Swahili
We’ve had three session of Swahili language learning. Swahili is spoken in several east African countries. There are many languages used in Kenya, but in the city of Nairobi English and Swahili are both widely used. Because English is so prevalent in Nairobi, Swahili language school is not required for us; however, knowing some basic words and phrases will still be helpful.
So, here’s some very basic Swahili small talk that we’ve practiced with my very “free” English equivalent:
A: Hodi hodi! (Can I come in?)
B: Karibu. (Welcome.)
A: Asante. (Thank you)
B: Karibu kiti. (Have a seat.)
A: Asante sana. (Thank you very much)
B: Jina lako nani? (What is your name?)
A: Jina langu ni Jeff. Na wewe je? (My name is Jeff. And yours?)
B: Jina langu ni Heather. Nina toka USA. Na wewe je? (My name is Heather. I’m from the USA. And you?)
A: Nina toka USA. (I’m from the USA.)
A: Kawaheri. (Bye)
B: Kawaheri. (Bye.)
Jambo! Habari? I’d say learn all the Swahili that you can, as having it will be a real plus in dealing with the many people you will encounter for whom it is their FIRST language’
Kawaheri!
Gordon
It makes me shake my head in these latter years, that they teach us all of the “offense” phrases, like “Stand quietly over there” and “Keep your arms up”, while we are on peace keeping missions, and less emphasis on the conflict avoiding phrases like “Hello, how are you doing?”
I agree with Uncle Gordon, it makes a very favorable impression when you demonstrate that you’ve gone through the effort to learn “their” language.