We can accommodate absolute beginners and advanced Swahili students alike. As lessons are private, the contents can be tailored to the student’s aims. For example, some students only want to learn a basic set of phrases to survive out in the street. More students, however, want a more in-depth approach that includes verb conjugation and noun classes. Or if you already have the basics, you may just want a conversational partner who can correct your mistakes.
To give you a feel for the things you will learn if you take lessons with Jeremiah, we’ve set out typical course contents depending on the experience level and aims of the student. Remember, these are highly flexible because you’ll have private lessons!
Beginners: quick Swahili to survive
- Introduction – History and facts about Kiswahili
- Lesson 1 — Greetings
- Lesson 2 — Days of the week, months, years
- Lesson 3 — Introducing yourself and meeting others
- Lesson 4 — Family and relationship
- Lesson 5 — Navigation and directions
- Lesson 6 — Numbers, counting and measurements
- Lesson 7 — Asking for price and bargaining
- Lesson 8 — Asking for help
- Lesson 9 — Time (Swahili time)
Language exercises and homework examples:
- Shopping
- Food
- Home
- Profession
- Weather
- Holidays
- Offices and important places
- Animals
Beginners: thorough approach that includes verb conjugation, noun classes, and irregular verbs
- Lesson 1 — Spelling and pronunciation
- Lesson 2 — Pronouns (personal pronouns, possessive pronouns and demonstrative pronouns)
- Lesson 3 — Subject prefixes and object infixes
- Lesson 4 — Infinitive verbs and verb tenses
- Lesson 5 — Negative verb tenses
- Lesson 6 — Verb conjugation
- Lesson 7 — Irregular verbs (verb ‘to be’ and verb ‘to have’) plus tenses
- Lesson 8 — Interrogatives (questioning)
- Lesson 9 — Imperatives (commands)
- Lesson 10 — Prepositions
- Lesson 11 — Adverbs
- Lesson 12 — Interjections
- Lesson 13 — Noun classes: M (W)/WA, N/N and KI/VI
- Lesson 14 — Making and receiving phone calls
Language exercises and homework examples:
- Health and diseases
- Travel and leisure
- Parts of the body
- Colours
- Culture
- Entertainment
Intermediate and advanced students
- Lesson 1 — Noun classes: M/WA, N/N, KI/VI, M/MI agreements viz verbs, adjectives
- Lesson 2 — Conditional verb tenses
- The PO-tense
- The KI-tense
- Lesson 3 — Conditional tenses 2: Nge-tense
- Lesson 4 — Relative tenses—Pronouns: who, whom, which (amba-ye)
- Lesson 5 — Comparatives
- Lesson 6 — Letter writing
Language exercises and homework examples:
- Education
- Economy
- Politics
- Business
- Technology
- Energy
- Agriculture
- Construction
- Mining