Swahili is one of the courses available on Duolingo. It teaches the Swahili language (Kiswahili), which is spoken by millions across East Africa, including countries like Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and

Swahili

Target LanguageSwahili
Base LanguageEnglish
Number of Skills?
Crowns per Skill?
Audio AvailableYes
Stories AvailableNo
Course StatusActive
Mascot AppearanceDuo

the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The course starts with basic greetings and slowly builds up to more complex sentence structures and cultural expressions. Swahili on Duolingo uses the Latin alphabet, and its pronunciation is generally straightforward and phonetic.

Units edit

The course consists of several units, each focusing on different aspects of vocabulary and grammar. The first unit is called Introduce yourself.

Unique Features edit

  • Introduces common East African greetings and cultural phrases early in the course.
  • Emphasis on simple sentence structures and phonetic spelling.
  • Swahili does not use gendered nouns, making grammar more accessible.
  • Focus on conversational language and practical expressions.

Tips edit

  • Swahili verbs are highly regular — once you learn the pattern, it becomes easy to form many verbs.
  • The prefix system may be new, but it's very logical once practiced.
  • Practice pronunciation often — what you see is usually what you say.

Related Pages edit