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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/sw-punguza-bei

You want to bargain. How do you say 'Please lower the price' in Swahili?

Punguza bei, tafadhali. Punguza means reduce.

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  1. Ongeza kidogo, tafadhali
  2. Bei rahisi sana
  3. Punguza bei, tafadhali ✔

Why: Punguza means reduce or lower, and bei is price. Ongeza kidogo means add a little more, the opposite. Bei rahisi sana means a very cheap price, which no vendor wants to hear from a buyer.

Huh, didn't know that: A shorter way to ask is Punguza kidogo, which means reduce a little.

The dad joke
I said 'punguza bei' so nicely that the vendor lowered the price and raised my spirits.
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References

Answer: Punguza bei, tafadhali. Punguza means reduce or lower, and bei is price. Ongeza kidogo means add a little more, the opposite. Bei rahisi sana means a very cheap price, which no vendor wants to hear from a buyer.

  1. Baylor University, Elementary Swahili I: Kuenda Sokoni openbooks.library.baylor.edu/elementaryswahili1/chapter/lesson-1-kuenda-sokoni
    Punguza tafadhali Reduce please Punguza bei Reduce the price
    Checked 2026-10-12.
  2. University of Kansas Kiswahili, Lesson 23: Buying and Selling kiswahili.ku.edu/sites/kiswahili/files/documents/lessons/lesson_23.pdf
    Hapana! Tafadhali punguza bei!
    Checked 2026-10-12.
  3. University of Kansas Kiswahili, Lesson 23: Buying and Selling kiswahili.ku.edu/sites/kiswahili/files/documents/lessons/lesson_23.pdf
    punguza kidogo [reduce a little]
    Checked 2026-10-12.

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