Swahili
Twende Sokoni
abigail
Lesson Objective:
- Understand and use intermediate Swahili vocabulary commonly used in markets.
- Apply correct grammar for negotiations, questions, and expressions of quantity.
- Use contextual phrases for buying, selling, and bargaining.
| Swahili | English | Notes / Contextual Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Bei | Price | Often asked: Bei gani? (“What price?”) |
| Punguza | Reduce / Discount | Used when bargaining: Unaweza kupunguza? (“Can you reduce it?”) |
| Chaguo | Choice / Option | Nina chaguo gani? (“What options do I have?”) |
| Sukumawiki | Kale / Collard Greens | Commonly sold in bundles; count with kilo or mfuko |
| Kilo | Kilogram | Ningependa kilo moja ya viazi. (“I’d like one kilo of potatoes.”) |
| Mfuko | Bag | Tafadhali nipe mfuko wa mahindi. (“Please give me a bag of maize.”) |
| Chumvi | Salt | Essential cooking ingredient; small markets sell in small packets |
| Nyanya | Tomato | Often sold in groups of three |
| Kiasi | Quantity | Useful for specifying: Kiasi gani? (“How much quantity?”) |
| Lita | Liter | For liquids like milk or oil: Ningependa lita mbili za mafuta. |
- Asking for Prices and Quantities
- Bei gani? – What is the price?
- Unahitaji kiasi gani? – How much do you need?
- Ninaweza kupata punguzo? – Can I get a discount?
- Using Quantifiers
- Mmoja/Moja – One
- Mbili/Wawili – Two
- Nyingi – Many
- Chache – Few
Example sentences:
- Ningependa mananasi mawili na ndizi chache – I would like two pineapples and a few bananas.
- Mboga hizi ni chache kwa bei hii – These vegetables are few for this price.
Sample Market Dialogue:
- Mnunuzi: Habari yako? Viazi ni bei gani?
- Muuzaji: Kilo moja ni shilingi mia mbili.
- Mnunuzi: Bei ghali! Labda unaweza kupunguza bei?
- Muuzaji: Ninafikiri naweza kupunguza hadi shilingi mia moja na hamsini.
- Mnunuzi: Sawa, ningependa kilo moja.
Exercise #1: Fill in the Blanks
Word Bank: kilo, punguzo, mfuko, sukumawiki, kiasi, matunda, chache, lita
- Ningependa ___ moja ya viazi.
- Je, unaweza kujipa ___ kidogo.
- Tafadhali nipe ___ wa mahindi.
- Nilitaka kununua ___ kidogo cha sukumawiki.
- Kiasi gani cha ndizi ungependa?
- Tuna ___ ya machungwa na mapapai.
- Mboga hizi ni ___ kwa bei hii.
- Ningependa ___ mbili za mafuta.
Exercise #2: Match the Question to the Answer
Questions:
- Bei gani kwa kilo moja ya viazi?
- Unahitaji kiasi gani?
- Unaweza kupunguza?
- Nina chaguo gani za matunda?
Answers
a) Kilo moja ni shillingi mia mbili.
b) Ndizi mbili na papai moja.
c) Ninafikiri naweza kupunguza hadi shilingi mia moja na hamsini.
d) Tuna ndizi, machungwa, na papai.
Exercise #3: Sentence Construction
Rearrange the words to form the correct Swahili sentence
- kilo/ningependa/viazi/moja/ya
- kupunguza/unaweza/bei
- papai/nitachukua/na/machungwa/mbili/moja
- chache/mboga/hizi/ni
