KenyaEnglish and Kiswahili (the language of the Swahili people) are the official languages of Kenya. Both are taught in school from nursery through Form 4. Neither, however is the most common language spoken at home, and most rural Kenyans speak their tribal language. In the cities, however, most Kenyans know English well enough to get by. Most Kenyans prefer Kiswahili to English, however, because it is closer to their Bantu tribal languages. Kiswahili is used extensively between tribes also, and there is hardly a place in Kenya where someone does not know a bit of Kiswahili. There are many places, however, where no one in the village knows English. Therefore, a limited knowledge of Kiswahili can be very helpful in rural Kenya. In addition to getting your point across or asking an important question, speaking Kiswahili will give you additional respect from Kenyans. Most will laugh surprisingly and make them more willing to do you a favor. Sheng is another language you may hear in Kenya. Sheng (the word coming from a combination of the words SwaHili and ENGlish) is a language that has grown out of Nairobi that is used almost exclusively by the younger crowd. It is a mix of Kiswahili, English, and the Bantu tribal tongues. Sheng is regarded almost as a secret language of the youth, and when spoken by a tourist, it is sure to impress any young adult in any big city. It is hard to differenciate from Kiswahili without knowing the language, but it can still be fun to substitute a Sheng greeting for a Kiswahili greeting if you run into a young adult. Common Sheng greetings are: “Sasa?” which is answered by “fit” or “fiti,” and “Mambo?” (or “Mambo vipi?” or just “Vipi?”), which is answered by “poa.” What follows is a list of Kiswahili vocabulary that will allow you to have a working knowledge of the language. This could be useful to get yo of a fix, order food, or just impress a local. Pronunciation: One of the reasons Kiswahili is not a difficult language is that it is very grammatical and pronunciation never changes from word to word. A as the ‘a’ in ‘father’ E as the ‘e’ in ‘best’ or the ‘a’ in ‘hay’ I as the ‘ee’ in ‘bee’ O as the ‘o’ in ‘cold’ U as the ‘ou” in “you” Dh as the ‘th’ in ‘this’ Ng’ as the ‘ng’ in ‘sing’ All other consonants require no explanation. Greetings and Civilties: Greeting is extremely important in Kenyan culture. Before talking to anyone, it is polite to greet them first. After a greeting, some Kenyans may even carry on will small talk for ten good minutes before getting to the topic at hand. Welcome Karibu How are you (greeting a singular person)? Habari yako? or Habari gani? How are you (greeting many people)? Habari zenu? or Habari gani? I’m fine Nzuri, Salama, or Njema What is your name? Unaitwa nani? My name is ____ Ninaitwa ______ Where are you from? Unatoka wapi? I’m from _____ Ninatoka ______ Where do you live? Unakaa wapi? I live in _____ Ninakaa ______ Thank you very much Asante sana Yes Ndiyo No Hapana Goodbye Kwaheri No problem Hakuna matata White person (foreigner) Mzungu White people (foreigners) Wazungu Finding your way around: I want to go to _____ Nataka kwenda mpaka _____ Is this the way to ______? Hii ni njia mpaka _____? Is this the car to _____? Hii ni gari ya kwenda _____? How much is it to go to _____? Ni pesa ngapi kwenda _____? bus basi train gari la moshi vehicle gari boat meli taxi teksi ticket tikiti Wait a little! Ngoja kidogo! Stop here! Simama hapa! Where is _____? Wapi _____? hotel hoteli ya kulala bank benki restaurant hoteli ya chakula post office posta toilet choo hospital hospitali police station stesheni ya polisi Accommodation: Where is a hotel? Wapi hoteli ya kulala? Do you have a room for one person? Kuna chumba kwa mtu moja? Do you have a room for two people? Kuna chumba kwa watu wawili? Is there hot water? Kuna maji ya moto? How much is the room? Chumba ni pesa ngapi? I want to see the room please. Nataka kuona chumba tafadhali. For one day siku moja For one week wiki mzima /moja key ufunguo Animals: bird - ndege crocodile - mamba elephant - ndovu/tembo giraffe - twiga hippopotamus - kiboko hyena - fisi insects/bugs - wadudu lion - simba monkey - tumbili mosquito - mbu rhinoceros - kifaru snake - nyoka water buffalo - nyati numbers: 1 moja 2 mbili 3 tatu 4 nne 5 tano 6 sita 7 saba 8 nane 9 tisa 10 kumi 11 kumi na moja 12 kumi na mbili 20 ishirini 30 thelathini 40 arobaini 50 hamsini 60 sitini 70 sabini 80 themanini 90 tisini 100 mia moja 200 mia mbili 1000 elfu moja 4567 elfu nne mia tano sitini na saba Emergencies: I’m sick mimi mgonjwa I need a doctor ninahitaji daktari I’m pregnant nina mimba hospital hospitali pharmacy duka la dawa medicine dawa Security: Help! Saidia! I’m lost nimepotea I’ve been robbed nimeibwa Don’t bother me. usinisumbue Go away kwenda kabisa I have no money sina pesa At the restaurant: Vegetables and Grains: beans (pinto, kidney) maharagwe cabbage kabichi carrots karoti cassava muhogo kale sukuma wiki lettuce salad onions vitunguu potatoes viazi rice wali tomatoes nyanya vegetables (greens) mboga Meat: beef - nyama ya ng’ombe goat - nyama ya mbuzi kebabs - mushkaki meat - nyama mutton - nyama ya kondoo pork - nyama ya ng’uruwe crab - kaa fish - samaki lobster - kamba chicken - kuku Fruit: bananas - ndizi coconut - nazi dates - tende fruit - matunda guava - pera limes - ndimu mangoes - maembe oranges - machungwa papayas - paipai passion fruit - pashoni pineapples - mananasi sugar cane - miwa Other useful words and phrases: boiled - chemsha bread - mkate butter - siagi cold - baridi cup - kikombe Do you have____? - Kuna _____? eggs - mayai food - chakula fork - uma fried - kaanga glass - glasi hot - moto hot(spicy) - kali knife - kisu napkin - kitambaa pepper - pilipili plate - sahani raw - mbichi ripe - mbivu roast - choma table - mesa salt - chumvi spoon - kijiko soup - supu sweet - tamu without meat - bila nyama
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