Learn the question Whose is this? in Swahili and how to answer it
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| Eric: Top 25 Swahili Questions You Need to Know - Lesson 23 “Whose is this?” in Swahili |
| (In each lesson of this 25 part series, you'll encounter a common question for Swahili learners, and then learn how to answer like a native. You'll learn how these key phrases work by breaking them down into each component. Then, through repetition and new vocabulary, you'll expand your understanding of the question, its answers, and any variations.) |
| In this lesson, you'll learn how to respond to the common question “Whose is this?” In Swahili this is |
| Medina: Hii ni ya nani? |
| Eric: The first word in the question is |
| Medina: Hii |
| Eric: meaning “this” in English. |
| Medina: (Slow, by syllable) hii |
| Eric: Listen again and repeat. |
| Medina: hii |
| {Pause} |
| Eric: This pattern of first introducing a word at natural speed, providing the translation, breaking it down, and then giving it again at natural speed will be repeated throughout the series. Try to speak aloud as often as possible. The next word in the question is |
| Medina: ni |
| Eric: meaning “is.” |
| Medina: (Slow, by syllable) ni |
| Eric: Now repeat. |
| Medina: ni |
| {Pause} |
| Eric: Listen to the first two words of the question and repeat. |
| Medina: hii ni |
| {pause} |
| Eric: And after that is |
| Medina: ya nani |
| Eric: meaning “whose” |
| Medina: (Slow, by syllable) ya nani |
| Eric: Now repeat. |
| Medina: ya nani |
| {Pause} |
| Eric: Listen to the entire question and repeat. |
| Medina: hii ni ya nani |
| {pause} |
| Eric: (You will hear this common question again and again throughout your studies.) Master the following pattern and responses to the question “Whose is this?” |
| Medina: Ni yangu. |
| Eric: "It's mine.” Listen as it’s repeated again, slowly. Repeat the phrase. |
| Medina: (Slow) Ni yangu. |
| {pause} |
| Eric: Let's break it down from the beginning. The first word is |
| Medina: Ni |
| Eric: meaning “is” |
| Medina: (Slow, by syllable) ni |
| Eric: Now repeat. |
| Medina: ni |
| {Pause} |
| Eric: And next is |
| Medina: yangu |
| Eric: meaning “my, mine” |
| Medina: (Slow, by syllable) yangu |
| Eric: Now repeat. |
| Medina: yangu |
| {Pause}Eric: Listen to the speaker say “It's mine” and then repeat. |
| Medina: Ni yangu. |
| {pause}Eric: To expand on the pattern, replace “mine” with “yours.” |
| Medina: yako |
| Eric: “yours” |
| Medina: (slow) yako (regular) yako |
| Eric: Listen to the phrase again, this time with “yours.” |
| Medina: Ni yako. |
| Eric: It mostly stays the same, simply replace “mine” with “yours.” Now say “It's yours.” |
| {pause} |
| Medina: Ni yako. |
| Eric: For more practice, replace “yours” with “my mother's.” |
| Medina: mama yangu |
| Eric: “my mother's” |
| Medina: (slow) mama yangu (regular) mama yangu |
| Eric: Listen to the phrase again, this time with “my mother's.” |
| Medina: Ni ya mama yangu. |
| Eric: It’s almost the same, just replace “yours” with “my mother’s.” Now say “It's my mother's.” |
| {pause} |
| Medina: Ni ya mama yangu. |
| Eric: Now let’s replace “my mother's” with “my friend's.” |
| Medina: rafiki yangu |
| Eric: “my friend's” |
| Medina: (slow) rafiki yangu (regular) rafiki yangu |
| Eric: Listen to the phrase again, this time with “my friend's.” |
| Medina: Ni ya rafiki yangu. |
| Eric: Here we just replace “my mother's” with “my friend’s.” Now Say “It's my friend's.” |
| {pause} |
| Medina: Ni ya rafiki yangu. |
| Eric: Now it's time for a quiz. Imagine you’re visiting Kenya, and someone asks you who something belongs to. You want to say it belongs to you. Respond to the question. |
| Medina: Hii ni ya nani? (five seconds) Ni yangu. |
| Eric: Now, you want to say it belongs to the person asking. Respond to the question. |
| Medina: Hii ni ya nani? (five seconds) Ni yako. |
| Eric: Now, you want to say “It's my mother's.” Answer the speaker's question. |
| Medina: Hii ni ya nani? (five seconds) Ni ya mama yangu. |
| Eric: Now, you want to say “It's my friend’s.” Respond to the question. |
| Medina: Hii ni ya nani? (five seconds) Ni ya rafiki yangu. |
| Eric: Imagine that you find something, and you want to know who it belongs to. Ask the question. |
| (5 seconds) |
| Medina: Hii ni ya nani? |
| {pause} |
| Eric: This is the end of Lesson 23. |
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