Learn sayings and proverbs
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| INTRODUCTION |
| John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to SwahiliPod101.com This is Intermediate Season 1 Lesson 18 - Finding Your Dream Job in Kenya. John Here. |
| Medina: Hamjambo, I'm Medina. |
| John: In this lesson, you’ll learn about sayings and proverbs. The conversation takes place in a coffee shop. |
| Medina: It's between Frank and Maria. |
| John: The speakers are friends, therefore, they will speak informal Swahili. Okay, let's listen to the conversation. |
| DIALOGUE |
| Frank: Wajua nini! Nimepata kazi ya ndoto yangu. |
| Maria: Safi sana hasa baada ya kufata kurefu. |
| Frank: Wahenga walisema, "Usikate tamaa." |
| Maria: Ninafuraha haukukata tamaa. Nakumbuka ulitaka kazi inayohusiana na kompyuta. |
| Frank: Ndio, nitakuwa mhandisi kwa kutengeneza tovuti. |
| Maria: Hilo ni cheo linalokufaa sana. |
| Frank: Asante sana hasa kwa kunifaa kwa dhiki. |
| Maria: Ni furaha yangu na nipo kukupa msaada unapouhitaji. Kila la heri. |
| John: Listen to the conversation with the English translation |
| Frank: Guess what! I found my dream job! |
| Maria: That's really great, especially after the long search. |
| Frank: The sages say "never give up." |
| Maria: I'm glad you didn't. I remember you wanted something IT related. |
| Frank: Yes, I'll be a front end IT engineer. |
| Maria: It’s a position that suits you. |
| Frank: Thanks a lot, especially for helping me in my time of need. |
| Maria: My pleasure and I am available to give you my support when you need it. Best of luck. |
| POST CONVERSATION BANTER |
| John: It is natural to have stories and want to share them, as Frank did with Maria. |
| Medina: Finding the audience is what matters most, and depends a lot on what you want to share. |
| John: What about in Kenya, can people still rely on a strong social network? |
| Medina: Yes, Kenyans prefer having confidants with whom they can discuss their personal issues, achievements, or struggles. |
| John: What do you mean by “confidants”? |
| Medina: A “confidant” or mwumini is a person who is willing to lend their ears and respond wisely to the feelings of a speaker. They help someone think through a situation so that reasonable judgments and decisions can be made. |
| John: That makes sense. Okay, now onto the vocab. |
| VOCAB LIST |
| John: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is.. |
| Medina: tafuta [natural native speed] |
| John: to search |
| Medina: tafuta[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Medina: tafuta [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Medina: wahenga [natural native speed] |
| John: sages |
| Medina: wahenga[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Medina: wahenga [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Medina: mhandisi [natural native speed] |
| John: engineer |
| Medina: mhandisi[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Medina: mhandisi [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Medina: cheo [natural native speed] |
| John: post |
| Medina: cheo[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Medina: cheo [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Medina: msaada [natural native speed] |
| John: favor |
| Medina: msaada[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Medina: msaada [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Medina: kufaa [natural native speed] |
| John: to help |
| Medina: kufaa[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Medina: kufaa [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Medina: kukataa tamaa [natural native speed] |
| John: to give up |
| Medina: kukataa tamaa[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Medina: kukataa tamaa [natural native speed] |
| John: Next we have.. |
| Medina: dhiki [natural native speed] |
| John: misfortune |
| Medina: dhiki[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Medina: dhiki [natural native speed] |
| John: And lastly.. |
| Medina: rafiki [natural native speed] |
| John: friend |
| Medina: rafiki[slowly - broken down by syllable] |
| Medina: rafiki [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: ndoto yangu |
| John: meaning "my dream" |
| Medina: Ndoto is the word for "dream" and yangu means "mine." |
| John: This phrase is often used when talking about desires or wishes. |
| Medina: Both words, Ndoto and yangu can be used separately. Remember that the root form of yangu, -angu, conjugates differently depending on the noun class. |
| John: Can you give us an example using the complete phrase? |
| Medina: Sure. For example, you can say... Ndoto yangu ni kuwa tajiri kabla ya miaka arobaini. |
| John: ...which means "My dream is to be rich before I’m 40." |
| John: Okay, what's the next phrase? |
| Medina: kukata tamaa |
| John: meaning "to give up" |
| Medina: Kukata means "to cut" and tamaa is "hope." |
| John: The literal translation is "to cut hope." You can use this phrase when someone has ceased doing or attempting something. It can also imply defeat. |
| Medina: -kata has various meanings, such as "chop" or "break" and it's commonly used in sayings that indicate an end, like kata roho ... |
| John: … which means "die," or literally "your heart is cut." |
| Medina: Besides meaning "hope," tamaa also means "lust" or "longing" and thus can be used in contexts that would match these meanings. |
| John: Can you give us an example using the whole phrase? |
| Medina: Sure. For example, you can say... Usikate tamaa kwa kazi ulioanza mpaka umalize. |
| John: ... which means "Do not give up on what you started until you complete it." |
| John: Okay, what's the next phrase? |
| Medina: kutafuta kurefu |
| John: meaning "long search" |
| Medina: Kutafuta is the infinitive form of the root verb -tafuta for "to search." Kurefu can further be broken into indefinite prefix ku- and -refu meaning "long." |
| John: Also in this case, both words can be used separately in different contexts. Let’s give an example using the entire phrase. |
| Medina: Sure. For example, you can say.. Nimechoka baada ya kutafuta kurefu. |
| John: ... which means "I'm tired after the long search." |
| John: Okay, now onto the lesson focus. |
Lesson focus |
|---|
| John: In this lesson, you'll learn about sayings and proverbs. Let’s introduce them by group. We have love sayings, humorous sayings, and sayings about life. |
| Medina: Sayings about love are amongst the most interesting and anyone can easily understand them. |
| John: Which is the first one? |
| Medina: Asili ya huba, mwanzowe ni jicho. |
| John: “The beginning of love is seen in the eye.” This is straightforward. |
| Medina: Right, it means that the eye can express love or friendship without necessarily using words. |
| John: What’s the next one? |
| Medina: Mapenzi ni kikohozi, hayawezi kufichika. |
| John: meaning “Love is a cough, it cannot be hidden.” |
| Medina: Again, there isn’t much to explain; it is hard to hide love, just like a cough. |
| John: Now let’s try some humourous sayings. |
| Medina: These may be less straightforward than sayings related to love. |
| John: They are nevertheless interesting and must give a good insight to Kenya’s cultural background. Which is the first one? |
| Medina: Mkono wenye uchafu husafishwa, haukatwi. |
| John: meaning “A dirty hand is washed, not cut.” The literal meaning is clear, but what does this saying refer to? |
| Medina: It means that if a loved one makes a mistake, it is better to help the person to avoid future mistakes. |
| John: Let’s hear another humorous saying. |
| Medina: Akunyimaye kunde akuepusha kuvimbiwa. |
| John: This means “A person who denies you beans keeps you from bloating.” |
| Medina: This means that it is for your good if somebody denies you something that could be harmful. Even if you would have liked it, it's for your benefit, because it protects you from trouble. |
| John: Let’s wrap up with a couple of sayings about life. |
| Medina: For example: Chako kikioza hakikunukii. |
| John: “Even if your sore is rotting, you don't seem to smell the bad odor.” This probably means that you don't realize your bad behavior or that of your loved ones. |
| Medina: That’s right. Even if you recognize it, you don't hate it like others would. Here is another one: Mwenye kisu kikali ndiye atakayekula nyama. |
| John: meaning “The person with a sharp knife will eat the meat.” |
| Medina: This clearly means that a person prepared for an occasion has the best chance of success. |
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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