Bei ni sifuri.

Ni is the verb to be in simple equational sentences. It links two things together, like is in English.

So:

• Bei ni sifuri = The price is zero

In many basic Swahili sentences, ni is used to mean is/are/am when one thing is being identified as another.

Sifuri means zero. It is used for the number 0.

So bei ni sifuri literally means price is zero.

Swahili does not have articles like a, an, or the. Whether you translate bei as price, a price, or the price depends on context.

So Bei ni sifuri could be understood as:

• The price is zero
• Price is zero
• sometimes even It costs nothing, depending on the situation

There actually is a word for is here: ni.

The structure is:

• Bei = price
• ni = is
• sifuri = zero

So the sentence follows a very straightforward pattern:

• noun + ni + noun/description

Not exactly. Sifuri is a noun/number meaning zero, not the adjective free.

So Bei ni sifuri literally means The price is zero, not The price is free.

In English, we often say It’s free, but Swahili here expresses the idea through zero price.

Yes, in context, that is a natural translation. If something has no cost, English often says It’s free, while Swahili may say Bei ni sifuri = The price is zero.

So the literal meaning is The price is zero, but the practical meaning can be It’s free.

Yes, it is very similar here.

• Bei = price
• ni = is
• sifuri = zero

So it matches English word order quite closely:

• Price is zero

That makes this sentence easy for English speakers to recognize.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• bei ≈ bay
• ni = nee
• sifuri ≈ see-FOO-ree

So the full sentence sounds roughly like:

• bay nee see-FOO-ree

Swahili pronunciation is usually quite regular, and vowels are pronounced clearly.

Yes. In many contexts, bei can be translated as price or cost.

For example:

• Bei ya kitabu = the price of the book
• Bei ni kubwa = the price is high

In Bei ni sifuri, price is usually the best direct translation.

In this sentence, sifuri is being linked to bei by ni in a simple equation: price = zero. With this kind of structure, you do not need an extra agreement word before sifuri.

So:

• Bei ni sifuri = correct

The noun class of bei matters in other kinds of sentences, especially with adjectives, verbs, and modifiers, but here ni handles the basic X is Y relationship.

The standard spelling is sifuri, with an i after s.

So you should write:

• Bei ni sifuri

If you see another spelling somewhere, it is best to treat sifuri as the standard form to learn.

You would use Bei ni sifuri when you want to say something costs nothing.

For example:

• an item is being given away
• a service is free
• an entrance fee is zero

It is a short, direct way to say There is no charge or It’s free.