Tulia
To calm down in Swahili is Tulia.
Tulia means to become less excited. As a direct command, Tulia! is used to tell someone to be quiet or to settle their emotions.
Meaning: To become less excited (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
Tulia is the imperative form used to command someone to calm down. To describe someone currently calming down, use the subject prefix a- (he/she) and the tense marker -na- to form Anatulia. To say someone calmed down in the past, use the past tense marker -li- as in Alitulia.
Did you know?
- The root of tulia is shared with words describing the settling of sediment in water, reflecting a physical image of particles sinking to create a still surface.
- While Tulia! means 'calm down', saying it to a superior or an elder in many East African cultures can be seen as disrespectful.
- Because Swahili is a Bantu language, tulia is part of a complex system of verb extensions that can change the word's meaning to 'calm someone else down' by adding a suffix.
Examples in context
- Tulia, rafiki yangu.Calm down, my friend.
- Tulia kidogo, tafadhali.Calm down a little, please.
Example conversation
Omari is trying to comfort Aisha who is very upset.
- OmariTulia, Aisha, tafadhali.Calm down, Aisha, please.
- AishaSiwezi kutulia sasa!I cannot calm down now!
- OmariNimekuja kukusaidia, tulia.I have come to help you, calm down.
- AishaAsante, Omari, nitajaribu.Thank you, Omari, I will try.
