Lonely Planet Swahili Phrasebook & Dictionary

I recently visited Tanzania and Zanzibar for 3 weeks and while most people there speak English well enough in the bigger cities, its nice to hold your own in a conversation and interpret prices and menus for yourself and give compliments/complaints with the correct details. The phrasebook is organized very well and it was easy for me to flip through at any given moment to find the word or phrase I needed in a conversation. Its the perfect size to keep in a purse or pocket and read out of without making it obvious to everyone what you're doing lolThe most useful sections are the family/introductions and food glossary (which is separate from the main dictionary in the back), my in-laws were somewhat entertained at my goofy attempts to communicate with them or talk about food but more surprised that I could pick up parts of their discussions and figure out what they were talking about to a basic extent. Not only that, but the pronunciation guides in this book helped my accent be indistinguishable to native speakers. Swahili has a lot of words that start with a 'Mb' or 'Ng' and knowing exactly where the syllable breaks are helps a lot in both speaking and training your ear to listen for them.Although I mostly traveled with my husband who is a native speaker, I was confidently able to hold my own and take care of my needs with this book when he wasn't around. I'd highly recommend this guide to anyone traveling to East Africa who has zero knowledge of Swahili (like I did). I plan on picking up other Lonely Planet phrasebooks for future travels because of this experience.

I hate when people give poor reviews to something because they didn't really read the description of what they were buying. I was surprised when I got this since it is so small. A little larger than a pack of cigarettes but then I recalled that it's a phrasebook - and they tend to be small. It is well thought out, helpful, pocket-sized and even has a 5,000 word dictionary in the back. It teaches you how to pronounce the words as well as what they mean. This is not an instructional book, it is just a phrasebook and is supposed to have an organized presentation of common phrases and English equivalents. It does that well. But, it also teaches some Swahili. If you want to actually learn the language rather than recite phrases, I would recommend something more instructional and in-depth. But as just a phrasebook, this would be the one to get.

I used this book in Kenya. It was very helpful

It's small. Literally pocket sized. But somewhat thick. And it is packed with tons and tons of information. It teaches the basics to get you started. And then builds from there. More than just phrases. It teaches how to build a sentence. Verb usage, etc. Study this one book and you'll be able to easily communicate with anyone who speaks Swahili.

I spent 4 months in Tanzania earlier this year, and although I was studying swahili while I was abroad, this book saved me on numerous occasions. Of course, like any language book there were a few flaws that the locals made sure to make fun of me for (like out of context phrases and incorrect grammar). But this book isnt meant to be a course, it is meant to be a pocket guide, and for that it does its job. The only thing I was unhappy with was the fact that it did not include the proper way to conjugate verbs, which made it difficult to create a proper sentence stitching multiple words together. Other than this, I don't know where I would have been without this book!

This book has helped me in countless situations living abroad. It's the perfect tool to have with you while being immersed in a different culture, and it's completely pocketable. I work in East Africa and rarely leave this at home when I walk out the door. The book not only has an extensive dictionary, but also includes key phrases and explains cultural customs briefly, as well as some slang thrown in to. Great traveling companion!

I love this little book! Not much bigger than a passport, it is PACKED with useful phrases that are arranged in intuitive sections. The basics of the language are right at the beginning and the phonetic pronunciation is given for each phrase.

In great shape, aside from missing a page...?

Very nice book. Easy to understand

Great

I have been out of touch with Africa for quite a while and obviously with the Swahili language as well. Where I live there are lots of many from Africa who for their reasons find it unnecessary. I have run into situations whereby I meet the indigenous from Africa and communicating in Swahili brings us at the same level of bondage where we are from. But I also still have hard time recalling very many words and phrases and this book has continued to now help me to improve my communication. I entirely agree with very many whereby it is indeed a bonus to speak some local language to feel at home in the countries of visits to save time and frustrations. Excellent Publication.

I traveled to Tanzania last year and I had the book with me the all time,Very easy to use and very well explained,it made my life so much easier!

The perfect size, the book is clearly organised, contains a wide range of phrases and contains a phrasebuilder section to help you understand the language. Whether you want a collection of phrases at your disposal or want to start learning the basics of the language, this book is well worth the £5 asking price.