100 beginner lessons for complete beginners

Learning Swahili becomes easier when you follow a structured sequence. This 100-lesson beginner course takes you from basic greetings and vocabulary to everyday conversations, grammar and practical communication.

Table of Contents hide
1 Part 1: Swahili basics
2 Part 2: Essential vocabulary
3 Part 3: Everyday things
4 Part 4: Essential verbs
5 Part 5: Pronouns and sentence structure
6 Part 6: Swahili tenses
7 Part 7: Describing people and things
8 Part 8: Everyday communication
9 Part 9: Practical Swahili
10 Part 10: Building confidence

Part 1: Swahili basics

  1. Introduction to Kiswahili
  2. Swahili alphabet
  3. Swahili pronunciation
  4. Swahili vowels
  5. Swahili consonants
  6. Greetings
  7. Introducing yourself
  8. Saying your name
  9. Asking someone’s name
  10. Saying goodbye

Part 2: Essential vocabulary

  1. Numbers 1–10
  2. Numbers 11–20
  3. Numbers 21–100
  4. Days of the week
  5. Months of the year
  6. Telling the time
  7. Colours
  8. Family members
  9. Common occupations
  10. Countries and nationalities

Part 3: Everyday things

  1. Parts of the body
  2. Clothes
  3. Food
  4. Drinks
  5. The home
  6. Household objects
  7. School vocabulary
  8. Workplace vocabulary
  9. Shopping vocabulary
  10. Market vocabulary

Part 4: Essential verbs

  1. Common Swahili verbs
  2. The verb kuwa
  3. The verb kufanya
  4. The verb kwenda
  5. The verb kuja
  6. The verb kula
  7. The verb kunywa
  8. The verb kusoma
  9. The verb kuandika
  10. The verb kusema and kuzungumza

Part 5: Pronouns and sentence structure

  1. Personal pronouns
  2. Subject prefixes
  3. Object prefixes
  4. Possessive forms
  5. Demonstratives
  6. Question words
  7. Making simple statements
  8. Making questions
  9. Making negative sentences
  10. Building longer sentences

Part 6: Swahili tenses

  1. Present tense
  2. Past tense
  3. Future tense
  4. Present negative
  5. Past negative
  6. Future negative
  7. Habitual actions
  8. Commands
  9. Requests
  10. Describing what you are doing

Part 7: Describing people and things

  1. Swahili adjectives
  2. Colours and descriptions
  3. Describing people
  4. Describing places
  5. Describing objects
  6. Possession
  7. Comparisons
  8. Singular and plural
  9. Noun classes
  10. Adjective agreement

Part 8: Everyday communication

  1. At home
  2. At school
  3. At work
  4. At a shop
  5. At the market
  6. At a restaurant
  7. Using public transport
  8. Asking for directions
  9. At a hotel
  10. Talking about your daily routine

Part 9: Practical Swahili

  1. Swahili for travellers
  2. Swahili for shopping
  3. Swahili for food
  4. Swahili for emergencies
  5. Swahili for making appointments
  6. Swahili for telephone conversations
  7. Swahili for meeting new people
  8. Swahili for social conversations
  9. Swahili for work
  10. Swahili for study

Part 10: Building confidence

  1. Reading simple Swahili
  2. Writing simple sentences
  3. Translation practice
  4. Grammar exercises
  5. Vocabulary exercises
  6. Dialogue practice
  7. Listening alternatives without audio
  8. Common Swahili mistakes
  9. Swahili revision test
  10. Your next steps in learning Kiswahili