Customer Reviews

Swahili Phrase Book and Dictionary (Berlitz Phrase Books)

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I brought this book to Kenya and found it to be disappointing and incomplete. Many of the words and phrases (including such simple things as greetings!) are inaccurate, obscure or out-of-date. It doesn't even include "Jambo!" the most ubiquitous Swahili greeting and the only word most tourists learn.

Along with providing many poor choices (which were incomprehensible to the kenyans I met), the book didn't provide enough context to help you correctly choose your words or phrasing. Also -- and more importantly -- the grammar section is incomplete and impossible to follow. Swahili grammar is very different from English, and it's impossible to gain ANY proficiency in the language without at least a basic briefing in grammar.

At the end of my trip, I bought the Lonely Planet Phrasebook, which was infinitely better, and everything started making sense. And no, I don't work for Lonely Planet.