Customer Reviews

Simplified Swahili (Longman language texts)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the best book I ever used to study Kiswahili. And I've tried a couple... It is not apt for tourists who just want a quick insight into the Swahili language, but it is perfect for people interested in staying in an East African country. It contains good explanations on grammar, lots of vocabulary and lots of exercises. It teaches you, how to read, write and speak the language in correct grammar using the right words. In short: thumbs up and very recommendable!

I arrived in Nairobi in 1981 for a two year stint with a multinational. When I voiced a desire to learn Swahili, my boss' wife recommended this book.

In one month I was speaking Swahili well enough to deal with any situation that could possibly arise. This would not have been possible without this book. Other sources, such as "Teach Yourself Swahili" aren't anywhere near as good. This book was originally written for the settler, missionary or expatriate who came out mainly from the UK, had to learn Swahili fairly well and fairly fast in order to cope in the area, and didn't have the time, money or inclination to sit in a classroom or hire a tutor. As such it is not written for the academic, traveler or dilettante, but is still designed to be thorough and move along at a reasonable pace. On completion of this book you will be able to deal with street situations, read the local newspaper and understand the radio, and yet also have a sufficient grasp of the structure of the language to move into more esoteric things, such as medieval Swahili poetry.

The copy I have was printed in Kenya, and I don't know whether or not it is being printed anywhere else. Anybody interested in learning Swahili should try to get a hold of this book, and I hope that Amazon will manage to track down a source, if possible. My copy's not for sale!

This book makes Kiswahili rahisi sana kufahamu. The lessons are very well organized and it's extremely easy to use. I stayed in Kenya for three months and with the help of this book (and a lot of babbling) I was able to communicate quite well.

I used this book throughout my 8-year stay in Tanzania, East Africa. Because Peter Wilson uses a step-by-step approach which fits well with the logical structure of Swahili, this book was most helpful in getting started. Later on, as I gained more language skills, the book helped me learn the finer points of vocabulary, grammar and sentence structure. For any traveller to East Africa who plans to stay a while in Tanzania, a good book to add to your library.

I have read the reviews, and agree completely and wholeheartedly--this book is the best one you could possibly find to learn Swahili. Hands down. Rather than reiterate what everyone else has already said, I would like to mention that it has an additional benefit that most people would not realize before they go to East Africa:

It will also simultaneously teach you British English.

East Africans use British English, and this book uses all the same verbs and phrases that East African English speakers use. Americans have no idea how much idiomatic language and slang they use until they go someplace like East Africa and people understand about half of what they say.

So if you are an American who says "when I get back" rather than "when I return," then you should get this book so you can ALSO learn which words of British English to use.

I lived in Tanzania for two years, and even now, when I meet someone from a former British colony in Africa who is in the US, I switch back into British English, and they understand me a hundred times better than when I use American English.

Just something to keep in mind.

Very good for a person who does well with an academic study format. This self study course presents a thorough coverage of Swahili grammar constructions. It is presented in an easy to follow format, and includes a vocabulary that will enable a person to be proficient for most common daily usage, although a separate auditory source for pronunciation will be needed. It provides good examples of usage; and a variety of exercises with each lesson, to which answers can be found at the end of the book. Lessons include exercises for translating English to Swahili, and Swahili to English. Well structured appendices offer easy-to-review summaries of noun and verb structures, and some specific topical usages.

This book is the clearest study presentation I found. Since I am not an auditory learner, this course was good for controlled learning and is still good for review.

I've learned a lot of languages during my lifetime and have therefore read a lot of books in this area. This one (the first 5 chapters) is the worst I've read. The content itself might be accurate and good by itself but it's not a good book for learning Swahili as a beginner. It doesn't contain any practical texts to read to practice what you've just learned in each chapter, just a lot of words out of context. Not even simple conversations in the first chapters!
I bought a children's book to fill the gap and I might use this one as a reference book.

Simplified swahili is definetly the right title for this book. It explains the gramma of the swahili language in a way that is easy to understand. It is also quite through. The book has many examples. You will also find that the book has 89 exercises, with answers. Buy this book if you want to learn swahili!

Love this book. I used it as a Peace Corps volunteer while in Kenya and it helped significantly to make sure I was studying Kiswahili Sanifu.
Highly recommended to all those that have some basic vocab words. Take your time with this book - reading the whole chapter through (rather than bumping around) is really the best way to go.
If you want slang Swahili this is NOT the book to purchase. Luckily, after learning proper Swahili, it's easy to butcher it by using slang later.

I had been struggling with learning Swahili using other books. This book is top of the line explaining concepts in understandable terms. It is very well written and has helped me tremendously. My suggestion--get Rosetta Stone and this book.