Latest / Learn Swahili with Fexingo / Swahili Prepositions Juu na Chini
Transcript
- Lucas: Hey Luna, welcome back to Learn Swahili with Fexingo. Ready for some more Swahili fun? Luna: Absolutely! I've been practicing the prepositions inside and outside from last time. Ndani na nje — I've got those down. Lucas: Perfect. Well today we're going to add two more location words: juu and chini. Luna: Juu and chini. Okay, what do they mean? Lucas: Juu means 'on top of' or 'above'. And chini means 'under' or 'below'. Let's start with juu. Repeat after me: juu. Luna: Juu. Lucas: Good. Now chini. Luna: Chini. Lucas: Great! So, imagine a book on a table. In Swahili: Kitabu kiko juu ya meza. Luna: Kitabu kiko juu ya meza. That's 'the book is on the table'? Lucas: Exactly. Kitabu is book, kiko is 'it is' for things, juu ya means 'on top of', meza is table. Say it again? Luna: Kitabu kiko juu ya meza. Lucas: Very nice! Now let's do the opposite: the book is under the table. Kitabu kiko chini ya meza. Luna: Kitabu kiko chini ya meza. Lucas: Yep. Now let's make it about a cat. Paka yuko chini ya kiti — the cat is under the chair. Luna: Paka yuko chini ya kiti. Why yuko instead of kiko? Lucas: Great question! For living things, we use yuko instead of kiko. So for animals and people, it's yuko. For objects, it's kiko. Luna: Ah, right. So the cat is on the chair would be Paka yuko juu ya kiti? Lucas: Exactly. You're catching on! Let's practice with another object. Pen on a book: Kalamu iko juu ya kitabu. Luna: Kalamu iko juu ya kitabu. But wait, you said iko? Lucas: Yes, iko is another form for 'it is' for things. Kiko and iko are interchangeable for objects. So you can say Kalamu iko juu ya kitabu or Kalamu kiko juu ya kitabu. Both work. Luna: Good to know. Okay, Kalamu iko juu ya kitabu. Now, cup under the table? Lucas: Kikombe kiko chini ya meza. Luna: Kikombe kiko chini ya meza. Lucas: Perfect. Now let's put it all together. I'll describe a scene. There's a cup on the table and a cat under the chair. In Swahili: Kikombe kiko juu ya meza, na paka yuko chini ya kiti. Luna: Kikombe kiko juu ya meza, na paka yuko chini ya kiti. Lucas: Excellent! That's a full sentence. You used na for 'and'. Luna: Yeah, I remember from earlier episodes. So today we have juu, chini, and the phrases juu ya and chini ya. Lucas: Right. And don't forget the verb forms: kiko/iko for objects, yuko for living things. Luna: Let me try one more. The pen is under the book. Kalamu iko chini ya kitabu. Lucas: Nailed it! I'm impressed. Luna: Aww, thanks. These prepositions are so useful when describing my messy desk. Lucas: For sure. One last thing: we often just say juu or chini alone when the context is clear. Like if someone asks Where's the cat? you can just say Chini — under. Luna: Chini. Got it. So practice time. I'll say something and you tell me if it's right. The book is on the table: Kitabu kiko juu ya meza. Lucas: Perfect. The cat is under the chair: Paka yuko chini ya kiti. Luna: Paka yuko chini ya kiti. Lucas: Yes. Now how about: the pen is on the book? Luna: Kalamu iko juu ya kitabu. Lucas: Yes! And the cup is under the table? Luna: Kikombe kiko chini ya meza. Lucas: You did it. Let's do a quick recap. Today we learned juu and chini. We also learned to combine them with ya to say 'on top of' and 'under'. And we used kiko/iko for objects and yuko for living things. Luna: Juu na chini. Two simple words that make a big difference. Lucas: Exactly. Keep practicing and soon you'll be describing everything around you in Swahili. Luna: Thanks Lucas! This was fun. See you next time on Learn Swahili with Fexingo! Lucas: See you then! Practice these phrases until we meet again. Kwaheri!