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Chapter 9 of 9

Putting It All Together: Real-Life Conversation Practice

Review and integrate all course content through short, realistic dialogues that combine greetings, small talk, shopping, and getting around.

15 min readen

New Words and Phrases (in English)

In this final module, you will learn useful "repair" and conversation-management phrases in Swahili. These help you ask someone to repeat, slow down, or clarify what they said, and let you keep a simple conversation going even when you miss words.

WordPronunciationTranslationExample
Samahani, unaweza kurudia?sa-ma-HA-ni, oo-na-WE-za koo-ROO-DEE-ya?Excuse me, can you repeat?Samahani, unaweza kurudia sentensi ya mwisho?(Excuse me, can you repeat the last sentence?)
Tafadhali, ongea polepole.ta-fa-DHA-li, on-GE-a po-le-PO-le.Please, speak slowly.Sielewi vizuri, tafadhali, ongea polepole.(I don’t understand well, please speak slowly.)
Hiyo inamaanisha nini?HEE-yo ee-na-ma-a-NI-sha NEE-nee?What does that mean?Umesema ‘foleni’ – hiyo inamaanisha nini?(You said 'foleni' – what does that mean?)
Pole, sijakusikia vizuri.PO-le, see-ja-koo-ski-YA vee-ZU-ri.Sorry, I didn’t hear you well.Pole, sijakusikia vizuri, unaweza kurudia?(Sorry, I didn’t hear you well, can you repeat?)
Unaweza kunisaidia?oo-na-WE-za koo-nee-sa-ee-DEE-ya?Can you help me?Samahani, unaweza kunisaidia kupata kituo cha basi?(Excuse me, can you help me find the bus station?)
Subiri kidogo, tafadhali.soo-BEE-ree kee-DO-go, ta-fa-DHA-li.Wait a moment, please.Subiri kidogo, tafadhali, natafuta pesa.(Wait a moment, please, I’m looking for the money.)
Nimekuelewa.nee-meh-koo-e-LE-wa.I understood you. / I got it.Asante, sasa nimekuelewa.(Thank you, now I understood you.)
Kidogo tu.kee-DO-go too.Just a little (bit).Naongea Kiswahili kidogo tu.(I speak Swahili just a little bit.)

Language Pattern (in English)

1. Softening with polite words: samahani and tafadhali

In Swahili, you often add polite words at the beginning of a request:

  • Samahani (sa-ma-HA-ni) – “excuse me / sorry”
  • Tafadhali (ta-fa-DHA-li) – “please”

You can use them together or separately:

  • Samahani, unaweza kurudia?

"Excuse me, can you repeat?"

  • Tafadhali, ongea polepole.

"Please, speak slowly."

  • Samahani, tafadhali, ongea polepole.

"Excuse me, please speak slowly."

The word order is flexible, but these polite words usually come at the start of a sentence.

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2. Using unaweza + verb to say “can you …?”

Unaweza comes from the verb -weza (to be able). You can use it to ask someone if they can do something.

Pattern:

Unaweza + verb in infinitive (ku- …) + ?

Examples from this module:

  • Unaweza kurudia?

"Can you repeat?"

  • Unaweza kunisaidia?

"Can you help me?"

Here kuni- means "to me / for me" attached to the verb -saidia (to help).

You can expand this pattern with other verbs you know:

  • Unaweza kuonyesha?

"Can you show (me)?"

  • Unaweza kuandika?

"Can you write (it)?"

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3. Asking for meaning: Hiyo inamaanisha nini?

To ask what something means, you can use:

  • Hiyo inamaanisha nini?

"What does that mean?" (literally: "That means what?")

You can be more specific by adding the word you didn’t understand:

  • Neno ‘foleni’ inamaanisha nini?

"What does the word 'foleni' mean?"

  • Umesema nini?

"What did you say?" (from previous modules) – also useful as a repair question.

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4. Expressing partial understanding

Use these short phrases to show how much you understood:

  • Nimekuelewa.

"I understood you / I got it."

  • Sijaelewa.

"I didn’t understand."

  • Kidogo tu.

"Just a little bit."

You can combine them with other phrases you know:

  • Naongea Kiswahili kidogo tu.

"I speak Swahili just a little bit."

  • Sijaelewa, unaweza kurudia?

"I didn’t understand, can you repeat?"

Practice Dialogue (in English)

In this scenario, you are a visitor in a new town. You meet a friendly local near a small shop. You greet each other, make a little small talk, ask for directions, and use repair strategies to ask the person to slow down and repeat. Try to notice how the new phrases help keep the conversation going.

On the street near a small shop, asking for directions and making small talk.

Visitor

Habari za mchana? Naongea Kiswahili kidogo tu.

Good afternoon? I speak Swahili just a little bit.

Local

Mzuri sana, asante. Karibu. Unatafuta nini?

Very good, thank you. Welcome. What are you looking for?

Visitor

Samahani, unaweza kunisaidia? Natafuta kituo cha basi.

Excuse me, can you help me? I’m looking for the bus station.

Local

Ndiyo, kiko kule mbele, karibu na soko. Tembea moja kwa moja halafu ugeuke kushoto.

Yes, it is up ahead there, near the market. Walk straight ahead and then turn left.

Visitor

Pole, sijakusikia vizuri. Samahani, unaweza kurudia?

Sorry, I didn’t hear you well. Excuse me, can you repeat?

Local

Sawa. Tafadhali, ongea polepole pia. Hiyo inamaanisha nini?

Okay. Please, speak slowly too. What does that mean?

Visitor

Naomba, tafadhali, ongea polepole.

I’m asking, please speak slowly.

Local

Sawa. Tembea polepole moja kwa moja, halafu ugeuke kushoto kwenye taa.

Okay. Walk slowly straight ahead, then turn left at the lights.

Visitor

Asante sana, sasa nimekuelewa.

Thank you very much, now I understood you.

Local

Karibu sana. Safari njema!

You’re very welcome. Have a good trip!

Check Your Understanding (in English)

Answer this question to review one of the key repair phrases from this module.

Which Swahili sentence best means: "Please, speak slowly"?

  1. Tafadhali, ongea polepole.
  2. Samahani, unaweza kurudia?
  3. Unaweza kunisaidia?
  4. Pole, sijakusikia vizuri.
Show Answer

Answer: A) Tafadhali, ongea polepole.

The correct answer is "Tafadhali, ongea polepole." which directly translates to "Please, speak slowly." "Samahani, unaweza kurudia?" means "Excuse me, can you repeat?"; "Unaweza kunisaidia?" means "Can you help me?"; and "Pole, sijakusikia vizuri." means "Sorry, I didn’t hear you well."

Key Terms

Kidogo tu.
Just a little (bit). – often used about ability, e.g. language skills.
Nimekuelewa.
I understood you / I got it. – confirms understanding.
Unaweza kunisaidia?
Can you help me? – very common request phrase; *kuni-* means “me”.
Hiyo inamaanisha nini?
What does that mean? – use when you don’t understand a word or phrase.
Pole, sijakusikia vizuri.
Sorry, I didn’t hear you well. – soft way to say you didn’t catch what was said.
Subiri kidogo, tafadhali.
Wait a moment, please. – ask someone to pause briefly.
Samahani, unaweza kurudia?
Excuse me, can you repeat? – polite way to ask someone to say something again.
Tafadhali, ongea polepole.
Please, speak slowly. – request for slower speech.