Café & Drinks

1. Ninataka chai tafadhali

   Ni-na-ta-ka chai ta-fa-dha-li

   I would like tea, please

   Usage

   Ordering spiced chai tea, a staple drink across East Africa

   Grammar Note

   "Chai" is thought to have entered via Persian/Hindi and is fully integrated into Swahili. East African chai is boiled with milk, sugar, and spices — quite sweet.

2. Naweza kuona orodha ya vinywaji?

   Na-we-za ku-o-na o-ro-dha ya viny-wa-ji?

   Can I see the drinks menu?

   Usage

   Requesting the drinks menu at a restaurant or café

   Grammar Note

   "Vinywaji" is the plural of "kinywaji" (drink) in the ki/vi noun class. Ki- changes to vi- in the plural.

3. Maji ya madini, tafadhali

   Ma-ji ya ma-di-ni, ta-fa-dha-li

   Mineral water, please

   Usage

   Ordering bottled mineral water for safe drinking

   Grammar Note

   "Maji" belongs to the ma/plural noun class. In many East African regions, bottled water is recommended over tap water.

4. Juisi ya mango baridi moja

   Jui-si ya mango ba-ri-di mo-ja

   One cold mango juice

   Usage

   Ordering fresh mango juice, widely available across East Africa

   Grammar Note

   Adjectives follow the noun in Swahili. "Baridi" means both "cold" (temperature) and "cold weather".

5. Je, una bia ya ndani?

   Je, u-na bi-a ya nda-ni?

   Do you have local beer?

   Usage

   Asking for locally brewed beer like Tusker or Kilimanjaro

   Grammar Note

   "Je" at the start of a sentence marks a yes/no question. "Bia" is borrowed from English. Tusker is Kenya's famous lager.

6. Kahawa bila sukari, tafadhali

   Ka-ha-wa bi-la su-ka-ri, ta-fa-dha-li

   Coffee without sugar, please

   Usage

   Ordering coffee without sugar — Ethiopian and Kenyan coffees are world-renowned

   Grammar Note

   "Kahawa" derives from Arabic "qahwa". Kenya is a top coffee producer; its AA grade is internationally prized.

7. Niambie kuhusu maji ya dafu

   Ni-am-bi-e ku-hu-su ma-ji ya da-fu

   Tell me about coconut water

   Usage

   Asking about fresh coconut water, popular along the Swahili coast

   Grammar Note

   Along the Swahili coast, water from young coconuts is sold as a street drink and called madafu. The drink is maji ya dafu ("mchuzi wa nazi" is a cooking sauce/stew such as coconut curry): nazi is a mature coconut, dafu a young one still holding water.

8. Kinywaji gani kinapendelewa hapa?

   Kiny-wa-ji ga-ni ki-na-pen-de-le-wa ha-pa?

   What drink is popular here?

   Usage

   Asking locals what drink is most popular in the area

   Grammar Note

   The "ki-" in "kinapendelewa" agrees with the ki/vi noun class subject. Swahili passive is formed by adding "-w-" before the final vowel.

9. Glasi moja zaidi, tafadhali

   Gla-si mo-ja zai-di, ta-fa-dha-li

   One more glass, please

   Usage

   Ordering another round of drinks

   Grammar Note

   "Glasi" is borrowed from English "glass". Swahili has many loanwords from English and Arabic. "Zaidi" means "more/further".

10. Je, maji ya bomba yanafaa kunywa?

    Je, ma-ji ya bom-ba ya-na-faa kuny-wa?

    Is tap water safe to drink?

    Usage

    Asking whether tap water is safe to drink — important for travelers

    Grammar Note

    "Maji ya bomba" (tap water, lit. "water of the pipe"). Tap water safety varies across East Africa; bottled water is often recommended.

11. Maji ya chupa

    Bottled water

    Usage

    Ask for this to get a sealed bottle; "maji ya kunywa" (drinking water) can get you tap water

    Grammar Note

    "Chupa" is a class 9/10 noun for a bottle; the phrase literally means "water of the bottle."

12. Maji ya moto

    Hot water

    Usage

    To ask for hot water to drink; the same wording works for hot water for a shower at a guesthouse

    Grammar Note

    "Moto" means fire or hot; "maji" is a class 6 noun with no singular form.

13. Bila barafu

    No ice

    Usage

    Say this when ordering a drink to refuse ice, which may have been made from tap water

    Grammar Note

    "Bila" is the preposition "without"; the noun after it does not change form.

14. Barafu

    Ice

    Usage

    The word for ice itself, whether you are asking for it or checking whether a drink has it

    Grammar Note

    A class 9/10 noun, unchanged in the plural; the same word covers frost and snow.

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