Monday, February 18, 2008

Freddy Teaches Us Time

A couple of weeks ago our Swahili tutor brought us a list of 200 words we should know. A day later he came back to pick up the list, and I hadn't copied them down. After begging, he finally brought them back, and I wanted to share. Some of them are essential, useful words; some are just funny.

166. anasa - luxury or luxuriousness
167. maamuzi - arbitration
180. adimika - be unobtainable, very scarce
182. janga - calamity
116. saa ngapi? - what time is it? Note: The answer to this depends upon whether the African or European system of reckoning hours is used. There are 24 hours in the African day, but the counting begins with sunrise and sunset. What therefore would be 7 am by European reckoning is one o'clock (saa moja) by the African system. There is always a six hour difference.

No comments: