Latest / Learn Swahili with Fexingo / Swahili Time Words - Saa Ngapi
Transcript
- Lucas: Welcome back to Learn Swahili with Fexingo! I'm Lucas. Luna: And I'm Luna. Episode 27, can you believe it? Luna: Ohh, telling time. That's useful. So how do you say 'what time is it?' Lucas: Great question. The phrase is 'Saa ngapi?' Literally, 'hour how many?' Luna: Saa ngapi? Saa ngapi? Lucas: Perfect. Saa means hour or time, and ngapi means how many. So Saa ngapi? Let's say it together: Saa ngapi? Luna: Saa ngapi? Lucas: Exactly. Now, to answer, you say 'Saa' and then the number. But here's a twist: in Swahili, they count hours starting from 7 AM. So 7 AM is saa moja asubuhi, 8 AM is saa mbili asubuhi, all the way to 6 PM is saa kumi na mbili jioni. Luna: Wait, so 7 AM is hour one? That's wild. Lucas: Yeah, it takes some getting used to. But let's start simple. For example, 3 PM is 'saa tatu mchana' because 3 PM is hour three in Swahili time. Luna: Okay, so 3 PM is saa tatu mchana. Saa tatu. Lucas: Yes! And 12 noon is 'saa sita mchana' because noon is hour six in Swahili. Luna: So noon is hour six? Saa sita mchana. Lucas: That's right. And midnight is 'saa kumi na mbili usiku' – hour twelve at night. Luna: Saa kumi na mbili usiku. That's a mouthful. Lucas: You'll get it. Let's practice a little. If I ask 'Saa ngapi?' and it's 3 PM, what do you say? Luna: Umm... Saa tatu mchana? Lucas: Exactly! You nailed it. Luna: Okay, now ask me for noon. Lucas: Saa ngapi? Luna: Saa sita mchana. Lucas: Perfect. And midnight? Luna: Saa kumi na mbili usiku. Lucas: Excellent. Now let's try a mini conversation. Imagine we're meeting for lunch at noon. I say: 'Tukutane saa sita mchana.' Luna: Tukutane saa sita mchana. That means 'Let's meet at noon,' right? Lucas: Exactly. And you can reply: 'Sawa, saa sita mchana.' Luna: Sawa, saa sita mchana. Sounds good. Lucas: Now, I have a question for you. What time is it right now? Luna: Umm... I think it's around 3 PM, so... Saa tatu mchana? Lucas: Yes! That's it. You're getting the hang of it. Luna: This is fun. But I need to remember that 7 AM is hour one. Lucas: A good trick: just subtract 6 from the standard time. So 7 AM minus 6 is 1, and 8 AM minus 6 is 2, and so on. Luna: Oh, that helps. So 3 PM minus 6 is 9? Wait, that's not right. Lucas: For PM times it's a bit different. Actually, from 7 AM to 6 PM, the Swahili hour is standard hour minus 6. So 3 PM is 15 minus 12 is 3, then minus 6? No, let's keep it simple. Just remember: 7 AM is hour one, 8 AM is hour two, up to 6 PM is hour twelve. Luna: Okay, I'll practice. So 1 PM is hour seven? Because 1 PM is 13:00, and 13 minus 6 is 7. Lucas: Exactly! So 1 PM is 'saa saba mchana'. Luna: Saa saba mchana. Got it. Lucas: Let's do a quick review of today's phrases. First, to ask the time: Saa ngapi? Luna: Saa ngapi? Lucas: To say 3 PM: Saa tatu mchana. Luna: Saa tatu mchana. Lucas: Noon: Saa sita mchana. Luna: Saa sita mchana. Lucas: And midnight: Saa kumi na mbili usiku. Luna: Saa kumi na mbili usiku. Lucas: Awesome. Now, one more thing. In Swahili, they often use 'saa' with 'kamili' for exactly on the hour. Like 'saa tatu kamili' means exactly 3 PM. Luna: Saa tatu kamili. I like that. Lucas: Great. So next time you're planning a meet-up, you can ask 'Saa ngapi?' and answer with the time. Luna: I'll be ready. Thanks, Lucas. And thanks to Fexingo for this lesson. Lucas: Yes, thanks for listening! Keep practicing, and we'll see you next time on Learn Swahili with Fexingo. Luna: Kwaheri! Lucas: Kwaheri!