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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Medina: Hamjamboni! Welcome back to SwahiliPod101.com! I’m Medina.
Joshua: Hello everybody, I’m Joshua! This is All About, Lesson 13 - Top 5 Phrases Your Swahili Teacher Will Never Teach You! I'm telling you right now, this lesson is really fun.
Medina: Because we'll go over some phrases your teacher might not teach you!
Joshua: Now we don't want you to get the wrong idea, you won't find any swear words or anything here!
Medina: No, just some Swahili phrases that are just a little too slang-y to be introduced in the classroom.
Joshua: But these are words that you will encounter EVERY DAY in Kenya.
Medina: Yeah, they are *that* common.
Joshua: So if you're ready to learn some real Swahili , let's get started.

Lesson focus

Medina: The first word we'll go over is ‘ngoja!’
Joshua: "Ngoja" or “ngoja kidogo” can be used too, and they all mean “wait!” The expressions are used exactly like “wait!” and “wait a minute” in English.
Medina: Just like all the other phrases we'll go over in this lesson, tone of voice when you use this phrase is very important.
Joshua: That's right. You could say it like this…
Medina: ‘Ngoja kidogo.’
Joshua: The intonation is very relaxed and simply urges someone to wait a bit, while you find something. Or something along those lines. While another related phrase...
Medina: ...’Kidogo!’...
Joshua: Is more of a request. It indicates to the listener that it won't be long, that he should wait a little.
Medina: Intonation is very important in Swahili.
Joshua: Our next phrase is…
Medina: ‘Niaje?’
Joshua: Literally, this translates to “How is it?”, but is even more similar to the English phrase “What’s up?”
Medina: Use it when you meet friends or colleagues, and you’re wondering what they’re up to.
Joshua: This phrase can also be used as a “What is happening here?!”-type of phrase.
Medina: That gives it a more serious or hysterical tone.
Joshua: Alright, what's our next phrase?
Medina: "poa."
Joshua: "poa" pretty much translates as “Cool!” in English
Medina: Yes, and it’s used exactly like in English by Swahili speakers. You’ll hear it a lot because Kenyans use it for everything that’s above average “nice.”
Joshua: Imagine if a friend says “I went to see Harry Potter 7 last night.” And you answer “cool.” The conversation would be something like this...
Medina: Nilienda kutazama Harry Potter 7 jana usiku.
Joshua: poa!
Medina: Easy, right. It’s kind of a conversation killer though, so be careful.
Joshua: Interesting. Our next phrase is…
Medina: ‘Haki!?’
Joshua: This literally translates to "seriously!?"
Medina: This word also has more or less the same usage as in English.
Joshua: If you can’t believe what you’re hearing, you usually respond with “seriously!?”
Medina: ‘Haki!?’ Another more correct Swahili version of this is ‘kweli!?’
Joshua: Both expressions carry a slight hint at non-serious disbelief and should be used that way. Don’t use it if you are seriously doubting what the person is saying.
Medina: What's our last phrase?
Joshua: ‘Sivyo!?’
Medina: Listeners, you’re going to hear this all the time!
Joshua: I know I do!
Medina: ‘Sivyo!?’ is the Swahili way of saying “Right!?”
Joshua: It’s way too overused. People can’t seem to say it enough!
Medina: Like its English brother, the expression is used to light-heartedly ask for someone’s agreement on a statement, or a confirmation on something.
Joshua: A good example is “Harry Potter’s awesome, right!?”
Medina: In Swahili, ‘Harry Potter ni waajabu, sivyo!?’
Joshua: So I think all of these phrases are good to know.
Medina: Yeah, even if you don't use them, just knowing them for when you come across them, is good enough.
Joshua: And believe us, you'll come across them at some point.
Medina: At many points!
Joshua: (laughs)

Outro

Joshua: Ok, that's it for this lesson! Thanks for listening, everyone, and we’ll see you next time.
Medina: Kwaheri!

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