Latest / Learn Swahili with Fexingo / Swahili Apologies: Samahani & Pole
Transcript
- Lucas: Welcome back to Learn Swahili with Fexingo! I'm Lucas, and as always, Luna is here with me. Luna: Hey everyone! Last time we talked about the seasons – msimu wa joto, msimu wa baridi. I loved that. Lucas: Me too. Today we're looking at something you'll use all the time: how to say sorry or excuse me in Swahili. Luna: Oh, good. I bump into people a lot. I need that. Lucas: Exactly. So the first word is 'Samahani.' It means both 'excuse me' and 'sorry.' Listen: Samahani. Luna: Samahani. That's pretty straightforward. Lucas: Yeah. You can use it to get someone's attention, like 'Samahani, stesheni ya basi iko wapi?' Or to apologize if you step on someone's foot. Luna: Samahani, nilikukanyaga. I stepped on you. Lucas: Perfect. Now, there's another word for sorry – 'Pole.' This one is more for sympathy, like when someone tells you bad news. Luna: So if my friend says they lost their phone, I say 'Pole'? Lucas: Exactly. Pole. Listen: Pole. Luna: Pole. That's nice. It feels warm. Lucas: It does. And if you really want to apologize deeply, you can say 'Tafadhali nisamehe' – please forgive me. Luna: Tafadhali nisamehe. That's a bit longer. Let me try: Tafadhali nisamehe. Lucas: Great. You can use that when you've made a bigger mistake. Luna: Samahani, Pole, Tafadhali nisamehe. I think I've got them. But Lucas, when would I use 'Samahani' to say 'excuse me' like to pass through a crowd? Lucas: Good question. You'd say 'Samahani, naweza kupita?' – excuse me, can I pass? Let's break it: Samahani, naweza kupita? Luna: Samahani, naweza kupita? So 'kupita' is to pass. Lucas: Right. Try the whole thing. Luna: Samahani, naweza kupita? Lucas: Perfect. Now, let's imagine a little scene. You're at a crowded market, and you need to get past someone to buy some fruit. Luna: Okay, I'll say: Samahani, naweza kupita? Nataka kununua ndizi. Lucas: And the person moves aside and says 'Karibu' – you're welcome. Then you buy your bananas. Luna: And if I accidentally drop my bag of bananas, I'd say: Pole ndizi zangu? No, that's funny. Lucas: Actually, you could say 'Pole' to yourself, but usually we say 'Pole' to others. If you drop them, you might say 'Samahani' to the people around you. Luna: Right. Samahani. Got it. Lucas: You know, if these Swahili phrases are helping you, and if today's episode was worth a coffee to you, there's a link in the show notes: buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It keeps us ad-free and helps us make more episodes like this. Luna: Yeah, absolutely. We love doing this, and listener support makes it possible. Lucas: So back to our phrases. Let's do a quick review. First: Samahani. Luna: Samahani. Lucas: Pole. Luna: Pole. Lucas: Tafadhali nisamehe. Luna: Tafadhali nisamehe. Lucas: And Samahani, naweza kupita? Luna: Samahani, naweza kupita? Lucas: Excellent. Now, let's put them together in a short conversation. I'll be you at the market, and you be the vendor. Luna: Okay, I'm ready. Lucas: Samahani, naweza kupita? Luna: Karibu! Unataka nini? Lucas: Nataka ndizi. Lakini, ah, samahani, nilikukanyaga tena. Luna: Pole! Hakuna matata. Lucas: Tafadhali nisamehe. Luna: Ha, you're forgiven. This is fun. Lucas: So you see, 'Hakuna matata' means 'no problem.' That's a good one to pair with 'Pole' or 'Samahani.' Luna: Hakuna matata. I knew that from somewhere. Lucas: Probably. But today we focused on apologies. Let's quickly say them one more time: Samahani, Pole, Tafadhali nisamehe, Samahani naweza kupita. Luna: Samahani, Pole, Tafadhali nisamehe, Samahani naweza kupita. I love 'Pole' – it's so simple. Lucas: It is. Practice these, and you'll sound polite in Swahili. Thanks for joining us on Learn Swahili with Fexingo. We'll see you next time! Luna: Kwa herini! Samahani, that means goodbye. Bye everyone!