- Online
- $445
Interested in exploring Africa and travelling to Tanzania, Kenya or other Swahili-speaking countries? Or maybe you want to connect with friends, loved ones or your family heritage, or deepen your appreciation of African cultures and history through language?
This course introduces you to the essentials of the Swahili sound system, vocabulary, expressions, grammar and cultural life. Through interactive and engaging methods like role play, games, flashcards, grammar songs and more, you’ll quickly build confidence in speaking, reading and writing in Swahili.
Connect with the vibrant language and rich culture of Eastern and Central Africa. Hakuna Matata!
Course outline
Exact course outlines are determined by the instructor to best meet the needs of the class. This outline is an example only.
Week 1
- Introduction to Swahili language
- Alphabet and stress system
Week 2
- The Swahili verb
- Pronouns
Week 3
- The verb to have
- Tense systems in the affirmative
Week 4
- Negation of present and future tenses
- Negation of perfect and past tenses
Week 5
- Question formation
- Dialogue drills
Week 6
- Cardinal and ordinal numbers
Week 7
- Expressing dates, days of the week, months of the year
- Countries, nationalities, names of Languages
Week 8
- Telling time
- Cultural notes on punctuality
Week 9
- Review
- Practice drills
Expected effort
You can expect to spend about three hours per week attending live, virtual classes and completing course work on your own time.
Textbook
This course requires the purchase of the textbook Learn Swahili in a Fun Way: A linguistic Approach (2024). Students can purchase an eBook version or a hardcopy version of the textbook from the UBC Bookstore.
Course format
This course is offered online.
Our online conversational courses offer a virtual classroom experience where you can see and interact with your teacher and classmates over Zoom. Log in at a set time to participate in individual, pair and group work, ask questions and receive feedback from your instructor.
Outside of class time, access course materials online at your own pace for up to three weeks after the course ends.
Learn more about online learning at Extended Learning.
How am I assessed?
This is a non-credit course without letter or numerical grades. You receive verbal feedback on your conversation and grammar skills from your instructor during class. Written homework is typically corrected in class. Some lesson modules may include quizzes.
Record of completion
A record of completion will be emailed to students who participate and satisfy the course requirements within two weeks of the course end date. Course completion means 80% attendance and/or 80% completion of mandatory assignments.
Technology requirements
For all languages classes, you’ll need access to the internet, a personal email account and an up-to-date web browser.
For online classes, you will also need a video camera and a microphone on your device.
The day before your course starts, you will receive an email with instructions on how to access the course.