Looking for practical Swahili to Sepedi phrases? This free guide lists 100 essential sentences for travel, study, work, and everyday conversation. Each line shows the Swahili phrase first, then the Sepedi translation (Sepedi) — so you can scan quickly before a trip, class, or video call.
The phrases are grouped into eight topics: greetings and pleasantries, useful phrases for travellers, everyday conversation, directions and getting around, shopping and dining, emergencies and health, work and business, and time, days and numbers. Use the table of contents to jump straight to greetings, directions, dining, emergencies, or numbers. You do not need perfect grammar to start — short, clear sentences often work better than silence when you are learning Sepedi.
Tip: focus on one section per day (travel Monday, dining Tuesday, and so on) if you are preparing for a Sepedi-speaking trip in a few weeks.
Bookmark this page for offline review, share it with a travel buddy, or open the Swahili to Sepedi translator to paste your own messages and get an instant translation.
Greetings and pleasantries
Hello, goodbye, please, thank you, and polite introductions for meeting new people.
Habari
Dumela
Asante
Ke a leboga
Habari ya asubuhi
Dumelang
Habari ya mchana
Mokhutsong o motle
Habari ya jioni
Mokhutsong o motle
Usiku mwema
Borai bo botle
Tutaonana baadaye
Tsamaya sentle
Kwaheri
Siyabonga
Jina lako nani?
O na le leina lefe?
Jina langu ni John
Leina la ka ke John
Habari gani?
O kae?
Nafurahi kukutana na wewe
Ke thabela go kopana le wena
Useful phrases for travellers
Airport, hotel, tickets, and transport phrases for getting around on a trip.
Unazungumza Kiingereza?
Na o bua Seisemane?
Sizungumza Hindi vizuri.
Ke sitwa go bua Hindi sentle
Sielewi.
Ke sitwa go kwele
Tafadhali ongea polepole.
Tsweetswee bua ka borai
Unaweza kusema tena?
Na o ka bo o mpotsa gape?
Choo kiko wapi?
Borai bo kae?
Ninafika vipi katikati ya jiji?
Ke etse eng go ya borai?
Geuka kushoto.
Fetola go le letšatši
Geuka kulia.
Fetola go le letona
Nenda moja kwa moja.
Ya ka pela
Nauli ni kiasi gani?
Phetho ke bokae?
Tiketi moja, tafadhali.
Tiketeng e le nngwe, tsweetswee
Je, ni mbali na hapa?
Na ke kgole go tswa fano?
Nimepotea.
Ke sitwa go etse
Ninaweza kununua kadi ya SIM wapi?
Borai bo kae ke ka reka SIM card?
Everyday conversation
Small talk, feelings, opinions, and common chat phrases for daily life.
Ndio
Ee
Hapana
Aowa
Pengine
Mohlomong
Ninakubaliana
Ke a dumela
Sikubaliani
Ke sitwa go dumela
Inasikika vizuri
Seo se utlwa sentle
Unafikiriaje?
O nagana eng?
Unaweza kunisaidia?
O ka nthusa?
Nahitaji msaada
Ke hloka thuso
Subiri kidogo
Emela nako
Ninasikitika
Ke maswabi
Hakuna shida
Ga go na bothata
Hongera
Dumelang
Siku ya kuzaliwa njema
Tlhogong e monate
Safari njema
Dira leeto le le bolokehileng
Directions and getting around
Asking where something is, left and right, distances, and finding your way.
Kituo cha treni kiko wapi?
Ke kae boraiwa ba terene?(Ke kae boraiwa ba terene?)
Kituo cha basi kiko wapi?
Ke kae boraiwa ba bosi?(Ke kae boraiwa ba bosi?)
Ni jukwaa gani?
Ke sehlopha sefe?(Ke sehlopha sefe?)
Inatoka saa ngapi?
Nako efe e tlo fofa?(Nako efe e tlo fofa?)
Je, hii ndiyo njia sahihi?
A ke tsela e nepahetseng?(A ke tsela e nepahetseng?)
Iko karibu hapa
E haufi le fa(E haufi le fa)
Iko mbali na hapa
E hole le fa(E hole le fa)
Unaweza kunionesha kwenye ramani?
O ka mpontsha ka mape?(O ka mpontsha ka mape?)
Simama hapa, tafadhali
Emisa fa, tsweetswee(Emisa fa, tsweetswee)
Inachukua muda gani?
E nka nako e kae?(E nka nako e kae?)
Shopping and dining
Ordering food, asking prices, paying the bill, and shopping at markets or stores.
Hii inagharimu kiasi gani?
Ke bokae?(ke bo-ka-e)
Hiyo ni ghali sana
Seo ke sebopego se se kotsi(seo ke se-bo-pe-go se se ko-tsi)
Je, una kitu chochote cha bei nafuu?
O na le sengwe se se theko e tlase?(o na le se-ngwe se se the-ko e tla-se)
Naweza kulipa kwa kadi?
Nka lefa ka khadi?(nka le-fa ka kha-di)
Ningependa meza ya watu wawili
Ke rata tafole ya batho ba babedi(ke ra-ta ta-fo-le ya ba-tho ba ba-be-di)
Tafadhali, bili
Bille, tswarela(bil-le tswa-re-la)
Je, huduma imejumuishwa?
Na tshebeletso e akaretswe?(na tse-be-let-so e a-ka-re-tswe)
Mimi ni mboga
Ke movegetarian(ke mo-ve-ge-ta-ri-an)
Tafadhali, sina chakula chenye pilipili
Aowa, dijo tse di phadileng, tswarela(a-o-wa di-jo tse di pha-di-leng tswa-re-la)
Hii ni tamu
Se ke se monate(se ke se mo-na-te)
Naweza kupata menyu?
Nka fumana lenaneo?(nka fu-ma-na le-na-e-no)
Tafadhali, glasi ya maji
Khalase ya metsi, tswarela(kha-la-se ya me-tsi tswa-re-la)
Emergencies and health
Help, police, doctor, pharmacy, and urgent situations when you need assistance fast.
Piga simu polisi
B calla mapolesa
Piga simu ya wagonjwa
B calla ambulance
Nahitaji daktari
Ke hloka ngaka
Ninajisikia mgonjwa
Ke ikutlwa ke bolaya
Nina mzio wa karanga
Ke na le allergy go peanuts
Hospitali iliyo karibu iko wapi?
Hospital e hwetšwa kae?
Inaniuma hapa
Go a bohloko fa
Nimepoteza pasipoti yangu
Ke lahlehetšwe ke passport ya ka
Unaweza kupiga simu hoteli yangu?
O ka bitsa hotel ya ka?
Nisaidie!
Thusa!
Work and business
Meetings, email tone, schedules, and professional phrases for the workplace.
Nafurahi kukutana nawe
Ke thabile go kopana le wena
Tuweke mkutano
A re beye ngwaga ya kopano
Ni saa ngapi inakufaa?
Nako efe e go kgonang?
Nitaituma ripoti leo
Ke tla romela reportone gompieno
Tunaweza kuzungumza kesho?
A re ka bua ka moso?
Tafadhali pata faili iliyoambatishwa
Tsweetswee bona faele e amanang
Asante kwa muda wako
Ke a leboga ka nako ya gago
Natarajia kufanya kazi na wewe
Ke lebeletse go dira le wena
Unaweza kufafanua hiyo pointi?
A o ka hlalosa ntlha eo?
Nitarudi kwako
A ke tle ke boe go wena
Muda wa mwisho ni Ijumaa
Nako ya borai ke Labohlano
Time, days and numbers
Clock times, days of the week, months, quantities, and counting for appointments and plans.