Welcome to the sixth Swahili lesson about numbers. This time we will learn about cardinal and ordinal numbers, followed by grammar rules, then animal names, finally a conversation in Swahili to help you practice your daily phrases.
| Cardinal | Swahili | Ordinal | Swahili |
|---|---|---|---|
| one | mmoja  | first | kwanza |
| two | mbili | second | pili |
| three | tatu | third | wa tatu |
| four | nne | fourth | wa nne |
| five | tano | fifth | wa tano |
| six | sita | sixth | wa sita |
| seven | saba | seventh | wa saba |
| eight | nane | eighth | wa nane |
| nine | tisa | ninth | tisa |
| ten | kumi | tenth | kumi |
| eleven | kumi na moja | eleventh | kumi na moja |
| twelve | kuma na mbili | twelfth | kumi na mbili |
| thirteen | kumi na tatu | thirteenth | kumi na tatu |
| fourteen | kumi na nne | once | mara moja |
| fifteen | kumi na tano | twice | mara mbili |
| sixteen | kumi na sita | Monday | jumatatu |
| seventeen | kumi na saba | Tuesday | jumanne |
| eighteen | kumi na nane | Wednesday | jumatano |
| nineteen | kumi na tisa | Thursday | alhamisi |
| twenty | ishirini | Friday | ijumaa |
| seventy one | sabini na moja | Saturday | jumamosi |
| one hundred | mia | Sunday | jumapili |
Numbers Grammar Rules
Swahili cardinal numbers refer to the counting numbers, because they show quantity. For example: I speak twolanguages. Ordinal numbers on the other hand tell the order of things and their rank: my first language is Swahili. The examples below use numbers in different ways and places to demonstrate how they behave in a sentence.
| Grammar + Rules | Swahili |
|---|---|
| I have three dogs [number + noun] | nina mbwa watatu |
| my daughter has two cats [number + noun] | binti yangu ana paka wawili |
| she speaks seven languages [verb + number] | anafahamu lugha saba |
| my brother has one son [number + singular noun] | ndugu yangu ana mtoto mmoja |
| this is my second lesson [ordinal number + noun] | hili ni somo langu la pili |
| did you read the third book? [ordinal number + noun] | je, ulisoma kitabu ya tatu? |
We're not done yet! The following is a list of animals.
cow ng'ombe | goat mbuzi | donkey punda | horse farasi |
dog mbwa | cat paka | mouse panya | bird ndege |
Conversation in Swahili
Now we finally reach the last part, the practice of the daily conversations. These phrases are used to get to know new people, and break the ice.
| English | Swahili |
|---|---|
| Where are you from? | unatoka nchi gani? |
| I'm from the U.S | mimi ninatoka amerika |
| I'm American | mimi ni mmarekani |
| Where do you live? | unaishi wapi? |
| I live in the U.S | ninaishi amerika |
| What do you do for a living? | unafanya kazi gani? |
| I'm a student | mimi ni mwanafunzi |
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