The language is approachable.
Swahili phonetics are simple for English speakers
Learning to speak Swahili is remarkably easy. The sounds of the language are simple enough for a native English speaker to wrap their head around. Most words are pronounced exactly how they’re written. Out of all the languages I’ve studied, Swahili is the one with the most approachable phonetic system. This is a huge plus for first time language learners. Most of the sounds in English translate directly over to Swahili, with a few notable exceptions.
Swahili speakers are friendly!
Swahili speakers are also extremely friendly! You don’t have to worry about making mistakes or getting the language perfect. The Swahili learning community has a very welcoming atmosphere. Whether you travel to Tanzania or Kenya, Swahili speakers are typically quite warm and welcoming. This gives you a lot of opportunities to practice what you’ve learned in the field. Also, even if you make mistakes, people will find it amusing, rather than criticize you for butchering the language.
There’s a strong storytelling culture
If there’s one thing I’ve noticed about Swahili speakers, it’s that they love storytelling! This works to your advantage as a learner, because once you reach an intermediate or advanced level, you won’t ever be at a shortage for interesting audio material. In addition to this, Swahili language music is quite popular in the East African region. For people who love learning through audio, Swahili music and audio content is vast. Although much of it is catered to native speakers, there is still a breadth of content online to dig into.
Basic conjugation is simple
Although I’ve touched on the complexity of Swahili grammar here, there are some easy aspects to it. For one, basic conjugation is extremely easy. Unlike in English where the verb form changes with each personal pronoun, in Swahili, all you do is add a prefix to the verb you want to conjugate, and you’re done. Here’s a simple example with the verb “to walk”
Kutembea; “to walk”
- Ninatembea
- Unatembea
- Anatembea
- Tunatembea
- Mnatembea
- Wanatembea
The “na” here in these phrases expressing the present tense. The same pattern holds up for the future tense as well as past tense. All you’d do it plug in a “ta” for the future tense, or a “li” if you wanted to express a past action.
- Nitatembea
- Nilitembea
Learning a second language doesn’t have to be difficult!
Learning a second language from square 1 as an adult isn’t an easy task. However, if you had to choose any language to learn as a second language, Swahili is definitely one of the more approachable choices. Jump in and learn a few phrases today!
