Learn how to attract the attention of a waiter and place an order
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| INTRODUCTION |
| Finally, you’ve got a seat at a table. Now it’s time to order! |
| In this lesson, we'll cover how to ask for a menu and then order your food and drinks. |
| BODY |
| Normally you have to catch the waiter’s attention, perhaps by raising your right hand a bit. Then you’ll ask for a menu: |
| Samahani, waweza kunipa menyu? |
| Let’s break it down: |
| (slow) Sa - ma - ha - ni, wa - we - za ku - ni - pa me - nyu? |
| Once more: |
| Samahani, waweza kunipa menyu? |
| I’m sure you remember that samahani means “please.” |
| (slow) Sa - ma - ha - ni, |
| Samahani, |
| waweza means “could you”. |
| (slow) wa - we - za |
| waweza |
| Next is kunipa, which means “give me.” |
| Unsurprisingly menyu is derived from the English word “Menu”. |
| (slow) me - nyu |
| menyu |
| Here’s the whole question again: |
| Samahani, waweza kunipa menyu? |
| ・ |
| Because Swahili meals are so unique and diverse, you might have a hard time choosing something from the menu. Some restaurants offer one main dish and small side dishes, while others offer many small dishes. |
| On the menu you’ll generally find kianzio “starters,” - a large variety of dishes), supu na kachumbari -“soups and salads”, and after your main courses, you’ll see kiburudiashaji - “desserts”, and vinywaji - “drinks”. |
| In 99% of cases, the waiter or waitress will begin by asking what you’d like to drink: |
| Ungelipenda kunywa nini? |
| Let’s break it down: |
| (slow) U - nge - li - pe - nda ku - nywa ni - ni? |
| Once more: |
| Ungelipenda kunywa nini? |
| Ungelipenda means “would you like.” |
| (slow) U - nge - li - pe - nda |
| U- nge - li - pe - nda |
| kunywa, you may recall, means “drink.” |
| (slow) ku -nywa |
| kunywa |
| Nini means “what.” |
| (slow) ni - ni |
| ni - ni |
| Again, the whole question is |
| Ungelipenda kunywa nini? |
| Now let’s look at some typical beverages Kenyans might have with dinner: |
| mvinyo mweupe (“white wine”) |
| (slow) m - vi - nyo mwe - u - pe |
| mvinyo mweupe |
| mvinyo mwekundu (“red wine”) |
| (slow) m - vi - nyo mwe - ku - ndu. |
| mvinyo mwekundu |
| pombe (“beer”) |
| (slow) po - mbe |
| po - mbe |
| kola (“cola”) |
| (slow) ko - la |
| kola |
| maji “water” |
| (slow) ma - ji |
| maji |
| ・ |
| Once you have looked at the menu, you can finally call the waiter for the order. |
| When you order in Swahili, you can just say the name of the dish you want and add tafadhali, which means “please.” If you want to order more than one item, you can connect them with na, which means “and.” |
| ・ |
| Now let’s look at some good dishes you can find on a typical Kenyan menu. These are relatively common, and you won’t want to miss them on your journey in Kenya. |
| Ugali nyama (“maize meal bread served with meat”) |
| (slow) u - ga - li nya - ma |
| Ugali nyama |
| In most cases Ungali nyama is served with |
| Sukumawiki (“fried sliced kale”) |
| (slow) Su - ku - ma - wi - ki |
| Sukumawiki |
| So if you want to order Ugali nyama and cold water, you should say to the waiter |
| Ningelipenda ungali nyama na maji baridi. |
| Baridi means “cold.” |
| Together the whole sentence will be; |
| (slow) Ni- nge - li - pe - nda u - nga - li nya - ma na ma - ji ba - ri - di. |
| Ningelipenda ungali nyama na maji baridi. |
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