Latest / Learn Swahili with Fexingo / Swahili at the Market - Buying Spices
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, welcome back to another episode of Learn Swahili with Fexingo. I'm Lucas, and with me is my favorite student, Luna. Luna: Hey, Lucas! After last episode's housework, I need a break. I'm ready for something new. What are we diving into today? Lucas: Today, we're heading to the market again, but this time, we're focusing on spices. Spices are a big part of cooking, and knowing how to buy them is super useful. Luna: Oh, I love spices! I just got into cooking, so this is perfect. What's the first phrase? Lucas: Let's start with asking the price of a spice. When you point at a packet of spice, you can ask: Unga huu ni gani? Luna: Unga huu ni gani? That's asking 'How much is this flour?' or something like that? Lucas: Exactly. Unga means flour, but it's often used for any powdered spice, like chili powder. So you point to the packet and ask: Unga huu ni gani? Luna: Unga huu ni gani? I like how it rolls off the tongue. But what if I want to buy a specific spice, like pepper? Lucas: Great question. To say 'I want pepper,' you say: Nataka pilipili. Luna: Nataka pilipili. So nataka means 'I want', and pilipili is pepper. That's easy! I remember from the soda episode, nataka soda. Lucas: Perfect connection, Luna. Now, let's say the pepper is too expensive. You can complain by saying: Pilipili ni ghali sana. That means 'The pepper is very expensive.' Luna: Pilipili ni ghali sana. I just learned ghali in the market episode, so this feels natural. Sana makes it 'very expensive.' That's a handy phrase. Lucas: Absolutely. And if you want to buy a small amount, you can say: Nipe unga kidogo. This means 'Give me a little flour.' Luna: Nipe unga kidogo. So nipe is 'give me', and kidogo means 'a little'. I remember kidogo from the grammar episodes. This is coming together. Lucas: You're doing brilliantly. One more phrase to round it out: asking the price of pepper specifically. You ask: Bei gani ya pilipili? Luna: Bei gani ya pilipili? That means 'What's the price of pepper?' So bei gani is 'what price', and ya pilipili is 'of pepper'. Lucas: Exactly. Let's put these into a mini scene. Imagine you're at the market. You point to the chili powder and ask: Unga huu ni gani? Luna: Unga huu ni gani? The seller says it's two hundred shillings. I respond: Nataka pilipili. But then I see the price is high, so I say: Pilipili ni ghali sana. Lucas: Then you decide to get a smaller amount and say: Nipe unga kidogo. Perfect. And if you want to compare, you can ask: Bei gani ya pilipili? Luna: This is so practical. I can already imagine using these at the market. Let's go through them once more. Lucas: Sure. Repeat after me: Unga huu ni gani? Luna: Unga huu ni gani?... Nataka pilipili.... Pilipili ni ghali sana.... Nipe unga kidogo.... Bei gani ya pilipili? Lucas: You nailed them all. One tip: unga can also mean flour in general, but at a spice stall, it often refers to ground spices. So it's versatile. Luna: That's good to know. I'll keep that in mind. Now, I have a feeling this episode is almost over, but before we go, I want to mention something. Lucas: Go ahead. Luna: A few listeners have asked how we keep this show going. Honestly, we don't run ads. It's all thanks to a handful of listeners who chip in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's what lets us make so many episodes. Lucas: Yeah, it's really humbling. If Fexingo has helped you make progress with Swahili, and you want to keep it ad-free, that's how. But no pressure. We love making these. Luna: Totally. Every little bit helps, but we're just happy you're learning with us. Now, back to spices – I'm hungry. Maybe I'll make a pilau with these spices. Lucas: That sounds delicious. Remember, practice these phrases: Unga huu ni gani? Nataka pilipili. Pilipili ni ghali sana. Nipe unga kidogo. Bei gani ya pilipili? Luna: I will. See you next time, everyone. Tuonane baadaye!