Learning a language, a thousand small stories.

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10 greetings in Swahili beyond 'jambo'

Saying 'jambo' is not enough. Here are 10 useful Swahili greetings, with IPA and context (formal/informal, times of the day) to sound natural from the very first exchanges.

The Swahili expression “pole pole”: meaning and uses

“Pole pole” means “slowly” in Swahili, but it’s also a little philosophy for everyday life. Origin, examples, nuance with “hakuna matata,” and tips for using it naturally.

Counting by tens in Swahili: ten, twenty, thirty

Ten, twenty, thirty… The tens in Swahili follow a regular pattern and, for many, come from Arabic. Here’s the list, the pronunciation, and how to say 21 (ishirini na moja).

Counting from 1 to 10 in Swahili: pronunciation and tips

Learning to count from 1 to 10 in Swahili is an essential step with memorable tips.