Formal and Informal Address

Unlike most European languages, Swahili makes no grammatical distinction between formal and informal address.

False Friends!

It is comforting to recognize some words when studying a foreign language. But be careful! Don't assume that a Swahili word always means what you expect.

The word leo, for example, doesn't mean "lion." It means today.And bin does not mean "container;" it means son of. And don't think the word kiwi is the name of a fruit-- it means to dazzle.

Grammar Stumpers!

You might be perplexed at first by the way that time is expressed in Swahili. In the Swahili culture, there are two 12-hour cycles each day.

The day cycle begins at sunrise (approximately 6:00 AM) and ends at sunset.

The evening cycle begins at sunset (approximately 6:00 PM) and lasts until dawn. So 8 AM is expressed in Swahili as saa mbili asubuhi, or literally "two o'clock in the morning." At noon, it is saa sita, or "six o'clock."

One of the most difficult aspects of learning Swahili is its system of nouns. Nouns in Swahili are divided into cases based on the way that they are spelled. There are sixteen noun cases in all! But don't worry-- that includes singular and plural. For a very detailed Noun understanding click here.

We wish you the best of luck in your endeavors to learn Swahili!

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