Lonely Planet Swahili Phrasebook (Paperback)

by Martin Benjamin (Author), Charles Mironko (Author), Anne Geoghegan (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
National Geographic Traveler, September 2006
'Lonely Planet Phrasebooks. Portable, pocket-size, cheap, and available for almost any country you might want to visit...'
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Description

HABARI! The ever-present greeting you'll remember long after your trip. But travel in East Africa is so full of encounters, being able to interact in Swahili will turn your trip into the travel experience you're hoping for. Whether you're sailing on a dhow off Zanzibar, scaling the heights of Kilimanjaro or having a quiet drink with your host in Nairobi, this book will help you communicate the way you want to.

• understand the correct Swahili greetings
• identify those animals with the 'On Safari' section
• enjoy the local cuisine
• identify market food and traditional dishes
• use the comprehensive two-way dictionary to find the words you need
• learn about the language with grammar and pronunciation tips throughout

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Lonely Planet Publications; 2nd edition (July 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0864425090
• ISBN-13: 978-0864425096
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 3.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #587,041 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This item is part of The Lonely Planet Phrasebooks Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, Helpful Vocab. and Dictionary for Beginners, July 26, 1999

By A Customer

It may not be the only book you'll need to grasp the concepts of the Swahili language, but it is definitely a must-have supplement. Covering a wide variety of topics, this inexpensive little book holds a lot of information. Grammar and pronounciation tips throughout the book help you to build confidence and understanding when putting those hundreds of new vocabulary words to use. Different scenerios are broken down into appropriate chapters, making words for every situation easy to find. And to top it off, reinforcing crossword puzzles and a two-way dictionary at the back of the book. Excellent!

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The one book I always had in my bag, November 15, 2001

By	Laura Farra "lfarra1" (Rochester, NY USA) - See all my reviews

There just aren't that many swahili dictionaries or phrasebooks out there, and this one turns out to be useful too. Its small size makes it easy to take everywhere and the sections give travelers a good feel for the language without being too overwhelmed by swahili's many noun classes. I would recommend it more as a reference than as a stand-alone teaching tool, but the english-swahili, swahili-english dictonary is comprehensive and useful for travelers with all degrees of Kiswahili fluency. My copy has turned somewhat brown from all the dust, but the book has held up well. I would hate to be stuck in East Africa without it.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for a trip to East Africa, June 29, 2000

By	JoAnne Harbert (Indianapolis, IN USA) - See all my reviews

I have purchased a few different materials to try to learn the Swahili language. The was by far the best value. It is full of useful information, and unlike the others that I purchased, actually teaches you how to build sentences, and not just ask where the train station is. If you purchase this along with some tapes, you will learn the language much faster.