Swahili - Lesson 1
Swahili is a language from the Bantu family (as are Zulu, Xhosa, Bemba, Shona and many others, altogether between 440 and 680 languages, depending on the definition of "language versus dialect")
Swahili is mainly spoken in Kenya and Tanzania, partly in Mozambique. However, it is taught in many African countries and thus can be found in Botswana, Namibia, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Somalia, Uganda and other countries...
Swahili contains many borrowed words, most of them from Arabic, but some also from German, Portuguese and English. The words originating from Arabic alone make up 40% of the Swahili vocabulary.
Let's get started:
- Hujambo - Hello / How are you? (Literally Hujambo means: You have no problems? To which you answer:)
- Sijambo - Hello / I am fine (Lit. I have no problems.)
- Mimi - I
- Wewe - You
- ni - am / is / are
- Mimi - I
- Mimi ni Emilian. - I am Emilian.
- Nani - who
- Wewe ni nani? - Who are you?
- Wewe ni Asha? - Are you Asha?
- Ndiyo - Yes
- Ndiyo, mimi ni Asha. - Yes, I am Asha.
- Si- am not / are not / is not
- Hapana - No
- Hapana, mimi si Asha. - No, I am not Asha.
- Kwa heri. - Bye.