Latest / Learn Swahili with Fexingo / Swahili Time - Telling the Hour
Transcript
- Lucas: Welcome back to Learn Swahili with Fexingo. I'm Lucas. Luna: And I'm Luna. Lucas, can you believe this is episode 100? Lucas: I know, it's amazing. Thanks to everyone who's been learning with us. If Fexingo has been helping you make progress in Swahili, we'd love your support to keep this ad-free. You can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, that's a great way to keep the show going. Now, let's dive into today's topic. Lucas: Today we're learning how to tell time in Swahili. It's super useful. Luna: Oh, I've been wanting this. I always get confused when someone asks me the time. Lucas: Well, let's start with the question. To ask 'what time is it?', you say 'saa ngapi?'. Luna: Saa ngapi? Lucas: Perfect. 'Saa' means hour or time, and 'ngapi' means how many. So literally 'how many hours?'. Luna: That makes sense. Saa ngapi? Lucas: Now, to answer. In Swahili, we count hours from 1 to 12, but starting at 7 AM. So 7 AM is 'saa moja' — hour one. Luna: Wait, so 7 AM is hour one? That's different. Lucas: Right. So 8 AM is 'saa mbili', 9 AM is 'saa tatu', and so on. Luna: So 9 AM is 'saa tatu'? Lucas: Exactly. Let's practice. What's 3 PM? Remember, we start counting from 7 AM, so 3 PM is 8 hours after 7 AM. That's 'saa nane'. Luna: Saa nane. And 6 PM? That would be 11 hours after 7 AM, so 'saa kumi na moja'? Lucas: You got it. But let's focus on the most common times first. For example, 'saa tatu asubuhi' is 9 AM. Luna: Saa tatu asubuhi. Lucas: And 'saa sita jioni' is 12 PM noon, or actually 12 noon is 'saa sita mchana'. But 'saa sita jioni' is 6 PM. Luna: Okay, so 'saa sita' can be 12 noon or 6 PM, depending on the part of day? Lucas: Right. You add 'asubuhi' for morning, 'mchana' for afternoon, 'jioni' for evening. So 'saa sita asubuhi' is 6 AM, 'saa sita mchana' is 12 noon, 'saa sita jioni' is 6 PM. Luna: Got it. What about half past? Like half past 9? Lucas: For half past, we say 'na nusu'. So 9:30 AM is 'saa tatu na nusu asubuhi'. Luna: Saa tatu na nusu asubuhi. That's a mouthful, but I like it. Lucas: Let's do a quick scene. Imagine you're at a market and you ask someone the time. Luna: Saa ngapi? Lucas: They answer: 'Saa tatu na nusu asubuhi.' What time is it? Luna: That's 9:30 AM. Lucas: Perfect. Now let's practice a few more. What is 3 PM? Luna: Saa nane mchana. Lucas: Excellent. And 7 PM? Luna: Saa moja jioni? Wait, 7 PM is hour one of the evening cycle, so 'saa moja jioni'. Lucas: You're catching on fast. Let's review the phrases we've learned. First, to ask the time: 'saa ngapi?'. Luna: Saa ngapi? Lucas: To say 9 AM: 'saa tatu asubuhi'. Luna: Saa tatu asubuhi. Lucas: To say 6 PM: 'saa sita jioni'. Luna: Saa sita jioni. Lucas: And half past 9 AM: 'saa tatu na nusu asubuhi'. Luna: Saa tatu na nusu asubuhi. Lucas: Great job. Now let's put it all together. I'll ask you the time, and you answer. Luna: Okay, hit me. Lucas: Saa ngapi? Luna: Saa sita na nusu jioni. Lucas: That's 6:30 PM. Perfect. Luna: This is really useful. I can already imagine asking for the time at a café. Lucas: Exactly. Practice these phrases throughout the day. Say the time in Swahili whenever you check your watch. Luna: I will. Thanks, Lucas. That was a great episode for number 100. Lucas: Thanks for learning with us. Remember, if you want to support the show, check out buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. And join us next time for more Swahili. Luna: Kwaheri!