[Swahili] Beginner: Ehlana

[Sarabi]

I've been trying to start learning Swahili for some days now, and it's not really getting anywhere. So I'm creating this thread to chat with myself, and anyone is welcome to join in.

I have an Oxford University Press book on Swahili, which is made with a CD but doesn't come with it. Well, the information it contributes about the culture accompanying the language is excellent.

Mama: Hujambo, bwana.
Baba: Sijambo, bibi. Sijui wewe.
Mama: Mimi sijambo.
*Apparently, the person of lower status generally greets the person of higher status. Mama would be of lower status than baba.

[...]
Mimi: Watoto hawajambo, bibi monkeywrench?
Bi. m.: Hawajambo.

Mimi: Hujambo, bwana!
Bw. Matias: Sijambo, bibi. Na wewe, je?
Mimi: Mimi sijambo sana, bwana!
Bw. Matias: Asante.
Mimi: Mama hajambo?
Bw. Matias: [...]

That pretty much covers Chapter One of my book. I'm also making a greetings exercise, but it hasn't shown up yet on the site. I'll post the link here when it does.

[Sarabi]

Mimi: Habari za asubuhi?
: Nzuri.

Mwalimu: Habari za mchana?
Wanafunzi: Nzuri tu!

Ndege: Habari za usiku?
Mimi: Nzuri!

Mimi: Habari za leo?
Mgomba: Salama. Habari za safari?
Mimi: Salama tu.

Habari za siku nyingi, Daniel?
Habari za tangu juzi, Matias?

Odin! There are so many ways to greet people. I have one more chapter on greetings.

Mimi: Habari gani?
Simba: Nzuri, lakini kazi nyingi.
Mimi: Ndiyo maisha, bwana simba.
Simba: Ee, kweli.
Mimi: Haya, kwa heri ya kuonana, bwana!
Simba: Kwa heri ya kuonana, bibi!

Alright, now I am seriously going to be sick if I learn any more greetings.

[Sarabi]

Mwana simba: Unasoma gani?
Mimi: Ninasoma Kifaransa na Kiswahili!
Mwana simba: Oho! Wala Kiromania?
Mimi: La. Sisomi Kiromania.
Mwana simba: Asante, bibi.
Mimi: Sijui wewe, bwana.
Mwana simba: Mimi sisomi Kiromania, lakini ninasoma Kiingereza.
Mimi: Lo! Pole! Kiingereza uovu sana.

Not sure if I have to use "ni" or not in the last sentence.

Anyway, since the book doesn't cover grammar, I am using a combination of the book (to inspire conversations), Yale's Kamusi Project, and Mwana Simba.

Kwa heri ya kuonana!

[jose.birrofilo]

Here's another one joining the chat
I think the 'ni' is not compulsory, you don't have to use it when there's no risk of misunderstanding
I'm a beginner too, anyway, I have been studying swahili for only 2 months, so I can't give you the last word about swahili grammar I use the Assimil book (le swahili sans peine), maybe you know it. It's not bad, although it would be good to have some other learning sources (that french page, Mwana simba, looks ok, altough I got bored with the fist lesson, just too many greetings )
Kwa heri!

[Sarabi]

Jambo, Jose! Karibu. I see you are new here. I'll have to make sure you stick around. Okay, I haven't heard of that book. I must admit I don't really buy books very often, and I haven't even looked for Swahili books online.

Well, I always try to create language resources as I go along, but the UniLang exercise system is failing. But yeah, we need more resources. Do you ever create websites?

I have to go now, and I'll be back! Ahsante for the help. BTW, do you have a Swahili dictionary? I might get one.

[jose.birrofilo]

Jambo! I don't have any swahili dictionary, I usually use the Living Swahili Dictionary. It's not bad -it even detects conjugated verbs-, but it doesn't always have the word I'm looking for.
Yes, there aren't a lot of swahili resources out there. I think it would be very useful to have exercises about verbs, as they are a very important part of the sw. grammar. And about noun classes, too. And of course, vocabulary exercises (vocabulary is the most difficult part of this language for me!). I don't usually create web sites, but if I eventually made a one about swahili, I think I'll include something like a verb conjugator. Or I could just post some exercises here in Unilang (I'm pretty new here, so I don't really know how it works...).

Ninataka kuandika kitu kiswahili, lakini ninafikiri sio vyepesi, hii ni post wangu na kwanza kiswahili Niambie kitu hivi wewe...ulianza kujifunza kiswahili lini?

Wow, it's hard to write in swahili! I had to look up the words in a dictionary all the time...

Bye, José

[Sarabi]

Jambo, bwana! Do you know that there is a verb conjugator for Swahili online? When studying a language, always look for it at verbix.com. But exercises are always good. Since UniLang isn't always working, I want to create my own exercise-maker, but I'm not at that stage yet.

Yeah, you could post exercises on the forum, although that isn't incredibly appealing to me. Before I discovered UniLang's exercise system, I created exercises using javascript, which you could do. It's a little tedious, but it can be worth it if you have the patience. I might do that, but I am about to start learning PHP.

For vocabulary, you can try www.flashcardexchange.com.

Sitasa kufahamu Kiswahili!

Haya, fungu la sita... wapi?

Bwana: Bibi yuko wapi?
Mama: Yuko shuleni!
How do you say "where are you"?

[jose.birrofilo]

Where are you? is Uko wapi? in swahili: u (second person) + ko (indeterminate locative) + wapi. To say 'I'm in the city', you can say niko mjini, or nipo mjini. -ko is used to speak about a indeterminated (or far away) place, and -po, to speak about a more determinated place. There's also -mo, that one is to say that you are inside a place.

That place, verbix, looks good, although it doesn't have all the swahili conjugations (eg, the narrative is lacking, as well as the subjuntive tenses), and in fact uses names that I'd never heard for the tenses. I think the problem is that it uses a typical indoeuropean verb nomenclature for a language with a verbal scheme, that is quite different to that of the indoeuropean languages. But it's indeeed a very interesting page

I could make some exercises in pl/sql, because that's what I use for the uni, and I don't really know php, the problem is that an Oracle server isn't free at all

Unasakini Uromania? Mjini wangu wako waromania wengeni kufanya kazini. Ninafikiri kiromania ni lugha kizuri Ninataka kufunza!

Kwa heri!

[Sarabi]

Ninasikitika (I'm sorry?)... for not replying sooner. I can't tell you how busy I've been. It's hard to make time for Swahili, but I'm trying... Hopefully I'll have more time in November.

Ahsante.


Mimi: Uko wapi?
Popo: Niko shamba. Na wewe?
Mimi: Niko mjini.


An Oracle server? What's this? I use byethost.com as my host and XAMPP for the server. It's easy and free.

This PHP thing is slow since I'm only doing it at school. I've just gotten everything set up, but at this rate it might take a few weeks before I produce anything on Swahili.

I really don't know what you said in Swahili. I suppose I will reply whenever I know a bit more.

[Pasajero]

[Terin]

I could understand "Unasakini Uromania", it is asking whether you are living in Romania. The -sakini thing comes from Arabic "sakana", meaning to live.

I don't know Swahili well at all, I have minimal knowledge of the grammatical stuff (noun classes, etc) and mainly am looking for Arabic-derived words.

[Sarabi]

What the hell? I can't edit my posts that were posted more than 14 days ago? Too many bloody rules. It must be so easy to add dumb rules and so hard to fix anything... UniLang is a bunch of errors.

Terin, why only Arabic-derived words?

Sisakini Uromania... (I don't live in Romania?) I guess I'd better come back within fourteen days in case that was wrong...

[Sarabi]

Ninakuwa na shajara sasa.
I think I'm really getting into Swahili now. I wanted to focus on French for a while, so I wasn't really learning Swahili.

Mvulana: Nina mbili mikate!
Msichana: Kweli?
Mvulana: Ndio!
Msichana: Una wadogo wangapi?
Mvulana: Nina tatu wadogo.
Msichana: Ahsante.

Now I'm finding it much easier to just write in my journal, but I could scan it if anyone wants... I write a lot of silly crap. I wonder if other people do this... Surely?

[culúrien]

Now I'm finding it much easier to just write in my journal, but I could scan it if anyone wants... I write a lot of silly crap. I wonder if other people do this... Surely?

Trust me, you aren't the only silly crap writer in your journal person

[Sarabi]

Iată!