mambo
plural noun · interjection
Things; matters; affairs. As an informal greeting: “How are things?” or “What’s up?”
Mambo is the plural of jambo. As a greeting, use it in informal conversation.
Also What’s up?; how are things? (greeting)
Mambo is the plural of jambo. As a greeting, use it in informal conversation.
Origins
Mambo belongs to Swahili’s earlier Bantu vocabulary. It is the plural of jambo, a thing or matter. The same word also serves as an informal greeting, asking how things are.
Sources3
Haspelmath and Tadmor / Lexibank, World Loanword Database CLDF (2009), wold-master/cldf/forms.csv row 62402.
Mambo is classified as earlier Bantu vocabulary with no evidence for borrowing.
Edward Steere, A Handbook of the Swahili Language as Spoken at Zanzibar (1884), 103.
Mambo means things/matters and is an informal greeting.
Brenda Aromu Wawire; John Munyui Muchira; Peter Otiato Ojiambo, Hujambo!, mambo, page 1.
Mambo means things/matters and is an informal greeting.
Examples
Mambo, Asha!
What’s up, Asha!
Mambo, rafiki!
What’s up, friend!
Mambo, dada!
How are things, sister!
Tuna mambo mengi ya kufanya.
We have many things to do.
Nataka kujua mambo mawili.
I want to know two things.
Usisahau mambo hayo.
Do not forget those matters.
Mambo haya ni muhimu.
These matters are important.
Tutazungumza kuhusu mambo ya safari.
We will talk about matters concerning the trip.
Mambo yamebadilika.
Things have changed.
