Latest / Learn Swahili with Fexingo / Swahili at the Market – Buying Clothes
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, welcome back! Ready for another episode of Learn Swahili with Fexingo? Luna: Absolutely! I've been practicing my market bargaining from last time. Lucas: Nice. Today we're going to the market to buy clothes. Luna: Ooh, I need some new shirts. Let's do it. Lucas: Alright. First phrase: 'Nataka shati.' That means 'I want a shirt.' Say it with me: Nataka shati. Luna: Nataka shati. Lucas: Good. You can replace 'shati' with other clothes. 'Nataka suruali' for trousers. Luna: Nataka suruali. Got it. Lucas: Now, to ask the price: 'Bei gani?' 'Bei' means price, 'gani' means what. Listen: Bei gani? Luna: Bei gani? Lucas: Perfect. So if you see a shirt you like, you say 'Nataka shati. Bei gani?' Luna: Nataka shati. Bei gani? Lucas: Exactly. Now, the seller might ask your size: 'Nina ukubwa gani?' Means 'What size do I have?' but it's used like 'What size are you?' Repeat: Nina ukubwa gani? Luna: Nina ukubwa gani? Lucas: And you answer with your size. 'Nina ukubwa wa...' and then the size. For example, 'Nina ukubwa wa L.' Say it: Nina ukubwa wa L. Luna: Nina ukubwa wa L. Lucas: Great. Now, bargaining. If the price is too high, you can say 'Natua bei.' Means 'I reduce the price' or 'lower the price.' It's like asking for a discount. Listen: Natua bei. Luna: Natua bei. Lucas: And when you agree on a price, you say 'Nakubali' — 'I agree.' That's your final word. Say it: Nakubali. Luna: Nakubali. Lucas: Let's put it together in a scene. You walk up to a stall, see a shirt. You say 'Nataka shati.' The seller says 'Bei gani?' Wait no, you ask the price. So you say 'Bei gani?' Seller says 'Elfu kumi.' That's ten thousand. You think it's too much, so you say 'Natua bei.' Seller says 'Elfu nane.' You like that, so you say 'Nakubali.' Then you pay and say 'Asante.' Luna: So: Nataka shati. Bei gani? Natua bei. Nakubali. Asante. Lucas: You got it. Let's try a full dialogue. I'll be the seller. Luna: Okay. Nataka shati. Lucas: Bei gani? Luna: No no, I ask the price. You say the price. Lucas: Oh right, sorry. Let me start over. You say 'Nataka shati.' I say 'Bei gani?' as the seller asking what price? No, actually the seller would say 'Shati zuri, nataka shilingi elfu kumi.' But for practice, you ask 'Bei gani?' So go ahead. Luna: Nataka shati. Bei gani? Lucas: Elfu kumi. Luna: Natua bei. Lucas: Elfu nane. Luna: Nakubali. Lucas: Asante! Perfect. You just bought a shirt. Luna: That was fun. I love that 'Nakubali' seals the deal. Lucas: It's a powerful word. Now, quick recap: 'Nataka shati' for wanting an item, 'Bei gani?' for price, 'Nina ukubwa gani?' for size, 'Natua bei' for bargaining, and 'Nakubali' to agree. Luna: And don't forget 'Asante'. Lucas: Right. By the way, you know what's nice? Fexingo keeps these lessons totally ad-free. If that's been helpful to you, and you want to support that idea, you can at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, it's a simple way to keep the show going without any annoying interruptions. Lucas: Exactly. But back to clothes — you could also say 'Nataka gauni' for a dress, or 'Nataka kofia' for a hat. Luna: Nataka gauni. Nataka kofia. Got it. Lucas: Awesome. So next time you're at a market in Tanzania or Kenya, you're ready to shop for clothes. Luna: I feel so prepared. Thanks, Lucas! Lucas: You're welcome. Keep practicing, and we'll see you next time on Learn Swahili with Fexingo.