Learn to speak Swahili

1. 1

   Week 1: sounds and greetings

   Say hello (Habari) and thank you (Asante) until they feel natural. Learn the sounds that differ from English, and say ten short sentences about yourself.

2. 2

   Week 2: everyday requests

   Learn to order, ask the price, ask where things are and say you do not understand. Build each as a full sentence and say it three times.

3. 3

   Week 3: questions and answers

   Practise question words and the answers to them. Listen to each Swahili sentence first, then say it, then compare.

4. 4

   Week 4: short exchanges

   Chain sentences into a mini conversation: greet, introduce yourself, ask a question, answer one. Record yourself and listen back.

Swahili uses the Latin alphabet, so you can read and sound out words from day one.

Swahili sits in the moderate band for English speakers. A few real differences from English, but a regular system.

• Ten to twenty minutes, same time every day.
• Say everything out loud, even when alone.
• Learn whole sentences, not isolated words.
• Repeat yesterday's sentences before learning new ones.
• After a couple of weeks, find a conversation partner or tutor and use what you have practised. At 30 minutes a day, Swahili reaches working proficiency in roughly 4.9 years, and you will be speaking well before that.