Nina swali. I have a question. Questions in Swahili

In this post we’ll look at how to ask questions in Swahili. First we’ll look at some general vocabulary that you can use when you want to ask a question. Then we’ll move on to question words in Swahili. We’ll cover all of the important question words in Swahili for what, who, where, when, how, how much/many, and why. Along the way we’ll point out any important grammar that you need to know when you ask questions in Swahili.

General Vocabulary for Questions

Let’s start with some general vocabulary and expressions related to questions: swali a question; ndio yes; hapana no; labda maybe; au or.

• Nina swali.
  I have a question.
• Nikuulize swali?
  Can I ask you a question?
• Sijui.
  I don’t know.
• Sina uhakika.
  I’m not sure.

• Nina uhakika.
  I am sure.
• Hii ni chai au kahawa?
  Is this tea or coffee?
• Unataka maji au sharubati?
  Do you want water or juice?
• Hii ni hoteli yako?
  Is this your hotel?
• Ndio, ni hoteli yangu.
  Yes, it’s my hotel.
• Hapana, sio hoteli yangu.
  No, it’s not my hotel.

GRAMMAR TIP!

You can use the particle je to ask simple yes/no questions in Swahili. But je is optional; you can simply use question intonation.

• Hii ni hoteli yako.
  This is your hotel.
• Je, hii ni hoteli yako?
  Is this your hotel?
• Hii ni hotel yako?
  Is this your hotel?

Swahili Question Words

Now let’s move on to questions with question words. We’ll cover all of the most important Swahili question words in this section.

Nini? What?

To ask what, use nini.

• Hii ni nini?
  What is this?
• Unafanya nini?
  What are you doing?

Nani? Who?

To ask who, use nani.

• Ni nani huyo?
  Who is that?
• Unasafiri na nani?
  Who are you traveling with?

Wapi? Where?

To ask where, use wapi.

• Bafu iko wapi?
  Where’s the bathroom?
• Unaishi wapi?
  Where do you live?
• Unaenda wapi?
  Where are you going?
• Unatoka wapi?
  Where are you from?

Lini? When?

To ask when, use lini. A related question is saa ngapi? at what time?

• Unafika/unatoka lini?
  When do you arrive/leave?
• Treni inaondoka/inafika lini?
  When does the train leave/arrive?
• Duka hufungua/kufunga lini?
  When does the store open/close?
• Filamu itaanza saa ngapi?
  At what time does the film start?

Vipi? How?

To ask how, use vipi. You can also add the particle –je to a verb.

• Nairobi unaenda vipi?
  Unaendaje Nairobi?
  How do you get to Nairobi?
• Unaenda kazini vipi?
  Unaendaje kazini?
  How do you go to work?
• Watoto wako vipi?
  How are the kids?
• Unasemaje… kwa kiswahili?
  How do you say… in Swahili?

Ngapi? How many? Kiasi gani? How much?

To ask how many, use ngapi. Ngapi takes agreement prefixes, for instance: watoto wangapi (how many children), vitabu vingapi (how many books), and so on. If you want to ask how much of a mass noun, like  money or water, use kiasi gani.

• Hii inagharimu pesa ngapi?
  How much does this cost?
• Watu wangapi?
  How many people?
• Kuna wanafuzi wangapi hapo?
  How many students are there?
• Una vitabu vingapi?
  How many books do you have?
• Unataka mikate ngapi?
  How much bread do you want?
• Unataka maji kiasi gani?
  How much water do you want?

Kwa nini? Why?

To ask why, use kwa nini.

• Kwa nini/Mbona uko hapa?
  Why are you here?
• Kwa nini unajifunza Kiswahili?
  Why are you learning Swahili?
• Kwa nini unapenda filamu hii?
  Why do you like this film?

Get on the road to speaking Swahili with the Language Garage!

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning how to ask questions in Swahili and how to use Swahili question words. If you’d like to learn more, check out our other posts on Swahili language, culture, and more. And if you’re looking for convenient and affordable live Swahili lessons with a real teacher, check out The Language Garage Swahili. Our lessons are given online in a virtual classroom, so it doesn’t matter where you live or work. We can come to you. And we have flexible options, with a free trial so that you can decide if there’s a fit. Check us out!

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