dada yangu
The English phrase "my sister" is translated into Swahili as dada yangu.
This phrase is used to refer to a female sibling of the speaker.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of dada, which means sister and the possessive pronoun yangu, which means my or mine, resulting in a literal translation of "sister mine".
Did you know?
- While dada yangu refers to a biological sister, the word dada is also used in Swahili to describe a nun in the Catholic Church.
- In many Swahili-speaking cultures, calling someone dada is a common way to show respect to a woman who is not your biological sibling, such as a female stranger or a colleague.
- In Swahili, you do not typically use different words for 'older sister' or 'younger sister' as you would in languages like Chinese or Korean.
Examples in context
- Dada yangu ni mwerevu sana!My sister is a genius!This sentence shows how to describe a person's intelligence using dada yangu.Tatoeba #10850904 by ecorralest101, translation #2562823 by DJ_Saidez
- Dada yangu hajui tofauti kati ya bata mzinga na bata.My sister doesn't know the difference between a goose and a duck.This sentence uses dada yangu to describe someone's lack of knowledge regarding birds.Tatoeba #10868891 by ecorralest101, translation #3990472 by el_otro_Stephen
- Dada yangu anafanya kazi katika Ubalozi wa Amerika huko London.My sister works at the United States Embassy in London.This sentence uses dada yangu to state someone's place of employment.Tatoeba #10816099 by ecorralest101, translation #245578 by CK
Example conversation
Bakari and Neema are looking at a family photograph.
- BakariHuyu ni nani kwenye picha?Who is this in the photo?
- NeemaHuyu ni dada yangu, Bakari.This is my sister, Bakari.
- BakariAnafanana na wewe sana.She looks a lot like you.
- NeemaNdiyo, dada yangu ana tabia kama mimi.Yes, my sister has a personality like mine.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
