The Swahili Language

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  • čas přidán 25. 06. 2024
  • This video is all about Swahili, one of Africa's major languages and a lingua franca in much of East Africa.
    Are you learning Swahili or another language? One great resource to check out is Innovative Language podcast programs: langfocus.com/innovative-lang....
    Thanks to Mugizi Robert Rwebangira for the Swahili audio samples in this video.
    Support Langfocus on Patreon: / langfocus
    Special thanks to: Nicholas Shelokov, Sebastian Langshaw, Brandon Gonzalez, 谷雨 穆, Adrian Zhang, Vadim Sobolev, Yixin Alfred Wong, Kaan Ergen, Sky Vied, Romain Paulus, Panot, Erik Edelmann, Bennet, James Zavaleta, Ulrike Baumann, Ian Martyn, Justin Faist, Jeff Miller, Stephen Lawson, Howard Stratton, George Greene, Panthea Madjidi, Nicholas Gentry, Sergios Tsakatikas, Bruno Filippi, and Brian Michalowski for their generous Patreon support.
    / langfocus
    / langfocus
    / langfocus
    langfocus.com
    Music:
    Digya by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
    Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
    Artist: incompetech.com/
    Intro music: “Foundation” by Vibe Tracks.
    Outro music: “Circular” by Gunnar Olsen.

Komentáře • 6K

  • @Langfocus
    @Langfocus  Před 4 lety +292

    Hello everyone! Are you learning Swahili? Check out SwahiliPod101 ( bit.ly/Swahilipod101 ). They have hundreds of audio and video lessons (with text transcripts) for learners of all levels.
    For 33 other languages, check out my review! langfocus.com/pod101/.
    (Note: if you upgrade to a paid plan, Langfocus gets a small referral fee that helps support this channel, at no extra cost to you. But if I didn't like it, I wouldn't recommend it!)

    • @neuroversse
      @neuroversse Před 4 lety +3

      Hi will you be doing a video on Somali? Thanks :)

    • @Big-guy1981
      @Big-guy1981 Před 4 lety +1

      Actually there are two languages in the Comoros:
      - Shingazidja (Comorran) spoken in the main island.
      - Shimaore, shinzuani and shimaore which are the same language in the restof archipelago.
      No they are not dialects of Swahili. It's better to see them all as a branch of the Bantu family.
      Too bad you didn't make a video about the three of them.
      Great job still.
      When are you making a video on Bantu languages? African languaged seem overlooked by Linguists. Tim Donner is one of the rare CZcamsrs who paid them respect.

    • @nuurali1245
      @nuurali1245 Před 4 lety +1

      You forget to say kiswahili alphabet ics is read as a Arabic way but written in Latinic

    • @abubakarrahim8482
      @abubakarrahim8482 Před 4 lety +3

      Very great video of Swahili people and their territories but you forgot to mention Swahili islands in somalia 🇸🇴 from mogadisho, kismayo to Raskiamboni.

    • @adrienpolo2255
      @adrienpolo2255 Před 4 lety +2

      please do somali language

  • @SaidSaid1
    @SaidSaid1 Před 7 lety +3247

    I am from Zanzibar, Tanzania and this is the most accurate video about Swahili language I have ever seen. Thanks a lot for doing this.

    • @Langfocus
      @Langfocus  Před 7 lety +319

      +Said Said It's my pleasure! I'm glad you like it!

    • @Hassan_Mengi
      @Hassan_Mengi Před 7 lety +43

      Indeed

    • @ngugiimbugua
      @ngugiimbugua Před 7 lety +24

      am sorry to rain on your parade but the noun classes or 'ngeli' as we call them have been changed instead of m-wa we have a-wa instead of m-mi we have u-i

    • @MinalC
      @MinalC Před 6 lety +15

      Is it really ninapenda kula or is it "napenda ku kula chakula" and it could also mean i like to eat.. same thing like/love

    • @SRALTHACNQURR
      @SRALTHACNQURR Před 6 lety +13

      How do y'all feel about Americans going to live there? Would it be a nice place if I had money?

  • @baltazar7318
    @baltazar7318 Před 3 lety +480

    I’m a native portuguese speaker and the sounds of the combination of the words are very similar, I’m learning Swahili with a Kenyan friend and it’s been very funny and cool. Ninaipenda.

  • @cedrickiplimo2991
    @cedrickiplimo2991 Před 3 lety +59

    I am from Kenya and the accuracy of this is just astounding.

  • @SvenRingling
    @SvenRingling Před 3 lety +81

    As a native German speaker, I find the pronunciation exceptionally easy (even easier than English - or Bavarian German 😂). The noun classes and the many prefixes in verbs are a challenge - by the time I’ve put a future verb together, I need to change the tense marker to past, because it takes me too long 😁
    In my early stages of learning, though. Hope it will get better.

    • @lydiakusimba7266
      @lydiakusimba7266 Před 3 lety +3

      Gluten tag I love germany language too

    • @kannadafactstar
      @kannadafactstar Před 8 měsíci +1

      Das ist rechts

    • @amosgichangi9440
      @amosgichangi9440 Před 5 měsíci

      Great, Am learning German myself😃..

    • @Swahilipool
      @Swahilipool Před 2 měsíci

      congratulations, the trick is listening to more sentence and master grammar point as you go

  • @malikhuska6616
    @malikhuska6616 Před 4 lety +631

    I am from Somalia
    I studied Kiswahili in Kenya
    Swahili the African language 👍👍👍

    • @Arslan28933
      @Arslan28933 Před 4 lety +12

      Ah, hujambo kaka

    • @abusaeed9037
      @abusaeed9037 Před 4 lety +5

      Malik Huska hayee waria see wayeee

    • @steve0505
      @steve0505 Před 4 lety +3

      @Chief Kingalu get over yourself.

    • @wizemantalk3102
      @wizemantalk3102 Před 4 lety +1

      @Chief Kingalu you sound so stupid. Zanzibar is the capital of Tanzania

    • @steve0505
      @steve0505 Před 4 lety +1

      @Chief Kingalu again, get over yourself dickhead.

  • @umojaafrika2447
    @umojaafrika2447 Před 4 lety +367

    Tanzania, Rwanda, Kenya, Sudan Kusini, Burundi na Uganda ! Umoja wetu ni nguzo yetu !
    Kiswahili chetu ni umoja wetu !

  • @gyurto
    @gyurto Před 4 lety +605

    I'm Hungarian and somehow this is the most logical language, that I've ever encountered besides Hungarian. I really like it!

    • @AndersGehtsdochauch
      @AndersGehtsdochauch Před 3 lety +26

      Yes, especially the object infix instantly reminded me of Hungarian! 💜
      You should consider learning Japanese, btw 😉

    • @gyurto
      @gyurto Před 3 lety +22

      @@AndersGehtsdochauch The writing system frightened me there, so probably won't learn it yet, but maybe in the future :D

    • @ethan3986
      @ethan3986 Před 3 lety +54

      You know Hungarian you should have no fear of Japanese lol

    • @AndersGehtsdochauch
      @AndersGehtsdochauch Před 3 lety +22

      @@ethan3986 The Japanese language per se is much more simple than Hungarian.
      But gyurto is right, the writing system is really scaring many people off - for good reasons. It _is,_ to say the least, annoying to learn. But also fascinating and beautiful, once you get there!

    • @gyurto
      @gyurto Před 3 lety +6

      @@ethan3986 Well a new japanese language just opened near me so maybe I will give it a try :D

  • @MoRasheed
    @MoRasheed Před 4 lety +450

    Swahili is becoming the African language. More and more people are learning Swahili. I am a native Swahili speaker from Burundi, I also make videos in Swahili often.

    • @simonkobero3601
      @simonkobero3601 Před 4 lety +13

      Nimeiona hiyo video yako kaka ila huwa nawaambia Wakenya kuwa Burundi wanaongea Kiswahili kizuri kuliko Kenya eti wanakataa.

    • @ijakaa_evans
      @ijakaa_evans Před 3 lety +5

      @@simonkobero3601 uongo

    • @simonkobero3601
      @simonkobero3601 Před 3 lety +3

      @@ijakaa_evans ukweli mtupu

    • @KMyThe
      @KMyThe Před 2 lety +3

      Good for you.
      I am african but i will never learn swahili because of its roots (arabian and so) cause this language is a Torjan horse...
      PEACE.

    • @msaniitz5588
      @msaniitz5588 Před 2 lety +21

      @K. Shottry, while there are many Arabic words incorporated into Kiswahili (especially in Tanzania), the syntax and structure of the language is most definitely a Bantu, African language.

  • @jnyerere
    @jnyerere Před 8 lety +1179

    I'm a native Swahili speaker from Tanzania. The only problem when it comes to the subject of native speakers is that western sources tend to group "ethnicity" and "native speaker" as being one in the same. I'm not ethnically Swahili. Very few people in Tanzania are ethnically Swahili. However, tens of millions of Tanzanians (especially those born after 1960) would definitely consider themselves as native Swahili speakers only because in many parts of Tanzania your ethnic language is almost always secondary to Kiswahili. Also, in most cases (especially today), coming from a certain ethnic group does not necessarily mean you are able to communicate in that ethnic language. Kiswahili is such a widely spoken language that most people don't even put emphasis on their ethnic language. My father is of the Zanaki ethnic group but he doesn't know how to speak the language. His "native" language is Swahili by default. Most Tanzanians' native language is Swahili by default, even though we represent some 120+ different ethnic groups. So in reality (and as far as most Tanzanians are concerned), the actual number of native Swahili speakers should be higher while the number of second-language speakers should probably decrease a bit.

    • @Thkmra
      @Thkmra Před 8 lety +36

      I'm going to begin learning it. Tanzanian Swahili, it is!!

    • @saiminayatullah6620
      @saiminayatullah6620 Před 8 lety +54

      It's a shame to see Kenya and Tanzania unthinkingly copy the European states' ethnocidal language policies. Why not use all your languages?

    • @saiminayatullah6620
      @saiminayatullah6620 Před 8 lety +6

      ***** What's your ethnic background Eslan, if I may ask?

    • @Turkanaboy4life
      @Turkanaboy4life Před 8 lety +105

      We have over 42 languages/dialects in Kenya - for purposes of communication across one's ethnic group, their is need to learn a national language thus Swahili and English were chosen. But note that these are used as 2nd and 3rd languages, most Kenyans speak their native languages every time they meet their tribes mate or are in their own ethnic lands.

    • @Turkanaboy4life
      @Turkanaboy4life Před 8 lety +51

      The world is becoming more interconnected and a global village. If we chose Swahili, how would I would be communicating with you now? For business, trade, professional purposes...you need to learn another more 'global' language. English was selected as we were colonized by the british already had English speakers by independence + an education system. I cannot imagine learning computer science, medicine, engineering, calculus in Swahili...

  • @levinichob
    @levinichob Před 6 lety +389

    it is now official in Rwanda

  • @marymson4698
    @marymson4698 Před 2 lety +19

    Swahili is the National Language in Kenya, you learn it at school, English is the second Language also taught in school and the we have other language( Mother tongue) some taught in school but not all, Swahili makes it easy for everyone to communicate no matter which tribe you are from.

  • @hassangingi7033
    @hassangingi7033 Před 3 lety +173

    This is the most accurate Swahili analysis I have ever seen from a white man!!! Kudos from Kenya🇰🇪

    • @GoLongAmerica
      @GoLongAmerica Před 3 lety +12

      I’m sure that Paul had this video double and triple checked by native Swahili speakers to verify the accuracy of its content.

    • @anthonyj.s.7266
      @anthonyj.s.7266 Před 2 lety +11

      @@GoLongAmerica He also does that with every other language he covers

    • @Swahili14
      @Swahili14 Před rokem

      @@GoLongAmerica except for the words Nala & PUMBA
      He's wrong & partially correct

    • @kotokinkriss2715
      @kotokinkriss2715 Před 24 dny

      @@Swahili14 With pumba he is right means stupid when you add an a at the end to be pumbaa, Nala means I am eating in swahili though

    • @Swahili14
      @Swahili14 Před 24 dny

      @@kotokinkriss2715 ikr
      Pumba as far as Tanzanian Swahili is concerned, means "maize/grain bran"
      And figuratively as "stupid/nonsense"
      Nala means I'm eating
      Hope it's clear rafiki

  • @SUBtheDon1
    @SUBtheDon1 Před 6 lety +210

    I'm Kenyan, and I have learnt Kiswahili up till I was 18 years old. I love this language because you get to appreciate the rich literal (literature) culture of the Swahili people. Beautiful poems and captivating stories cannot be appreciated succinctly in any other language. Although we share similar grammar and vocabulary library as Tanzanians, these two countries use the language in very different contexts. Tanzanians speak a more fluid and rich vocabulary and the emphasis is on polite conversation. Kenyan Kiswahili is a lot more direct and formal.
    This is a well down video, highly recommended! Great job.

    • @mushken65
      @mushken65 Před 4 lety +1

      Basi ongea kiswahili. Jivunie kiswahili

    • @unforcastedstorm
      @unforcastedstorm Před 4 lety +7

      Hey! Could you recommend some Swahili poems/stories? I love learning languages mainly because of the literature you can gain access to

    • @alizetikoku7016
      @alizetikoku7016 Před 4 lety +4

      @@unforcastedstorm as a tanzanian I can say the best stories are those narrated by an individual directly to u but u can read takadini it's a nice story, if u are interested i can recommend other stories fr u

    • @unforcastedstorm
      @unforcastedstorm Před 4 lety +3

      @@alizetikoku7016 I hope to have the experience of someone narrating a story to me one day! Thanks a lot for the recommendation, i'll try to find it :)

    • @alizetikoku7016
      @alizetikoku7016 Před 4 lety +5

      @@unforcastedstorm I'll ask around fr some other stories/poems u cn read

  • @isaac198428
    @isaac198428 Před 6 lety +1048

    I’m Kenyan norm but currently live in the USA. Since I grew up in Nairobi, we spoke both English and Kiswahili but mostly a mixture of the two, as teenagers we spoke a corrupt version of the two called ‘Sheng which was pretty cool. The older folks didn’t have a clue of what most of our conversations were about when they tried to be nosey. Ha!
    People in Nairobi always were jealous of the folks from Mombasa and even Tanzania for their fluent Swahili language. Haha!
    Shoutout from Atlanta! 😎

    • @esthernjoroge5999
      @esthernjoroge5999 Před 5 lety +1

      Big up kamaa 👊👊

    • @RonSimiyu
      @RonSimiyu Před 5 lety +38

      ako Nyeli

    • @antoooa8664
      @antoooa8664 Před 5 lety +10

      @@RonSimiyu 😂😂😂😂
      Ati wapi

    • @Timextimex11
      @Timextimex11 Před 5 lety +15

      This “Sheng” thing is a very very practical tongue. I guess one day someone resourceful will find its usefulness in AI. I am serious! Language-wise nothing compares to it when it comes to practicability!

    • @USA2Brazil
      @USA2Brazil Před 5 lety +12

      So the Tanzanian register of Swahili uses less English or more pure?

  • @MrEdman4
    @MrEdman4 Před 4 lety +188

    The best part about Swahili is that if you’re from Africa, every American will ask if you speak it because its the only African language we’ve heard of.

    • @victororego5208
      @victororego5208 Před 3 lety +79

      Nah they still ask me if i speak African 🤣 💀 😂

    • @justinh6651
      @justinh6651 Před 3 lety +15

      @William Hancock are those African in origin?

    • @justinh6651
      @justinh6651 Před 3 lety +19

      @William Hancock but they aren't african

    • @justinh6651
      @justinh6651 Před 3 lety +2

      @William Hancock Arabic is the language of Islam. Do you really think it could be African?

    • @justinh6651
      @justinh6651 Před 3 lety +8

      @William Hancock do you even know a single thing about Islam or arabic? Arabic is from the Arabian Peninsula, which is in Asia. Arab, Arabia, Arabic.
      Islam is an Arabian religion. It originated in Arabia.

  • @mlukubone7134
    @mlukubone7134 Před 3 lety +92

    Hakuna matata sounds like a mix of Zulu “akuna” and Sotho (mathata). Means no worries too

    • @musimbimourine2858
      @musimbimourine2858 Před 3 lety +22

      There are more Kenyan dialect words related to isizulu,xhosa and sotho..and
      literally mean the same thing

    • @caroxmedia8158
      @caroxmedia8158 Před 3 lety +1

      Can you join me sir

    • @ThamiNdlalane
      @ThamiNdlalane Před 2 lety +6

      @@musimbimourine2858 I have noticed that too. And this gives me an idea that maybe I should just make time and start learning it.

    • @sefunjege7798
      @sefunjege7798 Před 2 lety +12

      I have to love Shona from Zimbabwe. There are so many similarities with Swahili.

    • @jmoseka665
      @jmoseka665 Před 2 lety +2

      @@sefunjege7798 I agree.
      I was listening to someone speaking Shona and it sounded like Swahili that I could not understand. It is very interesting.

  • @OmarDelawar
    @OmarDelawar Před 6 lety +444

    Siri means secret? Damn you apple!

  • @10Livio
    @10Livio Před 4 lety +258

    This made me want to learn Swahili, I like the sound of it

    • @allykamunya
      @allykamunya Před 3 lety +2

      I can teach you +255652207562 check me out on WhatsApp

    • @ItsAlorella29
      @ItsAlorella29 Před 2 lety +5

      Swahili is hard my tests literally freak me out like kinu what is kinu-

    • @greysonmheni5176
      @greysonmheni5176 Před 2 lety

      Karibu

    • @Muhanj.i
      @Muhanj.i Před 2 lety +2

      @@ItsAlorella29 lol i have a terrifying kiswa teacher

    • @IntlFootPrints
      @IntlFootPrints Před 2 lety

      You should do it. I speak it good & I’m American

  • @juakalinyumbani
    @juakalinyumbani Před 2 lety +27

    I learned Kiswahili 1970 in preparation of a stay in Kenya. The best tool was the book "E. O. Ashtons Swahili Grammar". It contains training and a lot of good examples. Plus it teaches words needed for the excersizes. As far as I can see it is still available. Strongly recommended for anyone who want to get grips on Kiswahili and start using it. (Presently living in Kenya and using Kiswahili daily since 1979.)

  • @mahlabriwn305
    @mahlabriwn305 Před 3 lety +125

    I'd like to learn Swahili as it is widely spoken in africa,love from Ethiopia.

    • @gidd
      @gidd Před 3 lety +2

      Sad y'all don't speak it there

    • @machiatorobel622
      @machiatorobel622 Před 3 lety +14

      @@gidd no it's no sad we have our own languages

    • @gidd
      @gidd Před 3 lety

      @@machiatorobel622 what are you even saying

    • @prudencehakamba8234
      @prudencehakamba8234 Před 2 lety +2

      It's a fan language to learn in Kenya we speak Swahili and English as our national language but at home we speak our mother tongue

    • @music-hx5lf
      @music-hx5lf Před 2 lety +4

      Funny, I had the same idea: to learn the (as far as I know) most widely spoken African language. I did not come very far though. But you are in a better geographical position: I almost never meet people from Africa.
      Best wishes from Italy 👋.

  • @covfefe_drumpfh
    @covfefe_drumpfh Před 7 lety +96

    Swahili sounds like such a fun language.

  • @user-lv1wn5wq7n
    @user-lv1wn5wq7n Před 8 lety +209

    Born in Nairobi I studied Swahili till I was ten.This video brought back sweet memories."Kitab" means book in Hindi too

    •  Před 8 lety +28

      Also in Turkish "kitap" is book :)

    • @AnishSharma-ro8xy
      @AnishSharma-ro8xy Před 8 lety +6

      Let's just say spoken, day-to-day Hindi, or Hindustani. People don't say "main pustak padh raha hoon" or things like that very frequently in everyday conversation, if you know what I mean. Kitaab is used more often (while speaking).

    • @MrTacoeater999
      @MrTacoeater999 Před 8 lety +8

      Also in Arabic Kitab means Book!

    • @MrTacoeater999
      @MrTacoeater999 Před 8 lety

      commented without watching the video HAHAHAHAHA

    • @MrTacoeater999
      @MrTacoeater999 Před 8 lety +2

      Mo Nalayè Chill Mate, Hakuna Matata

  • @senhordoutorprofessormestr8629

    I really found kiSwahili very very interesting. It's such a logical language, very intuitive

  • @PepeInRedAndGreen
    @PepeInRedAndGreen Před 4 lety +73

    Here in Poland we sometimes use the word Swahili as a synonym for a very complicated or weird text that is difficult to understand (something like "double Dutch" in English). What is funny, it turns out that actually Swahili is not that complicated and its phonology is very similar to Polish 😁 Well, I'm not saying that it's super easy but it's definitely much easier than I expected ;) (We also use "Chinese" to mean "double Dutch" =D )

    • @bloggtalk5085
      @bloggtalk5085 Před 2 lety +6

      from now ,, use greek.. thats what we use out here..lol

    • @TheUserDark
      @TheUserDark Před rokem +6

      I'm from Poland and never heard of it, people say Chinese when they don't understand a text

    • @nigelnyoni8265
      @nigelnyoni8265 Před rokem

      That's pretty cool. 😂 I live in Poland and I find these nativisms amusing

    • @bantuvoicemuchaik.k.7715
      @bantuvoicemuchaik.k.7715 Před rokem

      哈哈哈我是个肯尼亚的人Swahili 比中文一点儿复杂. Basically what he is explaining is how the bantu languages work....but I can tell you....the base of it is easy in pronounciation and writing.... but I can tell you. The expressions in words and combinations are really complex

    • @sofitocyn100
      @sofitocyn100 Před rokem +2

      Never heard of "double dutch" in English. The saying is "that's greek to me".

  • @luckygirl20000
    @luckygirl20000 Před 4 lety +67

    I am from Tanzania and a native swahili speaker and this is the most accurate video about Swahili I have ever seen so far.

  • @TacticusPrime
    @TacticusPrime Před 8 lety +36

    I love how you dig into the actual structure of the language. Fascinating.

  • @MonDieuMaCauseMonEpee
    @MonDieuMaCauseMonEpee Před 4 lety +25

    Swahili is so Awesome!! Once you mastered the grammar and noun classes it's very exciting to speak.

    • @mwafrikahalisi2549
      @mwafrikahalisi2549 Před 3 lety +4

      Yes! And one cannot just master Swahili just by being a proficient Arabic speaker simply because Swahili grammar is 100% Bantu. Arabic maybe about 20% of the vocabulary at the most. English vocabulary is also gaining momentum to replace some Arabic words.

    • @whoreofdragonstone1031
      @whoreofdragonstone1031 Před 3 lety +4

      @@mwafrikahalisi2549 swahili is grammatically bantu so a congolese bantu speaker would have an easier time learning it then say a syrian would

    • @mwafrikahalisi2549
      @mwafrikahalisi2549 Před 3 lety +3

      @@whoreofdragonstone1031 I agree with you! I meant to say Swahili is 100% Bantu. Thanks for bringing the error to my attention...

  • @josephwachira6481
    @josephwachira6481 Před 2 lety +11

    Young generation born out of Africa with parents from Swahili speaking language countries, needs to keep Swahili going.🇰🇪🇰🇪

  • @martfp88
    @martfp88 Před 8 lety +228

    I think you and Geography now should collaborate! :)

  • @alasmi92s
    @alasmi92s Před 5 lety +197

    I'm from Oman and I do speak both arabic and swahili

  • @user-sd6lg8lf5c
    @user-sd6lg8lf5c Před 4 lety +27

    Wow, I didn't know Swahili was this simple! Great language, might learn!

    • @caroxmedia8158
      @caroxmedia8158 Před 3 lety

      Join me for free man

    • @masungabulenya4595
      @masungabulenya4595 Před 2 lety +2

      Kiswahili Lugha Yetu Tukipende Kwanza Sisi Wanawa wa Africa,Hata Wagen Watakipenda.Tunatakiwa Tuwe Wazalendo Kwa Kupenda vyakwetu na kuvitunza.

  • @moon5988
    @moon5988 Před 7 lety +99

    I' m from Comoros and I'm so glad you have talked about us 😊😊. Our language is 30% arabic vocabulary, 60% swahili and 10 % French and other languages words 😂. But generally, we are considering that our language is In the same family as swahili. I was, once, shocked when I Heard Lupita Nyongo said in a interview an expression exactly the same way as us comorian say it 😳😨😂😂😂😂. Love y'all ❤️ # EastAfricaPower

    • @bantuvoicemuchaikinuthia2536
      @bantuvoicemuchaikinuthia2536 Před 3 lety +2

      I find the comoro so fascinating..I want to learn ki komoro... Can we exchange numbers?

    • @lawtraf8008
      @lawtraf8008 Před 2 lety +2

      On est la les comoriens

    • @hassanhazrat3615
      @hassanhazrat3615 Před rokem +1

      Zo kweli ?!! On n'est pas oublié 😭😭😭😭

    • @hassanhazrat3615
      @hassanhazrat3615 Před rokem

      Tu est de quelle île ? Wami mdzuani 😊

    • @akilimali_ndag
      @akilimali_ndag Před 11 měsíci

      Yes, as a Congolese who can fluently speak both languages Swahili and French once I heard my first time Shikomori I was surprised 'cause I could hear all what people were saying. Do you guys understand the standard Swahili? Curious to know, love from Congo 🇨🇩

  • @iannyagah3673
    @iannyagah3673 Před 6 lety +274

    Hi. Just for the record 'Nala' is a verb translated as 'i'm eating', or 'Nakula'.
    'Gift' means 'zawadi'

    • @chareemuchareemu1197
      @chareemuchareemu1197 Před 4 lety +9

      That's true

    • @kaseleshekh4039
      @kaseleshekh4039 Před 4 lety +2

      Don't that is a principal issue (nala means gift) that's just happened as a mistake, try to confess the fact that the presenter is well prepared and your way of condemning just presents some peoples of your group with such nature of weakness to stick in minor things as a source wrong interpretation, be wise if you can but don't tell others that you are wise

    • @chareemuchareemu1197
      @chareemuchareemu1197 Před 4 lety +40

      @@kaseleshekh4039 I speak Swahili and nala really mean "I'm eating".... Or at least I've spoken Swahili all my life. Zawadi is gift. Unless kiswahili changed

    • @kaseleshekh4039
      @kaseleshekh4039 Před 4 lety +1

      @@chareemuchareemu1197 sir, maybe you appreciate me wrongly, I am not against you, but I support you 100% lam against someone comments who stick on recoding mistake on that word, while the fact about your presentation is accurate

    • @lynnettethuita9348
      @lynnettethuita9348 Před 4 lety +11

      @@kaseleshekh4039 the idea is to correct not judge

  • @randomcypriot
    @randomcypriot Před rokem +21

    I am a Greek of Cyprus and our language doesn't have any kind of connection or similarity with Swahili. What I liked while learning the language is that Swahili is a logical and not a hard language. I AM confusing the "to-" verbs all the time (like "kula" and "kulala" are completely different verbs) but again the language is pretty simple to say the least..

    • @bantuvoicemuchaik.k.7715
      @bantuvoicemuchaik.k.7715 Před 4 měsíci

      to eat is kukula, ..not kula....
      kula is eating...
      ku" is the "to" then "kula" is eating...
      ku ~lala...and so on

  • @dumontthe5th
    @dumontthe5th Před 2 lety +8

    I am a logophile and linguaphile even though I'm not multilingual in practice, I have so much love for the world's thousands of languages and your videos give respect and pay homage to Earth's many tongues! Your videos should be required in schools if they're not already! Thank you for all your efforts and presentations about the one gift that distinguishes us from all our fellow creatures: SPEECH AND LANGUAGE!

  • @paulMlela
    @paulMlela Před 4 lety +46

    i love when people talking my language, i am Tanzanian TRANSLATION IN SWAHILI Napenda watu wanavyo ongea kuhusu lugha yangu, mi ni Mtannzania.🤗

  • @MunizDH
    @MunizDH Před 4 lety +95

    I'm teaching myself swahili, it's a great language... Noun classes (ngeli) have been really challenging for me. Nobody speaks swahili over here (I'm Brazilian) and it makes things even more challenging. Great explanation, by the way.

    • @atomisedman6235
      @atomisedman6235 Před 4 lety +3

      Nini ilisababisha utake kujifunza Kiswahili?

    • @MunizDH
      @MunizDH Před 4 lety +22

      @@atomisedman6235 Habari, kaka. I Iove the African culture but I've never studied an African language. Some years ago I made a Kenyan friend (on the internet). He showed me the language and I thought... Why not?? It's an amazing language... Samahani, sikuweza kujibu katika Kiswahili. I'm still a beginner.

    • @fatimaa343
      @fatimaa343 Před 2 lety +6

      It's so nice to see people learning my language .I have a similar story to yours I met a friend fom Colombia and I just fell I love with Spanish .
      Nakutakia kila la heri katika kujifunza kiswahili

    • @still_kim
      @still_kim Před 2 lety +2

      How is the progress 2 years on??

    • @mullethater4223
      @mullethater4223 Před 2 lety +6

      Muito legal ver um brasileiro aprendendo swahili!A língua parece legal de se estudar,quem sabe aprendo um dia kkkk mas agora o meu foco está no sueco e italiano

  • @Roastpeef
    @Roastpeef Před 3 lety +14

    Im from Nairobi but i realized i took kiswahili classes for granted. I have began relearning swahili sanifu by reading more swahili novels!! I no longer want to stutter while speaking😁

  • @InfectiousLaugh
    @InfectiousLaugh Před 2 lety +7

    I’m Omani , I’ve spoken Swahili my entire life and I’ve never been to east Africa

    • @cliffordoluoch3277
      @cliffordoluoch3277 Před 2 lety

      Omani traders in the past were so critical and influential in the creation of the Swahili language.

    • @itgamingke
      @itgamingke Před 2 lety

      Even when Omani President visited east african countries he was speaking swahili and I was shocked

    • @ramyali6347
      @ramyali6347 Před 2 lety

      @@itgamingke He never foot at any East African countries. It was his ministers who had root in ZANZIBAR.

  • @willynkya
    @willynkya Před 7 lety +221

    i am from Tanzania.my first language is swahili. but i cant explain swahili this GOOD

    • @MB-tb6jy
      @MB-tb6jy Před 6 lety +7

      willy nkya because you're not a linguist

    • @nuansd
      @nuansd Před 6 lety +4

      Martin Hemligt Paul isn't either.

    • @marilinvellarrosler1352
      @marilinvellarrosler1352 Před 5 lety +2

      Olá sou Brasileira podemos trocar , lhe ensino Português e você me ensina Swahili? marilin.vellar@gmail.com

    • @Tu51ndBl4d3
      @Tu51ndBl4d3 Před 5 lety

      because you are african. the vast huge majority of africans dont understand their own language's structure or history. Africans tend to just go from point a to point b and not ask why they are doing that

    • @tatu8663
      @tatu8663 Před 5 lety +10

      Don't be so quick to put all africans into one basket.

  • @donnajoe4442
    @donnajoe4442 Před 5 lety +25

    I am a native swahili speaker from Kenya. Generally Kenyans can speak both English and Swahili fluently since these two subjects are taught in primary and secondary schools. People switch between the languages depending on who you are speaking to, so one can choose either English, Swahili or their mother tongue.

    • @sikoimucai5195
      @sikoimucai5195 Před 3 lety +3

      True then they have added a peer to peer or youth language known as Sheng only spoken in Kenya...a future Patwah (patois) of Jamaica

  • @fortunateenough.1544
    @fortunateenough.1544 Před rokem +10

    Wow this is amazing. I am Pedi from South Africa and I always thought that hakuna matata is my language Sepedi just pronounced and spelled incorrectly. The similarities between Swahili and my Sepedi always make my jaw drop, some words are exactly the same.

  • @cuervo5641
    @cuervo5641 Před 10 měsíci +4

    This was a very well thought out and easy to digest presentation. I want to learn every language possible to be able to communicate with everyone.

  • @bikiramaria913
    @bikiramaria913 Před 6 lety +84

    I forgot to say that you are really a great lecturer, good work

    • @Langfocus
      @Langfocus  Před 6 lety +5

      Thank you!

    • @michaelheery6303
      @michaelheery6303 Před 4 lety

      @@Langfocus great stuff.

    • @mohamedvuaa1579
      @mohamedvuaa1579 Před 2 lety

      @@Langfocus kaka wamekusifutu ila bado kijana jitahidi kusoma

    • @mohamedvuaa1579
      @mohamedvuaa1579 Před 2 lety

      @@Langfocus umetoa wapi zile takwimu
      Umepata mahali gani ati nala inamaana ya zawadi

    • @mohamedvuaa1579
      @mohamedvuaa1579 Před 2 lety

      Nenda kasome historia ya kuingia kwa Wabantu in East Africa kisha soma asili na mgawanyiko wa Watu in East Africa halafu soma archaeological evidence about the local people of is the African and indigenous people of is the African usisahau kusoma kwa kina Wepi wakaazi wa kwanza au mwanzo kuhamia coastal of East Africa pia soma linguistic history and variety of theories about Swahili language mwisho kabisa kua mdadisi wa mambo na uyachambue kiundani upana wake na urefu wake is the way of avoiding subjectivism mwisho ndio ujekutoa elimu kufanya haya si kutaukuza uelewa wakotu bali pia kutatoa taarifa sahihi miongoni mwa wafuatiliaji

  • @amberwimer781
    @amberwimer781 Před 6 lety +50

    My Occupational Therapist Is From Kenya & She loves teaching me her language

    • @chrisjames-nr1bk
      @chrisjames-nr1bk Před 5 lety

      Am from Tanzania welcome

    • @sammwanza4402
      @sammwanza4402 Před 4 lety +3

      Amber Wimer Kenyans don't know to speak Swahili like Tanzanians if you want to speak fluent Swahili come to Tanzania a Land of Peace

    • @caughtoncamera5341
      @caughtoncamera5341 Před 4 lety +4

      @@sammwanza4402 ondoa pumba hapa!

    • @MJ-ye7dd
      @MJ-ye7dd Před 4 lety +2

      @@sammwanza4402 tafadhali acha kudhalilisha Wakenya, mbona unajipendekeza bure ?Tupendane Waafrika

    • @kevinwho.
      @kevinwho. Před 4 lety

      Sam mwanza Shida yako ni gani wewe?

  • @oscarsmartbandah6262
    @oscarsmartbandah6262 Před 2 lety +8

    Am a Malawian, based in South Africa I can tell you my second mother language is swahili apart from Tonga swahili is so sweet more than any other African languages apparently it's African English my stay in Tanzania made me feel like am in England 🇲🇼🇹🇿🇿🇦❤️❤️

  • @tom1281
    @tom1281 Před 2 lety +5

    swahili was my highest score subject in high school and I LOVE IT!!! 🇰🇪 🇰🇪 🇰🇪 🇰🇪 🇰🇪

    • @felixmakinda7689
      @felixmakinda7689 Před 3 měsíci

      😂 The only subject in which I didn't score A plain. Locked me out of Architecture, I ended up in Computer Science.

  • @mwasjohn58
    @mwasjohn58 Před 4 lety +177

    I am a teacher of Kiswahili in high school here in Kenya and i just love it.I can teach you the basics if you need.I would like to correct that "Pumba" is not actualy stupid.The correct word for stupid is "Pumbavu"

    • @chrisgachoka6620
      @chrisgachoka6620 Před 4 lety +5

      that makes more sense

    • @gloriousn6425
      @gloriousn6425 Před 4 lety +26

      Mwas John but mwalimu PUMBA ni makapi (mf makapi (mabaki ) baada ya kukoboa Mpunga,ngano au mahindi kinachobaki ni PUMBA)
      Kusema Pumba ni stupid ni sawa maana limetumika kuonyesha mtu anayeongea Ujinga/kitu kisicho na mantiki
      sisi tunasema jamaa anaongea PUMBA kuliko kusema jamaa PUMBAVU(mpumbavu)
      Mimi siyo mwal wa Kiswahili sina uhakika kama concept yangu imeeleweka 🙌🏼

    • @dhakomodherooherokoko6037
      @dhakomodherooherokoko6037 Před 4 lety +10

      Pumba pumbavu
      Legea legevu
      He is right according to Zanzibarians

    • @MagnaCartar
      @MagnaCartar Před 4 lety +4

      @@gloriousn6425 you are totally right and our teacher from Kenya is also right

    • @abubakrsseruggosajja5349
      @abubakrsseruggosajja5349 Před 4 lety +7

      Kumbavu in luganda

  • @tarakathh
    @tarakathh Před 5 lety +113

    Ninapenda kusoma lugha ya kiswahili!! Lakini nitamaliza somo moja hapa katika mji wa Nairobi na nitarudi nyumbani, Marekani. Samahani kusema kiswahili vibaya sana, mimi ni mzungu hahaha hope that made sense, I'm so bad at swahili but I'm trying!! Mimi ni mwanafunzi hodari!

  • @sylvestrestalin
    @sylvestrestalin Před 4 lety +38

    Strangely this language makes very sense to me I'm a native Persian speaker and with Arabic understanding I could understand a lot of it. besides the grammatical system is very easy to pick up on to me, I'm kinda getting obsessed with the language.

    • @twahirabasi9765
      @twahirabasi9765 Před 2 lety +3

      You are right, Swahili language is very easy to learn

    • @rosewambui8026
      @rosewambui8026 Před 2 lety +2

      I was surprised to hear few Persian words same as Swahili eg kalamu meaning pencil or pen. Kiswahili is 50% or more Arabic

    • @upendo.3570
      @upendo.3570 Před 2 lety +2

      Swahili is afroasianitic language, so some part is Arabic and Persian

    • @holdthatlforluigi
      @holdthatlforluigi Před 2 lety +3

      @@upendo.3570 Swahili is not Afro-Asiatic, but it has Afro-Asiatic influence

  • @wellarsmunyaneza9267
    @wellarsmunyaneza9267 Před rokem +11

    I'm from Rwanda. Kiswahili is very closer and similar to other bantu languages like Kinyarwanda (spoken in Rwanda and Burundi ), luganda and lunyankole (spoken by in some parts of uganda. But intresting thing is how every bantu language speaker can try to understand each other. Guy let us know how similarity is among kiswahili,kinyarwanda and Kirundi.👍👍👍

  • @congosrevolution8625
    @congosrevolution8625 Před 6 lety +43

    I’m from DRC Congo . I do speak Swahili. Our Swahili sounds really really different from Tanzania and Kenya. Their Swahili sounds a little bit like Arabic

    • @orinthompson6360
      @orinthompson6360 Před rokem +2

      can you guys understand each other though ?

    • @TK_197
      @TK_197 Před rokem +5

      @@orinthompson6360 Yeah, I'm Kenyan and Congolese Swahili is a little different from ours, but still easy to understand

    • @Swahili14
      @Swahili14 Před rokem +2

      @@TK_197 Congolese Swahili is more rigid and stiff
      If your not fluent in SWAHILI
      It's hard to understand Congolese
      Tanzanians can understand almost any SWAHILI dialect with absolute ease

    • @gringo3002
      @gringo3002 Před 11 měsíci

      I've long heard that Swahili is heavily based on Arabic.

    • @Swahili14
      @Swahili14 Před 11 měsíci

      @@gringo3002 nope
      Like English and other languages
      Kiswahili is originally a Bantu language with influences from Arabic, English, German and other languages
      This is because slavery and colonisation under arabs, English men, and germans influenced grammar of Swahili
      For example the term Swahili comes from Sahel (meaning coast in Arabic)
      Kiswahili is purely bantu meaning Swahili language/culture

  • @Desert_Rose_
    @Desert_Rose_ Před 6 lety +51

    Swahili sounds beautiful

  • @its_hayfaam9261
    @its_hayfaam9261 Před 3 lety +58

    I’m from Tanzania spoke Swahili my whole life but when it comes to studying in class the Swahili subject is hard 😂🚮

  • @lovenessmwewa7732
    @lovenessmwewa7732 Před 2 lety +2

    I just love the way you are elaborating this so clearly

  • @iicii77
    @iicii77 Před 7 lety +487

    My native language is Arabic, one day, I was watching foreign BBC news channel (Swahili BBC) and I noticed that some words were so familiar to my ears, I was really confused lol then started reading more about and decided I want to learn it, I like how it's gender neutral, the most challenging thing is that I can't find many sources and I can't practice with native speakers 😭 I really wanna have language exchange pen pals from any Swahili speaking country 😘

    • @moon5988
      @moon5988 Před 7 lety +11

      Iman Groove I'm Comorian

    • @lucyakinyi6178
      @lucyakinyi6178 Před 7 lety +17

      iman don't worry ,I come from Swahili speaking country,Kenya I can help you learn Swahili if it's ok by you

    • @iicii77
      @iicii77 Před 7 lety +4

      Isra Ismaël Hi Isra :) beautiful Island, I wish I can visit someday

    • @iicii77
      @iicii77 Před 7 lety +6

      austininflorida thank you for suggestion this very very helpful site. The Swahili teacher is very good and I find his lessons far more practical and easier than the regular way of teaching languages

    • @iicii77
      @iicii77 Před 7 lety +5

      Lucy Akinyi I'd like to visit Kenya someday! I love listening to Kenyan music. If you have italki user name let me add you as my language partner

  • @MaroftheSea_
    @MaroftheSea_ Před 5 lety +12

    whenever I have any question about any language, I immediately come to this channel. THIS IS MY FAVORITE CHANNEL ON CZcams.. thank you Paul for your great efforts. I enjoy every video you upload.

  • @ionladopoulos9131
    @ionladopoulos9131 Před rokem +4

    I believe that Swahili deserves a reboot language profile video, having in mind your excellent one on Turkish, which was much more detailed in grammatical and syntactical phenomena than the previous one as well as very appealing in its outcome.
    Love and admiration for your incredible content, as always, from Greece!❤

  • @charleskuyeko4400
    @charleskuyeko4400 Před 2 lety +4

    Congratuations. You are so good in talking Kiswahili. In 50 years to come Swahili will be spoken worldwide. You are a very good Teacher.

  • @kamanana23006
    @kamanana23006 Před 8 lety +302

    As to why Ugandans(in Baganda at least) don't speak swahili, it's because it was the language of Idi Amin's military which caused great terror in the country during the 70's that's why Bugandas loathe the language and it has such a negative connotation.

    • @wii3willRule
      @wii3willRule Před 8 lety +17

      Interesting!

    • @RoScFan
      @RoScFan Před 8 lety +45

      they shouldn't let one man ruin a language. i mean.... if it was spoken before in Uganda.

    • @alltnorromOrustarNorrland
      @alltnorromOrustarNorrland Před 8 lety +4

      Thanx for the info!

    • @kamanana23006
      @kamanana23006 Před 8 lety +22

      +RoScFan it wasn't spoken there, it was the linua franca, especially in the north where the country is linguistically very diverse, the rebels were from that region and thus spoke swahili. The people in the south speak other bantu languages like luganda and lusoga.

    • @HediumS
      @HediumS Před 8 lety

      +roaringfire357 So how many people in Uganda speak Swahili now?

  • @Alex_Plante
    @Alex_Plante Před 8 lety +88

    I have a friend from the Congo. We speak French at work, but I was surprised to learn he speaks Swahili with his family. He's from the South. I think Swahili is more widely spoken in the Congo that the map would suggest.

    • @vnkjproduction7898
      @vnkjproduction7898 Před 2 lety +15

      Yes swahili is the most speaking language in DRCongo before franche and lingala.
      Swahili have 15 provinces to 26 the others is for other 3 languages.

    • @faithfultoyeshua4576
      @faithfultoyeshua4576 Před 2 lety

      True

    • @faithfultoyeshua4576
      @faithfultoyeshua4576 Před 2 lety

      Almost all Bantu languages sound like Swahili too

    • @alibashi994
      @alibashi994 Před 2 lety +1

      @@faithfultoyeshua4576 no I don't think xhosa or is way different from Swahili

    • @faithfultoyeshua4576
      @faithfultoyeshua4576 Před 2 lety +1

      @@alibashi994 ok. Some

  • @moamal5119
    @moamal5119 Před 3 lety +1

    I don’t know how to thank you for your helpful content, I’m watching your videos respectively and I love them so much
    😇😇

  • @natrobinson3591
    @natrobinson3591 Před 4 lety +47

    Thanks for this awesome video!!! I was born in Kenya but we moved when I was 11 and I never got a chance to learn kiswahili properly. Here I am 12 years later in Australia using Duolingo and other media to learn it. My dad helps a bit too -- he's Kenyan born and raised and speaks kiswahili, kikamba, kigiriama, and bits and pieces from other languages and dialects in East Africa. He learned it informally, working in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, but since I don't have the opportunity to practise with native speakers anymore, I'm trying to learn standardised Swahili. I've done a bit of Arabic as well, so it was funny when you said that speaking Arabic helps with Swahili, because in my case, Arabic words like 'baarid' and 'samak' were recognisable for me from Swahili. :D Swahili is such a cool and vibrant language with an awesome grammatical system!!

  • @emmanuelmalissa9235
    @emmanuelmalissa9235 Před 4 lety +9

    I'm From Tanzania...Thanks a lot, this will light up Swahili more to the other people around the word... To be hosted Swahili is the best language and very simple to learn.
    Keep on doing this... Thanks again

  • @AbuAli172
    @AbuAli172 Před 4 lety +95

    I've always wanted a video that will explain how swahili started..I'm an Arab born and raised in Kenya...we speak kiswahili and Arabic at home..Amazing video i love it keep it up.

    • @marthakiiru8016
      @marthakiiru8016 Před 4 lety +1

      Which part in kenya

    • @henringallikingue910
      @henringallikingue910 Před 3 lety +1

      So you are kenyan arab or you consider yourself as just arab ?

    • @AbuAli172
      @AbuAli172 Před 3 lety +3

      @@marthakiiru8016 born and raised in mombasa, i live in Nairobi since 04

    • @AbuAli172
      @AbuAli172 Před 3 lety +1

      @mostAphA nArgisi haha yep nadhir brathangu mdogo :) MashaAllah umenitambua na ka picture kadogo kweli wewe msharp MashaAllah

    • @AbuAli172
      @AbuAli172 Před 3 lety +10

      @@henringallikingue910 yes I'm Kenyan/Arab and i consider myself a proud kenyan ❤

  • @izzy2815
    @izzy2815 Před 4 lety +1

    This is the best Explanation of Swahili I have ever encountered!! Kudos from a Kenyan proficient in Swahili.

  • @Jay_in_Japan
    @Jay_in_Japan Před 2 lety +6

    I'm an L2 speaker of Arabic, and I've studied a bit of Swahili... thanks to all of the Arabic loanwords, I can already understand a good deal of Swahili, and if I really studied, I feel like I could learn it in about a year.

  • @MonDieuMaCauseMonEpee
    @MonDieuMaCauseMonEpee Před 7 lety +56

    Asante. Kazi nzuri.

    • @louisotieno4712
      @louisotieno4712 Před 4 lety +3

      Kali vizuri🤣👊

    • @KS-iw7qv
      @KS-iw7qv Před 4 lety +2

      Amejitahidi vyema kuelezea ..... Waswahili wenye kiswahili tumelala kutoa maelekezo kama haya.... Very good job !!👌

  • @bassiroucamara5711
    @bassiroucamara5711 Před 8 lety +11

    Your channel is the only one that makes me stop everything I do just to watch your videos!
    Keep it up!

    • @Langfocus
      @Langfocus  Před 8 lety +4

      Thanks, I'm glad to hear that! Just don't stop anything that's really important! ;)

  • @machariagathanwa
    @machariagathanwa Před rokem +20

    I didn't realise Swahili is so hard to learn ☺️
    Maximum respect kwa wote wanaojifunza lugha tukufu.

    • @carkawalakhatulistiwa
      @carkawalakhatulistiwa Před 8 měsíci

      if you can Arabic actually not too difficult

    • @agorarcadon
      @agorarcadon Před 8 měsíci

      lugha tukufu? Swahili sacred?

    • @machariagathanwa
      @machariagathanwa Před 8 měsíci +1

      The word for sacred is takatifu. Tukufu is dignified, excellent, respected, etc@@agorarcadon

    • @TheOtherMwalimu
      @TheOtherMwalimu Před 6 měsíci

      Naona unaendelea vizuri! Hongera.

  • @tajiriskitchenswahiliflavo1723

    I really appreciate this video. Much love from kenya 🇰🇪

  • @ajrollo1437
    @ajrollo1437 Před 6 lety +173

    After watching this I ordered a copy of "Teach Yourself Swahili" and a dictionary. I'm actually learning Arabic and it might be fun to dip into Swahili. Also I know a lot of East Africans.

    • @samopati3496
      @samopati3496 Před 5 lety +9

      As an East African, I'm really happy to hear that!

    • @familyslove7036
      @familyslove7036 Před 5 lety +2

      Hahaha. Again.

    • @ismelllikebeef5350
      @ismelllikebeef5350 Před 5 lety +4

      it's an easy language. I speak Swahili fluently ❤

    • @FarfettilLejl
      @FarfettilLejl Před 5 lety +1

      Aj Rollo, and how did you get on learning Swahili?

    • @TonnyOkello
      @TonnyOkello Před 4 lety +3

      I need to order myself one. I speak basic Swahili as a Ugandan. I need to advance my knowledge and fluency .

  • @mrinalvashisth
    @mrinalvashisth Před 8 lety +34

    Although I have not studied Swahili, I have a friend from Tanzania who
    lived right next to my room. One day I just happened to know that he
    knew Swahili and I was always attracted to the language, so I
    methodically analyzed (what linguists do when they want to know
    something about a language) and as usual; the noun classes fascinated
    me! But the verb confused me and I ended up concluding the noun classes
    as different genders because the adjectives were behaving differently
    (this is what happens in Prakrit {Hindi}) and I was too lazy to actually
    look up and do the research. Each and every one of your video is a
    marvel, I can only imagine how laborious it would have been to combine
    Phonology, Syntax Analysis, Comparative Philology and History. Bravo!
    Swahili is a simple and beautiful language. In fact, because I know Urdu
    which is derived from Farsi and Arabic, most of the words are
    immediately recognizable. I know Spanish and due to its nearly 90%
    intelligibility with Portuguese, another major part of Swahili becomes
    recognizable. I can't tell how exciting that sensation is!
    Thank you for such fine work Paul, you are a true linguist to the bone!

    • @elsandinda
      @elsandinda Před 8 lety +4

      Interesting do you also speak Hindi ? I started watching Bollywood movies as a child and was surprised to see how many shared words between Hindi and Swahili. Gari- Car, Bas- Enough, Pesa- Money, dunia- world etc..

    • @mrinalvashisth
      @mrinalvashisth Před 8 lety +2

      I do speak Hindi. Gari, Pesa, Dunia.. they are all Urdu words. Pure Hindi is difficult for even a native. :D
      Urdu sounds beautiful because it uses less phenomes (only 36) as compared to Hindi (Prakrit- which has 52)

    • @hanadgigis8049
      @hanadgigis8049 Před 5 lety

      @@elsandinda gadhi also is afsomali

    • @tbarasa10
      @tbarasa10 Před 4 lety +1

      @@alysakaryuky1200 LOL... written Swahili is hard. Spoken not so much. imo!

  • @otienokennedy1978
    @otienokennedy1978 Před 4 lety

    that was some deep research right there, i really appreciate. am a Kenyan raised in Nairobi and I have been toying with the idea of learning Arabic and with this video am now more motivated than ever.

  • @BensleyDRAKE
    @BensleyDRAKE Před 3 měsíci +2

    This is the most Accurate explanation of Kiswahili I have ever come across in the internet Born and raised in Nairobi so basically Kiswahili was my fisrt language...For those learning the language dont give up it is a beautiful language a pro tip? Pronounce the words EXACTLY as written lol

  • @Kostas_2023
    @Kostas_2023 Před 7 lety +78

    Very happy to see a language from Africa.

    • @aishaabrahman4078
      @aishaabrahman4078 Před 4 lety

      Ni kweli kiswahili .ni mchanganyiko WA. Lugha mix yaani kilichanganyika na lugha za wale wageni walokua wakiingia au walokua wakitawala kila mtu na wakati wake .waportugisi .wao walileta neno meza .Pera .na mengine.india wao walisema champal au neno bas. Arabian .ndo mengi wao ndo mengi Zaid maneno Yao kuliko kabila zilizotawala zanzibar.ndio maana tukaitwa waswahili.kwa umaarufu ya hii lugha yetu ya kiswahili.inatokana na kisiwa hichi. Zanzibar.nichimbuko la kiswahili.ah lugha tamu na nyepesi..Kiswahili oyee.

    • @dochizedon633
      @dochizedon633 Před 3 lety

      Asante sana

  • @garyrector7394
    @garyrector7394 Před 7 lety +3

    This is a real _tour de force_ among the LangFocus videos and has packed a great amount of information in a short span of time. I always learn a lot for these. Keep making them!

  • @michaelokellomykfrost
    @michaelokellomykfrost Před 2 lety +1

    Amazing video. And to add to your kiswahili vocabulary. " Asante sana kwa ujumbe huu"

  • @josephmolebatsi6071
    @josephmolebatsi6071 Před 2 lety +4

    Thank you Langfocis for that dose of Kiswahili language,although there is only one lady who can speak Kiswahili in my neighbourhood(Soweto West South Africa)
    I want to keep on learning it for trade sake ,I am aware that it has now become a lingua franca of Africa.Thank you once more.

  • @kiloposimba2012
    @kiloposimba2012 Před 7 lety +26

    I am mswahili .very impress by your video,keep up good work.Again very good

  • @poetryworldkenya6563
    @poetryworldkenya6563 Před 4 lety +9

    I am a Kenyan resident. True to your words, I started speaking Swahili as my first language. My parents are from different tribes, and so, that was the only compromise. I have lived in most of the major urban centers in my country, for example, Nakuru, Nairobi, Kisumu, etc. The thing is, for educational, economic, and religious settings, most of these places use Swahili widely. However, at their homes, most of the people heavily use their vernacular. That has pressured me and my other siblings to use French, just to fit in with the multilingual diversity. To answer your questions, most of the adult population, from 25 - infinity, use Swahili as a second or a third language. If they happened to have been born in the urban setting, then probably as a first language. In addition, whenever you come across a settlement inhabited by people of a distinct tribe, then, chances are that Swahili is rarely used.
    The good news though is that children born in the 21st century, even those in the rural areas, speak Swahili as L1. I can say about 80% of the population at the next half of this century will be native speakers. In summary, there are lots of native speakers near the coastal regions, and urban places.

  • @wahidanaima557
    @wahidanaima557 Před 3 lety +25

    Algeria 🇩🇿 always stands with Kenya 🇰🇪 Zanzibar Tanzania 🇹🇿 United and amicable

    • @ramyali6347
      @ramyali6347 Před 3 lety +2

      @@yaasirhakim501 It's called standard Swahili not accurate. Mzee bora tu ungemwambia unamtaka kuliko kutia visingizio vibovu.

    • @tamimthuweintamim8590
      @tamimthuweintamim8590 Před 3 lety

      Hallo Wahida

  • @zeeniism
    @zeeniism Před 2 lety

    Habari rafiki yethu. I speak swahili already but still learning from your polished swahili, Asante sana

  • @BlackSalamander439
    @BlackSalamander439 Před 7 lety +81

    "Following Kenya's independence in 1963, the first Prime Minister, and later first President of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta adopted "Harambee" as a concept of pulling the country together to build a new nation. " ~~Wikipedia

    • @marwennaceur530
      @marwennaceur530 Před 7 lety +49

      Dicks Out

    • @zak.886
      @zak.886 Před 5 lety +2

      marwen naceur what are you talking about

    • @antoooa8664
      @antoooa8664 Před 5 lety +2

      😂😂😂
      How is harambee related to the discussion?

    • @maishayamwafirika7967
      @maishayamwafirika7967 Před 4 lety +1

      he was on an acid trip, smh..

    • @johnwoll8071
      @johnwoll8071 Před 4 lety

      I grew up in Kenya and Tanzania, learning what non-natives called "kitchen swahili" - basically a lazy European's version of Swahili, inevitably containing many English loan words such as "biciceli".
      I used to frequently hear "Harambee" called out together in unison, as a chant, when workers were doing something that required coordinated effort, like pushing a car or truck that was suck in the mud: "HaramBEE...HaramBEE..." (the BEE pronounced as a single syllable like the "Be" in "Beto O'Rourke".
      I do so enjoy your videos, and am stunned by your detailed knowledge of so many languages.

  • @DreadlockDrummer
    @DreadlockDrummer Před 8 lety +9

    i love learning the history of languages

  • @HollandHiking
    @HollandHiking Před 3 lety +6

    Thank you for your introduction. I am trying to learn Kiswahili for a few years, with limited success. The language turns out to be very complex, especially all the forms of verbs that may completely change the meaning of the verb. The noun classes have far more impact than you could explain in this video and there is not so much consistency in the use of them. This makes it hard and a lot to remember. So be warned if you try learning it. But, on the other hand it is awesome to speak a little more that just the tourist vocabulary if you visit the region and it is a very interesting language to learn. I think it is also very good if people in the first world care to learn an African language on order to show respect to the rich African culture.

  • @priscillastilwell2972
    @priscillastilwell2972 Před 4 lety +4

    Definitely going on my list of languages to study!

  • @gerardd8941
    @gerardd8941 Před 8 lety +12

    Great, great episode! Probably one of my favourite. This is probably the first episode when you separated the history, phonology, grammar etc, and it works great. I was often not really satisfied when, in some episodes, you talked in-depth about history or geopolitical context while somehow neglecting the features and characteristics of the language.
    In this episode you managed to fully cover almost everything necessary and to keep the length of the episode similar to the previous ones. I especially liked this 5-point grammar characteristics of how the language works. This is exactly how I think these language-profile episodes should look like. Keep up the great work!

    • @urinstein1864
      @urinstein1864 Před 8 lety +2

      I very much agree, it's obvious, that a lot of work and thought were put into this video It really payed.

  • @jdparamount92
    @jdparamount92 Před 5 lety +5

    I loved this video! Very interesting and informative! I didn't realize how much of an influence Arabic has had on Swahili, but it makes sense.
    And knowing that words like "safari" is Swahili is so cool, and that it comes from Arabic too.
    And right now, learning 7 languages with Duolingo, seeing the grammar and phonology of this language makes more sense...because since different languages have different rules and setups, it makes them much more connected and intriguing.
    And of course, thank you for all the effort you always put into these incredible videos!

  • @dorcasopiyo8099
    @dorcasopiyo8099 Před 2 lety +3

    Wow.. I'm from Kenya and currently in the middle East..knowing Swahili has a language made me adopt very first to Arabic language... this the best explanation about swahili history

  • @reinsonkibisu2056
    @reinsonkibisu2056 Před 4 lety +8

    The word for gift in Swahili is zawadi I even had a friend called zawadi +I used to travel to Mombasa Diani and malindi a lot from Nairobi

  • @NurseJamu
    @NurseJamu Před 4 lety +17

    Hi. I am a native Kiswahili speaker from Kenya and its my L1.
    Just a bit of info to add:
    The noun classes you mentioned are called "Ngeli"
    Initially they were as you presented, but they were changed a few decades ago.
    M-Mi is now U-I
    M-Wa is now A-Wa
    N-N is now I-I
    Theres also Ki-Vi, Li-Ya, I-Zi
    Etc etc
    This was in a bid to make learning kiswahili easier by using the subject pronoun in both singular and plural to name the classes (ngeli) for example
    Mtoto analia - Watoto wanalia
    (The baby is crying - The babies are crying)
    Here we are using "a" from analia (singular form) and "wa" from wanalia (plural) to form A-Wa class.
    Same to M-Mi
    Eg. Mti ulikatwa - Miti ilikatwa
    (The tree was cut - The trees were cut)
    We take the "u" from ulikatwa and the "i" from ilikatwa to form Ngeli ya U-I
    Hope it makes sense.
    I am not great at teaching so I can't really explain well the reasons behind it.
    Also all nouns indicating living things were put into A-Wa class regardless of their form so that their conjugation can be the same all through. Eg you can't say ndege hii (when u are speaking of a bird since its a living thing you say ndege huyu, ndege hawa, hence A-Wa class) but the same word can also be used to refer to a plane in which case it will be ndege hii, ndege hizi (I-Zi class)
    Maybe just have a look at a few primary/secondary kiswahili textbooks such as Kiswahili Mufti or Kiswahili Sanifu. They explain better.
    Great video I loved the explanations!

    • @_kachapin
      @_kachapin Před 4 lety

      Alitumuia Kamusi ya Kale, pia kuna ngeli ya PA KU MU

    • @alexwachira3894
      @alexwachira3894 Před 4 lety +1

      wairimu tiga wana...ati swahili is your what?salamu tu.

    • @jessendegwahmusic488
      @jessendegwahmusic488 Před 2 lety

      Niwageria kairitu no utuike mwalimu wa Githweri

    • @KiswahiliWithAbdulkarim
      @KiswahiliWithAbdulkarim Před 2 lety

      I try to explain this to my students but seems difficult to understand...I just have to tell them that there are two classification...the older one and the new one

  • @BillCameronWC
    @BillCameronWC Před 8 lety +54

    All your videos are interesting but the Swahili one is especially so. When I lived in Oman quite a few years ago, a number of our local Arab staff (we also had many Indian staff) would speak Swahili amongst themselves, rather than Arabic, as they had either been born in various parts of East Africa (places like Tanzania or Rwanda or Burundi - some of those also spoke French) or had family connection there. Even before that, when I lived in Djibouti, we used to incorporate a few words of Swahili into our internal coding system. I understand a little Swahili, basically because I know Arabic pretty well, but don't speak it. However I do think it is a really attractive language to listen to, even sometimes being said are not so nice - it is euphoric in the way that Italian usually is in my view :)

    • @BillCameronWC
      @BillCameronWC Před 8 lety +1

      .. Missed out a few words near the end - after sometimes, insert "if some of the things being". Oops! ;)

    • @d.a.nicholaus
      @d.a.nicholaus Před 7 lety +4

      as a native Swahili speaker I wondered if non speakers would find Swahili attractive to listen to. But as for me Italian is attractive to listen to.

    • @slytheron
      @slytheron Před 7 lety +5

      Omani Arabs did have colonies along the East African coast until the British and German conquest upon which they returned to Oman. Some of these Omanis kept the language alive from what I've heard. So it's interesting that you mentioned it here.

    • @Ernest0M0lina
      @Ernest0M0lina Před 7 lety +1

      I don't know anything about Swahili, but I heard some recordings ( www.jw.org/sw/machapisho/vitabu/biblia-inafundisha/je-hivi-ndivyo-mungu-alivyokusudia/ ) and I fell in love with the language.

    •  Před 7 lety +4

      Im native spanish also speak english and french! I find it super cool! Im now learning swahili, JUST FOR FUN, BECAUSE IN AMERICA NOBODY SPEAKS SWAHILI HAAHA

  • @casiandsouza7031
    @casiandsouza7031 Před 4 lety +6

    A standard Swahili-English dictionary was published by Oxford University Press. It suggests zawadi for gift is related to zaidi for more.

    • @AMGW11
      @AMGW11 Před 3 lety

      The gift that keeps on giving - ( more )

  • @jamesnteleva7073
    @jamesnteleva7073 Před 3 lety

    Wow! What a nice lesson! Umefundisha vizuri sana na kwa usahihi kabisa! Hongera sana!👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾@Langfocus

  • @fernandachua1701
    @fernandachua1701 Před 7 lety +7

    Omg! It sounds so gorgeous! Amazing video, thank you so much for the effort. Greetings from Mexico!

  • @tapolna
    @tapolna Před 7 lety +12

    I studied Kisawhili and lived in Tanzania for a year. You're correct about the difficulty about learning the noun classes, but I found the pronunciation quite easy. Everyone in Tanzania also knows English, the second official language, as will as another native language. So many people are tri-lingual.

    • @manasemwakagali9358
      @manasemwakagali9358 Před 5 lety

      hi friend, i'm swahili native speaker, i you are interested to practice more shahili, i want to practice my english too

    • @jamespaul4634
      @jamespaul4634 Před 5 lety

      I would like to improve my English too,,,,can u support me??,,,,+255 713 282162

  • @ximia920
    @ximia920 Před 2 měsíci +2

    That sounds like an extremely cool language, the hole prefix thing seems to be very logical and I also liked the sound of the words 😍

  • @brittanyvanosdall7577
    @brittanyvanosdall7577 Před 2 lety +1

    wow. This is truly an incredible video! I just started Swahili a few weeks ago and this really helped alot! Im currently learning on Duolingo and they do not do a good job explaining the vowels, and consonants. This just made my life 10x easier lol i will keep coming back to this video! Thank you so much for this incredible knowledge

    • @Langfocus
      @Langfocus  Před 2 lety +1

      Thanks, Brittany! I’m glad you find it useful. 👍🏻