Dialogue

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Vocabulary

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Lesson Notes

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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Now it’s time for some useful Survival Phrases for when you go shopping in Kenyan stores.
BODY
You should remember that kunradhi or samahani, both meaning “Excuse me,” will be the first thing to say to a shop clerk. After that, you should say, “How much is this?” In Swahili, that’s
Hili ni pesa ngapi?
Let’s break it down:
(slow) Hi - li ni pe - sa nga - pi?
Once more:
Hili ni pesa ngapi?
hili, as we’ve seen before, means “this.”
ni means “is.”
The next word, pesa, means “money.”
pesa
(slow) pesa
pesa
And the last word, ngapi, is a question that means “how much?
ngapi
(slow) ngapi
ngapi
So Pesa ngapi, therefore, will mean, “how much money?”
(slow) Pe - sa nga - pi?
pesa ngapi?
The whole question is
Hili ni pesa ngapi?
(slow) Hili ni pesa ngapi?
Hili ni pesa ngapi?
Imagine that you’ve found a clothing stand in a local market and want to buy a coat. After saying kunradhi or samahani to get the stallkeeper’s attention, you can ask “How much is this coat?”
Hili koti ni pesa ngapi?
Let’s break it down:
(slow) Hi - li ko - ti ni pe - sa nga - pi?
And again at natural speed:
Hili koti ni pesa ngapi?
first comes hili,“this”.
After this comes the word koti meaning “coat.”
(slow) koti
koti
We already know pesa ngapi? (“How much?”).
The whole question is
(slow) Hili koti ni pesa ngapi?
Hili koti ni pesa ngapi?
The last construction of this lesson is another common way to ask a price in Swahili:
Ni ngapi?
Let’s break it down:
(slow) Ni nga - pi?
Once more:
Ni ngapi?
Ni ngapi? means “how much.”
(slow) Ni nga - pi?
Ni nga - pi?
So if you are talking about the coat and you would like to know its price, just say ni ngapi? to ask “How much?”.
Review
“How much is this?”
(3 sec)Hili ni pesa ngapi?
(slow) Hi - li ni pe - sa nga - pi?
Hili ni pesa ngapi?
“How much is this coat?”
(3 sec) Hili koti ni pesa ngapi?
(slow) Hi - li ko - ti ni pe - sa nga - pi?
Hili koti ni pesa ngapi?
“How much?”
(3 sec )Ni ngapi?
(slow) Ni nga - pi?
Ni ngapi?
Quick tip 1
Let’s have a look at some possible purchases that might interest you and how to say them in Swahili:
surupwenye “trousers”
viatu “shoes”
blauzi “blouse”
mzingo “bag”
sketi “skirt”
Now get out there and enjoy your shopping!
Quick tip 2
Paying by cash is the most popular way of paying for goods. However, a few supermarkets and shopping malls accept credit cards, usually starting from a very small amount. Kenyans use the Kenya shillings for most of their transactions. Dollars are sometimes accepted, but it is advisable that you have the local currency with you. You can go to the Bank or forex bureau to change money.

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