Learn how to use adjectives to describe food
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| INTRODUCTION |
| John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to SwahiliPod101.com. This is Beginner Season 1 Lesson 10 - Ordering Dinner at a Kenyan Restaurant. John Here. |
| Medina: Hamjambo, I'm Medina. |
| John: In this lesson, you’ll learn how to order a meal. The conversation takes place in a restaurant. |
| Medina: It's between Fatuma, the customer, and Mark, the waiter. |
| John: The speakers are strangers in a customer service context, so they will use both formal and informal Swahili. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Fatuma: Mko na nini cha kula? |
| Mark: Tuko na vyakula mbali mbali. Ungetaka nini? |
| Fatuma: Nipe orodha ya vyakula vyenyu nipate kuona kama mna nyama au samaki. |
| Mark: Ndio tuna nyama aina ya samaki, kuku, ng’ombe na mbuzi. |
| Fatuma: Nipe nione vitoweo vyenyu vyote. |
| Mark: Naam mama. |
| Fatuma: Haya basi nishaona. Niletee wali, kuku. |
| Mark: Je, utaagiza kinywaji kipi? Maziwa, maji ya matunda ama soda? |
| Fatuma: Tafadhali nisaidie na chai. |
| Mark: Haya naleta agizo lako pamoja na hesabu ya malipo. |
| John: Listen to the conversation one time slowly. |
| Fatuma: Mko na nini cha kula? |
| Mark: Tuko na vyakula mbali mbali. Ungetaka nini? |
| Fatuma: Nipe orodha ya vyakula vyenyu nipate kuona kama mna nyama au samaki. |
| Mark: Ndio tuna nyama aina ya samaki, kuku, ng’ombe na mbuzi. |
| Fatuma: Nipe nione vitoweo vyenyu vyote. |
| Mark: Naam mama. |
| Fatuma: Haya basi nishaona. Niletee wali, kuku. |
| Mark: Je, utaagiza kinywaji kipi? Maziwa, maji ya matunda ama soda? |
| Fatuma: Tafadhali nisaidie na chai. |
| Mark: Haya naleta agizo lako pamoja na hesabu ya malipo. |
| John: Listen to the conversation with the English translation |
| Fatuma: What do you have to eat? |
| Mark: We have a variety of dishes. What would you like? |
| Fatuma: Please show me your menu, I would like to see if you have meat or fish. |
| Mark: Yes, we have many types of meat including fish, chicken, beef and goat. |
| Fatuma: Just give it to me. I’ll check for all of the stews. |
| Mark: Okay madam. |
| Fatuma: Okay then, I have decided. Please bring me rice and chicken. |
| Mark: Which drink will you order? Milk, water, juice, or soda? |
| Fatuma: Please bring me tea. |
| Mark: Okay, I am bringing your order as well as your bill. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| John: Medina, could you give us some tips for ordering at a restaurant? |
| Medina: You should know that even though most restaurants and hotels in Kenya have menus, most people prefer to ask the waiters what is available instead of reading through the menu. |
| John: Why is that? |
| Medina: This is because most restaurants serve similar foods that are known to everyone. For example, you will hear someone asking the waiter for ugali na sukuma, "posho and kale," instead of going through the menu to check if it’s actually offered. |
| John: In Kenya, posho and kale is the freshest food you can be served as it is in high demand in restaurants. |
| Medina: So, if you want to sound like a local, when you go to a Kenyan restaurant, be sure to ask Ni chakula gani mko nayo leo? |
| John: which means "What kind of food do you have today?" Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| John: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is.. |
| Medina: vyakula [natural native speed] |
| John: foods |
| Medina: vyakula[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Medina: vyakula [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Medina: nyama [natural native speed] |
| John: meat |
| Medina: nyama[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Medina: nyama [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Medina: samaki [natural native speed] |
| John: fish |
| Medina: samaki[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Medina: samaki [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Medina: kuku [natural native speed] |
| John: chicken |
| Medina: kuku[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Medina: kuku [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Medina: vitoweo [natural native speed] |
| John: stew |
| Medina: vitoweo[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Medina: vitoweo [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Medina: wali [natural native speed] |
| John: rice |
| Medina: wali[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Medina: wali [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Medina: agiza [natural native speed] |
| John: to order |
| Medina: agiza[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Medina: agiza [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Medina: chai [natural native speed] |
| John: tea |
| Medina: chai[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Medina: chai [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Medina: kinywaji [natural native speed] |
| John: drink |
| Medina: kinywaji[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Medina: kinywaji [natural native speed] |
| John: And last.. |
| Medina: agizo [natural native speed] |
| John: order |
| Medina: agizo[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Medina: agizo [natural native speed] |
| KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES |
| John: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first phrase is.. |
| Medina: vyakula mbalimbali |
| John: meaning "different food" |
| Medina: Vyakula is “food” and mbalimbali is “different.” You use this phrase to describe different kinds of food. The phrase is very flexible and can be used in different formal situations. |
| John: Can you give us an example using this phrase? |
| Medina: Sure. For example, you can say.. Wamepika vyakula mbalimbali kwa karamu yao |
| John: ..which means "They have cooked different foods in their party. " Okay, what's the next phrase? |
| Medina: orodha ya vyakula |
| John: meaning "menu" |
| Medina: Orodha ya vyakula literally means a "list of foods." Orodha is "list," ya is "of," and vyakula is "foods." |
| John: You use this phrase in restaurants, hotels, and other eateries. Can you give us an example using it? |
| Medina:For example, you can say.. Umesoma orodha ya vyakula? |
| John: .. which means "Have you read the menu?" Okay, what's the next word? |
| Medina: vitoweo |
| John: meaning "stews" |
| Medina: You use this word to describe various stews that are eaten together with other foods such as chapati and rice. |
| John: You can refer to food such as meat, beans, or peas that need an accompaniment. |
| Medina: That’s right. Here is an example – Mimi sipendi vitoweo ambazo hazina nyama. |
| John: .. which means "I do not like stew that does not contain meat." Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| John: In this lesson, you'll learn how to order a meal. Let’s see how to place an order. |
| Medina: In the dialogue, Fatuma says Niletee wali, kuku. |
| John: Which means “Please bring me rice and chicken.” |
| Medina: Placing an order is simple. Most people use the word naomba... |
| John: ...which means “I request.” And makes the request polite. |
| Medina: Most hotel service providers are referred to as waiters, and the Swahili word for “waiter” is muuzaji. |
| John: What would a waiter ask you? |
| Medina: For example, Habari ya mchana mama, ungependa nikuuzie nini? |
| John: meaning “Good afternoon, madam, what would you like?” How can we answer that? |
| Medina: You can start the order with mimi nataka... |
| John: ...which means “I want.” |
| Medina: Nataka comes from the verb stem -taka, meaning “to want.” For example you can say, Mimi nataka chakula moto na soda baridi |
| John: “I would like hot food and a cold soda.” |
| Medina: You can also use the verb nipe, meaning “give me.” It comes from the stem -pa meaning “to give.” It’s simple, you just have to say nipe and list what you want. |
| John: Let’s give some examples. |
| Medina: Nipe chai na mkate. |
| John: “Give me tea and bread.” |
| Medina: Nipe maji baridi. |
| John: “Give me cold water.” |
| Medina: When you want your order to go, you use the verb funga “to pack.” For example Nifungie samaki na wali. |
| John: Which means “Pack fish and rice for me.” |
| Medina: Nifungie is made up of ni, which makes clear the reference to oneself, and fungie. The a at the end of the verb funga is replaced with ie, to express that you want something to be done for you. |
| John: Can we give other examples? |
| Medina: Let’s take the verb pika meaning “to cook.” You can say Nipikie chakula... |
| John: meaning “Cook for me.” |
| Medina: lisha means “to feed,” and you can say Nilishie mtoto. |
| John: meaning “Feed the baby for me.” Finally let’s see how to give different options. |
| Medina: That is pretty simple. In Swahili, when you’re giving options, some common conjunctions are ama meaning “or,” na meaning “and,” and pia meaning “also.” |
| John: Can you give us some examples? |
| Medina: Haya, ungependa kahawa bila maziwa ama yenye iko na maziwa? |
| John: “Okay, would you like black or white coffee?” |
| Medina: Nikupe chai na mkate na pia mayai mbili? |
| John: “Shall I bring you tea and bread, and also two eggs?” |
Outro |
| John: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye! |
| Medina: Tuonane! |
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