INTRODUCTION TO SWAHILI

BASIC VOCABULARY, NOUN & VERB STRUCTURES

Swahili is a continually changing language that is still growing which
resulted from the great Swahili culture that was established along the east
African coast. Grammatically it is one of the African Bantu group and
most of the words are of this origin with about a third of all words
coming from Arabic Swahili derives from the Arabic word for Plain.
Many words have been incorporated from English especially words of a
more technical nature. Swahili and English are the two official languages
of Tanzania but Swahili is far more widely spoken and is most peoples
second language after their tribal language. The dialect of Swahili spoken
in Mtwara is very different from that spoken in Kenya and is influenced
by the local tribal language, Makonde. English is not widely spoken. It
must be remembered that many people speaking Swahili are relatively
poor and illiterate so it remains a language that is largely spoken and
heard not written and read and so there can be many variations in
spelling, usage etc.
This guide has been written by a fluent Swahili speaker and adjusted after
the experiences of several years worth of volunteers. It is tailored to the
experiences of volunteers in their first weeks and months in Tanzania, it is
not an exhaustive guide but a starting point for study and a quick
reference when in country. There are no exercises for you to do so
practice your own using the grammar rules and the Nicholas Awde
dictionary and use the interactive CD to get a better understanding of the
sounds of Swahili. Practice makes perfect which is hard to do but the
more you know before departure the more things will make sense when
you arrive.
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The most important things to concentrate on are the basic words, the
greetings and the basic verb structure. The nouns are a bit complicated so
do not worry about them too much, try and develop a good working level
of useful Swahili rather than learning everything. Bahati Njema!

CONTENTS

Page

Alphabet, Pronunciation & Important Words

Greetings

Questions & Grammar

Verbs

Nouns

10

Adjectives

12

Numbers

13

Time

14

Other Points

16

Noun Vocabulary

17

Verb Vocabulary

19

General Vocabulary

21

Alphabet and Pronunciation

Swahili is written in the Roman alphabet and pronunciation is generally
the same as in English but there are the following exceptions - listening to
the CD ROM will give you the best idea:
A

Pronounced aah, as in far or a as in man

Pronounced between eh as in bed, and in caf

Pronounced eee as in Lima or Swahili

Pronounced oh as in Promise or Mambo

2

Pronounced oo as in Fool

Dh

Pronounced th as in that

Ng

A guttural sound a bit like in finger

R and L are interchangeable so Laura could be Raura, Laula or Raula.

NB: Unlike English, all syllables end in a vowel this is what allows
Swahili to flow fluently and quickly in conversation. Each vowel in a
word is sounded separately; for example, saa (watch) is pronounced sa-a.
Important Words
Hello

Jambo

See you later

Baadaye

Welcome

Karibu

Thank-you

Asante

What is your name?

Jina lako nani?

My name is

Jina langu

Please

Tafadhali

Excuse-me

Samahani

Yes

Ndiyo

No

Hapana

But

Lakini

OK

Sawa

And

Na

Is/Are

Ni

Or

Au

Perhaps

Labda

Because

Kwa sababu
3

Good

Nzuri, safi, njema

Bad

Mbaya

Sorry

Pole

Very

Sana

No Problem

Hakuna matatizo

What is this?

Hiki nini?

Today

Leo

Tomorrow (also good night)

Kesho

Good Night

Usiku Mwema

Greetings
Conversations almost always start with a series of greetings this is
much more emphasized than in English. It is important to offer greetings
out of courtesy, and to reply appropriately when greeted. Combinations
of greetings are used to inquire about someone, including asking about
their health, work, school or home almost anything that they are
strongly associated with.
There are two forms of greetings which fall into a system and then a
series of other greetings. They may seem complicated to start with but
understanding how greetings work will greatly assist you in
understanding Swahili as a whole.
Habari?
Habari literally means news and there is a huge variety of greetings that
use this as their core but they are actually incredibly simple and versatile
to use when you have got the basics. Essentially people will ask for the
news of your day, family, work, evening or any other thing that seems
interesting. One thing to bear in mind is that the answers are all very
basic and generally it is bad manners to say that anything is bad so even if
4

you cannot understand exactly what has been asked of you then you just
say it is good. Easy.
Common Habari greetings:
Habari?

How is it?

Habari gani?

How are things?

Habari yako?

How are you?

Habari zenu?

How are you lot? (Pl)

Habari za leo?

How is your day?

Habari za asubuhi?

How is your morning?

Habari za mchana?

How is your afternoon?

Habari za jioni?

How is your evening?

Habari za usiku?

How is your night?

Habari za nyumbani?

How is your household?

Habari za kazi?

How is work?

Habari za safari?

How was your journey?

Generally when greetings are for anything else it will always be Habari
za
One other point is that often the habari will be dropped from the question
and so they might say, Za asubuhi instead of the full sentence.
There are several positive responses to use to these greetings:
Safi, Nzuri, Salama, Njema
And a negative response is Mbaya. To say it is very good/bad you use
sana after the response i.e. Safi sana. Or if it is just good then it is Safi tu.
5

Jambos
The most basic greeting in Swahili is to say Jambo and is the greeting
you are most likely to hear as a tourist (volunteers are banned from using
it). What jambo means in Swahili is an issue or problem so effectively it
is the reverse of saying Alright in English. There are many greetings
that use jambo as a base but also have the negative person marker i.e. you
dont have a problem. So these greetings take the form of a question and
an answer. So to greet an individual you would say:
Hujambo? You dont have a problem?
Sijambo.

I dont have a problem.

So the following greetings apply:

Greeting

Response

Individual

Hujambo?

Sijambo

Group

Hamjambo?

Hatujambo

To inquire after an individual

Hajambo?

Hajambo

To inquire after a group

Hawajambo?

Hawajambo
A slight variation on this but possibly the greeting that you will use most
of all is to say Mambo. Mambo is the plural of Jambo and literally means
problems yet it has just become a word used in greetings. This is a
greeting used for people your own age or younger and generally all
children will say it to you. The correct response is Poa which means
cool but again is just a greeting. There are also a number of other words
now used like bomba and fresh instead of poa. Also mambo might be
followed by vipi, or just vipi with out the mambo.
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The other extremely common greeting and one that is important to get
right is Shikamoo. It is a respectful greeting to anyone older than oneself
and should always be used to those older! The response is Marahaba.
There are some other greetings that can be used:
Greeting

Response

As-salaam aleykum

Meaning
Aleykum as-salaam

Peace be

with you
Salama

Salama

Peace (also safe)

Nzima

Nzima

Just means good

You must know the following:

Habari

Safi

Very general greeting

Hujambo/Hamjambo

Sijambo/Hatujambo

How are you?

(S/Pl)
Shikamoo

Marahaba

For older people

Mambo

Poa

For children/youths

Questions
Who?

Nani?

What?

Nini?

Where?

Wapi?

When?

Lini?

Why?

Kwa nini?

How?

Vipi?
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Which?

Gani?

How much/many?

Ngapi?

How much money?

What time (is it)?

Shilingapi?
Saangapi?

According to Swahili sentence structure, the above words come at the end
of the sentence; i.e. Unataka nini? = What do you want? Also Swahili is
different to English in the sense that if you ask someone, You have not
seen Laura, have you? the reply is, No, I have not seen Laura. In
Swahili the answer is, Yes, I have not seen Laura. Which is actually the
more logical answer.
Grammar
It is worth understanding these terms before going further:
Verb: a verb is an action: walk, speak, hit.
Noun: a noun is a thing, object or person: car, tree, child.
Tense: a tense is when something happens: in the future, present or past.
Subject: the subject is the person or thing doing the verb: I hit, Laura
drove.
Object: is the person or thing that has the verb act on it: I hit Laura,
Laura drove the car.
Marker: the marker is the word that shows the tense, subject or object.
Prefix: a word or part of a word that goes in front of the item in question.
Suffix: a word or part of a word that goes after the item in question.

Sentence Structure
The most noticeable thing with Swahili is that there are far fewer words
in a sentence than in English. This is because instead of having different
words for the subject, object and tense markers they are all merged into
one word which allows the language to flow more easily. This will all
make sense when we have looked at each aspect of the sentence in turn.

Verbs
The verb stem is the core of the sentence. In Swahili all verbs work as to
have rather like the avoir verbs of French which is generally the reverse
of English. So in English I am hungry is I have hunger in Swahili.
The infinitive of a verb is the way a verb is said or stated. In English if
the verb stem is want then the infinitive is to want. In Swahili the
same verb stem for want is taka and the infinitive is ku, and so it is
written kutaka.

Subject and Tense Markers

For the moment we will only use the present tense, the present tense
marker is na -. In Swahili the subject and tense marker is in the same
order as in English which is:
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Subject

Tense

Verb

do

want

Ni

na

taka

But the Swahili sentence is one word and so it is: Ninataka.

1st Person Singular
2nd Person Singular
3rd Person Singular
1st Person Plural
2nd Person Plural
3rd Person Plural

I
You
He/She/It
We
You
They

NiUATuMWa-

So some examples are as follows:

You are leaving

U-na-toka

He is laughing

A-na-cheka

They are walking Wa-na-tembea

Tenses
In Swahili there are far fewer tenses than in English which means you can
grasp them quite quickly and also they are more regular than in English.
In English the perfect tense is I have done, she has seen, the past tense is
I talked , we went. In Swahili the Perfect tense is used much more than in
English and is used most of the time for actions in the past. There is no
imperfect tense in Swahili in English the is when was or where are
used.

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There is only one future tense in Swahili. In English you can say, I am
going to eat. The same does not apply in Swahili: the verb to go, kuenda,
means to go and not to do something in the future.

Tense
Perfect
Past
Present
Future

Marker
-me-li-na-ta-

The sentence structure is the same as before but with different tenses:
I have done

Ni-me-fanya

You (pl) talked

M-li-ongea

He likes

A-na-penda

They will sleep

Wa-talala

Object Markers
This is where a Swahili sentence differs to an English one as the object
comes before the verb.
English
Swahili

Subject
I
Subject
Ni

1st Person Singular

2nd Person Singular
3rd Person Singular
1st Person Plural
2nd Person Plural
3rd Person Plural

Tense
will
Tense
ta
Me
You
Him/Her/It
Us
You
Them

Verb
hit
Object
m

Object
him
Verb
piga
-ni-ku-m-tu-wa-wa-

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Now we can make more complex sentences:

I like you

Ni-na-ku-penda

You lot will see them

M-ta-wa-ona

I planted it

Ni-me-m-panda

So brought together these are the different components in a basic

sentence:
Subject
Ni
U
A
Tu
M
Wa

Tense
me
li
na
ta

Object
ni
ku
m
tu
wa
wa

Verb
penda
taka
ona
lala
ongea
fanya

Irregular Verbs
Unfortunately it is not all that straight forward as there are some irregular
verbs and they happen to be some of the most common ones used. So far
all of the verbs we have used have been just the stem i.e. ona instead of
kuona. Irregular verbs keep the ku when used, so for example, I will eat
becomes Nitakula. Common irregular verbs are: Kula to eat, Kunywa to
drink, Kwenda to go (note there is no u anymore).
Negatives
In Swahili the negative requires a different subject and tense marker.
They fit into the sentence in exactly the same way as the positive
markers. Well, apart from the present tense which is a bit different. If you

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have learnt your Jambo greetings then you already know the negative
subject markers.
Negative
Subject
1 Person

Markers
Si-

Singular
2nd Person

Hu-

Singular
3rd Person

Ha-

st

Singular
1 Person Plural
2nd Person Plural
3rd Person Plural
st

Tense

Negative Tense
Marker

HatuHamHawa-

Perfect
Past
Future

-ja-ku-ta-

So the following are some examples

I did see him. Ni-me-m-ona.

I did not see him. Si-ja-m-ona

They will not like him.

Hawa-ta-m-penda

I have not understood

Si-ja-alewa.

The present tense does not follow the same rules. The negative subject
markers are the same but the tense marker does not appear after the
subject marker. Instead, the last letter of the verb stem becomes an - i.
I like Ni-na-penda

I do not like Si-pend-i

He does not smile

Ha-chek-i

We wont do it

Hatu-fany-i

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Passive Voice
The passive voice can easily be learnt and will double your verb
vocabulary in an instant. The passive voice is used to describe when a
verb is acted against/on someone or something. It is formed by adding a
letter w to the verb stem before the final vowel. It is easiest understood
by seeing it in action.
To hit

Ku-piga

To be hit

Ku-pigwa

To love

Ku-penda

To be loved

Ku-pendwa

Modal Verbs
Modal verbs include the words should, could and may. The most
common by far in Swahili is should. This is formed by adding the
subject marker to the verb stem needed without a tense marker, and
changing the final vowel to an e. The negative is formed by adding si
after the subject marker as well. For example:
I should go

Ni-ende

We should win

Tu-shinde

You shouldnt leave

U-si-ondoke

The Conditional and Connective Tenses

The conditional tense introduces a new form of tense marker into verb
grammar, but the previous rules still apply. The marker for conditional
present tense is nge and its negative equivalent is singe. For example:
If I were to want

Ni-nge-taka

If you were tall

U-nge-kuwa mrefu

If they dont like

Wa-singe-penda
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If he didnt want

A-singe-taka

The connective tense often acts as a simpler version of the conditional

tense, and uses the markers ka for and, and ki for if:
And I want

Ni-ka-taka

If I want

Ni-ki-taka

Pronouns
Pronouns are generally used more in Swahili than in English.

It is

common for a sentence to start with a pronoun, even when not needed.
For example: Mimi, ninakwenda translates as Me, I am going.
Me

Mimi

You

Wewe

Him/Her

Yeye

Us

Sisi

You

Nyinyi

Them

There is no Swahili

equivalent
Pronouns are not used instead of the subject markers but as an addition to
them.

Nouns

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In English there are no real noun classes there are irregularities but that
is a different thing. In Swahili there are a number of noun classes.
Depending on which class the noun is in depends on how the noun
behaves and changes. The most common way in which a noun changes in
English is when we are looking at the quantity. In English the plural is
(generally) marked by the addition of an s/es at the end of a word i.e. Car,
Cars or family, families. In Swahili the first letter/s of the noun marks
whether it is in plural or negative. The table below gives the three most
common noun groups.
Group
1. People. M/Wa
2. Plants, objects. M/Mi
3. Inanimate objects.

Singular
MM-toto
M-zungu
MM-ti
M-fuko
Ki-

Plural
WaWa-toto
Wa-zungu
Mi
Mi-ti
Mi-fuko
Vi-

English

Ki-tu
Ki-biriti

Vi-tu
Vi-biriti

Thing/things
Match/matches

Person/people
White person/people
Tree/trees
Bag/bags

Ki/Vi
.
Other groups are not used in the same way:
4. Generally begins with N and has many plant and animal names. The
singular and plural are the same:
Cow/s: Ngombe, Snake/s Nyoka, Postal Letter/s: Barua
5. This Ma- class is a general class when there is no singular prefix. So:
car Gari, Cars Ma-gari. Exercise book Daftari, Exercise books Madaftari
16

The only rare variation is when the noun is monosyllabic and then the
singular prefix is ji-. Eye Ji-cho, Eyes Ma-cho.
6. This is the group for substances or abstract nouns. As with English
there is no singular/plural.
Love: Upendo, Flour: Unga, Sand: Mchanga, Fire: Moto, Water: Maji.
7. Just for one word derived from Arabic.
Place: Pahali/Mahali
8. The verbal-noun class, which is where nouns are derived from verbs,
there are no plurals.
Singing: Kuimba, Writing: Kuandika
It is important to note that in Swahili there is no definite article
essentially you cannot say the or a/an.
So nyumba means: house, a house and the house.
Possessives
A possessive is the way of saying who the noun belongs to, in English
this is shown by prefixes like my car, your love, his baby. In Swahili there
is a suffix that follows the noun. The Swahili suffix is slightly more
complicated as there is a stem where the first letter/s change to match the
noun class. Many of these will be familiar from some of the greeting and
basic phrases.
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1st Person Singular

2nd Person Singular
3rd Person Singular
1st Person Plural
2nd Person Plural
3rd Person Plural

My/mine
Your/yours
His/her/hers/its
Our/ours
Your/yours
Their/theirs

-angu
-ako
-ake
-etu
-enu
-ao

And the noun classes prefix to the stem.

Noun Class
1. M/Wa-

Prefix
W-

Examples
M-toto w-ako, your child

2. M/Mi-

W/Y-

Wa-toto w-angu, my children

M-fuko w-ake, his bag

3. Ki/Vi-

Mi-fuko y-etu, our bags

Ch/Vy- Ki-tabu ch-ako, your book

4. N5. Ma6. U-

Y/Z-

Vikombe vy-ao, their cups

Ndisi y-angu, my banana

L/Y-

Ngombe z-enu, your (pl) cows

Gari l-etu, our car

W/Z

Ma-gari y-ao, their cars

Upendo w-ako, your love
No Plural

Conjunctives
Similar to possessives is the conjunctive. In English we have two ways of
expressing ownership, one is by saying of ie the people of Tanzania.
More commonly is the use of an apostrophe at the end of the noun,
usually followed by an s i.e. Lauras eyes. In Swahili there is only one
method which is similar to of and again it is dependant on the class of
the noun. This time the stem is the letter a which is preceded by the
noun prefix. The examples explain it best.

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The people of Tanzania

Wa-tu w-a Tanzania

The book of the teacher (the teachers book)

Ki-tabu ch-a mwalimu

The eyes of Laura (Lauras eyes)

Ma-cho ma-a

Laura
Adjectives
Adjectives are words that describe nouns tall, expensive, good etc. In
Swahili the adjective is again dependant on the noun that it describes,
again the first letters of the adjective change to match the noun class,
taking on the same first letter/s. Unlike English the adjective follows the
noun, car fast and not fast car.
Noun Class
1. M/Wa2. M/Mi3. Ki/Vi-

Swahili
M-tu m-lefu
Wa-toto wa-fupe
M-fuko m-zuri
Mi-koba mi-zuri
Ki-tabu ki-zuri
Vi-tu vi-zito

English
Tall person
Short children
Good bag
Good wallets
Good book
Heavy chairs

The word all is formed again by matching the noun prefix (as with
possessives) to a stem, this time the stem is ote.
All people

Wa-tu w-ote

All cars

Ma-gari l-ote

All books

Vi-tabu vy-ote

Any is formed by saying the prefix twice before the stem (with no
consecutive vowels added).
Any people

M-tu wow-ote

Any car

Gari lol-ote
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Any book

Ki-tabu choch-ote

Demonstratives
Demonstratives are used to distinguish between nouns, in English it is
very straightforward with four words used this, these, that and those. In
Swahili, however, the noun classes come into play again as each noun
class has its own set of demonstratives. It is not a terrible thing to get
them mixed up as generally you will be understood so concentrate on
learning the first three noun classes.
Noun Class

Demonstrative

This
These
That
1. M/Wa
Huyu
Hawa
Yule
2. M/Mi
Huu
Hii
Ule
3. Ki/Vi
Hiki
Hivi
Kile
4. N
Hii
Hizi
Ile
5. Ma
Hili
Haya
Lile
6. U
Huu
Hizi
Ule
This person M-tu huyu, These cups Vi-kombe hivi

Those
Wale
Ile
Vile
Zile
Yale
Zile

Comparatives
Comparatives are used, as the name suggests, to compare different things
in conjunction with an adjective. For example, Tim is better than Laura.
In Swahili the word kuliko acts in the same way as than in English. Ni
precedes the adjective, in the negative it is si.
Tim is better than Laura

Tim ni m-zuri kuliko Laura

He is not taller then me

Yeye si m-lefu kuliko mimi

Superlatives
A superlative is the most that an adjective can be and is equivalent to
adding est to an English adjective i.e. tallest, fastest. In Swahili it is
20

formed like a comparative but uses the word all ote, with a prefix to
match the adjective.
We are best of all

Sisi ni wa-zuri kuliko w-ote

Numbers and Ordinals

0

Sufuri/Ziro

20

Ishirini

Moja

30

Thelathini

Mbili

40

Arubaini

Tatu

50

Hamsini

Nne

60

Sitini

Tano

70

Sabini

Sita

80

Themanini

Saba

90

Tisini

Nane

100

Mia moja

Tisa

1,000

Elfu moja

10

Kumi

10,000

Elfu kumi

11

Kumi na moja

100,000

Laki moja

12

Kumi na mbili

Kumi na tatu

1,000,000

Millioni

moja
13

In Swahili, the numbers between ten and twenty are formed by literally
saying ten and one (meaning eleven), ten and two, ten and three etc.
The same is true with all larger numbers

21

44

arubaini na nne

593

mia tano tisini na tatu

305726 laki tatu elfu tano mia saba na ishrini na sita

Ordinals denote rank and placement associated with numbers, i.e. first,
second and third etc. They are formed by putting the letter a and the
appropriate prefix (according to the noun class of the object) in front of
the number in question. The only exceptions are the words for first and
second. To find the prefixes see the section on possessives.
First

-a kwanza

Second

-a pili

Third

-a tatu

Fourth

-a nne

Fifth

-a tano

Sixth

-a sita

Seventh

-a saba

Eighth

-a nane

Ninth

-a tisa

Tenth

-a kumi

Time
Time/Hour/

Saa

Monday

Jumatatu

Day

Siku

Tuesday

Jumanne

Minute

Dakika

Wednesday

Jumatano
Week

Wiki

Thursday

Alhamisi

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Month

Mwezi

Friday

Ijumaa
Year

Mwaka

Saturday

Jumamosi

Second

Sekondi

Sunday

Jumapili

Yesterday

Jana

Quarter

Robo

Today

Leo

Half

Nusu

Tomorrow

Kesho

Minute

Now

Sasa

Less

Later

Baadaye

Dakika
Kasoro

Saa is an Arabic word that can mean hour, time, clock or watch. It is the
same origin as the Surname Saatchi which is Arabic for clock smith.
Telling the time in Swahili is made difficult by the use of a different
system. As the Swahili zone is equatorial the length of the day is roughly
equal throughout the year, sunrise and sunset is at about six oclock. The
Swahilis start the day with sunrise and so seven oclock is one oclock to
the Swahilis. It is difficult to learn, but is made more simple by taking six
away from the number that you would say in English and translating into
Swahili. The number is stated in the same way, whether am or pm.

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6am
7am
8am
9am
10am
11am
12pm
1pm
2pm
3pm
4pm
5pm
6pm

Saa kumi na mbili

Saa moja
Saa mbili
Saa tatu
Saa nne
Saa tano
Saa sita
Saa saba
Saa nane
Saa tisa
Saa kumi
Saa kumi na moja
Saa kumi na mbili

When asking the time it is common to say Sasa saangapi?

The reply is formed as follows:
1100 hrs

Saa Tano

1115 hrs

Saa tano na robo

1120 hrs

Saa tano na dakika ishirini

1130 hrs

Saa tano na nusu

1145 hrs

Saa sita kasoro robo

1150 hrs

Saa sita kasoro dakika kumi

Bado

Not yet

Alafu

After

Approximate times of day

0600-1200

Morning

Asubuhi

1200-1700

Afternoon

Mchana

1700-2000

Evening

Jiono
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2000-0600

Night

Usiku

Other Points
-ni
Adding ni to the end of a word has two purposes. Firstly if addressing a
group then many words can be made into the plural by adding the ni. For
example shikamoo-ni, pole-ni, asante-ni.
The other use is to say inside something. So in the school is shule-ni or in
the bedroom chumba-ni.
Mzungu
Mzungu means a white person but does not have a racist connotation,
indeed it is used very often to call a white person. It literally means He
who wanders around. Indeed, it is not at all rude to refer to anyone by
their trade, tribe, age or size.

25

Money
The unit of currency in Tanzania and all Swahili countries is the Shilling
or in Swahili Shillingi. When asking someone how much something costs
there are two ways: Bei gani? Which is What price? and Shillingi
Ngapi? How many Shillings? Shillingi ngapi is usually contracted to
Shilingapi? One of thing that is contracted is shillingi ishirini, twenty
shillings, to shingshirini.
Twende!
Formed from the verb to go, kuenda, twende means lets go.
Lion King
Hakuna matata is most famous because of the Lion King films but you
will not hear it in Mtwara as the local equivalent is Hakuna matatiso or
more commonly Hamna shida. Hakuna literally means he does not have
and hamna means you (pl) dont have. Matata, matatiso and shida all
mean problems/worries. Hamna is used generally to say there is nothing
in the sense if you went to a shop and asked for champagne, the answer
would be Hamna.
Where is something?
If you ask someone where something is, the Swahili is iko wapi? The
answer could be hapa here, pale there or kule. Kule means over there and
the higher the pitch it is said in the further away it is. Nearby is karibu
and far away is Mbale.
Left

Kushoto

Right

Kulia

Straight ahead

Moja kwa moja (literally meaning one by one)

26

Noun Vocabulary
Class 1 M/Wa (in singular form)
Person
Child
Son/Daughter
Man
Woman
Husband
Wife
Fiance
Elder
White Person
African
Christian
Muslim
Indian
Guest
Tourist
Resident
Ill Person
Dead Person
Kind "
Greedy "
Grumpy "
Very Old "
Generous "
Lazy "
Intelligent "
Jealous "
Madman
English
American

Mtu
Mtoto
Mwana
Mwanaume
Mwanamke
Mume
Mke
Mchumba
Mzee
Mzungu
Mwafrika
Mkristo
Mwislamu
Mhindi
Mgeni
Mtalii
Mkaaji
Mgonjwa
Mfu
Mhisani
Mlafi
Mgomvi
Mkongwe
Mpaji
Mvivu
Mwanagavu
Mwivu
Mkichaa
Mwingereza
Mmarekani

Prisoner
Vagrant
Midwife
Farmer
Nurse
Sorcerer
Weaver
Cook
Preacher
Blacksmith
Tenant
Traveller
Craftsman
Scientist
Musician
Judge
Fisherman
Lawyer
Mason
Teacher
Student
Hunter
Thief
Baker
Liar
Drunkard
Poet
Lover
Seducer
Victim

Mfungwa
Mhuni
Mkunga
Mkulima
Mwuguzi
Mchawi
Mfumi
Mpichi
Mhubiri
Mhunzi
Mpangaji
Msafiri
Msanaa
Mtaalamu
Mtribu
Mwamuzi
Mvuvi
Mwanasheria
Mashi
Mwalimu
Mwanafunzi
Mwindaji
Mwizi
Mwokaji
Mwongo
Mlevi
Mshairi
Mpenzi
Mtongozi
Mteswa
27

Swahili
Tanzanian
Chinese

Mswahili
Mtanzania
Mchina

Gossiper
Slave
Coward

Mpayukaji
Mtumwa
Mwoga

Coffee bush
Baobab tree
Tea tree
Mangrove
Cashew tree
Ebony
Tree
Cassava
Sugar cane
Millet
Election
Belt
Example
Range
Series
Proclamation
Distribution
Collision
Support
Inspection
Contract
Vigil

Mkahawa
Mbuyu
Mchai
Mkandaa
Mkorosho
Mpingo
Mti
Muhogo
Mua
Mtama
Mchaguo
Mkanda
Mfano
Mfiko
Mfulizo
Mgambo
Mgawo
Mgongano
Mhimili
Mkaguo
Mkataba
Mkesha

Class 2 M/Mi (in singular form)

Bag
Juice
Game
Whip
Scissors
Mat
Tin
Wallet
Region
Necklace
Spear
Door
Fire
Football
River
Pillow
Lever
Mosque
Luggage
Light
Load
Copy

Mfuko
Mchuzi
Mchezo
Mjeledi
Mkasi
Mkeka
Mkebe
Mkoba
Mkoa
Mkufu
Mkuki
Mlango
Moto
Mpira
Mto
Mto
Mtambo
Msikiti
Mwamba
Mwanga
Mzigo
Mwigo

28

Square
Circle
Line
Cross
Fishing Line
Trap
Gas
Season
End
Month
Year
Bread
Uncooked Rice
Spinach

Mraba
Mviringo
Msafa
Msalaba
Mshipi
Mtego
Mvuke
Msimu
Mwisho
Mwezi
Mwaka
Mkate
Mchele
Mchicha

Obstacle
Meeting
Help
Test
Style
Summons
Miracle
Muscle
Body
Tail
Mouth
Back
Leg
Arm

Weza
Acha
Tukana
Kubali
Shtaki
Ogopa
Patana
Kasirika
Jibu
Fika
Uliza
Amka
Kuwa
Zaa

To Dance
To Decrease
To Deliver
To Despise
To Dig
To Draw
To Dream
To Drink
To Drive
To Be Drunk
To End
To Enter
To Explain
To Fail

Mkingamo
Mkutano
Msaada
Mtihani
Mtindo
Mwaliko
Mwujiza
Musuli
Mwili
Mkia
Mdomo
Mgongo
Mguu
Mkono

Verb Vocabulary
To Be Able
To Abandon
To Abuse
To Accept
To Accuse
To Be Afraid
To Agree
To Be Angry
To Answer
To Arrive
To Ask
To Awake
To Be*
To Bear

Cheza
Punguza
Peleka
Dharau
Chimba
Chora
Ota
Nywa
Endesha
Lewa
Isha
Ingia
Eleza
Shindwa

29

Offspring
To Begin
To Believe
To Bite
To Boil
To Be Born
To Break
To Bring
To Build
To Burn
To Bury
To Be Busy
To Buy
To Call
To Care For
To Carve
To Catch
To Change
To Choose
To Clean
To Climb
To Close
To Come
To Congratulate
To Cook
To Cool
To Cry
To Cut
To Damage
To Knock
To Know
To Be Late
To Laugh
To Learn
To Leave
To Lift
To Like
To Lie
To Listen
To Live
To Lose
To Make

Anza
Amini
Uma
Chemsha
Zaliwa
Vunja
Leta
Jenga
Choma
Zika
Shughulika
Nunua
Ita
Tunza
Chonga
Daka
Badili
Chagua
Safisha
Panda
Funga
Kuja
Pongeza
Pika
Poa
Lia
Kata
Haribu
Gonga
Jua
Chelewa
Cheka
Jifunza
Ondoka
Beba
Penda
Danganya
Sikia
Ishi
Potea
Tengeneza

To Fall
To Farm
To Fight
To Find
To Finish
To Fish
To Fly
To Follow
To Forget
To Forgive
To Get
To Give
To Go
To Be Happy
To Harvest
To Have*
To Hear
To Help
To Hire
To Hit
To Hold
To Hope
To Hug
To Imagine
To Increase
To Joke
To Judge
To Kill
To Show
To Shut
To Sit
To Sleep
To Speak
To Stand
To Start
To Steal
To Stop
To Suffer
To Swear
To Sweep
To Swim

Anguka
Lima
Pigana
Tafuta
Maliza
Vua
Ruka
Fuata
Sahau
Samehe
Pata
Pa
Kwenda
Furahi
Vuna
Kuna
Sikia
Saidia
Kodi
Piga
Shika
Tumaini
Kumbatiana
Waza
Zidi
Tania
Hukumu
Chinja
Onyesha
Funga
Kaa
Lala
Ongea
Simama
Anza
Iba
Simama
Umwa
Tukana
Fagia
Ogelea
30

To Marry
To Meet
To Mistake
To Mix
To Move
To Need
To Open
To Pay
To Place
To Play
To Prevent
To Rain
To Read
To Receive
To Remember
To Repair
To Rest
To Return
To Ridicule
To Rot
To Rub
To Run
To Say
To Sell
To Sew

Oa
Kuta
Kosa
Changanya
Sogea
Hitaji
Fungua
Lipa
Weka
Cheza
Zuia
Onyesha mvua
Soma
Pokea
Kumbuka
Tengeneza
Pumzika

To Take
To Taste
To Teach
To Tell
To Thank
To Think
To Throw
To Be Tired
To Travel
To Try
To Turn
To Understand
To Use
To Wait
To Walk
To Want
To Wash

Chukua
Onja
Fundisha
Ambia
Shukuru
Fikiri
Lusha
Choka
Safiri
Jaribu
Pinda
Elewa
Tumia
Subiri
Tembea
Taka
Fua

Rudi

(clothes)
To Wash

Oga

Dhikika
Oza
Futa
Kimbia
Sema
Uza
Shona

(people)
To Watch
To Wear
To Win
To Withdraw
To Work
To Worship
To Write

Tazama
Vaa
Shinda
Toa
Fanya kazi
Abudu
Andika

* To Be Kuwa The present tense is different, formed using the word

ni, meaning is/are. The negative form is si. For example:
Mimi ni mwalimu I am a teacher.
To Have Kuna The past and future tenses are formed using the verb
Kuwa. For example:

I will have good luck

Nitakuwa na bahati

nzuri
I had a lot of money

Nilikuwa na pesa nyingi

31

General Vocabulary
Food and Drink Chakula na Vinywyaji
Bread

Mkate

Water

Maji

Butter

Siagi

Milk

Maziwa

Eggs

Mayai

Tea

Chai

Rice (cooked)

Wali

Coffee

Kahawa
Maize flour porridge
Bia
Soft Drink
Peanuts

Ugali

Biscuits

Beer
Biskuti

Soda
Karanga

Spirits

Pombe
Cashew Nuts
Sugar

Korosho
Sukari

Tomato

Nyanya
Salt

Chumvi

Pepper

Pili pili

Onions

Vitunguu

Cabbage

Kabeji
Sauce
Soup

Mchuzi
Supu

Okra

Barmia

Spinach

Mcicha

Coconut

Mnazi

Carrot

Karoti

Fish

Samaki

Aubergine

Biringani

Shark

Papa

Potatoes

Viazi

Squid

Ngisi

Salad

Saladi

32

Octopus

Pweza

Vegetable

Kamba kochi

Fruit

Mboga
Lobster
Matunda
Prawn

Kamba

Crab

Kaa

Chicken

Kuku

Goat

Mbuzi

Knife

Kisu

Fork

Uma
Spoon

Kijiko
Beef

Ngombe

Plate

Sahani

Lamb

Kondoo

Glass

Glasi

Duck

Bata

Cup

Kikombe

Bottle

Chupa

Lemon

Ndimu

Table

Meza
Mango

Embe

Chair

Kiti
Orange

Chungwa

Banana

Ndizi

Pineapple

Nanasi

Papaya

Paipai

Other Useful Vocabulary

Country

Nchi

Car

Town

Mji

Bicycle

Gari

Baiskeli

33

Village

Kijiji

Motorbike

Piki piki
Street

Bara-bara

Aeroplane

Ndege

Address

Anwani

Ship

Meri

House

Nyumbani

Shop

Duka

Clothes

Nguo

Garden

Bustani

Shoes

Viatu

Farm

Shamba

Hat

Kofia

Mosque

Msikiti

Coat

Kanisa

Shirt

Koti
Church
Shati
School

Shule

Trousers

Sirwali
College

Chuo cha elimu

Market

Sokoni

Watch

Saa
Room

Chumba

Work

Kazi
Kitchen

Jikoni

Business

Biashara

Toilet

Choo

Holiday

Sikukuu

Door

Mlango

Window

Dirisha

Machine

Mashine

Key

Ufunguo

Balcony

Baraza

Telephone

Simu

Sun

Jua

Mother

Mama

Father

Baba

34

Moon

Mwezi

Gran

Bibi
Stars

Nyota

Grandpa

Sea

Bahari

Babu

Aunt

Shangazi
River

Mto

Friend

Rafiki
Lake

Ziwa

Clouds

Mawingu

Rain

Mvua

Ice

Barafu

Wind

Upepo

Tree

Mti

Grass

Nyasa

Sand

Mchanga

35