Learn some phrases your professor won't teach you
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Medina: Hamjamboni! Welcome back to SwahiliPod101.com! I’m Medina. |
| Joshua: Hello everybody, I’m Joshua! This is All About, Lesson 13 - Top 5 Phrases Your Swahili Teacher Will Never Teach You! I'm telling you right now, this lesson is really fun. |
| Medina: Because we'll go over some phrases your teacher might not teach you! |
| Joshua: Now we don't want you to get the wrong idea, you won't find any swear words or anything here! |
| Medina: No, just some Swahili phrases that are just a little too slang-y to be introduced in the classroom. |
| Joshua: But these are words that you will encounter EVERY DAY in Kenya. |
| Medina: Yeah, they are *that* common. |
| Joshua: So if you're ready to learn some real Swahili , let's get started. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| Medina: The first word we'll go over is ‘ngoja!’ |
| Joshua: "Ngoja" or “ngoja kidogo” can be used too, and they all mean “wait!” The expressions are used exactly like “wait!” and “wait a minute” in English. |
| Medina: Just like all the other phrases we'll go over in this lesson, tone of voice when you use this phrase is very important. |
| Joshua: That's right. You could say it like this… |
| Medina: ‘Ngoja kidogo.’ |
| Joshua: The intonation is very relaxed and simply urges someone to wait a bit, while you find something. Or something along those lines. While another related phrase... |
| Medina: ...’Kidogo!’... |
| Joshua: Is more of a request. It indicates to the listener that it won't be long, that he should wait a little. |
| Medina: Intonation is very important in Swahili. |
| Joshua: Our next phrase is… |
| Medina: ‘Niaje?’ |
| Joshua: Literally, this translates to “How is it?”, but is even more similar to the English phrase “What’s up?” |
| Medina: Use it when you meet friends or colleagues, and you’re wondering what they’re up to. |
| Joshua: This phrase can also be used as a “What is happening here?!”-type of phrase. |
| Medina: That gives it a more serious or hysterical tone. |
| Joshua: Alright, what's our next phrase? |
| Medina: "poa." |
| Joshua: "poa" pretty much translates as “Cool!” in English |
| Medina: Yes, and it’s used exactly like in English by Swahili speakers. You’ll hear it a lot because Kenyans use it for everything that’s above average “nice.” |
| Joshua: Imagine if a friend says “I went to see Harry Potter 7 last night.” And you answer “cool.” The conversation would be something like this... |
| Medina: Nilienda kutazama Harry Potter 7 jana usiku. |
| Joshua: poa! |
| Medina: Easy, right. It’s kind of a conversation killer though, so be careful. |
| Joshua: Interesting. Our next phrase is… |
| Medina: ‘Haki!?’ |
| Joshua: This literally translates to "seriously!?" |
| Medina: This word also has more or less the same usage as in English. |
| Joshua: If you can’t believe what you’re hearing, you usually respond with “seriously!?” |
| Medina: ‘Haki!?’ Another more correct Swahili version of this is ‘kweli!?’ |
| Joshua: Both expressions carry a slight hint at non-serious disbelief and should be used that way. Don’t use it if you are seriously doubting what the person is saying. |
| Medina: What's our last phrase? |
| Joshua: ‘Sivyo!?’ |
| Medina: Listeners, you’re going to hear this all the time! |
| Joshua: I know I do! |
| Medina: ‘Sivyo!?’ is the Swahili way of saying “Right!?” |
| Joshua: It’s way too overused. People can’t seem to say it enough! |
| Medina: Like its English brother, the expression is used to light-heartedly ask for someone’s agreement on a statement, or a confirmation on something. |
| Joshua: A good example is “Harry Potter’s awesome, right!?” |
| Medina: In Swahili, ‘Harry Potter ni waajabu, sivyo!?’ |
| Joshua: So I think all of these phrases are good to know. |
| Medina: Yeah, even if you don't use them, just knowing them for when you come across them, is good enough. |
| Joshua: And believe us, you'll come across them at some point. |
| Medina: At many points! |
| Joshua: (laughs) |
Outro |
| Joshua: Ok, that's it for this lesson! Thanks for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time. |
| Medina: Kwaheri! |
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