5 tips you should know about swahili ' foreigner' - hamasisha

Monday, May 22, 2017

5 tips you should know about swahili ' foreigner'





greatings

hello/habari = fine/nzuri
shikamoo/ (originally it meant "I touch your feet" as a sign of respect) = marahaba/ (I acknowledge your respect!)

accepting and denaying

yes/ndio  =  no/hapana
sitaki/i dont want  =  nataka/i want

tenses


Nilikula - I ate (past tense)
Ninakula - I am eating (present tense)
Nitakula - I will eat (future tense)

personal pronouns

I = Mimi
We = Sisi
You (singular) = Wewe
You (plural) = Nyinyi
He = yeye
She = yeye
They = yeye
Us = wote

time

morning = asubuhi
morning start at 6:00 am where it is counted as 00:00 at swahili time. 7:00 am is 1:00(saa moja asubuhi) in morning swahili time.

mchana = afternoon
its starts at 12:00 pm 6:00 at swahili time ,
Note also that the Swahili time doesn't use "noon" as the reference as in a.m. (before noon) and p.m. (after noon). The time is spoken using  "alfajiri" which is the early morning time during which the morning light has started to shine but the sun has not risen yet; "asubuhi" which is the morning time between sunrise and a little before noon; "mchana" which is from around noon to around 3:00 p.m.; "alasiri" which is from around 3:00 p.m. to sunset;  "jioni" which is the entire time period from around 3:00 p.m. up to a little before 7:00 p.m.; and  "usiku" which is the entire time period from around 7:00 p.m. to early morning.


to learn more about swahili visit (http://www.glcom.com/hassan/lessons/useful_swahili_words.html)

english to swahili dictionary
(http://en.bab.la/dictionary/english-swahili/)

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