Is it helpful to learn Swahili or do most people in Kenya speak English.?

8 Comments

1. hakuna matata says:

   October 24, 2009 at 4:37 am

   Yes it is always useful to learn a few basic words of the main language that is used in the country that your visiting, and Kenya is no exception! Although you will find that a large proportion of Kenyans will understand English, and speak it quite well, there are some that you will find that don’t. There are many dialects spoken in Kenya and it would be impossible to speak them all, so in the main, the Swahili language is the common language used to overcome this barrier. You can find some useful Swahili words and phrases on this site that may be of use to you. http://www.glcom.com/hassan/lessons/useful_swahili_words.html
   Hope that you find this helps.
2. muzungu says:

   October 24, 2009 at 4:37 am

   Jambo habari,
   Its always wise to learn the basics, but youll find most speak english, iam just learning swahili myself ,my girlfreind is kamba and we are going in november have a goodtime safe trip

   alan
3. Hell Raiser says:

   October 24, 2009 at 4:37 am

   in major cities many speak English but always helpful 2 know a bit of Swahili
4. Haveitlookedat says:

   October 24, 2009 at 4:37 am

   It is totally not worth it learning how to speak swahili if you are going to be in kisumu. It is better for you to learn luo. Because most people in Kisumu speak Luo. Couple words you would like to know:

   Vowels are pronounced
   a as in apple, e as in egg, i as in igloo, o as in octopus, u as in poo. Keep this in mind as you read the following phrases.

   Amoso i – that’s saying how are you( to one person) amoso u (to many people).
   ero kamano – is thank you
   ma pesa adi? – how much does this cost.
   oriti – goodbye
   aan (insert name here) – my name is —

   Add more to your question if you think of anything you want to know, and I can check later and add to it. The flip side of the coin is, if you have someone who can teach you swahili (as in physically) then learn swahili, because everyone you meet/most people you meet will be able to speak english, swahili and luo, and it would be fun to be able to say a couple things in the native toungue).
5. Layla says:

   October 24, 2009 at 4:37 am

   So far peopl iv met have all been able to comunicate in english…. and if its for a few weeks, perhaps learning a few general words would help.
6. jamisonshuck says:

   October 24, 2009 at 4:37 am

   most people in Kisumu and other cities know English, but speak Swahili normally. For the country as a whole, I would say 95% speak Swahili, 70% speak English and probably about 5% speak neither. Those are just my estimations, not actual numbers
7. kaleo says:

   October 24, 2009 at 4:37 am

   Knowing some swahili will endear you to the locals and even assure you of instant rapport.

   It is even more vital now that you will be on work in Kisumu which is to the west of the capital Nairobi.

   Try and get to know more about your destination through the internet.

   Karibu (Swahili for welcome) Kenya !
8. zilber says:

   October 24, 2009 at 4:37 am

   in the rural areas you will encounter Swahili more than English but…
   they will provide you with a translator…
   your linguistic background is not sufficient to learn Swahili in a short while….
   you will always manage with English in Kenya….