Dialogue

Vocabulary

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
John: Hi everyone, and welcome back to SwahiliPod101.com. This is Beginner Season 1 Lesson 22 - Ordering a Taxi in Swahili. John Here.
Medina: Hamjambo, I'm Medina.
John: In this lesson, you’ll learn about taking a taxi. The conversation takes place on the phone.
Medina: It's between Maria and Musa.
John: The speakers are strangers in a customer service context, therefore, they will speak both formal and informal Swahili. Okay, let's listen to the conversation.
DIALOGUE
Maria: Napiga simu kuagiza teksi.
Musa: Haya unataka kuchukuliwa wapi na saa ngapi?
Maria: Niko katika jiji la Nairobi, barabara ya harambee jumba la sheria gorofa la nne chumba cha A2.
Musa: Saa ngapi?
Maria: Saa moja kamili jioni.
Musa: Haya nitaharakisha kwa vile imebakisha dakika ishirini.
Maria: Utalipishaje hadi Riverside?
Musa: Shilingi elfu moja na mko wangapi?
Maria: Tuko watatu. Bei ni sawa?
Musa: Ndio, naja hivi sasa.
John: Listen to the conversation one time slowly.
Maria: Napiga simu kuagiza teksi.
Musa: Haya unataka kuchukuliwa wapi na saa ngapi?
Maria: Niko katika jiji la Nairobi, barabara ya harambee jumba la sheria gorofa la nne chumba cha A2.
Musa: Saa ngapi?
Maria: Saa moja kamili jioni.
Musa: Haya nitaharakisha kwa vile imebakisha dakika ishirini.
Maria: Utalipishaje hadi Riverside?
Musa: Shilingi elfu moja na mko wangapi?
Maria: Tuko watatu. Bei ni sawa?
Musa: Ndio, naja hivi sasa.
John: Listen to the conversation with the English translation.
Maria: I’m calling to ask for a taxi.
Musa: OK. Where do you want to be picked and at what time?
Maria: I am in Nairobi city, on Harambee street, Sheria house fourth floor room A2.
Musa: At what time?
Maria: 7 o'clock in the evening.
Musa: Okay. I will hurry because that’s only twenty minutes from now.
Maria: How much will you charge to go to Riverside?
Musa: One thousand shillings, and how many are there?
Maria: Three of us. Is the price the same?
Musa: Yes, I am coming right away.
POST CONVERSATION BANTER
John: So Maria was booking a taxi in the conversation this time. What is the Swahili for “to book an appointment?”
Medina: Kuitisha miadi.
John: I noticed that the price for the taxi was the same whether she was traveling on her own or with other people.
Medina: That’s right.
John: Is that typical?
Medina: Yeah, most taxis charge a single price, regardless of how many people there are.
John: So for cheaper rides, ride together?
Medina: Yes. Actually, taxis are pretty expensive in Kenya, so buses are far more common.
John: But is the service good?
Medina: Usually. In Kenya, companies that provide a service promise a fast service and reasonable prices.
John: If you want repeat business, that’s what you need.
Medina: Right.
John: Okay, now onto the vocab.
VOCAB LIST
John: Let’s take a look at the vocabulary from this lesson. The first word is...
Medina: teksi [natural native speed]
John: taxi
Medina: teksi[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Medina: teksi [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Medina: kuchukuliwa [natural native speed]
John: to be picked
Medina: kuchukuliwa[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Medina: kuchukuliwa [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Medina: simu [natural native speed]
John: phone
Medina: simu[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Medina: simu [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Medina: gorofa [natural native speed]
John: floor
Medina: gorofa[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Medina: gorofa [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Medina: chumba [natural native speed]
John: room
Medina: chumba[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Medina: chumba [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Medina: lipisha [natural native speed]
John: charge
Medina: lipisha[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Medina: lipisha [natural native speed]
John: Next we have...
Medina: saa [natural native speed]
John: time, o’clock
Medina: saa[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Medina: saa [natural native speed]
John: And last...
Medina: ngapi [natural native speed]
John: how much, how many
Medina: ngapi[slowly - broken down by syllable]
Medina: ngapi [natural native speed]
KEY VOCAB AND PHRASES
John: Let's have a closer look at the usage of some of the words and phrases from this lesson. The first phrase is...
Medina: piga simu
John: meaning "to make a call." Can you break this down for us?
Medina: Piga means "to make," while simu means "phone."
John: So literally “to make a phone.” But of course, this means “to make a phone call.”
Medina: This is mainly used informally, but can be used in formal situations too.
John: How do we say who called?
Medina: Sometimes classical nouns are added at the front, so alipiga means “he called.”
John: Can you give us an example using this phrase?
Medina: Sure. For example, you can say, Nitampigia simu yule mwanadada.
John: ...which means "I will call the lady."
John: Okay, what's the next word?
Medina: chukuliwa
John: meaning "to be picked." What can you tell us about this word?
Medina: This is the passive form of the verb -chukua, meaning "to take," or "to carry."
John: How is this used?
Medina: It’s used when someone is picked, usually to be taken somewhere.
John: Can it be used in both formal and informal situations?
Medina: Yes, it can.
John: Can you give us an example using this word?
Medina: Sure. For example, you can say, Mtoto yule amechukuliwa na mungu.
John: ...which means "That kid has been picked by God."
John: Okay, now onto the lesson focus.

Lesson focus

John: In this lesson, you'll learn about taking a taxi. So if we’re going to order a taxi, we need to tell the taxi where we are.
Medina: Right, that would be helpful!
John: How do we do that?
Medina: To say where you are, use words like wapi,
John: which means “where,”
Medina: and niko
John: which means “I am at.” Okay. Let’s see an example sentence.
Medina: Niko nyumbani kwa akina Ali
John: “I’m at Ali’s home.”
Medina: Niko katika kituo cha ndege.
John: “I’m at the airport.” We also need to discuss the price.
Medina: You can talk about the price using the word lipisha.
John: What does that mean?
Medina: It’s a verb that means “to charge.” We use it to ask “how much?”
John: What word can we use to say “up to” or “to go to,” such as “how much would it be to go to town?”
Medina: You can use mpaka.
John: Okay. So, let’s hear it all in a sentence.
Medina: Utalipisha pesa ngapi mpaka mjini?
John: “How much will you charge to go to town?”
Medina: Another useful phrase is bei ni sawa, “same price.” Bei ya kufika mjini ni sawa.
John: “The price to town is the same.” How do we say how many people will be riding in the taxi?
Medina: We need to use cardinal numbers in this case, as we are talking about quantity.
John: Okay. How do we say “Three of us, is the price the same?”
Medina: Tuko watatu, bei ni sawa?
John: Let’s finish the lesson with another couple of examples of cardinal numbers in action.
Medina: Yeye ni wa darasa la pili.
John: “He is in class two.”
Medina: Niko katika gari la nne.
John: "I am in the fourth car."

Outro

John: Okay, that’s all for this lesson. Thank you for listening everyone, and we’ll see you next time! Bye!
Medina: Tuonane!

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