Internet & WiFi

1. Kuna WiFi hapa?

   Ku-na WiFi ha-pa?

   Is there WiFi here?

   Usage

   Checking for WiFi availability at a café or hotel

   Grammar Note

   "Kuna" is the Swahili existential verb. WiFi is widely available in East African cities, though connection speeds vary.

2. Neno la siri la WiFi ni nini?

   Ne-no la si-ri la WiFi ni ni-ni?

   What is the WiFi password?

   Usage

   Asking for the WiFi password

   Grammar Note

   "Neno la siri" (password) literally means "secret word". "Siri" comes from Arabic and means secret or confidential.

3. Ninaweza kuchaji simu yangu?

   Ni-na-we-za ku-cha-ji si-mu yan-gu?

   Can I charge my phone?

   Usage

   Asking for a place to charge your phone when the battery is low

   Grammar Note

   "Simu" (phone) is from Arabic. Mobile money (M-Pesa) is dominant in East Africa, making phone charging especially important.

4. Ninaweza kununua SIM kadi hapa?

   Ni-na-we-za ku-nu-nu-a SIM ka-di ha-pa?

   Can I buy a SIM card here?

   Usage

   Buying a local SIM card for data access — common for East Africa travelers

   Grammar Note

   In East Africa, carriers like Safaricom (Kenya), Airtel, and Vodacom sell affordable SIM cards at airports and shops.

5. Mtandao wa intaneti ni polepole sana

   Mtan-da-o wa in-ta-ne-ti ni po-le-po-le sa-na

   The internet connection is very slow

   Usage

   Complaining about a slow internet connection

   Grammar Note

   "Polepole" functions as both adverb and adjective. It also embodies a Swahili cultural value — "polepole" (slowly) as a way of life.

6. Ninaweza kutuma barua pepe?

   Ni-na-we-za ku-tu-ma ba-ru-a pe-pe?

   Can I send an email?

   Usage

   Asking whether you can send an email using available internet access

   Grammar Note

   "Barua pepe" (email) combines "barua" (letter) + "pepe" (electronic). Swahili often creates indigenous terms for modern technology.

7. Ninaomba nambari yako ya simu

   Ni-na-om-ba nam-ba-ri ya-ko ya si-mu

   May I have your phone number?

   Usage

   Politely asking for someone's phone number to stay in contact

   Grammar Note

   "Ninaomba" is the present form of "kuomba" (to request/ask). It functions as a polite request marker.

8. Naweza kupakia picha mtandaoni?

   Na-we-za ku-pa-ki-a pi-cha mtan-da-o-ni?

   Can I upload photos online?

   Usage

   Checking if the connection is fast enough to upload photos to social media

   Grammar Note

   "Mtandaoni" adds the locative suffix "-ni" to "mtandao" (network). The "-ni" suffix creates locative nouns in Swahili.

9. Simu yangu haipati mtandao

   Si-mu yan-gu hai-pa-ti mtan-da-o

   My phone is not getting a signal

   Usage

   Telling someone your phone has no signal or internet connection

   Grammar Note

   Swahili negation adds "ha-" as prefix and changes the final "-a" to "-i" (e.g. inapata → haipati).

10. Je, unajua kafe ya intaneti karibu?

    Je, u-na-ju-a ka-fe ya in-ta-ne-ti ka-ri-bu?

    Do you know of a nearby internet café?

    Usage

    Asking if someone knows the location of a nearby internet café

    Grammar Note

    "Kafe" (café) is borrowed from English "café" and belongs to the N class (class 9), so the associative is "ya". "Baa" is English "bar" (a drinking place) and is not used for an internet café. Affordable internet cafés are common in East African urban areas.

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