Latest / Learn Swahili with Fexingo / Asking What Someone Wants in Swahili
Transcript
- Lucas: Hello again, Luna. Ready for another little Swahili adventure? Luna: I am so ready. I've been practicing the bank phrases from last time, and I think I can actually say 'Benki iko wapi?' without freezing. Lucas: That's great. You're building real confidence. And speaking of support, a quick honest thing—some listeners chip in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, and that's what keeps this show ad-free and going. Luna: Yeah, it's a small group, but it makes a big difference. We appreciate every one of them. Lucas: Absolutely. Now, today we're going to ask a super useful question: 'What do you want?' In Swahili, that's 'Unataka nini?' Luna: Unataka nini? That sounds like 'you want what?' Lucas: Exactly. 'Unataka' means 'you want', and 'nini' means 'what'. So you're literally asking 'you want what?' Let's try it slowly. Unataka nini? Luna: Unataka nini? Lucas: Perfect. Now, how would you answer? If you want water, you say 'Nataka maji.' Luna: Nataka maji. So 'Nataka' is 'I want', and 'maji' is water. Lucas: You got it. Let's practice a little scene. I'll ask you, 'Unataka nini?' and you answer with 'Nataka maji.' Luna: Okay. Unataka nini? Oh, wait, that's your line. Let me switch. You ask me. Lucas: Unataka nini? Luna: Nataka maji. Lucas: Nice. Now let's add a choice. You can ask 'Unataka chai au kahawa?' which means 'Do you want tea or coffee?' Luna: Unataka chai au kahawa? So 'au' is 'or'. Lucas: Yes. 'Chai' is tea, 'kahawa' is coffee. So if someone asks you that, you can answer 'Nataka kahawa.' Luna: Nataka kahawa. That's easy because we learned 'kahawa' before. Lucas: Right. Let's do another mini conversation. I'll ask, 'Unataka chai au kahawa?' and you answer. Luna: Okay. Unataka chai au kahawa? Lucas: No, you're the one answering. I'll ask. Luna: Oh, right. Go ahead. Lucas: Unataka chai au kahawa? Luna: Nataka kahawa. Lucas: Perfect. And then you can say 'Asante sana' to be polite. Luna: Asante sana. That's 'thank you very much', right? Lucas: Yes. So let's put it all together. Imagine you're at a café, and the waiter asks you, 'Unataka nini?' What do you say? Luna: Nataka kahawa. Asante sana. Lucas: Beautiful. You just ordered coffee politely. Let's do one more rep. Unataka nini? Luna: Nataka maji. Lucas: And if someone asks you 'Unataka chai au kahawa?' Luna: Nataka chai. Lucas: Even better. You're mixing it up. So now you know how to ask what someone wants and answer for yourself. That's powerful. Luna: It really is. I can already imagine using this at a restaurant or with friends. Lucas: And that's the beauty of these small phrases. They open so many doors. Let's do a final callback: 'Unataka nini?' Luna: Nataka maji, tafadhali. Lucas: Oh, you added 'tafadhali'. That's 'please'. Great touch. Luna: I remembered from earlier. It just feels right. Lucas: Exactly. And with that, we're wrapping up this episode. Practice asking and answering, and you'll be ready for any conversation. Luna: Thanks for learning with us. See you next time. Lucas: Kwaheri, everyone!