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Lesson Transcript

Hamjamboni. Mimi ni Medina. Hi everybody! I’m Medina.
Welcome to Swahilipod101.com's “Kiswahili kwa dakika tatu,” The fastest, easiest, and most fun way to learn Swahili.
In the last lesson, we learned the phrase "Unawezaongea Kiingereza? "Do you speak English?" We also mentioned the word samahani, which means "excuse me" in Swahili.
In this lesson we’re going to learn how to use samahani and other words when apologizing in Swahili.
We should use samahani in formal situations, such as when we are ordering something in bars or restaurants. For example:
Samahani, naweza agiza kikombe cha kahawa? "Excuse me, could I order a cup of coffee?"
We can also use it when asking a question. For example:
Samahani, Mombasa iko wapi? "Excuse me, where is the Mombasa?"
Sometimes we also hear people say just samahani, because it can also be used to draw someone’s attention.
[slowly] samahani.
Samahani can be used in formal and informal situations. We can use samahani when asking a question, or when apologizing.
All of these phrases can be used for either “excuse me” or “I’m sorry.” But if you really want to apologize for something, it might be better to use a different phrase.
That phrase is Niwie radhi. It means “Pardon me” and can be used in both formal and informal situations.
[slowly] Niwie radhi.
First we have the Swahili word niwie, which means “a consideration.” Then, radhi meaning "pardon." Together, it literally means “consider a pardon”, but you can think of it like "Pardon me."
Niwie radhi.
(slowly) Niwie radhi.
Now it’s time for Medina’s Insights.
Please remember when you’re in Kenya, if you accidentally bump into someone, it’s more common to say samahani than Niwie radhi.
Are you able to count in Swahili? In the next lesson, we will learn the numbers in Swahili from one to ten!
I'll be waiting for you in our next Kiswahili kwa dakika tatu lesson.
Tuonane!

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