Latest / Learn Swahili with Fexingo / Swahili at the Library - Borrowing a Book
Transcript
- Lucas: Welcome back to Learn Swahili with Fexingo. I am Lucas. Luna: And I am Luna. Hi everyone. It is so good to be back with you. Lucas: Today we are going somewhere quiet. Somewhere with lots of paper and silence. Luna: A library? Oh, I love libraries. The smell of old books is the best. Lucas: Yes. A library. In Swahili, it is "maktaba". But today we focus on what you do there. Luna: Right. We want to borrow a book. How do I say that simply? Lucas: Let's start with the most important phrase. "Ninataka kukopa kitabu." Luna: Okay. Ninataka kukopa kitabu. Lucas: Perfect. Listen closely. Ninataka kukopa kitabu. Luna: Ninataka kukopa kitabu. Lucas: That means "I want to borrow a book." Ninataka is "I want". Kukopa is "to borrow". Kitabu is "book". Luna: Got it. Ninataka kukopa kitabu. It feels polite but direct. Lucas: Exactly. It is clear. Let's try it one more time together. Ninataka kukopa kitabu. Luna: Ninataka kukopa kitabu. Lucas: Great. Now, imagine you are at the counter. You hand over your library card. The librarian asks when you need to return it. Luna: Oh no. What if I don't know the answer? How do I ask when to return it? Lucas: Good question. You can ask: "Kipindi gani cha kurudisha?" Luna: Kipindi gani cha kurudisha? Lucas: Very good. Listen again. Kipindi gani cha kurudisha? Luna: Kipindi gani cha kurudisha? Lucas: This means "What is the period for returning?" or simply "When do I return it?" Kipindi is the time or period. Kurudisha is to return. Luna: So, Kipindi gani cha kurudisha? I will remember that. Lucas: Let's practice the full flow. You say you want to borrow a book. Then you ask when to return it. Luna: Ninataka kukopa kitabu. Kipindi gani cha kurudisha? Lucas: Beautiful. That sounds like a real customer. Now, what if you don't know which book to pick? Luna: Oh, this happens to me all the time. I just stare at the shelves. Lucas: Then you ask for help. Say: "Unaweza kunisaidia kupata kitabu?" Luna: Unaweza kunisaidia kupata kitabu? Lucas: Excellent pronunciation. Unaweza means "Can you". Kunisaidia is "help me". Kupata is "to get" or "to find". Kitabu is "a book". Luna: So it translates to "Can you help me find a book?" Perfect. Lucas: Yes. Let's repeat it slowly. Unaweza kunisaidia kupata kitabu? Luna: Unaweza kunisaidia kupata kitabu? Lucas: One more time. Unaweza kunisaidia kupata kitabu? Luna: Unaweza kunisaidia kupata kitabu? Lucas: You are doing amazing. Finally, there is one small rule in libraries. Silence. If someone talks too loud, how do you tell them to be quiet? Luna: Oh, right. We must respect the quiet. Is there a specific phrase? Lucas: Yes. "Tafadhali sita ni mimi." Luna: Tafadhali sita ni mimi? Lucas: Listen carefully. Tafadhali sita ni mimi. Luna: Tafadhali sita ni mimi. Lucas: This means "Please be silent, it is me." Or more naturally, "Please, it's me." Tafadhali is please. Sita is silence or quiet. Ni mimi is it is me. Luna: It is funny. Usually I am the noisy one. But in a library, I must be quiet. Lucas: Exactly. So you whisper it. Tafadhali sita ni mimi. Luna: Tafadhali sita ni mimi. Okay, I promise to keep my voice down. Lucas: Good. Let's review our four phrases for the library. Luna: First: Ninataka kukopa kitabu. Lucas: Second: Kipindi gani cha kurudisha? Luna: Third: Unaweza kunisaidia kupata kitabu? Lucas: And fourth: Tafadhali sita ni mimi. Luna: Those are very useful. I feel ready to go to any maktaba now. Lucas: Before we go, I have a quick request from us here at Fexingo. Luna: Yeah, we rely on listeners like you to keep these episodes free and ad-free. Lucas: If this show has helped you make progress, even a little bit, consider supporting us. Luna: Just a few dollars a month makes a real difference. You can visit buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: It keeps the mic running and the scripts fresh. Thank you for listening. Luna: Now, let's go practice those phrases. Ninataka kukopa kitabu! Lucas: Yes. Kipindi gani cha kurudisha? See you next time.