Pimsleur Kiswahili
 

Kiswahili Greetings

How to say Hello in Kiswahili

Kiswahili is a language where people are allways first polite and ask each other how they are and how things are going, before they talk about their actual needs and problems.

Kiswahili Greetings

If you know a few basic greetings, you will immediately gain their respect, because you yourself respect the culture:

Below you find a few examples of greetings  (Salamu)  and the appriopriate response (Jibu ):

First person greets:     <--->  The addressed person answers:

Jambo ? - How do you do ? <---> Jambo - I am fine

Hujabo ? - How are you ? <---> Sijambo - I am OK

Hamjambo ? - How are you all ? <---> Hatujambo - We are OK

Salaam ? - Peace ? <--->  Salaam - Peace

 

Habari gani ? - What is the news ? <--->  Njema/Nzuri - Fine / Good

Habari yako ? - What news of you ? <---> Njema/Nzuri - Fine / Good

Habari zenu ? - What news of you all ? <---> Njema/Nzuri - Fine / Good

 

Subalkeri - Good morning  <--->  Subalkeri - Good morning

Masalkheri - Good afternoon  <--->  Masalkheri - Good afternoon

 

 

 

Hear what customers of these Pimsleur KISWAHILI audios say:

Learn Swahili bwana
I'm 60 and the thought of learning a new language seemed very daunting but this Pimsleur course, broken up into ten 30-minute sessions, is very efficient and well thought out. The key is to speak each word out loud when asked, which allows your brain and your mouth to adapt to this new, melodic, and often tongue-twisting sound.
Each new lesson reviews the last and then inserts a new word or two into sentences you already know. It focusses on words and short sentences that should be very useful when travelling and as the course proceeds you realize that you are able to invent your own sentences and express new thoughts with what you learn.
If anything, the only critique would be that some of the more difficult pronounciations should be spelled out. Ms often sound like Ns, and Bs like Ps etc. Expect to listen to each lesson more than once, but progress is very rapid. -- Miggs Burroughs, Westport, CT, USA

Great way to learn pronunciation
If you're absolutely new to Swahili (as are most humans), this audio is a great 1st place to *start*. It will really aid in learning how to pronounce Swahili. On a trip to Kenya, a number of Kenyans commented that I sounded like a life-long native speaker. This was surprising to them mainly because my vocabulary was so poor. This audio will NOT teach you how to speak Swahili; it will teach you how to pronounce it wonderfully - a great first step. -- Redneck,Tejas, USA

what a way to learn......
This program is a fantasic easy to use program which has you speaking swahili form the moment you put the cd on. It's easy to understand and the teaching methods used are very effective. I would recommend this program to anyone who desires to learn another language. -- T. Hepi, Tasmania, Australia