Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Hello, and welcome back to learning kiswahili with Kulmansam.
It's been a few days, a month since I made a video.
so I'm planning to star making a videos maybe 2 or 3 a week.
In this video I'm gonna take you through provers, Swahili proverbs.
Specifically from a book by Swahili Sayings in English and Arabic by Moosa Al-Rijeby.
This person is out in Oman, and I'll give you his address before end of this tape. So
if you wanna buy his book, you could buy the book. Ofcourse I don't make anything out of
it. I got his permission to publish information in my website.
Kiswahili is a very very versatile language, uuhmm it's composed of many other languages
as I said, and it's interesting to know that sayings in your language, may ave been translated
into swahili. Some sayings in English are in here, some sayings from other languages
also will be in what I'm talking about.
So the first one is "penye nia, pana njia" = where there's a will, there's a way.
"penye nia, pana njia" =where there's a will, there's a way.
"Udongo uwahi umaji" = work with the clay when it's still wet.
"Udongo uwahi umaji" = work with the clay when it's still wet.
This is same as'stricke the hammer when the iron is hot'
"penye kuku wengi, usimwage mtama", "penye kuku wengi, usimwage mtama" = where
there are many of fowl, do not splill millet. This means 'do not utter a secret where there
are plenty of people" "penye kuku wengi, usimwage mtama" = do not
spill millet where there's many fawl.
"Fimbo iliyo mkononi, ndio iuwayo nyoka", "Fimbo iliyo mkononi, ndio iuwayo nyoka"
= the stick that's in your hand is the one that will kill the snake. This means what
ever you posess in your hand is likely to be what you need to get the job done.
Or is likely to be an item you need to get the job done.
"Mchagua jembe si mkulima" "Mchagua jembe si mkulima" = he who chooses
(is picky) or differentiates between spades.. is not a farmer. A farmer is not choosy about
which spade they use (beggars are not choosy) "Mchagua jembe si mkulima"
This says, one who fusses about spades is not a farmer.
"Haraka haraka haina baraka" "Haraka haraka haina baraka" = Things done
in haste yield no good results. Thing done in haste yield no good results.
The other word for it is 'great haste makes waste'
"Ulimacho huvunacho", I love this one! "Ulimacho huvunacho", it says 'you reap what
you sow'. You reap what you sow.
"Asiesikia lamkuu huvunjika mguu" cut (retake) "Asiesikia lamkuu huvunjika mguu"
This says 'he who does not listen to his elders or superiors, his leg breaks'. This means
'listen to your elders, superiors, they know better. They've been through what you are
going. "Asiesikia lamkuu huvunjika mguu".
"Mkono moja haupigi makofi", I love this one. "Mkono moja haupigi makofi" = one hand cannot
clap. One hand cannot clap or does not clap.
"Mgeni ingia mwenyeji apone", "Mgeni ingia mwenyeji apone" = come oh guest
so that the host may benefit, of your presence. This is uuhh very interesting concept. In
many places, especially where we come from, when there is a visitor or a guest uuhhh,
you know uuhh the hostess or wife of the house, tends to prepare a lot of nice dishes. which
are only prepared when guests come. So uhh men of the house are always exited when guests
coming to their house because they get to eat some cool stuff.
So this says "Mgeni ingia mwenyeji apone" = guest come on in, welcome so that the host
may benefit.
"Barabara refu haikosi kona" "Barabara refu haikosi kona", this means,
a long road is not without a corner. "Barabara refu haikosi kona". The other words
is that there's nothing perfect.Everything has some imperfection.
"Mwanamke mzuri hakosi kasoro" hmmph! hmm hmm "Mwanamke mzuri hakosi kasoro"
= a beutiful girl is not without a fault. Again, no one is perfect.
"Simba mwendapole ndie mlanyama" "Simba mwendapole ndie mlanyama" this says
when a lion prawls or a lion that walks gently is the one that eats meat. The lion that walks
gently is the one that eats meat. This is simply saying that the lion who prawls is
the one that most likely who is stalking their prey and finally the one who ends up catching
the prey. Be watchful of people who do things in secrecy, they have something up their sleeve.
Be watchful of people who do things in secrecy, they always have something up their sleeve.
"Jembe lisilo na mpini halilimi" "Jembe lisilo na mpini halilimi" = a spade
without a handle does not plough.
Again my personal knowledge of Swahili uuh verbs and proverbs is very limited. I got
all these sayings from a book by Moosa Al-Rijeby. "Swahili Sayings in English and in Arabic"
uuh he is in Sultanate of Oman, P.O.Box 292, Postal Code 111, CPO Seeb International Airport,
Sultanate of Oman. His telephone is +968-603-824 (not 10 digit
like US). I believe his telephone might have changed
by now (12 years later), because uhh my parents live there and their phone number has changed.
With that said, 'thank you and we'll see you in the next lesson'