Lonely Planet Swahili Phrasebook

The highlights of this book is that it contains not only the dictionaries and useful phrases but also good explanation of grammar which makes understanding easier. Can't learn a language without grammar. They also try not to complicate by teaching "survival Swahili".

What's not to like? The compact size makes it easy to pack and tote on your trip to East Africa. It works great as a pre-trip study resource for the language - and equally well if you never open it until you are in a market in Tanzania and want to know "bei gani?" ("how much?") The book is organized in a way that makes sense - you can go to the section on shopping and find, not just a list of vocabulary words, but lots and lots of phrases to cover all kinds of situations. (If you have ever had to look up what you want to say word by word in a language guide, you will appreciate the value of this feature.) Like all Lonely Planet publications, it is written with a sense of attitude and energy - not dry like many language guides. My (Ki)Swahili is pretty good at this point - but I still pack this book whenever I go to East Africa.

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.

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.

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!