: nyumba yenye vyumba vingi a house with many rooms

/N- Class: nguo zenye madoa clothes with stains, stained clothes

M- Class: mkono wenye kalamu the hand with a pen, the hand holding
a pen

Mi- Class: miguu yenye maumivu legs that have pain, painful legs

Ji- Class: tunda lenye sumu fruit that has poison, poisonous fruit

Ma- Class: mabasi yenye abiria buses with passengers, buses carrying
passengers

Look for this construction as you read or hear more Swahili. It's used to
create complez nouns, such as mwenyenyumba (landlord, or “one who pos-
sesses a house”), mwenyeduka (storekeeper), mwenyekiti (chairperson, Or
literally, “one who possesses the chair”).
Nilipeleka hundi ya kodi I sent the rent check to the
kwa mwenyenyumba. landlord.
Mabasi mengi yenye abiria Many buses carrying passengers
yanaingia mjini kila asubuhi. enter the city each morning.
Usile matunda yenye sumu! Don't eat poisonous (“poison-
bearing”) fruits!

Grammar Topic 4; The U- Noun Class

So far you've learned the five most important Swahili noun classes: M-Wa,
Ki-Vi, N-, Ji-Ma, and M-Mi. There are actually.a few more, although they're
less common. Now let's turn to your sizth noun class, which is known as
the U- Class, because most nouns in this class begin with the letter u-,
although this can be spelled w- before vowels. The nouns that fall into

182 Swahili
 this class are divided into three categories. The first category
contains ab-
Stract nouns like uzuri (beauty, goodness), urefu (length, height),
ubaya
(ugliness, badness), wembamba (thinness, slimness), uzito (weight)
, ugumu
(difficulty), uhuru (freedom), and so on. As you can probably
tell, these
nouns are typically derived from adjectives like —zuri (good),
—baya (bad),
or —embamba (thin). Because they're abstract concepts or gualities
, they
don't have plurals, just as in English.
The second category contains tangible objects, some of which are long
and
thin, although not all fall into this generalization. These nouns do have
Plurals. Some of the plural forms behave like N- Class nouns: uma/nyu
ma
(fork/s), ubao/mbao (board/s, plank/s), wakati/nyakati (time/s, season/s) 3ulog
Pjuag
vpuan
yueg
ay)
0)
,
ubavu/mbavu (rib/s), uzi/nyuzi (thread/s), ukuta/kuta (wall/s), uso/nyuso
(face/s), ulimi/ndimi (tongue/s), wimbo/nyimbo (song/s), uchale/chale (cut/
Ss). If you'd like some insight into the pattern for forming the plural, you
can turn back to Lesson 5, Grammar Topic 3, and reread the section on ad-
jective agreement with N- Class nouns. The phonological (“sound system”)
rules are the same, and you'lI see that there's a pretty reliable pattern under
all the apparent irregularities. Or, if you prefer, you can simply memorize
each plural form on its own. A few plurals of this category behave like the
Plurals of Ji-Ma nouns; that is, they take ma- in the plural: ugonjwa/ma-
gonjwa (disease/s), ugomvi/magomvi (argument/s). These plural forms are
rarely used and not all Swahili speakers may be familiar with them.
The third category of U- Class nouns are not abstract, but they still do not
have a plural form because they are mass or non-count nouns: ugali (maize
meal, porridge), wino (ink), wali (cooked rice), unga (flour), udongo (clay, dirt,
soil).
Now let's look at all the agreement patterns that you know for the other noun
classes. The demonstratives for U- Class nouns are: huu (this), hizi (these), ule
(that), zile (those). The U- Nouns that take their plural with ma- take the Ji-
Ma plural demonstratives, for erzample, magonjwa yale (those diseases). The
same applies to all other agreement forms, for ekample, magonjwa ya ma-
laria na ukimwi (the diseases of malaria and AIDS). The subject prefis for all
singular U- Class nouns is 4-, and the plural subject prefis (for those nouns
with plural forms) is zi—. For nouns with ma- plurals, the plural subject
prefir is ya—. Possessives are formed with the prefis w- for singulars, z— for
Plurals, and y— for ma— nouns: uso wangu (my face), nyuso zao (their faces),
and magomvi yao (their arguments). Adjective agreement in the singular is
shown with the prefis m-, and in most plurals the pattern follows the same
rules as N- Class nouns, which you can review by turning back to Lesson 5
for erample, wimbo mzuri (a beautiful song), nyimbo nzuri (beautiful songs),
ukuta mweupe (a white wall), kuta nyeusi (black walls), uchale mbaya (a bad
cut), chale mbaya (bad cuts), ubao mkubwa (a big board), mbao kubwa (big
boards). For nouns with ma-— plurals the adjective agreement also follows
the Ji-Ma agreements: magonjwa mabaya (bad diseases), magonjwa mengi
(many diseases). The possessive a— is wa in the singular, za in the plural, and
ya for U- nouns that take ma-— plurals. Location is marked by uko in the sin

Lesson 12 183
 forms that you've learned are summarized in the following table:
—ingi — ingine —ote —0:—0te —enye —pi?

wakati ia mwingi mwingine wote wo wote wenye upi?

|(time) J; lot other time ali time any time the time which

oftime that has time?

nyakati .. AA nyengine zote zo zote zenye zipi?

(times) manytimes other times all times anytimes times which

that have times?

Now let's look at several erample sentences bringing all of that together:
Ukuta mkubwa wa shule The big school wali fell down.
ulianguka chini.
Ukuta mkubwa wa shule The big school wali didn't fall
haukuanguka chini. down.
Kuta kubwa zote za shule All the schools big walls fell down.
zilianguka chini.

Magomvi yalikuwa Their arguments were very

makubwa sana. Serious.

Unga uko jikoni. The flour is in the kitchen.

Urefu wake ni futi sita. His height is sir feet.
Uhodari wake ulimsaidia Her intelligence helped her to
kupata kazi. get a job.
Ulimi unauma kuliko meno. The tongue hurts more than the
(methali) teeth. (fa proverb)
Ndimi zinauma kuliko Tongues hurt more than teeth.
meno.

Ndimi haziumi kuliko Tongues don't hurt more than

meno. teeth.
Uzuri wote unapotea. All beauty is fleeting.
Uzuri wote haujapotea. All beauty hasn't been lost.
Ubao wo wote unafaa. Any board is suitable.
Mbao zo zote zinafaa. All boards are suitable.

Mbao zenye misumari hazifai. Boards that have nails are not
suitable.

184, Swahili
 Uhuru wenye masharti ni Freedom that has conditions is
mbaya. bad.

12G. READING PRACTICE: HUDUMA MBALI MBALI

Huduma mbali mbali zinapatikana katika miji ya Afrika ya Mashariki. Kwa
mfano huduma za benki na posta hupatikana katika miji yote mikubwa
na hata midogo ya Afrika ya Mashariki. Katika benki watu wanaweza
kufungua akaunti za hundi na za akiba. Benki pia hubadilisha pesa za
kigeni kwa watalii na wafanyabiashara. Benki pia hutoa mikopo kwa wa- 3ulo9g
Piuag
vpuan
Yueg
3y)
0) Ni
teja wake.
Katika posta watu wanaweza kununua stempu na bahasha za barua. Un-
aweza kutuma kwa posta barua na vifurushi kwenda ndani au nje ya nchi.
Unaweza pia kupokea kwa posta barua na vifurushi kutoka sehemu mbali
mbali za ndani au nje ya nchi.
Katika miji mingi unaweza pia kupata huduma za usafiri, malazi,
chakula na huduma za afya. Kwa mfano unaweza kununua tiketi za
ndege, treni au meli. Pia unaweza kukodi magari au hata kukodi ndege.
Unaweza pia kusafiri kwa meli katika mwambao wa bahari na katika
maziwa makubwa.
Katika miji mikubwa kuna hoteli nyingi kubwa na ndogo. Na katika miji
midogo kuna nyumba nyingi za kulala wageni. Unaweza pia kula chakula
kizuri katika mikahawa mingi.
Kama wewe ni mgonjwa unaweza kupata huduma za afya. Huduma za
afya za Afrika si nzuri kama za Ulaya na Marekani. Hii ni kwa sababu ya
ukosefu mkubwa wa vifaa vya kisasa vya teknolojia ya tiba na pia uchache
wa madaktari. Hata hivyo, miji mikubwa yote ina hospitali nyingi kubwa
na ndogo.

Different Services
Different services are available in East African cities. For erample, bank and
postal services are available in all big cities and even small towns of East
Africa. At the bank, people can open checking and savings accounts. Banks
also change foreign currency for tourists and businesspeople. Banks also of.
fer loans to their clients.

At the post office, people can buy stamps and envelopes. You can also mail
letters and packages inside and outside the country. You can also receive let
ters and packages from within and outside the country.

In many cities, you can also find transportation, housing, food, and health
services. For erample, you can buy a plane, train, or ferry ticket. You can
also rent a car or even charter a plane. You can also travel by ferry along the
coast and on the big lakes.

Lesson 12 185
 In big cities, there are many hotels both large and small. In smali cities, there
are many guesthouses. You can also eat good food in many restauranits.
If you're sick, you can get medical services. African healthcare is not as good
as in Europe and America. The reason for this is the huge lack of modem
technological eguipment in the field of medicine, and not having enough doc-
tors. However, all the big cities do have large and small hospitals.

12H. CULTURE TOPIC 2; POSTAL SERVICES

IN EAST AFRICA

Upuntil 1977, the three East African countries of Uganda, Kenya, and Tan-
zania had one postal company that provided services to the whole region.
It was called the East African Postal Service, and it was administered under
the East African Community. The East African Community was established
in 1967 and was aimed at creating an organization similar to the European
Union (then the European Economic Community). Apart from the post
offices, it used to run other common services such as telecommunications,
railways, air and sea transport, etc. For that reason, prior to 1977 there was
a common postal tariff within these countries, and between these countries
and the rest of the world. But after the collapse of the East African Commu-
nity in 1977, each of the three member countries established its own postal
service, each with its own national tariff.

Apart from the local postal service companies, several international de-
livery companies, such as FedEz and DHL, operate in this region. When
youre in East Africa, you may therefore use these companies to send or
receive packages or important documents very guickly and efficiently. The
delivery services are however concentrated in the big towns, where they
can generate profitable business and where they have easy access to their
clients. It's also important to note that regular postal service in these coun-
tries is mostly limited to major towns and cities, so the majority of people
living in the countryside do not have access to it. An erception is people
living along or near major highways, who do have access to postal services.
But even in large towns, the post office does not deliver mail directly to
people's homes. Instead, people rent a post office bor, and they go to the
post office regularly to retrieve their mail.

EKERCISES

Erercise 1: Add the appropriate form of —ote to each of the following

nouns:
1. chuo 3
2. miguu

3. wazee

186, Swahili
 4. chungwa
5. baisikeli (sg.)
6. maji
7. Tadio (pl.)
8. vitu
9. ubaya
10. nyakati
3ul09
Pjuag
Dpuan
Yueg
day)
0)

Ekercise 2: Now add the appropriate form of —o —ote to each of the follow-
ing nouns:

1. mchezo

2. nguo (pl.)
. mikate
gazeti

. ndizi (sg.)
. maziwa

7. kuta

8. watoto

9. vyumba
10. ubao

Erercise 3: Now translate the following sentences using a form of —enye.

1. The food that has a lot of sugar is bad.
2. The buses that have passengers have not left.
3. The student that has malaria is asleep.
4- All the people that have cars have left.
5. The computer that has a printer is broken.

Erercise 4: Negate the following sentences, and then translate your an

swers.
1. Kuta kubwa za shule zilianguka.
2. Upepo uliharibu nyumba.
3. Urefu ulimsaidia.

Lesson 12 187
 4. Wali ulipikwa vizuri.
5. Uhuru ulipatikana kwa vita.

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Imagine that you're guest at a tourist hotel in East Africa, and you
need to settle your bill. Think of several guestions that would come in
handy, and translate them into Swahili. Some ezamples could be: Can
I pay by credit card? Do you accept traveler's checks? How much did
the room cost? Is taz included? And so on. Use the vocabulary related
to money that you learned in this lesson.

ANSWER KEY

Ezercise 1: 1. chuo chote; 2. miguu yote; 3. wazee wote; 4. chungwa lote;

5. baisikeli yote; 6. maji yote; 7. radio zote; 8. vitu vyote; 9. ubaya wote;
10. nyakati zote
Erercise 2: 1. mchezo wo wote; 2. nguo zo zote; 3. mikate yo yote; 4. gazeti
lo lote; 5. ndizi yo yote; 6. maziwa yo yote; 7. kuta zo zote; 8. watoto wo
wote; 9. vyumba vyo vyote; 10. ubao wo wote
Ezercise 3: 1. Chakula chenye sukari nyingi ni kibaya. 2. Mabasi yenye abiria
hayajaondoka. 3. Mwanafunzi mwenye malaria amelala. 4. Watu wote wenye
magari wameondoka. 5. Kompyuta yenye printa imeharibika.
Ezercise 4: 1. Kuta kubwa za shule hazikuanguka. The big school walls did
not fall. 2. Upepo haukuharibu nyumba. The wind did not destroy the
house. 3. Urefu haukumsaidia. Height did not help him. 4. Wali hauku-
pikwa vizuri. The rice was not cooked well. 5. Uhuru haukupatikana kwa
vita. Independence was not achieved (available) by war.

188, Swahili
LESSON

Kazini
At Work

In this lesson, you'lI listen in on a conversation between a new employee

atan office in Nairobi and one of her new colleagues. Naturally, you'll learn
a lot of useful vocabulary for talking about jobs and the workplace. On top
of that, you'l| learn some more important grammar, including a new noun
class and object infizes, which function like English object pronouns (me,
him, her, and so on). But first, we'll start with a vocabulary warm-up.

13A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

Karibu katika ofisi yetu mpya. Welcome to our new office.

Huyu ni mpokeaji wageni. This is the receptionist.
Hii hapa ni ofisi yako. Here's your office.
Mashine ya fotokopi iko wapi? Where's the photocopier?
Saa za kazi ni zipi? What are the working hours?
Unapenda kazi yako mpya? Do you like your new job?
Ninaipenda sana! I like it very much!

13B. DIALOGUE: A NEW JOB

Megan has just started working at an office in downtown Nairobi. On her

first day on the job, she's welcomed by Mohamed, one of her new col
leagues. Listen in as he shows her around the office and as they discuss
their workplace.
Mohamed: Hujambo. Bila shaka wewe ni Megan
mfanyakazi mwenzetu mpya!
Megan: Asante. Ni sawa kabisa, mimi ni Megan.
Mohamed: Mimi ni Mohamed. Karibu. Nimefurahi
kukuona.

Megan: Asante. Nimefurahi kukuona na pia kufanya

kazi hapa.
 Mohamed: Hii ni kampuni nzuri.
Megan: Unapenda kufanya kazi hapa?
Mohamed: Oh, ndiyo ninapenda sana. Natumai na
wewe pia utapenda.
Megan: Lini ulianza kufanya kazi hapa?
Mohamed: Nilianza kufanya kazi hapa kama
mkurufunzi miaka kumi iliyopita.
Niliajiriwa na kampuni mwaka mmoja
baadaye. Nimefanya kazi hapa tokea
wakati huo. Sasa acha nikuonyeshe ofisi.
Basi twende.
Megan: Asante. Twende.

Mohamed: Bila shaka ulimwona mpokeaji wageni

ulipoingia?
Megan: Ndiyo nilimwona mpokeaji wageni.
Mohamed: Kama una maswali yoyote kuhusu vifaa
vya ofisi uende kwake, kwa mfano kama
unahitaji karatasi, majalada, wino wa printa,
na kadhalika.
Megan: Na niangalie wapi kama nina barua au
ujumbe?
Mohamed: Mpokeaji wageni atakuletea simu zako moja
kwa moja, kwa hivyo kama una ujumbe
wo wote basi sikiliza tu kwenye simu yako.
Vifurushi na barua nyengine vitaletwa
mezani kwako.
Megan: Ofisi ina wafanyakazi wangapi?
Mohamed: Kuna wafanyakazi kumi na watano tu
wanaofanya kazi katika ofisi hii. Tuna
wauzaji wachache, meneja wa ofisi,
mkurugenzi wa masoko, na wakurugenzi
wa mkoa. Kampuni ina matawi mengine
Kenya na Tanzania na pia katika nchi
nyengine za jirani, na wafanyakazi kutoka
ofisi hizo huja hapa mara nyengine. Na bila
shaka wateja wetu pia wanatutembelea
mara kwa mara. Lakini kwa kweli ni
kikundi kidogo kwa hivyo tunafanya kazi
kwa kushirikiana.
Megan: Hiyo ni nzuri. Mimi ninapendelea kufanya
kazi kwa kushirikiana na watu wengine.

190 Swahili
 Mohamed: Basi utapenda kufanya kazi hapa. Na huu ni
ukumbi wetu wa mikutano. Tuna mikutano
ya kila wiki ya wafanyakazi kila Jumatatu
saa nne asubuhi. Kuhudhuria mkutano ni
muhimu kwa sababu tunapeana taarifa, JV
YIOM
JUIZDY
tunajadili kazi muhimu, na tunapanga kazi
zetu za wiki.
Megan: Hiyo ni nzuri. Saa za kazi ni zipi?
Mohamed: Tunaanza saa mbili asubuhi na watu
huondoka saa kumi jioni. Kwa kazi muhimu
utahitaji kukaa ofisini kwa muda zaidi.
Lakini hiyo haitokei mara kwa mara.
Megan: Mimi sijali kukaa kazini zaidi ikiwa lazima.
Kumaliza kazi kwa wakati ni muhimu.

Mohamed: Bila shaka unajua kuwa kuna mapumziko

ya chakula cha mchana na pia mapumziko
mafupi asubuhi na mchana. Hayo ni
mapumziko yasiyo rasmi. Na hakuna wakati
maalum uliowekwa kwa mapumziko hayo.
Megan: Watu kwa kawaida hula chakula cha
mchana wapi?
Mohamed: Tuna mkahawa mdogo katika jengo katika
ghorofa ya tatu. Kuna mpishi mzuri sana.
Kupika kwake ni kuzuri sana. Au kama
utapenda kuna mikahawa mingi jirani. Oh,
na hii hapa ndiyo meza yako.
Megan: Asante kwa kunionyesha hapa ofisini.
Mohamed: Natumai utaona kila kitu unachohitaji.
Majalada, vifaa vya kuandikia, kompyuta
yako, simu na kadhalika. Kuna mashine
ya fotokopi katika chumba kidogo karibu
na ukumbi wa mikutano na mashine ya
kuchapishia na mashine ya faksi iko huko pia.
Megan: Asante sana.

Mohamed: Sawa basi kama huna maswali zaidi, mimi

nina miadi baada ya dakika kumi na lazima
nijitayarishe sasa. Kama utahitaji kitu cho
chote mwulize mpokeaji wageni au mmoja
kati ya wafanyakazi wenzako. Nitakuwapo
tena baadaye.
Megan: Asante sana. Naamini nina kila kitu
ninachohitaji.

Lesson 13 191
 Mohamed: Basi sawa. Karibu na furahia siku yako ya
kwanza kazini.

Mohamed: Hello! You must be Megan, our new colleague.

Megan: Thank you, yes, I'm Megan.
Mohamed: I'm Mohamed. Welcome. It's a pleasure to
meet you.
Megan: Thank you. I'm happy to meet you, and to be
working here.
Mohamed: This is a good company.
Megan: Do you like working here?
Mohamed: Oh, yes. I like it very much. I think you'lI like
it very much, too.
Megan: When did you start working here?
Mohamed: I started as an intern ten years ago, and I was
hired by the company a year later. I've been
working here ever since then. Now, let me
show you the office. So, let's go.
Megan: Thank you. Let's go.
Mohamed: You probably saw the receptionist when you
came in.
Megan: Yes, I saw her.
Mohamed: If you have any guestions about office
supplies you should go there, for ezample, if
you need paper, folders, ink cartridges for
your printer, and so on.
Megan: And where should I check to see if 1 have any
mail or messages?
Mohamed: The receptionist will transfer all of your
calls to your direct line, so if you have any
messages you can just check your voice mail.
Packages and other mail will be delivered to
your desk.
Megan: How large is the office staff?
Mohamed: There are only fifteen people who work in this
office. We have a few salespeople, an office
manager, a marketing director, and some
regional directors. The company has other
branches in Kenya and Tanzania, as well as

192 Swahili
 in other countries in the region, and the staff
from those offices sometimes come here. And
of course our clients visit from time to time.
But really we're a small group, so we work
closely together. YJOM
!UIZDY
JV
Megan: That's good. 1 prefer working closely with
other people.
Mohamed: Then you'll enjoy working here. This, by the
way, is Our meeting room. We have weekly staff
meetings every Monday morning at 10:00.
Attending the meetings is important, because
we share information, discuss important
projects, and plan our work for the week.
Megan: That's good. What are the working hours?
Mohamed: We start at 8:00, and people usually leave
around 4:00. For important projects, you may
need to stay later, but that doesn't happen
very often.
Megan: 1 don't mind staying later if it's necessary.
Finishing work on time is important.
Mohamed: Of course, you also have a lunch break, as
well as shorter breaks in the morning and
afternoon. Those are informal; there's no set
time for breaks.
Megan: Where do most people eat their lunch?
Mohamed: We have a small cafeteria in the building, on
the third floor. There's an ercellent cook; his
cooking is very good. Or, if you prefer, there
are plenty of restaurants in the neighborhood.
Oh, and this here is your desk.
Megan: Thank you for showing me here.
Mohamed: I think you'lI find everything you need—files,
writing supplies, your computer, telephone,
and so on. There's a photocopier in the small
room nezt to the meeting room, and the
printer and far machine are there, too.
Megan: Thank you so much.
Mohamed: Well, if you don't have any other guestions,
I have an appointment in ten minutes, and I
should prepare for it. If you need anything,
please ask the receptionist or one of your
colleagues. I'll be available later on.

Lesson 13 193
 Megan: Thank you. T'm sure I have everything 1 need.
Mohamed: Well, then, welcome, and enjoy your first day
at work.

13C. VOCABULARY

—a kufurahisha pleasant, enjoyable

amali profession/s
askari wa zimamoto fireman/men
biashara business/es
bosi boss/es
daktari wa meno/ dentist/s
madaktari wa meno
daktari/madaktari doctor/s
dereva wa basi bus driver/s
fotokopi photocopy/ies
fundi/mafundi mechanic/s
fundi/mafundi bomba plumber/s
fundi/mafundi umeme electrician/s
kabati/makabati filing cabinet/s
kampuni company/ies
karibu na close to, near, nert to
katibu muhutasi secretary/ies
kazi job/s, work
kitabu cha anuani/vitabu address book/s
vya anuani
kitabu cha/vitabu vya tarehe datebook/s
kuacha ujumbe to leave a message
kuajiri to hire
kuandika ripoti to write a report
kuchukua ujumbe to take a message
kufanya kazi to work”
kufurahisha to please
kuhitaji to need

194; Swahili
kukaribisha to welcome
kuonyesha to show
kupanga miadi to schedule an appointment
kupiga chapa 31V
YJOM
!UIZDY
to type
kupumzika/kuenda to take a break, to rest
kupumziko
kushughulika to be busy
kwenda mkutanoni to go to a meeting
lazima must
mashine ya/za faksi far machine/s
mazingira environment/s
mbele ya in front of
meza desk/s
mfanyabiashara/ businessperson/people
wafanyabiashara
mhandisi/wahandisi engineer/s
mkulima/wakulima farmer/s
mkurufunzi/wakurufunzi intern/s, apprentice/s
mkurugenzi/wakurugenzi director/s
mkutano/mikutano meeting/s
msanii/wasanii artist/s
muhimu important
mvinjari unemployed
mwalimu/walimu teacher/s
mwanamuziki/wanamuziki musician/s
mwanasheria lawyer/s
mwandishi writer/s
mwandishi wa habari journalist/s
mwenza/wenza” colleague/s
mwigizaji/waigizaji actor/s

“Mwenza (literally, “companion, fellow”) is usually attached to possessives

—angu, —ako, —ake, —etu, etc., as mwenzangu, mwenzake, mwenzetu, etc., to
nu
mean “colleague, mate,” “fellow,” “companion,” and so on.

Lesson 13 195
 mwimbaji/waimbaji singer/s
mwuguzi/wauguzi, nesi nurse/s
mwuzaji/wauzaji salesperson/people
nyuma ya behind
ofisi office/s
polisi police officer/s
ripoti report/s
rubani/marubani pilot/s
seremala carpenter/s
shubaka/mashubaka drawer/s
simu telephone/s
ujumbe message/s
ukumbi/kumbi wa/za mkutano meeting room/s
vizuri weli

13D. KEY PHRASES

Here are some phrases and ezpressions that will help you talk about jobs
and working.
Unafanya kazi gani? What's your profession? /
What do you do for work?
Nimepata kazi mpya. 1 got a new job.
Ninafanya kazi katika I work for a large company.
kampuni kubwa.
Nimeacha kazi. I guit my job.
Una uzoefu gani? What erperience do you have?
Umefanya kazi hii muda gani? How long have you had your job?
Huu hapa wasifu wangu. This is my resume.
Tafadhali fanya fotokopi Please make a photocopy of this
ya waraka huu. document.
Lazima niandike ripoti. I have to write a report.
Nina miadi saa saba na nusu. TI have an appointment at 1:30.
Lazima niende mkutanoni sasa. I have to (must) go to a meeting
now.

196 Swahili
 Kufundisha ni kugumu. Teaching is hard.
Nitakupeleka umwone. TU take you to see him/her.
Nitafurahi kumwona. TU be happy to see him/her.
IUIZDY
YIOM
JV

13E. CULTURE TOPIC 1: OCCUPATIONS: AMALI

Despite rapid urbanization in many developing countries, the percenta
ge
Of rural residents remains relatively high in many areas of East Africa. A
large majority of people living in the region are subsistence farmers who
live in the countryside. These countries generate much of their gross do-
mestic product (GDP) (pato la taifa) from agriculture (kilimo). In Kenya, for
erample, almost 75 percent (asilimia) of the GDP comes from agriculture,
Whereas in Tanzania and Uganda agriculture contributes 80 and 82 percent
of the GDP, respectively.
From these figures, you may conclude that the main Occupation in these

from corn flour (unga wa mahindi). Many farmers therefore grow corn
both for their own consumption and for sale. In other parts of East Africa
the main food is plantain (ndizi), a kind of green banana that's cooked
before it gets ripe. In some areas, especially along the coast, people prefer
rice as their staple food, so farmers in these areas grow rice instead. Some
farmers produce cash crops (mazao ya biashara), that is, crops that are
specifically produced for sale. The most popular cash crops in East Africa
are coffee (kahawa), cotton (pamba), tea (chai), cashew nuts (korosho), and
cloves (karafuu). In drier areas where it isn't possible to grow such crops,
people specialize in animal keeping (ufugaji), and are called wafugaji in
Swahili.

People who live close to the sea (bahari) and other large bodies of water,
such as Lakes Victoria and Tanganyika, derive their livelihood from fish-
ing (uvuvi). Those who live around Lake Victoria, for erample, in Kenya,
Uganda, and Tanzania, are well-known fishermen (wavuvi). One fish that
is important to the local economy around Lake Victoria is the Nile perch
(Lates niloticus), a very large freshwater fish, measuring over sis feet long
and weighing over 400 pounds. It was introduced into the lake in the 19505,
and while this has stimulated economic growth in the form of commerical
fisheries, it has also had a negative impact in ecological terms.

Most of the people who live in the cities work for the government and
the private sector. These are mostly professionals like doctors (madak

Lesson 13 197
 tari), nurses (wauguzi), teachers (walimu), engineers (wahandisi), lawyers
(wanasheria), judges (mahakimu), accountants (wahasibu), police officers
(polisi), military officers (askari jeshi), and others. A few professionals like
teachers (walimu) and agricultural ertension officers (mabwana shamba)
also live in the countryside.

13F. GRAMMAR

Grammar Topic 1; Object Infikes for People

So far, we have only been talking about subject prefizes, that is, that part
of the verb that agrees with the subject of the sentence. There are some
occasions, however, when the sentence includes not only a subject but also
an object, which may be either a human being (animate) or an inanimate
object. For ezample, when you say in Swahili Nimefurahi kukuona (I am
glad to see you), the pronoun “1” is the subject, and “you” is the animate
object. As you know, the subject “1” is represented by the prefir ni-, but
the object “you” is ezpressed by the object infiz —ku—. (Remember that the
first ku- is the infinitive part of the verb, which can be translated as “to.”)
Another ezample you have seen in the dialogue above is the guestion uli-
mwona mpokeaji wageni? (Did you see the receptionist?) The answer was:
Ndiyo, nilimwona mpokeaji wageni. (Yes, | saw her.) The literal translation
of this sentence is “Yes, I saw |her| the receptionist.” In an English sentence,
having both “the receptionist” and “her” would be redundant, but in Swahili
this isn't always the case. You can stress a direct object by including both
the object infiz and the noun itself.

One of the most important functions of the object infikes is to act as pro-
nouns; that is, they play the role of the English object personal pronouns
me, you, him, her, us, (all of) you, and them. These forms do not ezist as in-
dependent words in Swahili, but rather are always found as infizes inside
the verb. The table below lists all of the object infizes for people, along with
their independent subject forms and subject prefires. Well come back to
the object infikes for things—that is, the infikes that correspond to the
other noun classes— later.

Subject Prefir Object Infik

mimi ni— (7) —ni— (me)

wewe u— (you) —ku-— (you)

yeye a— (he/she) —m/mw- (him/her)

sisi tu— (we) —tu— (us)

nyinyi m- (you all, all pf yat —wa- (you all, all of you)

wao wa- (they) —wa- (them)

198 Swahili
 Let's break that down. To say “1 saw you” to your friend, you would
need
four components on the verb, producing nilikuona:

subject prefir 4 tense infis 4 object infik verb

ni— aa —ku- —0ona !UIZDY

YIOM
3V

Let's look at some more eramples:

Nitakupeleka... I will take youto...
Atakuonyesha ofisi yako. He will show you your office.
Umewaona walimu wetu? Have you seen /them/ our
teachers?
Karibu uwaone walimu wetu. Welcome, meet (“see”) /them/ our
teachers.
Mkurugenzi anatusubiri. The director is waiting (for) us.
Utawafundisha Kiingereza na You will teach them English and
hesabu. math.
Nitafurahi kuwaona wenzangu. I will be glad to see /them/ my
colleagues.
Juma atakuonyesha wanafunzi Juma will show you your students.
wako.

Kufundisha kunanifurahisha. Teaching pleases me (gives me

pleasure).
Negating verbs with object infizes is no problem, because this follows the
same rules as in other verb forms. Here are ezamples:
Hajanionyesha wanafunzi. He has not shown me the students.
Mkurugenzi hatusubiri. The director is not waiting (/for/ us.
Hutawafundisha Kiingereza You will not teach them English
na hesabu. and math.
Sitafurahi kuwaona wenzangu. I will not be glad to see /them/
my colleagues.
Kufundisha hakunifurahishi. Teaching does not please me.

Grammar Topic 2: The Ku- Class

In English, you can turn a verb into a noun by adding “ing” or by us
ing the “to” infinitive form. So, from the verb “swim,” as in “1 swim every
morning,” you can also form nouns, as in “Swimming is great erkercise,” OT
“To swim in the warm sea is a pleasure.” In Swahili, you can do the same
thing with the help of the seventh noun class that you'li learn, known as
the Ku- Class. These are actually the familiar infinitive forms of the verbs

Lesson 13 199
 that you've been learning all along; in Swahili, there is no distinction be-
tween the infinitive (“to” form) and the gerund (“-ing” form). They're both
erpressed as the noun form of verbs, the ku— form. For erample, you know
that kufundisha means “to teach,” so to ask, “Do you like teaching?” simply
say, Unapenda kufundisha? Similarly, you could say “Teaching is difficult”
or “Tt's difficult to teach” as Kufundisha ni kugumu.
Just as in English, there are no plural forms of Ku- nouns. The subject prefis
that you use with a verb to show agreement with a Ku- subject is, unsur-
prisingly, ku—. Demonstratives for Ku- Class nouns are huku (this) and kule
(that). Possessives are formed by adding the prefiz kw- to the possessive
stem: kwangu (my), kwako (your), kwake (his/her), kwetu (our), kwenu (your,
plural), kwao (their)—for erample, kuimba kwangu (my singing), kusoma
kwao (their studying), kupika kwake (his/her cooking). Adjective agreement
with a Ku- Class noun is shown with the prefir ku- if the adjective begins
with a consonant, or kw- if it begins with a vowel: kuandika kuzuri (beauti-
ful writing), kuimba kwema (pleasant singing). The a— of possession has
the form kwa: kuenda kwa miguu (going on foot). The other agreement pat-
terns that you've learned are summarized in the following table:
—ingi —ingine —ote —0 —ote —enye —pi?

(many) (other) (alliwhole) (any) (having) (which)

ikuishi... kwingi kwingine kote ko kote kwenye kupi?

| (Ziving, living a another thewhole any life living which

"Jife) lot,long. life life thathas. life?
life

Let's bring all of that together in some erample sentences:

Kuimba kwako kunanipendeza. Your singing pleases me.
Kuimba kwako hakunipendezi. Your singing does not please me.
Kufundisha kwake ni kuzuri. His teaching is good.
Kufundisha kwake si kuzuri. His teaching isn't good.
Kuondoka kwa kiongozi The leader's departure (leaving)
kulisababisha hasara. caused a loss.
Kuondoka kwa kiongozi The leader's departure (leaving)
hakukusababisha hasara. did not cause loss.
Kupika kwao nilikupenda. I liked their cooking.
Kupika kwao sikukupenda. 1 didn't like their cooking.
Kufika kwetu kuliwafurahisha. Our arrival (arriving) pleased
them. .
Kufika kwetu Our arrival (arriving) did not
hakukuwafurahisha. please them.

z00| Swahili
 One other fact about Ku- Class nouns is that they can be negated with
the
infiz —to— between the ku-— prefis and the root. So, you have: kusoma/k
uto-
soma (studying/not studying), kujua/kutojua (to know/not to know),
kuwa/
kutokuwa (to be/not to be), kufanya kazi/kutofanya kazi (working/not work-
ing), kula/kutokula (to eat/not to eat).
YIOM
JUIZDY
JV
Kutojua kusoma nakuandika Notto know/knowing (how) to
ni hatari. read and write is dangerous.
Kutokula nikubayakwaafya Not eating is bad for your health.
yako.
Kutokuwa na pesa ni kugumu. Not having money is hard.
Kutofanya kazi kunaleta Not working brings poverty.
umasikini.
Kutosema kweli ni dhambi. Not to speak the truth is a sin.
One area of language where you'l| come across a lot of ku— forms is in Swa-
hili proverbs. Here are some eramples:
Kukopa harusi, kulipa matanga. Borrowing is /like/ wedding;
paying is /like| mourning.
Kuvunjika kwa koleo sio The breaking of the pliers is not
mwisho wa uhunzi. the end of forging.
Kuenda mbio si kufika. To run is not to arrive.
Kuishi kwingi, kuona mengi. To live long is to see a lot.

13G. READING: KUCHAGUA AMALI

nyingi za kuchagua amali zao. Kuna sababu nyingi za vijana hawa kukosa
fursa ya kuchagua amali zao. Sababu moja ya kukosekana kwa fursa hizi ni
kutokuwapo kwa nafasi nyingi za kuendelea na masomo ya juu.
Kwa mfano katika Tanzania watoto wengi humaliza masomo yao baada
ya miaka saba tu ya elimu ya lazima. Watoto hawa wanamaliza masomo
yao katika umri wa miaka kumi na nne. Wakati huu bado hawajui wana

weledi wengi, wala sinema na televisheni nyingi. Kwa watoto wa vijijini

huu huwa ndio mwisho wa maisha yao ya masomo. Baada kumaliza shule
vijana hawa wadogo huanza kufanya kazi za kilimo, uvuvi, na ufugaji au
hukimbilia mijini kufanya kazi za kutumia nguvu. Wengine hufanya bi
ashara ndogo ndogo katika miji.
Watoto wa mijini wana fursa nyingi zaidi kuliko watoto wa vijijini. Katika
miji kuna shule nyingi na watoto zaidi huendelea na masomo ya sekondari
katika shule za serikali au shule za binafsi. Watoto wa mijini pia wanaona

Lesson 13 201
 watu wengi ambao wanaweza kufikiri kuwa kama wao. Kwa mfano katika
miji kuna watu kama, madaktari, wanasheria, wahasibu, walimu, maha-
kimu na kadhalika. Watoto wakiwaona watu kama hawa wanapenda kuwa
kama wao. Pia watoto wa mijini wanaangalia sinema na televisheni na hu-
jaribu kuwaiga watu ambao wanawaona. Sinema inaweza kuwafundisha
watoto mambo mazuri lakini inaweza pia kuwafundisha tabia mbaya.

Choosing a Profession
Many African youths, especially those who come from the countryside, do
not have many opportunities to choose their professions. There are many
reasons for the youths” lacking the opportunity to choose their professions.
One reason for the lack of such opportunities is the absence of opportunities
to continue with education.
For esrample, in Tanzania many children finish their studies after only seven
years of compulsory education. These children finish their studies at age
fourteen. At this time, they still do not know what they want to do with their
lives. Country children also don't see people whom they could imitate and
(who could) be their role models, because in the villages there are neither
many working professionals nor movies and televisions. For rural children
this becomes the end of their educational lives. After finishing primary
school, these children start doing agricultural work, fishing, or animal keep-
ing, or they run away to the cities to do manual labor. Some do petty trading
in the cities.
Urban children have more opportunities than the rural children. In the cit-
les, there are more opportunities to learn, and more children continue with
secondary education either in govermment or private schools. Urban children
also see more people who they can emulate as their role models ("they could
think of becoming like them”). For erample, in the cities, there are doctors,
lawyers, accountants, teachers, judges, etc. If children see people like these
they emulate them. Urban children also watch movies and TVs and try to
emulate the people they see. Movies can be both positive and negative in
their teaching of children.

13H. CULTURE TOPIC 2; LEARNING PROFESSIONS

AND SKILLS IN EAST AFRICA

For centuries, people learned professions through practice. In ancient times,

there were no schools or other forms of formal training from the Western
perspective as we know today. Today in developed societies, there are pro-
fessional schools for every kind of occupation, be it engineering or culinary
arts. Although there are many modern schools and training colleges in Af-
rica, old ways of learning skills through practice still erist. The majority of
those who are engaged in farming, for erample, are not formally trained as
specialized farmers, but they learn farming methods mostly through prac-

202; Swahili
 tice. They learn skills through observation and practice from their
parents,
who also learned from their parents. This is also true of other Occupati
ons,
such as fishing, animal husbandry, and so on. The same old skills therefore
continue to be handed down from generation to generation.
In East Africa today, traditional methods of learning ezist side by side
with
YIOM
JUIZDY
JV
modern schools and vocational training centers. If you go to any East Af-
rican city, you may find traditional healers selling their medicine on city
streets. These healers learn their trade from their elders. Alongside the tra-
ditional schools, modern universities and vocational training centers con-
tinue to offer formal training to millions of young people.
Many professionals graduate from East African universities and colleges
every year. Some of these young professionals however find it difficult to
get good jobs, as governments are unable to employ all of them. The private
Sector is also unable to absorb all the young people who graduate from uni-
versities and professional schools. There is therefore a high rate of unem-
Ployment in these countries, which may reach as high as 40 percent in big
cities. Unfortunately, even with a good education, many highly gualified
young people in these countries are unable to find jobs.

EKERCISES

Ekercise 1: Fill the blanks with the appropriate object infis.

1. Mwalimuana fundisha wanafunzi Kiswahili. (-m-, —-tu-, —wa-)

2.Jumaali karibisha Megan shuleni. (-m-, -tu-, —wa-)

3.Meganali fundisha wanafunzi Kiingereza. (-ku-—, —wa-, —tu-)

4. Wanafunzi wali penda Megan. (-m-, —wa-, -tu-)

5. Mwalimu Mkuuali uliza Juma. (-mw-, —ku-, -ni-)

Erercise 2: Negate the following sentences, and translate your answers.

1. Kuchelewa kwake kuliwakera watu wengine.
2. Kufika mapema kulimsaidia.
3. Kuchelewa kazini kuliharibu kazi yake.
4. Kusaidia masikini kulimpa furaha.
5. Kuamka mapema kulimchosha.

Erercise 3: Translate the following into Swahili.

1. The director is waiting for you.
2. Megan will teach us English.

Lesson 13 203
 3. Juma will teach them Swahili.
4. The students showed me my teacher.
5. Juma welcomed the teachers.
6. Your desk is nezt to the meeting room.
7. Attending the meetings is important.
8. | worked for a large company.

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Imagine yourself as the manager of a computer store, interviewing a

candidate for a job selling computers. Imagine the types of guestions he
or she might ask about the job, and prepare your answers. Iry to writea
short dialogue using the vocabulary and grammar that you know.

ANSWER KEY

Ezercise 1: 1. Mwalimu anawafundisha wanafunzi Kiswahili. 2. Juma

alimkaribisha Megan shuleni. 3. Megan aliwafundisha wanafunzi Kiin-
gereza. 4. Wanafunzi walimpenda Megan. 5, Mwalimu Mkuu alimwu-
liza Juma.
Erercise 2: 1. Kuchelewa kwake hakukuwakera watu wengine. His lateness
(being late/ did not annoy other people. 2. Kufika mapema hakukumsaidia. His
early arrival farriving/ did not help him. 3. Kuchelewa kazini hakukuharibu kazi
yake. Being late to work did not damage his work. 4. Kusaidia masikini haku-
kumpa furaha. Helping the poor did not give him pleasure. 5. Kuamka mapema
hakukumchosha. Getting up early did not make him tired.
Erercise 3: 1. Mkurugenzi anakusubiri. 2. Megan atatufundisha Kiingereza.
3. Juma atawafundisha Kiswahili. 4. Wanafunzi walinionyesha mwalimu
wangu. 5. Juma aliwakaribisha walimu. 6. Meza yako iko karibu na chumba
cha mkutano.

7: Kuhudhuria mikutano ni muhimu. 8. Nilifanya kazi katika kampuni

kubwa.

wA
204 Swahili
|
 LESSON

IL Muda wa Mapumziko!
Leisure Time!

In this lesson, you'lI listen in as two friends plan how they're going to spend
some free time. You'll learn a lot of new vocabulary for talking about recre-
ational activities. You'll also learn the object infikes for noun classes other
than the M-Wa Class, you'lI learn how to erpress reflerive actions with the
eguivalent of “self,” and finally, you'll learn one more noun class, the Mahali
Class, and its agreements. Let's begin with a vocabulary warm-up!

14A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

kuangalia mchezo / sinema to watch a movie

mchezo wa kusikitisha sad movie
mchezo wa kutisha horror movie
mchezo wa kivita war movie
mchezo wa mapenzi love story, romantic movie
mchezo wa kupigana action movie
mchezo wa kuchekesha comedy
mchezo mpya new movie
mchezo mbaya bad movie
mchezo mzuri good movie
Hamna tabu! No problem!
Haina shida hiyo. That's no problem.
muda mrefu a long time

14B. DIALOGUE: LET'S GO TO THE MOVIES

David is talking on the phone with his friend Lucy, his neighbor who some
times coaches him in Swahili. David wants to ask Lucy to join him to go to
the movies and then to go out dancing. Let's listen to their conversation
 David: Hallo. Ninaweza kuongea na Lucy tafadhali?
Lucy: Hallo Lucy hapa anaongea.
David: Hujambo Lucy?
Lucy: Ah! David, mimi sijambo na wewe je?
David: Mimi sijambo. Vipi nimekuamsha?
Lucy: Hapana hujaniamsha. Lakini nilichelewa
kuamka leo. Jana tulikuwa tunaangalia
mchezo kwenye TV. Ulikuwa mzuri sana.
David: Kweli! Unaitwaje huo mchezo?
Lucy: Mchezo unaitwa The Innocent.

David: The Innocent? Mmmmm mbona siujui

mchezo huo. “Starring,” samahani mhusika
mkuu ni nani?
Lucy: Hamilton Fred.

David: Ndio namkumbuka sasa. Mchezo

unahusu nini?

Lucy: Unajua Hamilton anaigiza kama daktari na

anaambiwa kuwa ameuwa lakini yeye sie
aliyeuwa.
David: Basi mchezo unasikitisha sana.

Lucy: Ndio kwa sababu imechukua muda mrefu

mpaka polisi kujua kuwa yeye hakuwa
muuwaji.
David: Vizuri. Sasa lete habari za wikiendi. Vipi
umeamua chochote?
Lucy: Hapana. Mie nakusikiliza wewe.
David: Utapenda twende sinema?
Lucy: Hamna tabu. Kuna sinema gani leo nzuri?
David: Kuna mchezo wa Bruce Willis unaitwa
Hostage unaoneshwa Casino Cinema pale
barabara ya Ndumberi.
Lucy: Sawa. Mie nilifikiri filamu iko Numetro.
Mimi ninaipenda sinema ya Numetro.
Lakini Casino pia nzuri. Sasa saa ngapi
filamu yenyewe?
David: Inaanza saa moja mpaka saa tatu hivi.
Lucy: Basi sawa. Haina shida hiyo.

206, Swahili
 David: Sawa. Sasa naomba umwambie na Peter pia
twende pamoja.
Lucy: Sawa nitamwambia
David: Sasa nilikuwa nataka baada ya sinema
twende disko pale Cantina, Barabara ya
Lang'ata. Unasemaje?
Lucy: Itakuwa poa tu. Kesho hakuna shule kwa
hiyo tutaenda.
David: Sawa basi nitakuja na gari nyumbani kwenu
kama saa 12 na nusu hivi. Nikija uwe tayari. OJIZWwnd
DM
Dpny
idwij
ajnsidi
Baadaye tutampitia Peter.
Lucy: Sawa. Tiketi vipi?
David: Nimeshawekesha tayari. Tukifika nitalipa
mie. Kila kitu juu yangu.
Lucy: Sawa asante.
David: Kwahiyo tutaonana baadaye.
Lucy: Sawa. Nitakusubiri.

David: Hello. Can 1 please speak with Lucy?

Lucy: Hello. This is Lucy speaking.
David: How are you, Lucy?
Lucy: Oh! David, 1'm fine. How about you?
David: I'm good. Have I woken you up?
Lucy: No, you haven't. But 1 woke up late today. We
were watching a movie on TV yesterday. It
was very good.
David: Oh, yeah! What's the name of the movie?
Lucy: It's called The Innocent.
David: The Innocent. Hmm, 1 don't seem to
remember that movie. Who stars in it?

Lucy: Hamilton Fred.

David: Okay. Now I remember him. What's the film

about?
Lucy: You know, Hamilton plays a doctor, and he's
accused of being a murderer, but he wasn't
the one.

Lesson 14 207
 David: So, it's a very sad story.
Lucy: Yes, because it took a long time for the
police to realize that he wasn't the
murderer.
David: Well. Now tell me what your plans are
for this weekend. Have you decided on
anything?
Lucy: Not really. T'm waiting to hear (“listening
for”) what you're going to decide.
David: Would you like to go the movies?
Lucy: Sure, no problem. What movie is playing (“do
they have”) today?
David: There's a film by Bruce Willis called Hostage
at the Casino Cinema on
Ndumberi Road.
Lucy: That sounds good. I thought the movie was
at Numetro. I like Numetro Cinema. But
Casino's good, too. What time's the movie?
David: It starts at 7 p.m., to about 9:00.
kucya Okay, then. That sounds perfect.

David: Okay. Could you also tell Peter, so that we can

go with him?
Lucy: Okay, I'll tell him.
David: I also wanted us to go to the disco at Cantina,
Langata Road, after the movie. What do you
think?
Lucy: That'll be cool. We'll go; after all, there's no
school tomorrow.
David: Okay, then. T'll come to your house by car
to pick you up at about 6:30. You should be
ready when I get there. We won't have time.
Then we!ll go and pick up Peter.
Lucy: Okay. What about the tickets?
David: ITve already booked. T'll pay when we get
there. TI pay for everything.
Lucy: Thanks.
David: See you later, then.
Lucy: Okay. I'll be waiting.

208 Swahili
 14C. VOCABULARY

—a kuchosha boring
—a kusisimua erciting
—a kuvutia interesting
chochote anything
kama if, as, like
karata card/s
kichekesho fun jOjIzw
Dpny
DM
ajnsidi
jawij
kualika to invite
kuamua to decide
kuanza to start
kuchelewa to be late
kucheza chesi to play chess
kucheza gemu to play a game
kucheza karata to play cards
kuchukua to take
kuendesha baiskeli to ride a bike
kufikiri to think
kuhusu to be about, about
kuigiza to act
kujua to know
kukodi mchezo to rent a movie

kukumbuka to remember
kumaliza to finish, to end
kuona mchezo to see a play
kuongea to talk
kuonyeshwa to be shown, to be screened

kushinda to win

kushindwa to lose
kusikiliza to listen

kuuliwa to be killed

Lesson 14 209
kuuwa to kill

kuwa na tafrija/sherehe to have a party

kuwekesha to book, to reserve

kwa hiyo (kwa hivyo) therefore, so

kweli true
maarufu popular
makumbusho museum/s
maonyesho ya sanaa art erhibition
mchezo wa kuigiza/ play/s (theater)
michezo ya kuigiza
mchezo wa kutumia ubao/ board game/s
michezo ya kutumia mbao
mchezo/michezo (filamu) movie/s
mhusika mkuu/wahusika wakuu movie star/s
mpaka until
muuwaji/wauaji murderer/s
mwaliko/mialiko invitation/s
mwanzo beginning
mwisho end
nyumba ya sanaa/nyumba art gallery/ies
za sanaa
pale there
pamoja together
tafrija, sherehe party/ies
tayari ready

tiketi ticket/s

14D. KEY PHRASES

Here are a few phrases that will come in handy when you want to plan
your free time.
Lete habari za wikiendi? What are you up to this weekend?
Umeamua chochote? Do you have any plans? Have you
decided on anything?

Swahili
 Utapenda twende sinema? Would you like us to go to the
movies?
Unasemaje? What do you say?
Kuna sinema gani leo nzuri? What good movie is there today?
Mchezo unahusu nini? What's the film about?
Nataka kufanya tafrija. I want to have a party.
Leo ni siku yangu ya Today is my birthday—lLet's |
kuzaliwa—tusherehekee! celebrate!
Utamwalika nani? Who wili you invite? jOjIzw
DM
Dpny
jdwij
ajnsia
Twende sehemu tukale. Let's go out to eat.
Twende kwenye baa. Let's go out to a bar.
Twende tukacheze. Let's go dancing.
Twende tukaangalie bendi Let's go see a band.
Itakuwa poa! III be good! (slang)
Vizuri sana! This is great!
Pana watu wengi hapa. It's too crowded here. There are
too many people here.
Hii haichangamshi!/ This is boring!
Hii ni doro!
Nilistarehe sana. I hada really good time.
Nimeona mchezo mzuri sana I saw a great play this weekend.
wikiendi hii.

Kulikuwa na onyesho la There was an interesting erhibit

kuvutia kwenye makumbusho. at the museum.

14E. CULTURE TOPIC 1; MOVIES IN EAST AFRICA

There is an East African film industry, with such films as the Tanzanian
Tumaini (Hope), a film about HIV, and the Kenyan Nakusihi Usiniue (Please,
Do Not Kill Me), the story of a young girl struggling with the guestion of
whether or not to have an abortion. Babu's Babies is a comedy abouta man
who brings his family from a small rural town to Nairobi, where he chases
his ambitions but finds that his goals aren't guite as easily attainable as
he'd hoped. Another film is Chokora (Street Boy), about a young boy who
goes to a children's home to escape the hardships of the street. A joint
American-Tanzanian film, Bongoland, tells the story of an illegal Tanzanian
immigrant in Minnesota. Another Tanzanian-American film is Tusamehe
(Forgive Us), the story of an African immigrant dying of AIDS in the U.S.

Lesson 14 217
 Among the popular Hollywood productions are such films as Out of Africa
and To Walk with Lions, which were staged in East Africa. The German film
Nirgendwo in Afrika (Nowhere in Africa), in English, German, and Swahili,
tells the story of a German Jewish family that escapes Nazi Germany to
1930s Kenya. Bollywood films, from India, are also guite popular in East
Africa.

Rather than movies, the most popular East African film productions are
television programs. One of the more notable erzamples is “Vioja Mahaka-
mani” (“Unusual/Marvelous Events in the Court”), which is a satirical
show that tries to address the unruly behavior of some people by putting
them “on trial.” Two soap operas from Kenya are “Kisulisuli” (“The Whirl-
wind”) and “Tausi” (“The Peacock”). “Vituko vya Mashaka” (“Unusual
Events of Hardship”), from Zanzibar, is a critical look at family issues in
Zanzibar society, dealing with such issues as polygamy, stepparents, and
so on. “Mizengwe” (“Dirty Tricks”), from Tanzania, is a comedy in which
characters show how they have tricked people for their own benefit. With
Swahili-language television shows, there are naturally Swahili television
stars as well. In Kenya, there are Kilonzo, Ojwang, Dama, and Mjuba. On
Zanzibar, there are Halikunik and Mashaka. And on the Tanzanian main-
land, there are Maz, Zembwela, and Waridi. Unlike in the U.S., TV stars in
East Africa and most African countries do not live particularly different
lives from the rest of us. For them, acting is not so much a profession or
a “craft” as a form of entertainment, and in fact most of these actors have
their own full time jobs outside the entertainment industry. But they are
still popular and recognized on the street, where people admire them and
love to shake their hands.
West African movies (michezo ya Afrika Magharibi) have become popu-
lar in East Africa, too, but they are not normally shown in movie theaters.
Instead, people who watch these movies tend to buy them either on vid-
eocassette or DVD. There are also a lot of video rental libraries (sehemu
za kukodi kaseti), as many people in East Africa, like anywhere else, enjoy
renting movies of their choice and watching them at home with friends
or family.

14F. GRAMMAR

Grammar Topic 1; Object Infikes for Things

In the last lesson, you learned how to erpress the eguivalent of object pro-
nouns for human beings, such as “me,” “her,” or “us,” by using the M-Wa
Class object infikes. The same goes for inanimate objects, which would
be translated as “it” or “them.” Again, Swahili doesn't have separate pro-
nouns for these concepts; they are infizes within the verbs. And the infir
depends—you guessed it—on the noun class of the noun the infir repre-
sents. The following table summarizes the object infizes for all of the noun
classes that you know, apart from the M-Wa Class:

212 | Swahili
 —— wa
||aa ii maai aa Singular MU Plural Infi:
kii -ki- sy
N- kai umandi > yi aja

haswa za ai Ji —ya-

| M-Mi wi, -u- mj

|U- -u- ai 1 -ya-

Ku- A —ku- -

jojizuu
Dpny
DM
idwij
ajnsia|
As you can see, the plural infizr for the U- Class will depend on how the
noun itself forms its plural. If it takes a plural like an N- Class noun, the
infir is —zi—. If it takes a plural like a Ma- Class noun, the infis is —ya—. Of
Course, abstract concepts or noncount nouns in this class have no plural
form, so they will never take a plural object infiz. Also note that Ku- Class
nouns have no plurals, so there is no possible plural object infis.
As you learned in the last lesson, object infikes are placed between the
tense marker and the verb stem:
Ulikinunua wapi kitanda hiki? Where did you buy fit) the bed?
Nilikinunua Kenya. I bought it in Kenya.
As you learned in the last lesson and can see in the first erample above,
it's possible to use an object infiz even if the noun itself appears in the
sentence. This adds more emphasis to that object. If the object is already
known from contert, the object infis alone may be used, just as is the case
with English direct object pronouns. Here are a few more eramples, with
the noun class indicated to help you pick out the relevant infikes.

Lesson 14 213
 Jj

j Ki- Kitabu hiki nilikisoma |read this book at school.

shule.

Vitabu hivi nilivisoma / read these books at

shule. school.

Fundi anaiangalia The technician is checking

kompyuta. the computer.

Kompyuta zangu VII leave my computers

nitaziwacha hapa. here.

Where did you buy this car?

Nililinunua Marekani. I boughtit in America.

Uliyanunua wapi Where did you buy these

machungwa haya? oranges?

Ma- Niliyanunua sokoni. | bought them at the

market.

Siujui mchezo huu. 1 do not know this movie.

Kwanini mnaikata miti Why are you cutting my

yangu? trees?

Asha aliutia ugali chumvi Asha puta lot of salt in

nyingi. the ugali.

Nani aliupoteza ufunguo? Who lost the key?

Mafagio haya uliyanunua Where did you buy these

wapi? brooms?

Ku- Jee alifeli kwa sababu Did he fail because he put

kucheza alikuweka mbele? playing before everything
else?

Ku- Ndio alikuweka mbele. Yes, he putit before

everything else.

There's just one more point to make about object infikes in general. The
infikes you learned in Lesson 13 are the ones you use for people, so they are
the ones that correspond to M-Wa nouns. However, as you know, there are
several eramples of nouns referring to people that belong to other noun
classes: baba (father/s) or askari (soldier/s), from the N- Class, daktari/ma-
daktari (doctor/s), from the Ji-Ma class, and so on. Just as with other types
of agreement, these nouns denoting human beings use M-Wa object in-
fikes, even though they're technically in other classes:

214 Swahili
 Ulimwona daktari leo asubuhi? Did you see the doctor this
morning?
Ndio, nilimwona. Yes, I saw him.

Grammar Topic 2: The Reflevive Infir -ji-

The grammatical term “reflerive” describes an action that someone does to
him- or herself: “1 see myself in the mirror.” “She gave herself a present.”
“We don't trust ourselves.” As you can see, reflerives are marked in English
with the aid of a reflerive pronoun like “myself,” “yourself,” or “themselves.”
In Swahili, there's a special reflerive marker infis, ji-, which is inserted
right before the verb stem. So, if kukuna means “to scratch,” then kujikuna jOJIzwn
DpnWy
DM
idwij
ainsiaj
means "to scratch oneself/yourself.” The infis is always the same, regardless
of noun class or number:
Watoto wanajikuna. The children are scratching
themselves.
Kompyuta yangu inajizima. My computer switches itself off.
Msichana anajiangalia kwenye The girlis looking at herselfin a
kioo. mirror.
Mtoto alijikata. The child cut herself.
There are a few very useful reflerive verbs in Swahili that all use the ji in-
fir. Kujisaidia literally means “to help oneself,” but it's often used euphe-
mistically to mean “to go to the bathroom.” Kujifunza literally means “to
teach oneself,” but it is used to mean “to learn.” Kujistarehesha means “to
entertain oneself” or “to have a good time.” Notice that this verb can be fol-
lowed by kwa, meaning “with” or “by.”
Ninaenda kujisaidia. I am going to the bathroom.
Tom anajifunza Kiswahili. Tom is learning Swahili.
Vijana wanajistarehesha kwa The young people are entertaining
muziki. themselves with music / are
enjoying themselves listening to
music.

Grammar Topic 3: The Mahali Noun Class

The word mahali means “place” in Swahili, and, believe it or not, it's the
only noun that belongs to the final noun class that you!l| learn. It's no won
der that the whole class is named after its sole member! Because mahali is
about location, this class is also referred to as the “locative” class. Agreement
with mahali is very simple; the prefir is p— before a vowel, and pa- betorea
consonant. For erzample, the possessives are pangu (my), pako (your), pake
(his/her), and so on; the a- of possession is pa; penye means “having,” po
pote means “any,” and so on. One minor irregularity is that p— 4 —ingi or

Lesson 14 215
 —ingine produces pengi (many) and pengine (other). The demonstratives are
hapa (this), and pale (that). Also note that hapa can mean “here,” and pale
can mean “there.” One thing to keep in mind is that mahali has no plural in
Swahili. If you want to make a sentence by using plural, you use the word
sehemu (place/s), which is an N- Class noun. For erample, if you want to say
“those places are very popular,” you will have to say sehemu zile ni maarufu.
Let's see some ezamples of mahali:
Mahali hapa ni pangu sio pako. This place (right here) is mine,
not yours.
Hapa ni Kenya na pale ni This (place) is Kenya and that
Tanzania. (place) is Tanzania.
Mahali pananuka. The place stinks.
Mahali hapa pananukia This place smells good.
Mahali pale pana wadudu. That place has bugs.
Chicago ni mahali pakubwa. Chicago is a big place.
Hapa ni mahali pazuri. This is a beautiful place.
Sehemu zote nilizoenda All the places I have visited are
zinavutia. attractive.
You may be wondering why the Swahili language would have an entire
noun class with just one member. The truth is, it doesn't. Even though
mahali is the only true member of the mahali class, just about any other
noun can move into the mahali class if it's used to describe a location.
This is shown with the addition of —ni, a suffir that you learned in Lesson
6. So, while nyumba (house) is an N- Class noun, nyumbani (at home) is a
mahali noun. Don't be confused if “at home” doesn't sound like a noun to
you in English. It's not; it's a location phrase. In Swahili, though, location
Phrases can function as nouns, which is why you'll sometimes hear them
called “locative nouns” or “adverbial nouns.” You'll see some eramples of
this later.

Just as the mahali class doesn't actually contain one single noun, it isn't
actually one single class, but three! The nouns all look alike—they end
in —ni—but there are three different agreement patterns that show up
elsewhere in the sentence, depending on the type of location. The agree-
ment pattern that you learned above can be called pa- location, for obvi-
ous reasons, and it refers to a definite or specific place. If you look at the
eramples, they all refer to a particular place, either with or withouta name.
The second agreement pattern, which we can call ku-— location, refers to
an indefinite or general place. The third agreement pattern, which weli
call mu-— location, refers to location inside. This concept of three different
kinds of location should be familiar to you; you came across this when you
learned the location suffikes —ko, —po, and —mo in Lesson 6. To make this
clearer, take a look at these eramples:

216 Swahili
nyumbani pangu at my home (specific location)
nyumbani kwangu around my home, in the general
vicinity
nyumbani mwangu inside my home
The agreement prefizes for ku— and mu- location are as straightforward as
they are for pa-— location. For ku— location, the prefir is kw- before a vowel,
and ku- before a consonant. The subject agreement prefir is ku—. The ku-— lo-
cation demonstratives are huku (this) and kule (that). For mu- location, all
the relevant prefires that you've learned are mw-, and mu- is the subject
agreement prefis, although it often comes up as just m—. The demonstra-
iOjIzun
Dpny
DM
iawij
ainsi
tives are humu (this) and mle or mule (that). You saw above that the demon-
Stratives for pa— location mean “here” (hapa) and “there” (pale). You've prob-
ably guessed that these refer to specific “here's” and “there's.” By contrast:
huku around here, in this general
vicinity, hereabouts
kule somewhere over there, in that area

humu in here, inside here

mle, mule inside that place over there, in

that place
Let's look at a few eramples. Obviously, since English doesn't ekpress these
fine distinctions in guite the same way, it's not easy to translate. But the
following should give you a better sense of this grammar point, and of
course as you hear these forms used in conversation, they'Il become more
familiar to you.

Huku ni Kenya na kule ni This way is Kenya, and that way is

Tanzania. Tanzania.

Kule kunanukia. That place over there smells nice.

Burundi na Rwanda kuna Burundi and Rwanda have peace.
amani.

Nilienda kule. I went over to that place, over

there.
Huku ni kubaya. This (general) place (over here) is
bad.
Huku ni kwangu si kwako. This (general) place (over here) is
mine, not yours.

To demonstrate that these constructions function as nouns in Swahili, take

a look at the following erzamples. In each sentence, the locative noun func
tions as the subject of the sentence, so the prefir of the verb agrees with it,
either for pa-, ku-, or mu- location. It's a bit like taking a location phrase

Lesson 14 217
 such as “on-the-wall” and treating it like a big noun, along the lines of, “On-
the-wall is a nice place to hang that picture.”
Ukutani pana kalenda. There's a calendar on the wall.
(“On-the-wall there is a calendar.”)
Nyumbani kwao kuna wadudu. Their home (their place) over
there has bugs.
Nyumbani kwetu ni kudogo. Our place is small. (The general
area of our house.)
Nyumbani mwake munanukia. It smells nice inside his/her house.
Nyumbani mwao muna wadudu. Inside their home there are bugs.
(“In-their-house there are bugs.”)
Ofisini mwangu muna There's a computer inside my
kompyuta. office. (“In-my-office there is a
computer.”)
Finally, it's also important to note that there are object infizes for these con-
structions. They're very simple: —pa-, —ku-, and —mu-. Their usage is a bit
different from English, but a few ezamples will give you the right idea.
Anapapenda mahali hapa? Does he like this place?
Ndio, anapapenda. Yes, he likes it.
Zanzibar unakupenda? Do you like (the general place of)
Zanzibar?
Ndio, ninakupenda. Yes, I like it.
Nyumbani anamupenda? Does he like it in the house?
Ndio, anamupenda. Yes, he likes it.

14G. READING: VIJANA NA BURUDANI

Ni jambo la kawaida siku hizi kuwauliza vijana ukiwa Tanzania au Kenya

juu ya mambo ya burudani wanayoyapenda. Kitu ambacho watakisema
mwanzo watakuambia ni kucheza muziki, kuangalia video za muziki na
kusikiliza muziki.
Muziki katika Afrika Mashariki una historia refu. Kuna wakati katika
miaka ya sabini ambapo muziki wa bendi za asili ulikuwa maarufu sana.
Muziki huu ulipigwa na wenyeji. Kawaida vijana walichanganyika na watu
wa makamo kupiga na kuimba muziki huu. Muziki wa aina hii ndio ulio-
kuwa unachezwa kwenye kumbi za starehe na hata redioni.
Katika miaka ya themanini, Afrika Mashariki ilivamiwa na muziki wa Zaire
(sasa Demokrasia ya Jamhuri ya Kongo). Waimbaji kama Franco, Pepe Kale
na wengineo walikuwa maarufu sana. Vijana wengi walipenda muziki wa

218 Swahili
kizaire japokuwa wengi hawakujua maana ya nyimbo za kizaire ambazo
ziliimbwa kwa Kilingala (Lugha ya Zaire).
Katika miaka ya tisini kumezuka muziki wa kizazi kipya ambao ndio
umepata umaarufu sana miongoni mwa vijana. Muziki huu ambao unaju-
likana kama “hip-hop,” nyimbo zake kawaida huimbwa kwa Kiswahili au
lugha za makabila. Vijana huimba juu ya mambo tofauti ya jamii kuan-
zia siasa, mapenzi hadi ukimwi. Nyimbo hizi huchezwa katika kila radio
ya Afrika Mashariki. Radio za FM ndio maarufu zaidi kwa kupiga muziki
huu wa kizazi kipya. Kumeibuka makampuni tofauti ya kurekodi muziki
huu katika CD, audio cassette na video. Ni rahisi kununua CD au DVD ye-
nye muziki wa kizazi kipya katika maduka ya muziki. Vijana waimbaji
wameweza kujipatia ajira katika fani hii ya muziki. jojIzwu
DM
idwij
DpnWy
ainsiai

Utapokuwa unatembea Afrika Mashariki usishangae kusikia nyimbo hizi za hip-

hop zikichezwa madukani, majumbani na kwenye magari. Kwa kweli vijana wa
Afrika ya Mashariki wanapenda kujistarehesha kwa muziki wa kizazi kipya.

Youth and Entertainment

Nowadays it's not unusual, if you are in Tanzania or Kenya, to ask young
people in Tanzania or Kenya about something they like (to do) for entertain-
ment. The first thing they'll mention is dancing. They will also mention listen-
ing to music and watching music videos.
Music in East Africa has a long history. There was a time in the '70s when the
music played by local traditional bands was very popular. This kind of music
was played by local people. Usually the local bands were formed by young
and older people who joined together to play instruments and sing. This type
of music was what was played at entertainment centers and on the radio.
In the '80s, East Africa was “invaded” by music from Zaire (currently the
Democratic Republic of the Congo). Singers like Franco, Pepe Kale, and oth-
ers were very famous. A lot of young people used to like the music despite the
fact that many of them did not know the meaning of the lyrics, which were in
Lingala fa language of the DRC).
Since the 19905, there has emerged what is now called “new generation mu-
sic,” which has become very popular among young people. The songs of this
genre of music, also known as hip-hop music, are sung in Swahili or in other
local languages. The musicians sing about different social issues, from poli
tics and love to AIDS. The songs are played on all radios in East Africa. FM
radios are the most popular for playing this type of music. There are several
companies that record the music on CDs, audiocassettes, and video. It's easy
to buy the new generation CDs and DVDs from music stores. The young art
ists have been able to earn money from this type of music.
While visiting East Africa, do not be surprised to hear hip-hop music being
played in stores, homes, or cars. Young people really enjoy the music of the
new generation.

Lesson 14 219
 14H. CULTURE TOPIC 2: ENTERTAINMENT
AND CULTURE

Just as in many, if not all, cultures around the world, there is in Swahili-
speaking areas a generation gap when it comes to recreation and entertain-
ment. Older people do not appreciate the new ways that young people have
found of entertaining themselves. They do not like the music of the new gen-
eration, they don't understand the fashion, and they see very little value in an
activity that many young people find irresistible—going to dance clubs.
For the older generation, dance clubs are the source of many evils. They
believe that places like discothegues are where young people are ezposed
to drinking and drugs. Some even point to dance clubs as the source of
prostitution. For this reason, many parents refuse to allow their children
anywhere near dance clubs. They think back to their youth, when people
spent the evening watching traditional dances or listening to taarab mu-
sic. Modern recreational activities, they feel, are to be blamed for the de-
struction of Swahili culture. As much as the older generation is against
modern recreational activities, this is not the case with young people. Dis-
cothegues remain enormously popular among the new generation, and
going clubbing is all the rage for many in large Swahili-speaking areas.
Still, young people in Swahili culture are not as independent as people of
the same age in Western cultures. Children live with their parents longer,
and this gives parents much more say in how teenagers and young adults
spend their free time. This is simply a fact of life for young people in
Swahili culture.

If you visit Kenya or Tanzania and have a free evening and you enjoy danc-
ing, you won't have any trouble finding a club. Of course, that may not be
your cup of tea, and you may prefer a bar or a pub. There are many such
places in the big cities, but it's important to keep in mind that there are
different cultural norms. For erample, you're far more likely to see men
than women or teenagers in bars. And drinking is considered by many in
Swahili culture to be taboo, especially along the coast, because of the influ-
ence of Islam. However, there are other options. There's also the cinema,
and many nightclubs, where people go to hear live performances of popular
local bands. That's a great way to get a taste of music that's popular in the
region, including taarab. If you enjoy live music and the nightlife, youII
be able to find many nightelubs in places like Nairobi, Mombasa, or Dar es
Salaam.

EKERCISES

Erercise 1: Translate the following sentences into Swahili. Make sure to

use object infikes from the inanimate noun classes you know so far. Then,
if the object of the original sentence is plural, make it singular, and if the
original object is singular, make it plural.

220; Swahili
1. 1 did not see my book.
2. We are selling our car.
3. She likes her new house.
4. He will open his bag tomorrow.

Erercise 2: The following dialogue has some grammatical errors with re-
gard to object infizes. Only the italicized words have the errors. Rewrite the
dialogue by correcting the errors, and then read the dialogue aloud.
Juma: Hujambo Aysha? (How are you, Aisha?)
ji
iojIzw
Dpny
DM
ainsiaj
awij
Aisha: Sijambo. (1'm fine.)
Juma: Umeona kitabu changu? (Have you seen
my book?)
Aisha: Hapana sijaona. Kwanini? Huoni? (No I
haven't seen it. Why? Don't see you it?)
Juma: Sijaona tokea jana. (1 haven't seen it since
yesterday.)
Aisha: Na mimi pia saa yangu sioni. Nilifikiri wewe
ulichukua. (1 don't see my watch. I thought
you took it.)
Juma: Hapana mimi sijachukua wala sijaona. (No, I
didn't take it, and I haven't seen it.)
Aisha: Labda nimesahau shule. (Perhaps I have
forgotten it at school.)
Juma: Labda. Unaweza kuona kesho. (Perhaps you
can see it tomorrow.)
Aisha: Sawa kwaheri. (Okay, bye.)
Juma: Kwaheri. (Bye.)

Erercise 3: Translate each of the following English sentences into Swahili.

Each sentence includes the -ji- reflekive structure. And don't forget to add
any necessary object infikes.

1. He went to the hospital because he cut his finger.

2. Before going out every day, | always look at myself in the mirror.
3. Ali has gone to the bathroom.
4. Young people like to entertain themselves with hip-hop music.
5. Why do you like to scratch yourself so hard?

221
Lesson 14
 Erercise 4: Translate the following passage into English:
Hivi juzi tulienda Nairobi. Nairobi ni kuzuri. Tulikaa hoteli ya Sheraton.
Sheraton ni mahali safi sana. Tulikaa mahali hapa kwa siku tatu. Baadaye
tulienda Zanzibar. Zanzibar ni mahali padogo lakini pazuri sana. Zanzibar
kuna nyumba nzuri. Baadaye tulienda Dar es Salaam na tulikaa mahali
panaitwa Kariakoo. Kariakoo pana soko kubwa. Mahali hapa palikuwa na
watu wengi.

INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Using the vocabulary and the cultural information you've learned in

this lesson, write a short essay showing the similarities and differences
between the U.S. and East Africa when it comes to young people's life-
style and entertainment.

ANSWER KEY

Ekercise 1: 1. (i) Sikukiona kitabu changu. (ii) Sikuviona vitabu vyangu.

2. (i) Tunaiuza gari yetu. (ii) Tunaziuza gari zetu. / Tunayauza magari
yetu. 3. (i) Anaipenda nyumba yake mpya. (ii) Anazipenda nyumba zake
mpya. 4. (i) Ataufungua mkoba wake kesho. (ii) Ataifungua mikoba yake
kesho.
Eyzercise 2:

Juma: Hujambo Aysha?

Aisha: Sijambo.

Juma: Umekiona kitabu changu?

Aisha: Hapana sijakiona. Kwanini? Hukioni?
Juma: Sijakiona tokea jana.

Aisha: Na mimi pia saa yangu siioni. Nilifikiri wewe

uliichukua.
Juma: Hapana mimi sijaichukua wala sijaiona.

Aisha: Labda nimeisahau shule.

Juma: Labda. Unaweza kuiona kesho.

Aisha: Sawa kwaheri.

Juma: Kwaheri.
Brercise 3: 1. Alienda hospitali kwa sababu alijikata kidole chake.
2. Kabla
ya kuenda nje, kila siku hujiangalia kwenye kioo. 3. Ali ameenda
kujisaidia.

222 Swahili
4. Vijana wanapenda kujistarehesha kwa muziki wa hip-hop. 5. Kwa nini
unapenda kujikuna sana?
Erercise 4:

Recently we went to Nairobi. Nairobi is beautiful. We stayed at the Sheraton

Hotel. The Sheraton is a very clean place. We stayed at this place for three
days. Then we went to Zanzibar. Zanzibar is a small place, but very nice/
beautiful. Zanzibar has beautiful houses. Later we went to Dar es Salaam,
and we stayed at a place called Kariakoo. Kariakoo has a big market. That
place had a lot of people.

ojizwn
ainsia
idwij
Dpny
DM

223
Lesson 14
MAE

YA KIE
LESSON

Michezo na Mazoezi

Sports and Ekercise

In this last lesson, we'll focus on sports and outdoor recreation, so you
learn a lot more useful vocabulary for talking about spending free time,
staying healthy, and having fun. A large part of understanding sports in
another country has to do with culture, so you'll learn about the cultural
significance of sports in Swahili-speaking countries. Then, you'lI be intro-
duced to three new grammar points, including how to say “if,” how to say
“when,” and how to form relative clauses. First, let's begin with a vocabu-
lary warm-up!

15A. VOCABULARY WARM-UP

mpira wa kimarekani American football

uwanja wa mpira wa wavu volleyball court
uwanja wa gofu golf course
kupiga mbizi (kuruka diving
kwenye maji)
mazoezi ya mwili erercise, working out
(mazoezi ya viungo)
kunyanyua vyuma weight lifting
kuruka chini long jump
kuruka juu high jump
kazi ya kujitolea volunteer work
sehemu ya kucheza mpira a place to play hockey
wa magongo

15B. DIALOGUE: SPORTS IN SCHOOL

Tom, a student from United States, is talking to Ania, his neighbor in Zan
zibar, who is also a student. Tom is interested in doing some volunteer
work, training students in sports in the afternoon.
 Tom: Asalaam aleykum.
Ania: Aleykum salaam Tom, Hujambo?
Tom: Sijambo Ania, na wewe je?
Ania: Mimi sijambo. Habari za kazi?
Tom: Nzuri. Habari za shule?
Ania: Sio mbaya.
Tom: Samahani Ania, hivi shuleni mnacheza
michezo gani?

Ania: Shuleni tunacheza mpira wa miguu, mpira

wa pete, mpira wa kikapu, mpira wa meza
na kadhalika.
Tom: Michezo hiyo wanacheza wanawake na
wanaume?

Ania: Hapana. Wanawake hatuchezi mpira wa

miguu, tunacheza mpira wa pete. Lakini
michezo mengine tunacheza.
Tom: Vipi unajua mchezo wa mpira wa
kimarekani?
Ania: Nimeona kwenye TV lakini hata sijui
kinachoendelea. Naona watu wanaenda
mbio tu.

Tom: (anacheka) Ni mchezo maarufu sana

Marekani. Takriban kila jimbo wana timu.
Watu wengi wanapenda kuuangalia
kwenye TV pia. Hapa mnacheza mpira
wa wavu?
Ania: Shule yetu sisi hatuchezi kwa sababu
hatuna uwanja na pia hatuna mwalimu wa
kutufundisha.
Tom: Lakini wapi kuna uwanja wa mpira wa
wavu?
Ania: Shule ya Haile Selassie wanao uwanja na
wao wanacheza. Mnazi Mmoja na Amani pia
kuna viwanja.
Tom: Wewe utapenda kucheza mpira wa wavu?
Ania: Ndio mimi napenda.
Tom: Kuna shule au sehemu ambapo wanacheza
gofu?

226 Swahili
 Ania: Hapa Zanzibar hakuna hata shule moja
wanaocheza gofu. Kuna uwanja wa gofu
lakini wanacheza watu wazima. Lakini
Tanzania Bara na Kenya kuna shule ambazo
wanafunzi wanacheza gofu. Na pia huko
kuna sehemu tofauti za kucheza gofu kwa
watu wazima.
Tom: Mnacheza mpira wa magongo shuleni?
Ania: Hapana hatuchezi. Hapa Zanzibar hapana
sehemu ya kucheza mpira wa magongo.
Lakini unaweza kupata sehemu za kucheza
mpira wa magongo huko Tanzania Bara Shods
IZAOzZDW
3SDJarKj
Ozayd!W
DU
PU
au Kenya.

Tom: Ni michezo gani ambayo hivi sasa haipo

lakini ungependa iwepo?
Ania: Natamani shule yetu ingekuwa na bwawa na
tukafanya mchezo wa kuogelea na kuruka
kwenye maji. Pia ndugu yangu anasema
anapenda kama shuleni kungekuwa na
mchezo wa masumbwi.
Tom: Kuna shule ambayo ina sehemu ya kufanya
mazoezi ya viungo?
Ania: Tunatamani lakini hamna. Lakini kuna
sehemu hapa Zanzibar unaweza kuenda
jioni na ukafanya mazoezi ya mwili na
kunyanyua vitu vizito.
Tom: Iko wapi sehemu hiyo?
Ania: Iko Mnazi Mmoja. Lakini siku hizi Tanzania
Bara kuna sehemu nyingi ambazo unaweza
kuenda kufanya mazoezi ya viungo.
Tom: Huwa baadaye kuna mashindano shuleni?
Ania: Ndio. Nimesahau pia kuna michezo mengine
ya riadha kama kukimbia, kuruka chini na
kuruka juu.
Tom: Sawa asante.

Ania: Hamna tabu. Lakini kwanini umeniuliza

masuali yote haya?
Tom: Kwa sababu ninataka kufanya kazi ya
kujitolea kufundisha michezo.
Ania: Itakuwa vizuri kama utakuja skuli yetu.

Lesson 15 227
 Tom: Sawa nitaangalia. Kwahiyo tutaonana
baadaye.
Ania: Sawa. Baadaye.

Tom: Hello.
Ania: Hello, Tom, how are you?
Tom: I'm fine, Ania, what about you?
Ania: T'm pretty good. How was your work?
Tom: Good. How was school?
Ania: Not bad.
Tom: Ercuse me, Ania, what sort of sports do you
have at school?
Ania: At school, we play soccer, netball, volleyball,
table tennis, and so on.

Tom: Do both girls and boys play these games?

Ania: No. Girls don't play soccer; we play netball.
But we play other games.
Tom: How do you find American football?
Ania: T've seen it on TV, but 1 don't know or
understand what's going on. I just see
(people) running!
Tom: (chuckling) It's a very popular sport in the
U.S. Almost every state has a team. A lot of
people like to watch it on TV, too. Do you play
volleyball here?
Ania: We don't play it at our school, because we
don't have a volleyball court or a coach.
Tom: Where can I (one) find a volleyball court?
Ania: Haile Selassie School has a court, and they
play. You can also find a volleyball court at
Mnazi Mmoja and Amani.
Tom: Would you like to play volleyball?
Ania: Yes, I would.

Tom: Are there schools or places where they play

golf?
Ania: No. There's no school here in Zanzibar where
they play golf. There's a golf course, but only

228 Swahili
 adults play. But on the Tanzanian mainland
and in Kenya, there are schools where golf is
played. Also, there are different golf courses
for adults.
Tom: Do you play hockey at school?
Ania: No, we don't. There is no place to play hockey
here in Zanzibar. But you can find a place to
play hockey on the Tanzanian mainland or in
Kenya.
Tom: Which game do you wish you could have at
school?
Ania: 1 wish my school could have a swimming pool, OzaydiWw
IZaOzDW
DUShods
3$J3aKJ
PUP
so that we could have swimming and diving.
Also, my young brother says he wishes they
could have boring at school.
Tom: Is there a school that has a gym?
Ania: We wish (we had one), but we don't. But there's
a place here on Zanzibar where you can go in
the afternoon to work out and lift weights.
Tom: Where's that place?
Ania: It's at Mnazi Mmoja. But nowadays on the
mainland there are a lot of places where you
can go and esrercise.
Tom: Do you usually have competitions at school?
Ania: Yes. Also, 1'm forgetting that there are other
games, like track-and-field, the long jump,
and the high jump.
Tom: Okay. Thanks.
Ania: No problem. But why are you asking me all
these guestions?
Tom: Because I'd like to volunteer to coach sports.
Ania: III be nice if you come to our school.
Tom: Okay, I'll see. We'll see each other later.
Ania: Okay. See you later.

15C. VOCABULARY

—a kusisimuwa erciting, fun

bwawa/mabwawa swimming pool/s

Lesson 15 229
 dhaifu weak

—enye afya healthy

—enye umbo la kimazoezi in shape

gofu golf
hata even

hema/mahema tent/s

kuangalia to watch

kucheza to play
kuchoka to get tired
kudaka mpira to catch a ball
kuenda kupiga kambi to go camping

kuenda mbio/kukimbia to run

kuendesha baiskeli to ride a bike

kuogelea to swim

kuota jua to lie in the sun

kupanda milima to go mountain climbing

kupata ngozi ya kahawia to get a tan

kuruka to jump

kurusha mpira to throw a ball

kushinda to win

kushindwa to lose
kutamani to wish
kutembea masafa to hike, go hiking
marefu (kwa burudani)
kuungua kwa jua to get a sunburn
maarufu popular, famous
madhubuti (-enye nguvu) strong
mchezo wa masumbwi boring
mchezo/michezo game/s, sport/s
mpira wa kikapu basketball
mpira wa magongo hockey
mpira wa meza table tennis, ping pong
AL
230 Swahili
 mpira wa miguu soccer (football)
mpira wa pete netball
mpira wa wavu volleyball
riadha athletics, track-and-field
sehemu place/s
shindano/mashindano competition/s
—sie na afya unhealthy
takriban almost
timu team/s
IZOOZDW
Spods
DU
OZzayd!W
ashJakj
PUe
ufukwe/fukwe beach/es
uwanja (kiwanja/viwanja) court/s, field/s, ground/s

15D. KEY PHRASES

Here are some key erpressions that you can use to ask or talk about sports
and other outdoor activities that you may enjoy.
Ulifanya nini wikiendi? What did you do this weekend?
Niliangalia mpira wa I watched an American football
kimarekani kwenye TV. game on TV.
Ngapi ngapi? Nani anashinda? What's the score? Who's winning?
Unapenda michezo? Do you like sports?
Nilicheza mpira na marafiki. I played soccer with some friends.
Ninapenda kucheza mpira I like to play basketball very
wa kikapu sana. much.
Ninacheza tenisi lakini sijui I play tennis, but T'm not very
sana. goodatit.
Tulienda kutembea masafa We went for a hike in the national
marefu kwenye mbuga. park.
Nilienda ufukweni na kulala I went to the beach and lay in the
juani. sun.
Ninapenda kutembea masafa I love to go hiking in the woods.
marefu msituni.

Tulikuwa na pikiniki (mandari). We hada picnic.

Nilienda kufanya mazoezi I went to the gym and worked out.
kwenye ukumbi wa michezo
ya mazoezi ya viungo.

Lesson 15 231
 Unafanyaje kuwa na umbo How do you stay in shape?
la kimazoezi?
Ninajogi mara nne kwa wiki. I jog four times every week.
Ninaogelea bwawani kila J swim at the pool every morning.
asubuhi.
Ninataka kufanya kazi ya I want to do volunteer work.
kujitolea.

15E. CULTURE TOPIC 1; SPORTS AND LEISURE

TIME ACTIVITIES

Recreational activities are not within the reach of all people. For er-
ample, in the countryside, if people are busy working in the fields to
feed their families, they may not consider purely recreational activities
a good use of valuable time and energy. In urban areas, where many
poor people eke out a living, membership at a gym is simply a lukury
not everyone can afford. But there are still recreational activities that
people take part in. For people living in the coastal areas, boat racing
(mashindano ya ngalawa) and swimming (kuogelea) are popular sports.
There are also some communities like Wanyore, Wakisii, and Waluo in
Western Kenya, where wrestling (mieleka) or even war games (michezo
ya vita) among Maasai are popular. These games are local, though, and
do not usually draw very much attention from the general public. Even
nontraditional activities have begun to gain momentum throughout Ke-
nya and Tanzania. It's now common, for erample, to see people hiking
(kutembea masafa marefu) in the morning or early evening, especially
in cities and towns among the upper classes. In coastal towns, people
may hike along the beach (ufukweni), but even the streets will do as
hiking trails.
Schools have played a major role in introducing modern sports to different
communities in East Africa. In the school curriculum, sports and games
are compulsory, just like other subjects such as biology, math, language,
and so on. Among the sports played in school are soccer, swimming, and
volleyball for boys or netball for girls. The emphasis put on athletics in
East Africa is no doubt in part behind the fact that the region has produced
some of the world's greatest athletes.
Soccer (football) (mpira wa miguu) has become one of the most popular
sports in the region, both in schools and in the streets. Children play soccer
whenever they have free time, even if they have neither an official field
(uwanja maalum) nor a special ball (mpira maalum). They may play on
dusty streets (vichochoroni), in the schoolyard (maeneo ya shule), or any-
where there is a small open space. They can even improvise when it comes
to finding a soccer ball, using bundled up rags (matambara) or fruit like
grapefruits (mabalungi) when necessary. There is no any other game that

232 Swahili
 captures the interest of children guite like soccer. And soccer is,
Of course,
not just for kids. It was, however, just for men for many years.
In fact, it
was completely unimaginable to see women playing soccer in East
Africa
until recently. Now women have begun to play, and despite the strong
ob-
jections of religious conservatives, who fear that women's bodies will
be
displayed during the game, women continue to show great interest in
the
game. They've even begun to form their own soccer teams (timu za mpira).
In East Africa, like in so many places throughout the world, soccer
is for
everyone these days.

15F. GRAMMAR

Grammar Topic 1; Relative Pronouns IZAOZDW

shods
DU
Ozay3d!W
ashiakj
PUe
A relative clause is a kind of mini-sentence that's attached to a noun to
describe it or give more information about it: “The book that he gave me
was very good.” “The man who you saw crossing the street is my neigh-
bor.” “Mombasa, which is in Kenya, is a big city.” As you can see, relative
clauses in English usually start with what's called a relative pronoun,
such as “that,” “who,” or “which.” In Swahili, relative pronouns appear in
one of two ways. They can be infizes within the verb of the relative clause
(“gave,” “saw,” “is” in the English erzamples), or they can appear as words
on their own, in which case they'll take the form of the word amba- with
different suffires. In either case, the infiz or suffiz will of course vary
depending on the class of the noun being described (“book,” “man,” or
“Mombasa” in the English eramples). It's important to note that in En-
glish it's possible to drop relative pronouns: “The book he gave me was
very good.” “The man you saw crossing the street is my neighbor.” This
isn't possible in Swahili, though; you'll always need a form of the rela-
tive pronoun. Now let's look at the forms of Swahili relative pronouns.
Notice that the suffikes attached to amba- are identical to the infikes for
each class.

Lesson 15 233
 singular infi£ plural infi£ singular amba—- plural amba-

M-Wa Ze 0 ambaye ambao

Ki-Vi —cho— —vyo—- ambacho ambavyo

N —yo- 20 ambayo ambazo

Ji-Ma -jo- waa ambalo ambayo

M-Mi 0 yo ambao ambayo

U- —-0- -z0-/1-yeo- ambao ambazo!

ambayo

Ku— ko za ambako

mahali (pa—) —-po0- —- ambapo

mahali (ku—) —ko—- — ambako

mahali (mu—) —mo- — ambamo

Let's take a look at some Swahili ezamples with relative pronouns. Notice
that the infiz appears within the verb of the relative clause, directly after its
tense marker. Also note that either the infiz or the amba- form is used, but
not both. Let's go through each class that youve learned.

M-WA (AMBAYE, AMBAO, -YE-, -0-)

mtoto ambaye alikuja mtoto aliyekuja the child who came

watoto ambao walikuja watoto waliokuja the children who came

KI-VI (AMBACHO, AMBAVYO, —CHO-, -VYO-)

kitabu ambacho ninasoma kitabu ninachosoma the book (that) |'m reading

vitabu ambavyo ninasoma vitabu ninavyosoma the books (that) |'m

reading

N- (AMBAYO, AMBAZO, -YO-, -Z0-)

nyumba ambayo niliijenga nyumba niliyoijenga the house (that) | built

nyumba ambazo nyumba nilizozijenga the houses (that) | built

nilizijenga

JI-MA (AMBALO, AMBAYO, -LO0-, -YO-)

gari ambalo nilinunua gari nililonunua the car (that) | bought

magari ambayo nilinunua magari niliyonunua the cars (that) | bought

234 | Swahili
 /M-MI (AMBAO, AMBAYO, -0-, -YO-)
mkate ambao nilikula mkate niliokula the bread (that) | ate
|mikate ambayo nilikula mikate niliyokula the (loaves of) bread | ate

U- (AMBAO, AMBAZO, -0-, -70-)

ufunguo ambao ulipotea ufunguo uliopotea the key that was lost

funguo ambazo zilipotea funguo zilizopotea the keys that were lost

KU- (AMBAKO, —-KO0-)

mahali ambako tunaenda

IzaozoW
Ozaydiw
suods
pu
3ashJarKj
pue
mahali tunapoenda the place (where) we go /
are going

kule ambako unakaa kule unakokaa the place where you live

MAHALI (AMBAPO/AMBAKO/AMBAMO, —-PO0-, -KO0-, -MO-)

mahali ambapo mahali ninapopapenda the place that | like

ninapapenda

kule ambako unaenda kule unakoenda the place that you go to

mle ambamo unaenda mle unamoenda the place that you go into

Now let's see a few more eramples with complete sentences.

Mtoto aliyekuja anatoka Kenya. The child who came is from
Kenya.
Watoto ambao walikuja The children who came were
walikuwa na njaa. hungry.
Gari ambalo nilinunua ni ghali. The car that I bought is erpensive.
Magari niliyonunua ni The cars that I bought are old.
makongwe.
Kitabu ninachosoma ni kizuri. The book that T'm reading is nice.
Nyumba ambayo nilijenga I am selling the house that I built.
ninaiuza.

Mkate niliokula nilinunua I bought at the bakery the bread

bekari. that 1 ate.
Mahali ambapo ninapapenda The place that I like is Nairobi.
ni Nairobi.
Kule unakoenda si kuzuri. The place where you're going isn't
good.

Lesson 15 235
 Grammar Topic 2: Ekpressing “When” with -po-
It's also possible to start a clause in English with “when,” as in: “WheniI sleep, |
dream.” “When we saw you, we remembered.” “T'm happy when Istudy Swahili.”
In Swahili, this construction is made with the help of the infiz —po-, which ap-
pears after the tense marker of the verb within the clause:
Ninapolala ninaota. When I sleep, 1 dream.
Tulipokuona tulikumbuka. When we saw you we remembered.
Ninafurahi ninaposoma T'm happy when I study Swahili.
Kiswahili.
Nilipokuwa mdogo sikupenda When|I wasa child, 1 didn't like
chakula. food.

Grammar Topic 3: Ekpressing “If” with -ki- and kama

Another Swahili infiz is —ki-, which is used in conditional sentences. The
—ki- is inserted in the verb ofthe first part of the condition, where the tense
marker would normally go. This is the part of a conditional sentence that's
ezpressed in English with the conjunction “if.” Note that the word kama is
sometimes used together with —ki- in affirmative sentences.
Ukisoma Kiswahili utaweza If you study Swahili you'l be able
kuzungumza na Waswahili. to talk to Swahili people.
Nikipata pesa nitanuna gari. If I get the money, TII buy a car.
(Kama) nikizaa mtoto If 1 give birth to a baby boy, T'll
mwanamume nitamwita Ali. call him Ali.
With monosyllabic verbs such as kula (to eat) or kuja (to come), the ku- is
dropped and replaced by —ki—:
Nikila mkate hivi sasa, If 1 eat bread right now, I won't be
sitakuwa na njaa. hungry.
Mkija nitawapikia wali. If you come, T'll cook some rice
for you.
There are two ways to make negative conditional sentences of this sort. The
first is to use the word kama alone in the “if” clause, without the —ki- infis:

Kama hutakuja nitasafiri. If you don't come, I wili travel.

Kama hunywi bia hutanenepa. If you don't drink beer, you won't
put on weight.
Notice that it's also possible to translate these negative conditionals into
English with the word unless: “Unless you come, 1 will travel.” “Unless you
drink beer, you won't put on weight.” The second way of negating these
conditionals is to replace the —ki-— infiz with —sipo—. If you negate an “if”
clause with a monosyllabic verb, though, you keep the -ku-—:

236 Swahili
 Nisipokuona sitafurahi. If I don't see you, I won't be
happy.
Unless I see you, 1 won't be happy.
Nisipokunywa bia sitatumia IfI don't drink beer, | won't spend
pesa. money.
Unless 1 drink beer, I won't spend
money.

15G. READING: BARUA PEPE KUTOKA KWA RAFIKI

Mpendwa Brian, IZaozoW
OzaydiWw
puSuods
3aSHJaK
PUe

Asante sana kwa barua pepe. Niliipata wiki iliyopita, lakini ndio
kwanza
leo napata nafasi ya kuijibu. Nimekuwa na kazi nyingi sana.
Inaonekana safari yako ya milimani ilikuwa nzuri sana. Sijawahi
kusikia
juu ya milima ya Sierra Nevada, lakini picha ulizozileta ni nzuri sana.
Ina-
onekana ni sehemu nzuri kwa kustarehe na kukaa kwenye mahema,
kuen-
desha baskeli, na kufanya mazoezi ya kutembea.
Nategemea unafahamu kuwa watu wengi hutembea nchi yangu kupanda
mlima Kilimanjaro. Ni kitu cha kufurahisha, lakini ni watu wachache
tu
wenyeji wa Kenya au Tanzania ambao hupanda mlima kwa ajili ya ku-
jistarehesha. Watu ambao hupanda mlima mara nyingi ni wale ambao
huwasindikiza wageni kama viongozi wa msafara au wasaidizi.
Umeniuliza mambo tunayofanya huku Afrika Mashariki kama burudani.
Michezo kama vile mpira wa miguu (soka) ni maarufu sana huku. Watu
wengine hucheza mpira wa kikapu pia. Mchezo wa beziboli na mpira wa
miguu wa Marekani sio maarufu hapa, na hakuna mchezo wa mpira wa
magongo wa kwenye barafu. Kwa vile hali ya hewa huku ni joto, michezo
ya siku za baridi haijulikani sana huku.
Mbali na michezo, watu hupenda kuenda kwenye mbuga za wanyama
kuangalia wanyama. Sio watalii tu! Watu wa Tanzania na Kenya pia hupen-
da kuenda kuangalia simba, tembo, twiga, na wanyama wengine wakubwa.
Watu wengine huenda kwenye mbuga kuwinda wanyama hasa wakati wa
kiangazi.
Lakini uwindaji hauruhusiwi kila sehemu na uwindaji haramu unaweza
kuleta matatizo makubwa. Kama ni kuenda kuangalia wanyama au kuenda
kuwinda, watu hawaendi wakati wa masika. Kipindi hiki huwa kuna mvua
kubwa na mbuga huwa zina tope sana.
Mbali na hayo kuna mambo mengine ambayo pia hufanywa huku. Kuna
mashindano makubwa ya magari ambayo yanaitwa Safari Rally. Mashin
dano haya hupita kwenye njia ambazo ni mbaya sana. Na kwa vile mash
indano haya hufanywa wakati wa masika, barabara wanazotumia huwa na

Lesson 15 237
 miongoni mwa vijana.

Mimi hupenda zaidi michezo ya kwenye maji. Hupenda kuenda ufukweni,

hasa Zanzibar. Huko huogelea, hupanda ngalawa, na hufanya michezo ya
kuteleza kwenye maji. Watalii wengi huja Zanzibar kwa ajili ya fukwe, na
pia kwa ajili ya pomboo. Pomboo huruka na kuanguka kwenye maji wa-
napoona watu. Kuna watu ambao huja Zanzibar na kuenda sehemu in-
ayoitwa Kizimkazi, ili kuona na kuogelea na pomboo.
Sawa, naona nimalize hapo. Natumai mambo yote yako sawa. Nasubiri ba-
rua pepe yako nyengine kwa hamu sana.

Rafiki yako,
Ali

An E-mail from a Friend

Dear Brian,

Thanks for your e-mail. I got it last week, but I haven't had a chance to re-
spond until today. Tve been very busy!
It sounds like you had a really good trip to the mountains. | ve never heard of
the Sierra Nevada Mountains, but the pictures you sent look very beautiful.
It looks like a great place for camping, bike riding, and hiking. You probably
know that a lot of people come to my country to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
It's funny, but not a lot of people from Kenya or Tanzania climb mountains
for fun and recreation. The only ones who do that are the ones who go with
the foreigners, maybe as tour leaders or guides.
You asked about what we like to do in East Africa for recreation. Sports like
soccer are very popular here. Some people play basketball, too. Baseball and
American football aren't very popular here, and no one plays ice hockey.
Since we live in a hot climate, winter sports arent very well known.
Other than sports, people like to go to the big game parks to see the wild
animals. And not just foreign tourists! Kenyans and Tanzanians love to go
see lions, elephants, giraffes, and other big animals.
Some people go to parks to hunt, especially during the dry season. But hunt-
ing is not allowed in all places, and poaching can be a serious problem.
Whether people go to the parks to watch animals or hunt, they don't go visit-
ing during the rainy season. There's a lot of rain during this season, so the
parks are full of mud.
There are also other activities that we do in this part of the world. There's
an international car race called the Safari Rally. The drivers have to drive
through very difficult terrain, and because the rally takes place in the rainy

wi Swahili
 season, the roads are muddy and the rally route is
very difficult and chal-
lenging to the drivers. But people love the rally very
much. The drivers pass
through villages and wildlife parks, and lots of people
watch it. During the
hot, dry season, there are also marathon races and
cycling, and these are
popular with a lot of young people.
I prefer water sports. I love to go to the beach, especially
in Zanzibar. | swim,
sail, and go water-skiing. A lot of tourists come to Zanzib
ar for the beaches,
and also for the dolphins. The dolphins splash water when
they see people.
People actually come to Zanzibar, especially to an area
called Kizimkazi,
Just to see and swim with the dolphins.
Okay, I should finish here. 1 hope all is well, and I look forward
to reading
your nest e-mail.
IZAOZDW
DU
Shods
Ozaydiw
ashJakj
PUe
Your friend,

Ali

15H. CULTURE TOPIC 2: SPORTS, GAMES, AND

FRIENDSHIP

Throughout the world, sports often work to create communities and unite
people in the spirit of friendship and honorable competition. This is no dif-
ferent in East Africa, where international sports competitions (mashindano
ya michezo) are held at least once a year and are one of the things that
bring Africans together. For erample, there are very popular soccer compe-
titions between soccer clubs (vilabu/timu za mpira) organized by CECAFA
(Confederation of East and Central Africa Football Association). Teams
converge in one country, where they play matches (mechi) that determine
one winner (mshindi mmoja) that receives a trophy (kikombe). This compe-
tition isa wonderful opportunity for people from across Africa to visit their
neighbors and to erchange ideas and learn from one another. Within the
Swahili-speaking region there are also sporting events that bring people to-
gether. For erample, every April there is a friendly competition in different
games held between the people of the Tanzanian mainland and the people
of Zanzibar. The occasion is called Michezo ya Pasaka (Easter Games), in
which different soccer, netball, and basketball teams compete. This event
consolidates friendship between people and allows Swahili-speaking com-
munities to interact with one another.
As the most popular game in both Kenya and Tanzania, soccer generates a
great deal of interest and enthusiasm. With such a high degree of interest,
there are plenty of teams, both local and national. One of the most popular
teams is Kenya's Gor Mahia, based at Nairobi's City Stadium. In Tanzania,
the two big rival (wapinzani) teams are Simba and Yanga, which are sure
to draw a large crowd of spectators (watizamaji). But soccer isn't the only
game in the region. Since both countries are home to a large Indian popu
lation, the sports of field hockey (mpira wa magongo) and cricket are very

Lesson 15 239
 a long
popular, too. There's also the Safari Rally (mashindano ya magari),
over some of the toughest terrain in the world. This sport also
car race
enjoys a great deal of popularity in East Africa. Since sports are so POpU-
lar in Kenya and Tanzania, there are special ministries (wizara maalum)
and
responsible for promoting sports, organizing tours at both national
international competitions, and sometimes even solving disputes among
the clubs.
Of course not everyone loves sports or the outdoors. There are also some in-
door sports, such as bowling or billiards, although they are not very popular.
In fact, these games are really only played in big cities like Nairobi and Dar
es Salaam. Also, many people in the cities enjoy playing cards and checkers.
There are also some very popular traditional games, such as bao. This game
consists of a wooden board with a number of bowl-shaped indentations,
which hold seeds or stones called kete. This game is very popular along the
coast, played especially as an evening game by men in Zanzibar, Mombasa
and Dar es Salaam. But the popularity of bao is not confined to Swahili
areas; it's a popular pastime throughout much of Africa.
Whether a person enjoys playing a very physical sport, watching a game in
a big stadium, or simply staying home for a guiet evening of cards (karata)
or bao, games and sports in East Africa serve the same purpose as they do
anywhere. They unite and entertain people of all different walks of life.

EKERCISES

Ezercise 1: Complete the following sentences by providing the missing

relative pronoun infizes.
1. Mpishi nina mtafuta amesafiri.
2. Gari nili panda ni bovu.
3. Mkateali pika mama ni mtamu.
4. Chupa ilivunjika ilikuwa na soda.
5. Vitanda nili nunua ni vikubwa.

Erercise 2: Translate each of the following English sentences into Swahili.

Each sentence includes a relative pronoun. Again, use the infiz form.
1. The house that 1 rented is not big.
2. The room where 1 sleep (“that 1 sleep”) does not have a bed.
3. The food that 1 eat smells good.

4. The houses where we live (“that we live in/at”) do not have electricity.
5. The watch that 1 wear is ezpensive.

24,0 Swahili
 Erercise 3: Translate the following English sentences
into Swahili. They all
have the infis —po-, meaning “when.”
1. When I saw him, he was short.
2. When she was sick, she was thin.

3. When we drink beer we dance.

4: When they hunt, they kill animals.
5- When I go to watch soccer, 1'm happy.

Erercise 4: Match an “if” clause from the first column with the
appropri-
ate result clause from the second column to form a complete
conditional
sentence. j IZAOZDW
OZaydiW
DU
Shods
ashJakj
PUe
1. Ukinywa pombe a) tutaharibu mazingira
sana...
2. Ukienda Tanzania... b) utatapika
3. Wakipata pesa... c) hutaweza kuendesha gari
4. Tukikata miti sana... d) utaona mlima Kilimanjaro
5. Ukila chakula e) watasafiri
kibovu...

Erercise 5: Translate the following sentences. Use the —sipo-— construction

instead of kama.
1. If you don't sleep you'lI be tired. / Unless you sleep you'lI be tired.
2. If you don't eat good food you'lI be sick. / Unless you eat good food you'll
be sick.
3. If you don't see me VII be in Zanzibar. / Unless you see me, TII be in
Zanzibar.
4. We won't see the animals if we don't go to Kenya. / We won't see the
animals unless we go to Kenya.
5. If you don't learn Swahili you won't go to Tanzania. / Unless you learn
Swahili you won't go to Tanzania.

Lesson 15 241
 INDEPENDENT CHALLENGE

Imagine that you have a Swahili-speaking pen pal and you'd like to
write to him or her to talk about your favorite sports and recreational
activities. Using the reading as a sample, write a letter or an e-mail
talking about what you like to do for fun, or describe a recent trip that
you took. Imagine the types of guestions a Swahili-speaking friend
might have.

ANSWER KEY

Ezercise 1: 1. Mpishi ninayemtafuta amesafiri. 2. Gari nililopanda ni bovu.

3. Mkate aliopika mama ni mtamu. 4. Chupa iliyovunjika ilikuwa na soda.
5. Vitanda nilivyonunua ni vikubwa.

Esercise 2: 1. Nyumba niliyokodi si kubwa. 2. Chumba ninacholala hakina

kitanda. 3. Chakula ninachokula kinanukia. 4. Nyumba tunazokaa hazina
umeme. 5. Saa ninayovaa ni ghali.
Ekercise 3: 1. Nilipomuona alikuwa mfupi. 2. Alipokuwa mgonjwa alikuwa
mwembamba. 3. Tunapokunywa bia tunacheza. 4. Wanapowinda wanauwa
wanyama. 5. Ninapoenda kuangalia mpira wa miguu ninafurahi.
Ezercise 4: 1. (c); 2. (d); 3. (e); 4. (a); 5. (b)
Ezercise 5: 1. Usipolala utachoka. 2. Usipokula chakula kizuri utaumwa /
utakuwa mgonjwa. 3. Usiponiona nitakuwa Zanzibar. 4. Hatutaona wan-
yama tusipoenda Kenya. 5. Usipojifunza/Usiposoma Kiswahili hutaenda
Tanzania.

242; Swahili
|
 Glossary
Swahili-English

A akaunti ya checking account

hundi
—a of
—ake his, her
—a bei nafuu affordable
akiba savings
—a juu top
—ako your (singular)
—a kuchosha boring
alasiri late afternoon
—a kufurahisha pleasant, (3ioo p.m.—
enjoyable 4:59 p.m..)
—a kupendeza interesting alfajiri, early morning
—a kusisimuwa (5:00 a.m.—
erciting, fun
5:59 a.m.)
—a kuvutia interesting
Alhamisi Thursday (Sirth
—a kwanza first (Alkhamisi) Day)
—a mwisho last amali profession/s
—a pili second amba— which, that, who
(relative)
—a upesi fast, guick
angu my
—a zamani old
anuani address/es
abiria passenger/s
(anwani)
afadhali it's betterthat...,
—ao their
ought
Aprili April
Afrika Africa
arobaini forty
Agosti August
asante thank you
aisikrimu ice cream
asilimia percentage
akaunti account/s
askari soldier/s, guard/s
akaunti ya savings account
akiba askari wa fireman/men
zimamoto
 asubuhi morning bei za vyakula food price list,
(6:00 a.m.— menu
11:59 a.m.) battery/ies
betri
asubuhi early morning
bia beer
mapema sana (5:00 a.m.—
5:59 a.m.) biashara business/s
ATM ATM bibi grandmother,
OT
Mrs., Ma'am
au

bila shaka! of course!

blauzi blouse/s

baa bar/s bluu (buluu) blue

baada ya after bora good, better
baada ya hapo after that bosi/mabosi boss/es
baadaye then bustani yard/s, garden/s
baadhi some swimming pool/s
bwawa)/
baba father/s mabwawa

babu grandfather/s
bahari ocean)/s, sea/s CH
bahasha envelope/s
—chache few
baidi far
—chafu dirty
bajeti budget
chai tea
barabara road/s, street/s
chakula cha dinner, evening
barabara kuu highway/s jioni meal
baridi cool chakula/ food/s
barua letter/s vyakula

baruapepe e-mail chamsha— breakfast

kinywa
basi so
chandarua/ mosguito net/s
basi/mabasi bus/es
vyandarua
—baya bad
—changa young
bayolojia biology
chango/ intestine/s
bega/mabega shoulder/s machango
bei price/s chochote anything
bei gani? how much?
choo/vyoo toilet/s,
bathroom)/s, stool

2444 Glossary
 chui leopard/s Disemba December
chumba cha bedroom)/s disketi diskette/s
kulala/vyumba
vya kulala divai wine

chumba/ Toom)/s -dogo small, little, a

vyumba little bit

chumvi salt dokyumenti document/s

Messoj
ysi|Suj
chungwa/ orange/s dola dollar/s
machungwa duka la nguo/ clothing store/s
chupa bottle/s maduka ya
nguo
duka la viatu/ shoe store/s
maduka ya
dada viatu
sister/s
daftari/ notebook/s
duka/maduka store/s, shop/s
madaftari

dakika minute/s

daktari wa dentist/s —ekundu red

meno/
madaktari wa elfu one thousand
meno —ema good
daktari/ doctor/s email e-mail/s
madaktari
—embamba thin, narrow,
dalili symptom)/s skinny
damu blood vyenu your (plural)
darasa/ classroom/s —enye having,
madarasa possessing,
with
dawa medicine, drug/s
—enye afya healthy
dawa za kinga preventive
drugs —enye nguvu strong

dawa za mosguito spray —enye thamani valuable

kufukuza mbu
—enye umbo la in shape
dereva wa bus driver/s kimazoezi
basi
—erevu smart, cunning
dhaifu weak
—etu OUT
dhamana mortgage
—eupe white
dirisha/ window/s
—eusi black
madirisha

Glossary 245
 F

faili/mafaili file/s habari news

Februari February Habari gani? How are you

doing? How are
fedha money you?
filamu movie/s, film/s
hadithi story/ies
fizikia physics again
halfau
fleti apartment/s situation/s,
hali
fomu form/s condition/s

fotokopi photocopy/ies Hamna tabu! No problem!

fulana undershirt/s hamsini fifty

fundi/mafundi mechanic/s hapa here

fundi/mafundi plumber/s hapana no

bomba
Hapana tabu. No problem.
fundi/mafundi electrician/s
haragwe/ bean/s
umeme
maharagwe
—fupi short
hasa particularly
hata even
hatari danger
gani? which?, what
hema/mahema tent/s
kind/sort of?
hesabu, mathematics
gari/magari car/s
hesabati
gazeti/ newspaper/s
hindi/mahindi corn
magazeti
hisa stock/s
—geni foreign
historia history
gereza prison/s
Hodi hodi! Knock, knock!
ghali erpensive
hospitali hospital/s
glasi/glasi glass/es
hoteli hotel/s
gofu golf
hudhurungi brown
goti/magoti knee/s
Hujambo? How are you?
gumba thumb/s
hundi check/s
—gumu hard, difficult
huru free

246 Glossary
 jiografia geography

Ijumaa
jioni evening
Friday
(Congregation (5:00 p.m.—
Day) 6:59 p.m.)

Inategemea. jirani/majirani neighbor/s

It depends.
jiwe/mawe stone/s
Inawezekana. It is possible.
Ajessoj9
ysi|Su3
jua sun
—ingi a lot, many, much
juisi juice
—ingine other, another
Julai July
ishirini twenty
Jumamosi Saturday
Itabidi... It will be
(First Day)
necessary...
Jumanne Tuesday
J (Fourth Day)
Jumapili Sunday
jaketi/majaketi jacket/s (Second Day)
jambo/mambo matter/s, affair/s Jumatano Wednesday
jana
(Fifth Day)
yesterday
Jumatatu Monday
jangwa/ desert/s
(Third Day)
majangwa
Juni June
jani/majani leaf/ves, grass
juzi day before
Januari January
yesterday
jengo la ofisi/ office building/s
majengo ya
K
ofisi
jengo/majengo building/s kabati/ filing cabinet/s
makabati
jibu/majibu answer/s
kabila/ tribe/s
jicho/macho eye/s
makabila
jiko/majiko kitchen/s,
kabla ya before
fireplace/s, oven/s,
stove/s, cooker/s kadi ya malipo/ credit card/s
kadi za malipo
Jina lako ni What is your
nani? name? kahawa coffee

jina/majina name/s kahawia brown

—jinga stupid kaka brother/s

jino/meno tooth/teeth kalamu pen/s

Glossary 247
 kalenda calendar/s kesho kutwa the day after
tomorrow
—kali SOUT
keyboard keyboard/s
kalima word/s
za if
kama if, as, like
kiangazi/ summer/s (dry
kamili sharp (ata season/s)
viangazi
specific time),
erkact kiasi gani? how much?

kampuni company/ies kiatu cha buti/ boot/s

viatu vya buti
kanisa/ church/es
makanisa kiatu/viatu shoe/s

kanzu dress/es, robe/s kiazi/viazi potato/es

kaptura shorts kibanda/ hut/s

vibanda
karata card/s
kibiriti/vibiriti match/es (to light)
karatasi ya printing paper
kuchapishia kiboko/viboko hippopotamus/es
karibu welcome; nearby, kichekesho fun
close
kichwa/vichwa head/s
karibu na close to, near,
kidole/vidole finger/s, toe/s
nezt to
kifaa/vifaa tool/s,
Karibu. Welcome.
accessory/ies,
karoti carrot/s item/s

kaskazini north kifaru/vifaru rThinoceros/es

kasorobo a guarter before, kifua/vifua chest/s

guarter to
Kiingereza English language
(the hour)
kijani green
kati kati ya mji downtown, city
center kijiji/vijiji village/s
katibu secretary/ies kijiko/vijiko spoon/s
muhutasi
kikombe/ cup/s
kazi job/s, work vikombe
kazi ya volunteer work kikopo/vikopo can/s, tin/s
kujitolea
kila every
kazi za shule homework
kila kitu everything
kemia chemistry
kilima/vilima hill/s
kesho tomorrow
kima monkey/s

24.8 Glossary
 kimya guiet kitunguu/ onion/s
kinga Prevention vitunguu

kinywaji/ drink/s kituo cha basi/ bus station/s

vinywaji vituo vya basi

kioo/vioo cha/ screen/s kituo/vituo station/s, stop/s,

vya kompyuta stand/s

kipande/piece/s kiu thirst Ajessoj9

ysi|SUu3
vipande kiungo/viungo spice/s
kipima joto/ thermometer/s kiuno/viuno hip/s
vipima joto
kivuli/vivuli shadow/s
kipupwe/ spring season/s
vipupwe kiwango cha interest rate/s
(cold season/s)
riba/viwango
kisha then vya riba
kisu/visu knife/knives kiwanja/ court/s, field/s,
kisugudi/ viwanja ground)/s
elbow/s
visugudi kizunguzungu dizziness
Kiswahili Swahili language kliniki clinic/s
kitabu cha address book/s kofia/makofia hat/s, cap/s
anuani/vitabu
vya anuani
kompyuta computer/s
kompyuta laptop computer/s
kitabu cha/ datebook/s
ya/za mkononi
vitabu vya
tarehe —kongwe old
kitabu/vitabu book/s koo/makoo throat/s
kitambulisho identity card kosa/makosa error/s, mistake/s
kitanda/ bed/s koti/makoti coat/s
vitanda
krediti kadi credit card/s
kitango/ cucumber/s
—ku- you (object)
vitango
kuacha leave a
kitega uchumi/ invyestment/s
ujumbe message (to)
vitega uchumi
kuajiri hire (to)
kiti/viti chair/s
kualika invite (to)
kitu/vitu thing/s
kuambia tell (to)
kitunguu garlic
thomu/ kuamka wake up (to), get
vitunguu up (to)
thomu

Glossary 249
kuamua decide (to) kuelewa understand (to)

kuandika write (to) kuenda go (to)

kuangalia view (to), watch kuenda go camping (to)
(to), look at (to) kupiga kambi
kuangalia check e-mail (to) kuenda take a break (to),
email mapumziko rest (to)

kuangalia watch a movie (to) kuenda mbio run (to)

mchezo/
kuenda gotoa
sinema
mkutanoni meeting (to)
kuanza begin (to), start (to)
kuendesha ride a bike (to)
kubadilisha change (to), baskeli
erchange (to)
kufa die (to)
kubeba carry (to)
kufanya do (to)
kuboresha improve (to)
kufanya take a test (to)
—kubwa big jaribio/
kuchagua choose (to), pick mtihani
out (to) kufanya kazi work (to)
kuchapisha print (to) kufanya ezercise (to),
kucheka laugh (to) mazoezi work out (to)

kuchelewa late (to be) kufika arrive (to)

kuchemsha boil (to) kufikiri think (to)

kucheza play (to), dance (to) kufua (nguo) wash clothes (to)

kucheza chesi play chess (to) kufuata follow (to)

kucheza gemu play a game (to) kufuliwa washed (to be)

kucheza karata play cards (to) kufuma weave (to)

kuchoka tired (to be) kufundisha teach (to)

kuchoma roast (to) kufundishwa taught (to be)

kuchukua carry (to), take kufunga close (to), tie (to)
(to), hold (to), kufungua open (to), turn
keep (to)
on (to)
kuchukua takea
kufungua faili open a file (to)
ujumbe message (to)
kufungua turn on the
kuchukuliwa carried (to be)
kompyuta computer (to)
kuelekeza erplain (to),
kufurahi" happy (to be)
direct (to)

Glossary
 kufurahisha please (to) kukaanga fry (to)
kuharibiwa destroyed (to be) kukaribisha welcome (to)
kuharibu destroy (to) kukasirika angry (to be)
kuharisha cause diarrhea (to) kukata cut (to)
kuhifadhi faili save a file (to) kukataa refuse (to)
kuhisi feel (to) kukimbia run (to) Aesso|9
ysi|Suj
kuhitaji need (to) kukodi rent a movie (to)
kuhitajiwa mchezo
needed (to be)
kuhusu kukohoa cough (to)
about, about (to be)
kuiba kukojoa urinate (to)
steal (to)
kuigiza kukopa borrow (to) |
act (to)
kuimba kukopesha lend (to)
sing (to)
kuimbwa kuku chicken/s
sung (to be)
kuingia
kukubali accept (to)
enter (to),
go in (to) kukubaliwa accepted (to be)
kuingia katika logontoa kukumbuka remember (to)
tovuti website (to)
kukumbusha remind (to)
kuishi live (to)
kukutana meet (to)
kuita call (to)
kula eat (to)
kuja come (to)
kulala sleep (to)
kujaribiwa tried (to be),
kulaza put to bed (to)
tested (to be)
kuleta bring (to)
kujaribu try (to), test (to)
kulewa drunk (to be)
kujaza fill out (to)
kulia right
kujaza fomu fill out forms (to)
kulipa pay (to)
kujenga build (to)
kulisha feed (to)
kujengwa built (to be)
kuliwa eaten by (to be)
kujibu answer (to),
respond (to) kumaanisha mean (to)

kujifunza learn (to) kumaliza finish (to), end (to)

kujua know (to) kumaliza finish studies (to)
masomo
kukaa live (to), stay (to),
sit (to) kumi ten

Glossary 251
 kumi na mbili twelve kuonana na see the doctor (to)
daktari
kumi na moja eleven
kuondoa move something
kumi na nane eighteen (to), remove (to)
kumi na nne fourteen
kuondoka leave (to),
kumi na saba seventeen depart (to)

kumi na sita sikteen kuondolewa moved (to be),

removed (to be)
kumi na tano fifteen
kuongea talk (to)
kumi na tatu thirteen
kuongeza increase (to)
kumi na tisa nineteen
kuonya warn (to)
kumudu afford (to)
kuonyesha show (to)
kuna there is, there are
kuonyeshwa shown (to be),
kundi/ group)/s
screened (to be)
makundi
kuota dream (to),
kungoja wait (to)
gTow (to)
—kunjufu happy, cheerful
kuota jua lie in the sun (to)
kununua buy (to)
kupa give (to)
kununuliwa bought (to be)
kupanda get on (to),
kunyanyua weight lifting board (to),
vyuma climb (to)
kunyoa, shave (to) kupanda go mountain
kunyoa ndevu milima climbing (to)
kunywa drink (to) kupandishwa get a raise (to)
kunywewa drunk by (to be) kupanga miadi schedule an
appointment (to)
kuoga take a shower or
bath (to) kupata get (to),
obtain (to),
kuogelea swim (to)
catch (to), suffer
kuogopa afraid of (to be), an illness (to),
fear (to) earn (to), find (to)
kuoka bake (to) kupata mkopo get a loan (to)
kuomba ask (to), pray (to) kupata ngozi get a tan (to)
ya kahawia
kuona see (to)
kupatikana available (to be)
kuona mchezo see a play (to)
kupeleka” send (to)
kuonana na meet with (to)

zaji Glossary
kupenda like (to), love (to) kuruka jump (to)
kupendwa liked (to be), kuruka chini long jump
loved (to be)
kuruka juu high jump
kupewa given (to be)
kuruka dive (to)
kupiga hit (to), beat (to) kwenye maji
kupiga chafya sneeze (to) kurusha mpira throw a ball (to) ysi|3U3—
Aessoj9
kupiga chapa type (to) kusababisha cause (to)
kupiga mbizi dive (to) kusafisha clean (to)
kupiga mswaki brush your kusahau forget (to)
teeth (to)
kusahauliwa forgotten (to be)
kupiga simu telephone (to),
kusahihisha correct (to)
call up (to)
kusaidia help (to)
kupigana fight (to)
kusaidiwa helped (to be)
kupigwa hit (to be),
beaten (to be) kusalimiwa greeted (to be)
kupigwa injected (to be) kusalimu greet (to)
shindano
kusamehe forgive (to)
kupika cook (to)
kusamehewa forgiven (to be)
kupikwa cooked (to be)
kusema say (to), speak (to)
kupinda turn (to)
kusemwa spoken (to be)
kupona get better (to),
kushauri advise (to)
recover (to)
kushinda win (to)
kuponya cure (to)
kushindwa lose (to)
kupotea lost (to be)
kushona sew (to)
kupoteza waste (to)
kushoto left
kupumzika rest (to), relas (to),
take a break (to) kushughulika busy (be)
kupungua decrease (to) kushukuru thank (to)

kupunguza reduce (to) kusikia hear (to)

kurahisisha simplify (to) kusikiliza listen (to)

kurudi come back (to), kusimama stop (to)

return (to) south
kusini
kurudisha bring back (to) kusoma read (to),
kuruhusu permit (to), let (to) study (to)

Glossary 253
 kusomesha teach (to) kutolewa taken out (to be),
put out (to be)
kusubiri wait (to),
patient (to be) kutosha enough (to be),
suffice (to)
kusukuma push (to)
troubled (to be), kutuma send (to)
kusumbuliwa
disturbed (to be) kutuma send a
kutafuta look for (to), ujumbe message (to)
search for (to) kutumaini hope (to)
kutaka want (to) kutumia use (to)
kutamani wish (to) kutumiwa used (to be)
kutapika vomit (to) kutupa throw (to)
kutembea walk (to) —kuu great
kutembea hike (to), go
kuua kill (to)
masafa marefu hiking (to)
(kwa burudani) kuugua sick (to get)
kutembelea visit (to) kuuliwa killed (to be)
kutengeneza manufacture (to), kuuliza ask (to)
fi (to)
kuuma hurt (to)
kutengenezwa manufactured
kuumba create (to)
(to be), fired
(to be) kuumia hurt (to be),
kuteua appoint (to) injured (to be)

kuteuliwa appointed (be) kuumiza hurt (to), cause

pain (to)
kutia put (to)
kuumwa na have a
kutia sahihi sign (to) kichwa headache (to)
kutoa deliver (to), kuunga join (to)
give (to), offer (to),
remove (to); kuungua kwa get a sunburn (to)
take out (to), jua
putout (to) kuuwa kill (to)
kutoa damu take a blood
kuuza seli (to)
sample (to),
give blood (to) kuuzwa sold (to be)
kutoa pesa withdraw kuvaa wear (to)
money (to)
kuvua fish (to),
kutoka come from (to) undress (to)
kutokea happen (to) kuvunjisha cash a check (to)
cheki

26h Glossary
kuvuta pull (to) kuzoea familiar with
kuwa na have (to) (to be), know (to),
used to (to be)
kuwa na ahadi have an
kuzungumza talk (to),
appointment (to)
converse (to)
kuwa na homa have a fever (to)
kwa by
kuwa na have a party (to),
kwa ajili ya for (the purpose of) ysi|SuJ
Ajessoj9
tafrija/sherehe entertain
oneself (to) kwa gari by car
kuwaka burn (to), on fire kwa hiyo therefore, so
(to be) (kwa hivyo)
kuwasha switch on (to), kwa kawaida usually
light on fire (to)
kwa likizo for break
kuwashwa switched on (vacation)
(to be), burned
kwa mfano for erample
(to be)
kwa mwezi per month
kuwasili arrive (to)
kwa nini? why?, for what?
kuweka put (to), place (to)
kwa sababu because
kuweka akiba save (to)
kwaheri good-bye
kuweka kitega invest (to)
uchumi kwanza first
kuweka miadi make an kwanza in the beginning,
appointment (to) at first
kuweka pesa deposit money kweli true

into an account
(to) L
kuweka rehani mortgage (to)
labda perhaps, maybe
kuwekesha book (to),
reserve (to) laini soft, smooth

kuweza able to (to be), can lakini but

kuwezekana possible (to be) lazima it's necessary

that..., must
kuwinda hunt (to)
leo today
kuzaa have a child (to)
leseni license/s
kuzaliwa born (to be)
likizo break/s,
kuzama drown (to) vacation/s, leave/s
kuzamisha cause to drown lemon/s
limau/
(to), sink (to) malimau

Glossary 255
 lini? when? maradhi disease/s, ailment/s
lipo/malipo payment/s mashariki east
lugha language/s mashine machine/s
mashine ya/za faz machine/s
M faksi

—m/mw— him/her mashine ya/za printer/s

kuchapisha
maana meaning
masikini poor
maarufu popular, famous
masomo ya language studies
Machi March lugha
madhubuti strong matamshi pronunciation
mafuta (ji/ma oil
matokeo result/s
plural)
matokeo ya blood test result/s
magharibi west, dusk
uchunguzi wa
mahali place damu

maisha (ji/ma life maumivu pain

plural) (ji/ma plural)
maji (ji/ma water mawasiliano communication
plural)
mazingira environment/s
majira ya winter
maziwa milk
baridi (no singular
form) (ji/ma plural)

maktaba library/ies mazoezi ya erercise/s

mwili
makumbusho museum)/s (mazoezi
mama mother/s ya viungo)

manjano yellow mazoezi ya homework

nyumbani
maonyesho ya art ezhibition
sanaa mazungumzo discussion,
(ji/ma plural) conversation
mapema early
mbali far
mapokezi reception desk
(ji/ma plural) mbatata potato/es
mapukutiko fall (no singular mbele ya in front of
form)
mbili two
mara kwa freguently
mboga vegetable/s
mara
mbuga wildlife park/s,
mara another time,
nyengine reserve/s
sometimes

256 Glossary
mbwa dog/s mdudu/ insect/s, bug/s
mchana wadudu
daytime, noon,
afternoon Mei May
(12:00 p.m.—
menyu menu/s
2:59 p.m.)
mchezo wa
meza table/s, desk/s
war movie
kivita mfano/mifano erample/s
ysi|SU3-
Messoj9
mchezo wa comedy mfanyabiashara/ businessperson/
kuchekesha wafanyabiashara businesspeople
mchezo wa play/s (theater) Mfaransa/ French person/
kuigiza/ Wafaransa people
michezo
mfuko/mifuko pocket/s
ya kuigiza
Mganda/ Ugandanj/s
mchezo wa action movie
Waganda
kupigana
mgeni/wageni foreigner/s
mchezo wa sad movie
kusikitisha mgomba/ banana plant/s
migomba
mchezo wa horror movie
kutisha mgongo/ back/s
migongo
mchezo wa board game/s
kutumia ubao/ mguu/miguu leg/s, foot/feet
michezo ya
mhandisi/ engineer/s
kutumia mbao
wahandisi
mchezo wa love story,
Mhindi/ Indian/s
mapenzi romantic movie
Wahindi
mchezo wa boring
mhusika movie star/s
masumbwi
mkuu/
mchezo/ game/games, wahusika
michezo sport/s, movie/s wakuu

mchicha spinach mia one hundred

Mchina/ Chinese person/ miadi appointment/s

Wachina people (plural)

mchungwa)/ orange tree/s mimi ji

michungwa
Mjerumani/ German/s
mchuzi/ stew/s Wajerumani
michuzi
mji/miji city/ies, town/s
mdomo)/ mouth/s
mjomba/ maternal
midomo
wajomba uncle/s

Glossary 257
 mjukuu/ grandchild/ mnanasi/ pineapple plant/s
wajukuu grandchildren minanasi

mkahawa wa school cafeteria mnazi/minazi coconut palm/s

shule
mnyama/ animal/s
mkahawa)/ restaurant/s wanyama
mikahawa
mnyamapori/ wildlife, wild
mkanda)/ belt/s wanyamapori animal/s
mikanda
moja (-moja) one
mkate/mikate bread/s
moto/mioto fire/s
mke/wake wife/wives
motokaa car/s
Mkenya/ Kenyan)/s
moyo/mioyo heart/s
Wakenya
mpaka until
mkoba/mikoba bag/s, basket/s
mpira ball/s
mkojo/mikojo urine
mpira wa basketball
mkono wa right hand
kikapu
kulia
mpira wa American football
mkono/ arm/s, hand/s
kimarekani
mikono

mkopo/
mpira wa hockey
loan/s
magongo
mikopo
mpira wa table tennis
mkulima/ farmer/s
meza (ping-pong)
wakulima
mpira wa SOCceTr
mkurufunzi/ intern/s,
miguu
wakurufunzi apprentice/s
mpira wa pete netball
mkurugenzi/ director/s
wakurugenzi mpira wa volleyball
mkutano/ wavu
meeting/s
mikutano mpwa/wapwa nephew/s
mlango/ door/s Mrusi/Warusi Russian/s
milango
msaada/ help (aid)
Mlima wa Mount misaada
Kilimanjaro Kilimanjaro
msaidizi/ assistant/s
mlima/milima mountain/s wasaidizi
mlimau/ lemon tree/s msanii/ artist/s
milimau wasanii -

Mmarekani/ American/s mshahara/ salary/ies

Wamarekani mishahara

258 Glossary
 msikiti/ mosgue/s mvinjari unemployed
misikiti
mvinyo wine/s
msimu wa dry season/s
kiangazi/ mvua rain/s
misimu ya mwaka/miaka year/s
kiangazi
mwaliko/ invitation/s
msimu wa rainy season/s mialiko
mvua/misimu Ajess0j9
ysi|SU3-
mwalimu/ teacher/s
ya mvua
walimu
msimu/ season/s
mwanafunzi/ student/s
misimu
wanafunzi
Msumbiji Mozambigue
mwanamuziki/ musician/s
mtafiti wa wildlife wanamuziki
wanyama/ researcher/s
mwanasheria/ lawyer/s
watafiti wa
wanasheria
wanyama
mwandishi journalist/s
mtalii/watalii tourist/s
wa habari/
Mtanzania/ Tanzaniany/s waandishi
Watanzania wa habari

mteja/wateja customer/s mwandishi/ writer/s

waandishi
mti/miti tree/s
mwanzo/ beginning)/s
mtihani/ ekram)/s, test/s
mianzo
mitihani
mwavuli/ umbrella/s
mto/mito pillow/s; river/s
miwavuli
mtoto/watoto child/ren
mwembe/ mango tree/s
mtu/watu person/people miembe

muda mrefu a long time mwenye— landlord/s,

nyumba landlady/ies
muhimu important
mwenza/ colleague/s
muhogo/ cassava/s
wenza
mihogo
mwezi/miezi month/s, moon/s
mume/waume husband)/s
mwigizaji/ actor/s
Mungu/ God/s
waigizaji
mimungu
mwili/miili body/ies
muuguzi/ nurse/s
wauguzi mwimbaji/ singer/s
waimbaji
muuwaji/ murderer/s
wauaji Muingereza/ English person/
sugar cane/s Wauingereza people
muwa/miwa

Glossary 259
 mwisho/ end/s —nene fat
miwisho
neno la siri password
mwitu/miwitu forest/s
neno/maneno wortd/s
mwizi/wezi thief/ves
nepkini napkin/s
mwuuguzi/ nurse/s
nesi nurse/s
wauguzi
ng'ambo Overseas
mwuzaji/ salesperson/
wauzaji people ng'ombe cow/s

mzazi/wazazi parent/s —ngapi? how many?

mzee/wazee elder/s, older ngoma drum/s
person/people
ngozi skin
mzigo/mizigo piece/s of luggage
nguo clothes
Mzungu/ European)/s, white
nguo ya used clothes
Wazungu person/people
mtumba/nguo
za mitumba
Saa me
na and, with ni bei gani? how much?

na dakika minutes after Ni kweli. That's true.

(the hour) That's right.
Indeed.
na nusu half past
(the hour) nini? what?
na robo guarter past njaa hunger
(the hour)
nje outside
nanasi/ pineapple/s
mananasi njia road/s

nane (-nane) eight nne (—nne) four

nani? who? noti bill/s, paper

money
nazi coconut/s
Novemba November
nchi country/ies
nusu half
ndani inside
nyama meat
ndio, ndiyo yes
nyama ya beef
ndizi banana)/s ng'ombe
ndoto dream)/s nyama ya pork
ndugu sibling/s, nguruwe
relative/s, nyani baboon/s
comrade/s

260 Glossary
 nyanya grandmother/s penseli pencil/s
nyingine many more pesa money
nyingi
pesa taslimu cash
nyinyi you (pl), all of
pia also
you, you all
picha Picture/s,
nyoka snake/s
photograph/s
nyuma, behind Aessoj9
ysi|Su3-1
pilau ya kuku spiced cooked rice
nyuma ya
with chicken
nyumba house/s pilipili spicy, pepper, chili
nyumba ya art gallery/ies pilipili manga black pepper
sanaa/nyumba
za sanaa —po—
when (relative)

nyumbani home/at home —pofu blind

nyundo hammer/s polisi/mapolisi policeman/men,

policewoman/
women
pombe beer
—0 —ote any posta post office/s
ofisi office/s printa printer/s
Oktoba October pua nose/s
—ote all, the whole punda milia zebra/s
pwani coast/s

—Ppya New

paa roof/ves
R
pafu/mapafu lung/s
paka cat/s rafiki friend/s

pale there, over there rafu shelf/ves

pamoja together rahisi cheap, easy

—pana wide ramani map)/s

pasi ya passport rangi color/s, paint/s

kusafiria —refu long, tall
paundi pound)/s rehani mortgage
peke alone
riadha athletics
(4 possessive)
ripoti report/s
peni/mapeni coin/s
risiti receipt/s

Glossary 1261
 rubani/ pilot/s sehemu place/s
marubani sehemu ya garage
runinga television/s kulaza gari
(televisheni) sehemu ya dining room/s
kulia/sehemu
za kulia
sekunde second)/s
saa time/s, hour/s,
watch)/s, clock/s Septemba September

saba seven serikali government/s

sababu reason/s, cause/s shaka/ doubt/s

mashaka
sabini seventy
trip/s, safari/s shakawa problem)/s,
safari
hardship)/s,
safi clean difficulty/ies
sahani plate/s shangazi paternal aunt/s
sahani nzima full plate shati/mashati shirt/s
sahihi signature/s shauri/ advice/pieces
saladi salad mashauri of advice

saladi ya fruit salad sherehe party/ies

matunda
shilingi shilling/s
salama peace, peaceful
shindano/ competition/s
Samahani. Sorry. Ercuse me. mashindano
samaki mzima whole fish shingo neck/s
samaki wa fish in pieces shubaka/ drawer/s
kipande mashubaka
samaki wa fried fish shule school/s
kukaanga
shule ya bweni boarding school
sana very much, a lot
shule ya secondary school
sanduku/ bor/es sekondari
masanduku
siagi butter
seremala carpenter/s
sidiromu CD-ROM
sasa now
—sie na afya unhealthy
sauti sound/s
sifuri zero
savieti napkin/s
sikio/masikio ear/s
Sawa. Well. Okay.
siku day/s
All the same.

262) Glossary
 simba lion/s tako/matako buttock/s
simu telephone/s takriban almost
sindano needle/s, syringe/s —tamu sweet
sinema cinema/s, movies tangawizi ginger
sio sawa not the same, tano (-tano) five
not okay, not right
tarehe date/s (calendar) Aessoj9
ysi|Suj—
sisi we
tatizo/ problem)/s
sita sik matatizo
sitini sikty
tatu (-tatu) three
skrini screen/s
tawi/matawi branch/es,
skuli school/s division/s
soda soda tayari ready
soko la hisa stock market teksi tari/s
soko/masoko market/s tembo elephant/s
soksi sock/s tena again
somo/masomo study/studies, thelathini thirty
subject/s
theluji snow
stampu stamp)/s
themanini eighty
stoo pantry/ies
tiketi ticket/s
sukari sugar
timu team/s
supamaketi department store/s
tisa nine
supu soup
tisini ninety
suruali pants
tofaa/matofaa apple/s
suruali ya underpants
ndani/suruali tofauti different
za ndani tovuti website/s
suti suit/s treni/matreni train/s
swali/maswali guestion/s tu just, only
—tu —
Us
T
tufaa/matufaa apple/s
tafadhali please tumbo/ belly/ies,
tafrija party/ies matumbo stomach/s

tai tie/s tunda/ fruit/s

matunda
tajiri rich

Glossary 263
 tungule tomato/es ujumbe/jumbe message/s
(nyanya) ukumbi/ living room/s
Tutaonana! See you! kumbi

twiga giraffe/s ukumbi/ meeting room)/s

kumbi wa/za
mkutano
ukurasa/ page/s
ua/maua flower/s kurasa

ubao/mbao board/s, plank/s ukuta/kuta wall/s

ubavu/mbavu rib/s ulimi/ndimi tongue/s

ubaya ugliness, uma/nyuma fork/s

badness
umeme electricity
ubongo brain
unga flour
uchale/chale cut/s
unusu half past
uchumi economics (the hour)

uchunguzi blood test urefu length, height

wa damu
usiku night
uchunguzi/ investigation/s (z:00 p.m.—
chunguzi 4:59 a.m.)

udongo clay, dirt, soil uso/nyuso face/s

Ufaransa France uwanja/nyanja court/s, field/s,

ground)/s,
ufuko/fuko beach/es
courtyard/s
ufukwe/fukwe beach/es
uwanja wa golf course
ufunguo/ key/s gofu
funguo
uwanja wa volleyball court
ugali maize meal, mpira wa
porridge wavu
ugomvi/ argument/s uwanja wa airport/s
magomvi ndege/
viwanja vya
ugonjwa/ disease/s
ndege
magonjwa
uzi/nyuzi thread/s
ugumu difficulty
uzito weight
uhifadhi wa wildlife
wanyama conservation uzuri beauty/goodness
uhuru freedom

264 Glossary
 V cloud/s

vifaa vya school items

shule ink

vilevile also

vipi? how?
yai/mayai egg/s
vizuri well, properly, Ajessoj9
ysi|Suj—
correctly yeni yen/s
yeye he, she
yuro Euro/s
you all, all of you
(object); them
wakati/nyakati time/s, season/s
zaidi more, too much,
wali rice ertra
wali mweupe plain cooked rice zambarau purple
wao they zao/mazao crop/s
wapi? where? zawadi gift/s, present/s
waraka/ document/s —zee old (people)
nyaraka
—zima healthy, whole,
wazo/mawazo idea/s, thought/s complete
wembamba thinness, slimness —zito heavy
wewe you (sing.) ziwa/maziwa lake/s

wiki week/s —ziwi deaf

wiki ijayo nert week zoezi/mazoezi erercise/s

wikiendi weekend)/s —zuri good, beautiful,

fine, pretty
—wili two

wimbo/ song/s
nyimbo

Glossary 265
j ye! is

pe AA RITA KI

namu gu

Nn

VILEPUNI
 Glossary
English-Swahili

A affordable —a bei nafuu

a little bit —dogo

afraid of kuogopa
a long time muda mrefu (to be)
a lot —ingi, sana Africa Afrika
able to (to be) kuweza after baada ya
about kuhusu after that baada ya hapo
about (to be) kuhusu afternoon mchana
(12:00 p.m.—
accept (to) kukubali
2:59 p.m.)
accepted kukubaliwa
again tena, halfau
(to be)
ailment/s maradhi
accessory/ies kifaa/vifaa
airport/s uwanja wa ndege/
account/s akaunti
viwanja vya ndege
act (to) kuigiza
all —Ote
action movie mchezo wa
almost takriban
kupigana
alone peke
actor/s mwigizaji/
(4 possessive)
waigizaji
also pia, vilevile
address kitabu cha anuani/
book/s vitabu vya anuani American mpira wa
football kimarekani
address/es anuani (anwani)
American/s Mmarekani/
advice/pieces shauri/mashauri
Wamarekani
of advice
and na
advise (to) kushauri
angry (to be) kukasirika
affair/s jambo/mambo
animal/s mnyama/
afford (to) kumudu
wanyama
 another —ingine autumn mapukutiko (pl.)

another time mara nyengine available kupatikana

(to be)
answer (to) kujibu

answer/s jibu/majibu
any” Sosote
nyani
anything chochote
mgongo/
apartment/s fleti migongo
apple/s tofaa/matofaa, bad —baya
tufaa/matufaa
badness ubaya
appoint (to) kuteua
bag/s mkoba/mikoba
appointed (be) kuteuliwa basket/s
appointment/s miadi (plural) bake (to) kuoka

apprentice/s mkurufunzi/ ball/s mpira

wakurufunzi
banana mgomba)
April Aprili plant/s migomba
argument/s ugomvi/magomvi banana/s ndizi

arm/s mkono/mikono bar/s baa

arrive (to) kufika, kuwasili basketball mpira wa kikapu

art ezhibition maonyesho ya bathroom)/s choo/vyoo

sanaa battery/ies betri
art gallery/ies nyumba ya sanaa/ beach/es ufuko/fuko,
nyumba za sanaa ufukwe/fukwe
artist/s msanii/wasanii bean/s haragwe/
as kama maharagwe

ask (to) kuomba, kuuliza

beat (to) kupiga

assistant/s beaten (to be) kupigwa

msaidizi/wasaidizi
beautiful —zuri
at first kwanza
beauty uzuri
at home nyumbani
because kwa sababu
athletics riadha
bed/s kitanda/vitanda
ATM ATM
bedroom)/s chumba cha
August Agosti
kulala/vyumba
aunt/s shangazi vya kulala

Ta Glossary
|
 beef nyama ya book (to) kuwekesha
ng'ombe
book/s kitabu/vitabu
beer bia, pombe
boot/s kiatu cha buti/
before kabla ya viatu vya buti
begin (to) kuanza boring —a kuchosha
beginning/s mwanzo/mianzo
Messo|9
ijiyems
behind nyuma, nyuma ya born (to be) kuzaliwa

belly/ies tumbo/matumbo
borrow (to) kukopa

belt/s boss/es bosi/mabosi

mkanda/mikanda
better bora bottle/s chupa

big —kubwa bought (to be) kununuliwa

bill/s (money) noti

bor/es sanduku/
masanduku
biology bayolojia
bozing mchezo wa
black —eusi masumbwi
black pepper pilipili manga brain ubongo
blind —pofu branch/es tawi/matawi
blood damu bread/s mkate/mikate
blood test uchunguzi wa break/s (pause, likizo
damu vacation)
blood test matokeo ya breakfast chamshakinywa
result/s uchunguzi wa
bring (to) kuleta
damu
bring back (to) kurudisha
blouse/s blauzi
brother/s kaka
blue bluu (buluu)
brown hudhurungi,
board (to) kupanda
kahawia
board game/s mchezo wa
brush your kupiga mswaki
kutumia ubao/
teeth (to)
michezo ya
kutumia mbao budget bajeti
board/s ubao/mbao bug/s mdudu/wadudu

boarding shule ya bweni build (to) kujenga

school
building/s jengo/majengo
body/ies mwili/miili
built (to be) kujengwa
boil (to) kuchemsha
burn (to) kuwaka

Glossary 269
 burned (to be) kuwashwa carry (to) kubeba, kuchukua

bus driver/s dereva wa basi cash pesa taslimu

bus station/s kituo cha basi/ cash a check kuvunjisha cheki

vituo vya basi (to)
bus/es basi/mabasi cassava/s muhogo/mihogo

business/s biashara cat/s paka

businessmany/ mfanyabiashara/ catch (to) kupata

men wafanyabiashara kusababisha
cause (to)
business— mfanyabiashara/ kuharisha
cause
woman/ wafanyabiashara
diarrhea (to)
women
cause pain (to) kuumiza
busy (be) kushughulika
cause to kuzamisha
but lakini
drown (to)
butter siagi
sababu
cause/s
buttock/s tako/matako
CD-ROM)/s CD-ROM, sidiromu
buy (to) kununua
chair/s kiti/viti
by kwa
change (to) kubadilisha
by car kwa gari
cheap rahisi

check kuangalia email

C
e-mail (to)

calendar/s kalenda check/s hundi

call (to) kuita checking akaunti ya hundi

account
call on the kupiga simu
phone (to) cheerful —kunjufu

can (be able) kuweza chemistry kemia

can/s kikopo/vikopo chest/s kifua/vifua
cap/s kofia chicken/s kuku
car/s gari/magari, child/ren mtoto/watoto
motokaa
chili pilipili
card/s karata
Chinese Mchina/Wachina
carpenter/s seremala person/people
carried (to be) kuchukuliwa choose (to) kuchagua

carrot/s karoti church/es kanisa/makanisa

270, Glossary
 cinema/s sinema company/ies kampuni
City center kati kati ya mji competition/s shindano/
city/ies mji/miji mashindano
classroom)/s darasa/madarasa complete —zima

clay udongo computer/s kompyuta

clean safi comrade/s ndugu
Aessoj9
ijiyems—
clean (to) kusafisha concerning kuhusu
climb (to) kupanda condition/s hali

clinic/s kliniki conversation mazungumzo

(ji/ma plural)
clock/s saa
converse (to) kuzungumza
close (to) kufunga
cook (to) kupika
close, close by, karibu, karibu na
close to cooked (to be) kupikwa
clothes nguo cooker/s jiko/majiko

clothing duka la nguo/ cool baridi

store/s maduka ya nguo corn hindi/mahindi
cloud/s wingu/mawingu correct (to) kusahihisha
coast/s pwani correctly vizuri
coat/s koti/makoti cough (to) kukohoa
coconut mnazi/minazi
country/ies nchi
palm)/s
court/s (field, kiwanja/viwanja
coconut/s nazi
gTound)
coffee kahawa
court/s, uwanja/nyanja
coin/s peni/mapeni courtyard/s

colleague/s mwenza/wenza cow/s ng'ombe

color/s rangi create (to) kuumba

come (to) kuja credit card/s kadi ya malipo/

kadi za malipo,
come back (to) kurudi
krediti kadi
come from kutoka
crop/s zao/mazao
(to)
cucumber/s kitango/vitango
comedy mchezo wa
kuchekesha cunning eTevu

communica— mawasiliano cup/s kikombe/vikombe

tion

Glossary 27
 cure (to) kuponya destroyed kuharibiwa
(to be)
customer/s mteja/wateja
die (to) kufa
cut (to) kukata
different tofauti
cut/s uchale/chale
difficult —gumu
difficulty/ies shakawa, ugumu

dining room)/s sehemu ya kulia/

dance (to) kucheza sehemu za kulia
danger hatari
dinner chakula cha jioni
datebook/s kitabu cha/vitabu
direct (to) kuelekeza
vya tarehe
director/s mkurugenzi/
date/s tarehe
wakurugenzi
(calendar)
dirt udongo
day before juzi
yesterday dirty —chafu

day/s siku discussion mazungumzo

(ji/ma plural)
daytime mchana
(12:00 p.m.— disease/s ugonjwa/
2:59 p.m.) magonjwa,
maradhi
deaf —ziwi
diskette/s disketi
December Disemba
disturbed kusumbuliwa
decide (to) kuamua
(to be)
decrease (to) kupungua
dive (to) kupiga mbizi,
deliver (to) kutoa kuruka kwenye
maji
dentist/s daktari wa meno/
madaktari wa division/s tawi/matawi
meno
dizziness kizunguzungu
depart (to) kuondoka
do (to) kufanya
department supamaketi
doctor/s daktari/madaktari
store/s
document/s dokyumenti,
deposit money kuweka pesa
waraka/nyaraka
into an
account (to) dog/s mbwa
desert/s jangwa/majangwa dollar/s dola
desk/s meza door/s mlango/milango
destroy (to) kuharibu doubt/s shaka/mashaka

272 Glossary
 downtown kati kati ya mji eighteen kumi na nane
drawer/s shubaka/ eighty themanini
mashubaka
elbow/s kisugudi/visugudi
dream (to) kuota
elder/s mzee/wazee
dream/s ndoto
electrician/s fundi/mafundi
dress/es kanzu umeme
AMessoj9
ijiyems—
drink (to) kunywa electricity umeme
drink/s kinywaji/vinywaji elephant/s tembo
drown (to) kuzama eleven kumi na moja
drug/s dawa e-mail/s email, baruapepe
drum)/s ngoma end (to) kumaliza
drunk (to be) kulewa end/s mwisho/miwisho
drunk by kunywewa engineer/s mhandisi/
(to be) wahandisi
dry season/s msimu wa English Kiingereza
kiangazi/misimu language
ya kiangazi
English Muingereza/
dusk magharibi person/people Wauingereza
enjoyable —a kufurahisha

enough (to be) kutosha

ear/s sikio/masikio enter (to) kuingia
early mapema entertain kuwa na tafrija/
oneself (to) sherehe
early morning alfajiri, asubuhi
(S:oo a.m.— mapema sana envelope/s bahasha
5:59 a.m.) environment/s mazingira
earn (to) kupata
error/s kosa/makosa
east mashariki
Euro/s yuro
easy rahisi
European/s Mzungu/Wazungu
eat (to) kula
even hata
eaten by kuliwa
evening jioni
(to be)
(S:00 p.m.—
economics uchumi 6:59 p.m.)

egg/s yai/mayai evening meal chakula cha jioni

eight nane (-nane) every kila

Glossary 273
everything kila kitu feed (to) kulisha

ekract (ata kamili feel (to) kuhisi

specific time) few —chache
eram)/s mtihani/mitihani kiwanja/viwanja,
field/s
erample/s mfano/mifano uwanja/nyanja

erchange (to) kubadilisha fifteen kumi na tano

ezciting —a kusisimuwa fifty hamsini

Ekcuse me. Samahani. fight (to) kupigana

ekercise (to) kufanya mazoezi file/s faili/mafaili

erercise/s zoezi/mazoezi, filing cabinet/s kabati/makabati

mazoezi ya mwili
fi) out (to) kujaza
(mazoezi ya
viungo) fill out forms kujaza fomu

erpensive ghali (to)

film/s filamu
erplain (to) kuelekeza
find (to) kupata
erktra zaidi
fine —zuri
eye/s jicho/macho
finger/s kidole/vidole

F finish (to) kumaliza

finish studies kumaliza masomo
face/s uso/nyuso
(to)
fall (autumn) mapukutiko (pl.)
fire/s moto/mioto
familiar with kuzoea
fireman/men askari wa
(to be)
zimamoto
famous maarufu
fireplace/s jiko/majiko
far baidi, mbali
first —a kwanza
farmer/s mkulima/
first, at first kwanza
wakulima
fish (to) kuvua
fast —a upesi
fish in pieces samaki wa
fat —nene
kipande
father/s baba
five tano (-tano)
far machine/s mashine ya/za
fiz (to) kutengeneza
faksi
fired (to"be) kutengenezwa
fear (to) kuogopa
flour unga
February Februari

Glossary ii
 flower/s ua/maua fried fish samaki wa
follow (to) kufuata kukaanga
food price list bei za vyakula friend/s rafiki

food/s chakula/vyakula fruit salad saladi ya matunda

foot/feet mguu/miguu fruit/s tunda/matunda

for (the kwa ajili ya fry (to) kukaanga

Aess0|9
IjIYems—
Purpose of) full plate sahani nzima
for break kwa likizo fun —a kusisimuwa,
(vacation)
kichekesho
for ezample kwa mfano
for what? kwa nini?
foreign —geni game/s mchezo/michezo
foreigner/s mgeni/wageni garage sehemu ya kulaza
forest/s mwitu/miwitu gari

forget (to) garden/s bustani

kusahau
forgive (to) garlic kitunguu thomu/
kusamehe
vitunguu thomu
forgiven kusamehewa
(to be) geography jiografia
Germanj/s Mjerumani/
forgotten kusahauliwa
(to be) Wajerumani

fork/s get (to) kupata

uma/nyuma
form/s get a loan (to) kupata mkopo
fomu
get a raise (to) kupandishwa
forty arobaini
geta kuungua kwa jua
four nne (—nne)
sunburn (to)
fourteen kumi na nne
get a tan (to) kupata ngozi ya
France Ufaransa kahawia
free huru get better (to) kupona

freedom uhuru get on (to) kupanda

French person/ Mfaransa/ get up (to) kuamka

people Wafaransa
gift/s zawadi
freguently mara kwa mara
ginger tangawizi
Friday Ijumaa
girafte/s twiga
(Congregation
Day) give (to) kupa, kutoa

Glossary 275
 give blood (to) kutoa damu
given (to be) kupewa
half nusu

glass/es glasi
haif past na nusu

go (to) kuenda (the hour)

go camping kuenda kupiga half past UnNuUsu
(to) kambi (the hour)
go hiking (to) kutembea masafa
hammer/s nyundo
marefu (kwa
burudani) hand/s mkono/mikono

go in (to) kuingia happen (to) kutokea

go mountain kupanda milima happy —kunjufu

climbing (to) kufurahi
happy (to be)
gotoa kuenda
hard —gumu
meeting (to) mkutanoni

Mungu/mimungu hardship)/s shakawa

God/s
gofu hat/s kofia/makofia
golf
golf course uwanja wa gofu have (to) kuwa na

good bora, —ema, -zuri have a kuzaa

child (to)
good-bye kwaheri
have a kuwa na homa
goodness uzuri
fever (to)
government/s serikali
have a kuumwa na
grandchild/ren mjukuu/wajukuu headache (to) kichwa

grandfather/s babu have a kuwa na tafrija/

grandmother/s bibi, nyanya party (to) sherehe

grass jani/majani have an kuwa na ahadi

appointment
great —kuu
(to)
green kijani
having —enye
greet (to) kusalimu
he yeye
greeted (to be) kusalimiwa
head/s kichwa/vichwa
ground/s kiwanja/viwanja,
uwanja/nyanja healthy —enye afya, —zima

group/s kundi/makundi hear (to) kusikia

gtTow (to) kukua, kuota (hair, heart/s moyo/mioyo

plants) heavy zito
guard/s askari
height urefu

276 Glossary
 help (aid) msaada/misaada hotel/s hoteli
help (to) kusaidia hour/s saa
helped (to be) kusaidiwa house/s nyumba
her (object —m-/mw— How are you? Habari gani?
pronoun)
How are you? Hujambo?
her —ake
(possessive) how many? —ngapi? Aessoj9
ijiyems—

here hapa how much? bei gani? kiasi

gani? ni bei gani?
high jump kuruka juu
how? vipi?
highway/s barabara kuu
hunger njaa
hike (to) kutembea masafa
marefu (kwa
hunt (to) kuwinda
burudani) hurt (to be) kuumia
hill/s kilima/vilima hurt (to) kuuma, kuumiza
him husband/s mume/waume
hip/s kiuno/viuno hut/s kibanda/vibanda
hippopotamus/ kiboko/viboko
es
hire (to) kuajiri
I mimi
his —ake
ice cream aisikrimu
history historia
idea/ wazo/mawazo
hit (to be) kupigwa
identity card kitambulisho
hit (to) kupiga
if kama, —ki-
hockey mpira wa
important muhimu
magongo
improve (to) kuboresha
hold (to) kuchukua
in front of mbele ya
home nyumbani
in shape —enye umbo la
homework kazi za shule,
kimazoezi
mazoezi ya
nyumbani in the kwanza
beginning
hope (to) kutumaini
increase (to) kuongeza
horror movie mchezo wa
kutisha Indeed. Ni kweli.

hospital/s hospitali Indian/s Mhindi/Wahindi

Glossary 277
 injected (to be) kupigwa sindano join (to) kuunga

injured (to be) kuumia journalist/s mwandishi wa

habari/waandishi
ink wino wa habari
insect/s mdudu/wadudu
juice juisi
inside ndani Julai
July
interest rate/s kiwango cha riba/ kuruka
jump (to)
viwango vya riba
Juni
interesting —a kupendeza, —-a
kuvutia tu

intern/s mkurufunzi/
wakurufunzi

intestine/s chango/machango
keep (to) kuchukua
invest (to) kuweka kitega
Kenyan/s Mkenya/Wakenya
uchumi
key/s ufunguo/funguo
investigation/s uchunguzi/
chunguzi keyboard)/s keyboard
investment/s kitega uchumi/ kill (to) kuua, kuuwa
vitega uchumi
killed (to be) kuuliwa
invitation/s mwaliko/mialiko
kind gani?
invite (to) kualika (what...of)?
It depends. Inategemea. kitchen/s jiko/majiko
It is possible. Inawezekana. knee/s goti/magoti
It will be Itabidi... knife/knives kisu/visu
necessary...
Knock, knock! Hodi hodi!
It's better Afadhali...
know (to) kujua, kuzoea
that

It's necessary Lazima ww.

L
Uwa
item/s kifaa/vifaa lake/s ziwa/maziwa

landlady/ies mwenyenyumba)/
wenyenyumba
landlord/s mwenyenyumba)/
jacket/s jaketi/majaketi
wenyenyumba
January Januari
language masomo ya lugha
job/s kazi studies

278 Glossary
 language/s lugha like kama
laptop kompyuta ya/za like (to) kupenda
computer/s mkononi
liked (to be) kupendwa
last —a mwisho
lion/s simba
late (to be) kuchelewa
listen (to) kusikiliza
late afternoon alasiri
(3:00 p.m.— little —dogo AMessoj9
ijiyems—
4:59 p.m.) live (to) kuishi, kukaa
laugh (to) kucheka
living room/s ukumbi/kumbi
lawyer/s mwanasheria/ loan/s mkopo/mikopo
wanasheria
logontoa kuingia katika
leaf/ves jani/majani
website (to) tovuti
learn (to) kujifunza
long —refu
leave (to) kuondoka
long jump kuruka chini
leave a kuacha ujumbe
look at (to) kuangalia
message (to)
leave/s (of look for (to) kutafuta
likizo
absence) lose (to) kushindwa
left kushoto lost (to be) kupotea
leg/s mguu/miguu love (to) kupenda
lemon tree/s mlimau/milimau love story mchezo wa
lemon/s limau/malimau mapenzi

lend (to) kukopesha loved (to be) kupendwa

length urefu luggage/pieces mzigo/mizigo

of luggage
leopard/s chui
lung/s pafu/mapafu
let (to) kuruhusu
letter/s barua
library/ies maktaba
ma'am bibi
license/s leseni
machine/s mashine
lie in the kuota jua
sun (to) maize meal! ugali

life maisha (ji/ma make an kuweka miadi

plural) appointment

light on kuwasha (to)

fire (to) mango tree/s mwembe/miembe

Glossary 279
 manufacture kutengeneza minute/s dakika
(to) minutes after na dakika
manufactured kutengenezwa (the hour)
(to be) mistake/s kosa/makosa
many —ingi Monday Jumatatu
many more nyingine nyingi (Third Day)

map)/s ramani money fedha, pesa

March Machi monkey/s kima

soko/masoko month/s mwezi/miezi

market/s
moonj/s mwezi/miezi
match/es kibiriti/vibiriti
(to light) more zaidi
maternal mjomba/wajomba morning asubuhi
uncle/s (6:00 a.m.—
11:59 a.m.)
mathematics hesabu, hesabati
mortgage dhamana, rehani
matter/s jambo/mambo
mortgage (to) kuweka rehani
May Mei
mosgue/s msikiti/misikiti
maybe labda
mosguito net/s chandarua/
me —ni— mie
vyandarua
mean (to) kumaanisha mosguito dawa za kufukuza
meaning maana spray mbu

meat nyama mosguito/es mbu

mechanic/s fundi/mafundi mother/s mama

medicine dawa Mount Mlima

Kilimanjaro Kilimanjaro
meet (to) kukutana
mountain/s mlima/milima
meet with (to) kuonana na
mouth/s mdomo/midomo
meeting ukumbi/kumbi
room/s wa/za mkutano
move kuondoa
something (to)
meeting/s mkutano/
moved (to be) kuondolewa
mikutano
movie star/s mhusika mkuu/
menu/s menyu, bei za
wahusika wakuu
vyakula
movie/s filamu, mchezo/
message/s ujumbe/jumbe
michezo
milk maziwa (ji/ma
movies, movie sinema
Plural)
theater

289; Glossary
 Mozambigue Msumbiji nine tisa
Mrs. bibi nineteen kumi na tisa
much, very —ingi, sana ninety tisini
much
no hapana
murderer/s muuwaji/wauaji
No problem. Hamna tabu.,
museum)/s makumbusho Hapana tabu.
Aessoj9
ijiIyems
musician/s mwanamuziki/ noon mchana
wanamuziki (12:00 p.m—
must, it must
2:59 p.m.)
lazima
be the case north kaskazini
that...
nose/s pua
my —angu
not okay sio sawa

not right sio sawa

not the same sio sawa

name/s jina/majina
notebook/s daftari/madaftari
napkin nepkini, savieti
November Novemba
narrow —embamba
now sasa
near karibu na
nurse/s mwaguzi/waaguzi,
nearby karibu mwuguzi/
wauguzi, nesi
neck/s shingo
need (to) kuhitaji
needed (to be) kuhitajiwa
obtain (to) kupata
needle/s sindano
ocean/s bahari
neighbor/s jirani/majirani
October Oktoba
nephew/s mpwa/wapwa
of -—a
netball mpira wa pete
of course! bila shaka!
new —pya
offer (to) kutoa
news habari
office jengo la ofisi/
newspaper/s gazeti/magazeti
building/s majengo ya ofisi
nezt to karibu na
office/s ofisi
nezt week wiki ijayo
oil mafuta (ji/ma
usiku plural)
okay sawa

Glossary 281
 old —a zamani, paper money noti
—kongwe, zee mzazi/wazazi
parent/s
(of people)
particularly hasa
older person/ mzee/wazee
people party/ies sherehe, tafrija

on fire (to be) kuwaka passenger/s abiria

one moja (-moja) passport pasi ya kusafiria

one hundred mia password neno la siri

one thousand elfu patient (to be) kusubiri

onion/s kitunguu/ pay (to) kulipa
vitunguu
payment/s lipo/malipo
only tu
peace salama
open (to) kufungua
peaceful salama
open a file (to) kufungua faili
pen/s kalamu
Or au
pencil/s penseli
orange tree/s mchungwa/
PSPPCE pilipili
michungwa
per month kwa mwezi
orange/s chungwa)/
machungwa percentage asilimia
other —ingine perhaps labda
ought afadhali permit (to) kuruhusu
our —etu person/people mtu/watu
outside nje Photocopy/ies fotokopi
oven/s jiko/majiko photograph/s picha
over there pale physics fizikia
Overseas ng'ambo Pick out (to) kuchagua
picture/s picha
piece/s kipande/vipande
page/s ukurasa/kurasa pillow/s mto/mito
pain maumivu (ji/ma pilot/s rubani/marubani
plural)
pineapple mnanasi/minanasi
paint/s rangi plant/s
pantry/ies stoo pineapple/s nanasi/mananasi
pants suruali ping-pong mpira wa meza

282 Glossary
 place mahali potato/es kiazi/viazi,
place (to) kuweka mbatata

place/s sehemu pound/s paundi

plain cooked wali mweupe pray (to) kuomba

Tice present/s zawadi
plank/s ubao/mbao pretty —zuri
Aessoj
IjIYEem
plate/s sahani prevention kinga
play (to) kucheza preventive dawa za kinga
play a game kucheza gemu
drugs
(to) Pprice/s bei
play cards (to) kucheza karata print (to) kuchapisha
play chess (to) kucheza chesi printer/s mashine ya/za
play/s (theater) kuchapisha,
mchezo wa
printa
kuigiza/michezo
ya kuigiza printing paper karatasi ya
pleasant kuchapishia
—a kufurahisha
prison/s gereza/
please tafadhali
magereza
please (to) kufurahisha
problem)/s shakawa, tatizo/
plumber/s fundi/mafundi matatizo
bomba
profession/s amali
pocket/s mfuko/mifuko
pronunciation matamshi
policeman/ polisi/mapolisi
properly vizuri
men
pull (to) kuvuta
policewomany/ polisi/mapolisi
women purple zambarau

poor masikini push (to) kusukuma

popular maarufu put (to) kutia, kuweka

pork nyama ya put out (to be) kutolewa

nguruwe
put out (to) kutoa
porridge ugali/uji
put to bed (to) kulaza
possessing —enye
possible kuwezekana 0
(to be)
guarter kasorobo
post office/s posta
before/to
(the hour)

Glossary 283
 guarter past na robo rest (to) kuenda
(the hour) mapumziko,
kupumzika
guestion/s swali/maswali
restaurant/s mkahawa)/
guick —a upesi mikahawa
guiet ' kimya result/s matokeo
return (to) kurudi
rhinoceros/es kifaru/vifaru
rain/s mvua rib/s ubavu/mbavu
rainy season/s msimu wa mvua/ rice wali
misimu ya mvua
rich tajiri
read (to) kusoma
ride a bike (to) kuendesha baskeli
ready tayari right kulia
reason/s sababu right hand mkono wa kulia
receipt/s risiti river/s mto/mito
reception desk mapokezi road/s barabara, njia
(ji/ma plural)
roast (to) kuchoma
p. “sFecover (to) “Kupona
WA robe/s kanzu
.yed —ekundu >
romantic mchezo wa
> reduce.(to) kupunguza movie mapenzi
refuse (to) kukataa roof/ves paa
relative/s ndugu room/s chumba/vyumba

relaz (to) kupumzika run (to) kuenda mbio,

kukimbia
remember (to) kukumbuka
Russian/s Mrusi/Warusi
remind (to) kukumbusha
remove (to) kuondoa, kutoa S
removed kuondolewa
(to be) sad (to be) kuhuzunika

renta kukodi mchezo/ sad movie mchezo wa

movie (to) sinema kusikitisha

repair (to) kutengeneza safari/s safari

report/s ripoti salad saladi

reserve (to) kuwekesha salary/ies mshahara/

reserve/s, mbuga
mishahara
wildlife park/s salesperson/ mwuzaji/wauzaji
respond (to) kujibu people

284 Glossary
salt chumvi senda kutuma ujumbe
Saturday message (to)
Jumamosi
(First Day) September Septemba
save (to) kuweka akiba seven saba
save a file (to) kuhifadhi faili seventeen kumi na saba
savings akiba seventy sabini
!YEMS—-Y
Kessojd
savings akaunti ya akiba sew (to) kushona
account
shadow/s kivuli/vivuli
say (to) kusema
sharp (ata kamili
schedule an kupanga miadi specific time)
appointment
shave (to) kunyoa, kunyoa
(to) ndevu
school mkahawa wa
she yeye
cafeteria shule
shelf/ves rafu
school items vifaa vya shule
shilling/s shilingi
school/s shule, skuli
shirt/s shati/mashati
screen/s kioo/vioo, skrini
shoe store/s duka la viatu/
screened kuonyeshwa maduka ya viatu
(to be)
shoe/s kiatu/viatu
sea/s bahari
shop/s duka/maduka
search for (to) kutafuta
short —fupi
season/s msimu/misimu,
wakati/nyakati shorts kaptura

—a pili shoulder/s bega/mabega

second
show (to) kuonyesha
second/s sekunde
shown (to be) kuonyeshwa
secondary shule ya sekondari
school sibling/s ndugu
secretary/ies katibu muhutasi sick (to get) kuugua
see (to) kuona sign (to) kutia sahihi

see a play (to) kuona mchezo signature/s sahihi

see the kuonana na simplify (to) kurahisisha

doctor (to) daktari
kuimba
sing (to)
See you! Tutaonana!
mwimbaji/
singer/s
sell (to) kuuza waimbaji

send (to) kupeleka, kutuma sink (to) kuzamisha

Glossary 285
 sister/s dada soup supu

sit (to) kukaa sour —kali

situation/s hali south kusini

sik sita speak (to) kusema

sikteen kumi na sita spice/s kiungo/viungo

sikty sitini spiced cooked pilau ya kuku
rice with
skin ngozi
chicken
skinny —embamba
spicy pilipili
sleep (to) kulala
spinach mchicha
slimness wembamba
spoken (to be) kusemwa
small —dogo
spoon/s kijiko/vijiko
smart —erevu
sport/s mchezo/michezo
smooth laini
spring kipupwe/vipupwe
snake/s nyoka season/s
sneeze (to) kupiga chafya stamp)/s stampu, stempu
snow theluji stand/s kituo/vituo
so (therefore) (bus, tazi)
kwa hiyo, kwa
hivyo start (to) kuanza
so, then basi station/s kituo/vituo
Soccer mpira wa miguu stay (to) kukaa
sock/s soksi steal (to) kuiba
soda soda stew/s mchuzi/michuzi
soft laini stock market soko la hisa
soil udongo stock/s hisa
sold (to be) kuuzwa stomach)/s tumbo/matumbo
soldier/s askari stone/s jiwe/mawe
some baadhi stop (to) kusimama
sometimes mara nyengine stop/s kituo/vituo
song/s wimbo/nyimbo store/s duka/maduka
Sorry. Samahani. story/ies hadithi
sort gani? stove/s jiko/majiko
(what... of)?
street/s barabara
sound/s sauti

286 | Glossary
strong —enye nguvu, take (to) kuchukua
madhubuti
take a blood kutoa damu
student/s mwanafunzi/ sample (to)
wanafunzi
take a break kuenda
study (to) kusoma (to) mapumziko,
study/studies kupumzika
somo/masomo
takea kuchukua ujumbe IjIyems
Kesso|9
stupid —jinga
message (to)
subject/s somo/masomo
take a shower kuoga
suffer an kupata or bath (to)
illness (to)
take a test (to) kufanya jaribio/
suffice (to) kutosha mtihani
sugar sukari take out (to) kutoa

sugar cane/s muwa/miwa taken out kutolewa

(to be)
suit/s suti
talk (to) kuongea,
summer/s kiangazi/viangazi
kuzungumza
sun jua
tall —refu
Sunday Jumapili
Tanzanian/s Mtanzania/
(Second Day)
Watanzania
sung (to be) kuimbwa
taught (to be) kufundishwa
Swahili Kiswahili
tazi/s teksi
language
tea chai
sweet —tamu
teach (to) kufundisha,
swim (to) kuogelea
kusomesha
swimming bwawa/mabwawa
teacher/s mwalimu/walimu
pool/s
team/s timu
switch on (to) kuwasha
telephone (to) kupiga simu
switched on kuwashwa
(tobe)” telephone/s simu

symptom)/s dalili television/s runinga

(televisheni)
syringe/s sindano
tell (to) kuambia

T ten kumi

tent/s hema/mahema
table tennis mpira wa meza kujaribu
test (to)
table/s meza

Glossary 287
 test/s mtihani/mitihani throw a kurusha mpira
ball (to)
tested (to be) kujaribiwa
thumb/s gumba
thank (to) kushukuru
Thursday Alhamisi
thank you asante
(Sisth Day) (Alkhamisi)
that (relative amba—
ticket/s tiketi
clause)
tie (to) kufunga
That's true. Ni kweli.
That's right. tie/s tai
the day after keshokutwa time/s saa, wakati/
tomorrow nyakati
thief/ves mwizi/wezi tin/s (can or mkebe/mikebe
container)
their —ao
AI tired (to be) kuchoka
them
today leo
then baadaye, kisha
toe/s kidole/vidole
there pale
together pamoja
there is/are kuna
toilet/s choo/vyoo
therefore kwa hiyo, kwa
hivyo tomato/es tungule (nyanya)
thermometer/s kipima joto/ tomorrow kesho
vipima joto
tongue/s ulimi/ndimi
they wao
too much zaidi
thin —embamba
tool/s kifaa/vifaa
thing/s kitu/vitu
tooth/teeth jino/meno
think (to) kufikiri
top —a juu
thinness wembamba
tourist/s mtalii/watalii
thirst kiu
town/s mji/miji
thirteen kumi na tatu
train/s treni/matreni
thirty thelathini
tree/s mti/miti
thought/s wazo/mawazo
tribe/s kabila/makabila
thread/s uzi/nyuzi
tried (to be) kujaribiwa
three tatu (-tatu)
trip/s safari
throat/s koo/makoo
troubled kusumbuliwa
throw (to) kutupa (to be)

288 Glossary
true kweli used to (to be) kuzoea

try (to) kujaribu usually kwa kawaida

Tuesday Jumanne
(Fourth Day) V
turn (to) kupinda
vacation/s likizo
turn on (to) kufungua
valuable —enye thamani ijiyems
Aessoj
turn on the kufungua
vegetable/s mboga
computer (to) kompyuta
view (to) kuangalia
twelve kumi na mbili
village/s
twenty ishirini
visit (to) kutembelea
two mbili, —wili
volleyball mpira wa wavu
type (to) kupiga chapa
volleyball uwanja wa
court mpira wa wavu

volunteer kazi ya kujitolea

Ugandanj/s Mganda/Waganda work

ugliness ubaya vomit (to) kutapika

umbrella/s mwavuli/
miwavuli

underpants suruali ya ndani/

wait (to) kungoja, kusubiri
suruali za ndani
wake up (to) kuamka
undershirt/s fulana
walk (to) kutembea
understand kuelewa
(to) wall/s ukuta/kuta

undress (to) kuvua want (to) kutaka

unemployed mvinjari war movie mchezo wa kivita

unhealthy —sie na afya warn (to) kuonya

until mpaka wash clothes kufua (nguo)

(to)
urinate (to) kukojoa
washed (to be) kufuliwa
urine mkojo/mikojo
waste (to) kupoteza/kutupa
us —tu—
watch (to) kuangalia
use (to) kutumia
watch a kuangalia mchezo/
used (to be) kutumiwa sinema
movie (to)
used clothes nguo ya mtumba)/
watch/s saa
nguo za mitumba

Glossary 289
 water maji (ji/ma plural) whole, the te
whole
we sisi
why? kwa nini?
weak dhaifu
wide —pana
wear (to) kuvaa
wife/ves mke/wake
weave (to) kufuma
wild animal/s mnyamapori/
website/s tovuti
wanyamapori
Wednesday Jumatano
wildlife mnyamapori/
(Fifth Day)
wanyamapori
weekend/s wikiendi
wildlife uhifadhi wa
week/s wiki conservation wanyama

weight uzito wildlife park/s mbuga

weight lifting kunyanyua vyuma wildlife mtafiti wa
researcher/s wanyama/watafiti
welcome karibu
wa wanyama
welcome (to) kukaribisha
win (to) kushinda
Welcome. Karibu.
window/s dirisha/madirisha
weli vizuri
wine/s mvinyo, divai
west magharibi
winter (no majira ya baridi
What is your Jina lako ni nani? singular form)
name?
wish (to) kutamani
what? nini?
with —enye
when (relative) ia Aa

with na
when? lini? (accompany-
ing)
where? wapi?
withdraw kutoa pesa
which (relative amba-—-
money (to)
clause)
which?
word/s kalima, neno/
gani?
maneno
white —eupe
work kazi
white person/ mzungu/wazungu
people WOrk (to) kufanya kazi

who? work out (to) kufanya mazoezi

nani?
(gym, erercise)
whole —zima
write (to) - kuandika
whole fish samaki mzima
wTriter/s mwandishi/
waandishi

290 Glossary
 you (pl.), you
all, all of you
bustani (object)
mwaka/miaka you (sing.)
manjano young
yeni your (plural)
IjIYEems
Aessoj9
yes ndio, ndiyo your (singular)
yesterday jana

you (object) zwa

you (pl.),allof nyinyi punda milia
you, you all
sifuri

291
Glossary
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