Convenience Store

1. Ukeneye agasakoshi?

   U-ke-ne-ye a-ga-sa-ko-shi?

   Do you need a bag?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Rwanda banned plastic bags outright in 2008 and single-use plastics in 2019, so what you get is a paper bag (agasakoshi k'impapuro) or a cloth bag, usually for a fee. Plastic bags are confiscated at the airport on arrival.

   Grammar Note

   Perfective of gukenera (to need). The u- prefix marks a 2nd-person singular subject; swap it for n- to get nkeneye (I need). Agasakoshi sits in the diminutive class 12 (aka-), a small version of isakoshi (bag).

2. Mpa agasakoshi, nyabuneka.

   Mpa a-ga-sa-ko-shi, nya-bu-ne-ka.

   Please give me a bag

   Usage

   How to ask for a bag yourself. In most small shops (duka) a bag is charged for or simply not available, so carrying your own shopping bag is the norm in Rwanda.

   Grammar Note

   The imperative of guha (to give) plus the 1st-person object marker n-, which fuses into mpa. It is the basic "give me X" frame: mpa amazi (give me water). Nyabuneka (please) can go at either end of the sentence.

3. Wishyura ute? Amafaranga cyangwa MoMo?

   Wi-shyu-ra u-te? A-ma-fa-ran-ga cyan-gwa Mo-Mo?

   How are you paying? Cash or mobile money?

   Usage

   Said by staff. In Rwandan shops MTN Mobile Money (universally called MoMo) and Airtel Money are as ordinary as cash — even a tiny kiosk takes payment via the *182# USSD menu. Card acceptance in small shops is rare.

   Grammar Note

   Wishyura is the 2nd-person singular present of kwishyura (to pay), followed by the interrogative adverb ute (how). Amafaranga is a class 6 noun meaning both "money" in general and Rwandan francs.

4. Nshobora kwishyura na MoMo?

   Nsho-bo-ra kwi-shyu-ra na Mo-Mo?

   Can I pay with mobile money?

   Usage

   The customer's way of checking. Travellers with a local SIM can use MoMo too. Staff will read out their number or merchant code aloud — if you cannot catch it, ask "Andika hano" (write it here).

   Grammar Note

   "Nshobora + infinitive (the ku-/kw- form)" is the standard way to ask about ability or permission. Kwishyura shows ku- becoming kw- before the vowel i.

5. Ndashaka kugura airtime ya MTN.

   Nda-sha-ka ku-gu-ra air-time ya MTN.

   I want to buy MTN airtime

   Usage

   One of the most common transactions in any Rwandan shop or kiosk. Say the amount and the vendor tops up your number on the spot. "Airtime" is used as-is in everyday Kinyarwanda (amanota, literally "units", is the native alternative). For a data pack, just say "bundle".

   Grammar Note

   "Ndashaka + infinitive" expresses "I want to …". The connective ya (of) agrees with the head noun's class — airtime is treated as class 9 here. Amounts: igihumbi (1,000), ibihumbi bibiri (2,000).

6. Iyi ni angahe?

   I-yi ni an-ga-he?

   How much is this?

   Usage

   Small shops often have no price tags, so this one line is essential. The answer comes back in francs: magana atanu (500), igihumbi (1,000).

   Grammar Note

   Demonstratives agree with noun class: iyi (class 9), iri (class 5), iki (class 7), ibi (class 8). If you are simply pointing at something, iyi will get you understood.

7. Mpa amazi akonje.

   Mpa a-ma-zi a-kon-je.

   Give me cold water

   Usage

   Even in Kigali most bottles sit on the shelf at room temperature, and shops with a fridge will still hand you a warm one unless you specify. If it is not cold, say "Ntabwo akonje" (it's not cold).

   Grammar Note

   Amazi is a class 6 plural noun and is always treated as plural, so its modifier takes the class 6 prefix a-, giving akonje. It is the perfective of gukonja (to be cold) used adjectivally.

8. Umugati uri he?

   U-mu-ga-ti u-ri he?

   Where is the bread?

   Usage

   Useful in the larger self-service shops. In a small duka where goods are handed over a counter, you simply name the item and the vendor fetches it.

   Grammar Note

   The location frame is "X + agreeing copula + he?". The copula agrees with the noun class: uri for umugati (class 3), iri for banki (class 9) — compare "Banki iri hehe?" in the money file. He and hehe are near-synonyms, hehe being slightly more emphatic.

9. Nshobora gukoresha ubwiherero?

   Nsho-bo-ra gu-ko-re-sha u-bwi-he-re-ro?

   May I use the toilet?

   Usage

   Most small shops have no customer toilet and will politely say no. Petrol stations and supermarkets (Simba, Sawa Citi) are a safer bet. Public cleanliness matters a lot in Rwanda, so always follow up with Murakoze (thank you).

   Grammar Note

   Ubwiherero is a class 14 (ubu-) abstract noun derived from kwiherera (to withdraw by oneself) — a euphemism. Avoiding blunt terms this way is considered polite in Kinyarwanda.

10. Nshobora gucharger telefone yanjye hano?

    Nsho-bo-ra gu-char-ger te-le-fo-ne yan-jye ha-no?

    Can I charge my phone here?

    Usage

    Outside Kigali it is common for shops to run a paid charging service (roughly 100-200 francs a go). In the capital you will more often be turned down. Gucharger is an English/French loan verb wrapped in the Kinyarwanda infinitive prefix gu- and is completely standard in speech.

    Grammar Note

    Possessives agree with the head noun's class: telefone is class 9, hence yanjye (my); a plural would take zanjye. Kinyarwanda freely absorbs foreign verbs as ku-/gu- + stem.

11. Mufite power bank?

    Mu-fi-te po-wer bank?

    Do you have a power bank?

    Usage

    Mufite is grammatically 2nd-person plural, but Kinyarwanda uses the plural to a single person as a mark of respect — the safer choice with shopkeepers and anyone older. For power banks and cables an electronics shop (duka y'ibikoresho) is a surer bet.

    Grammar Note

    The verb kugira (to have) appears in the stative -fite form: mfite (I have), ufite (you sg. have), mufite (you pl./polite have), inflected by subject prefix.

12. Hari ATM hafi aha?

    Ha-ri A-T-M ha-fi a-ha?

    Is there an ATM near here?

    Usage

    ATMs are plentiful in Kigali (Bank of Kigali, Equity Bank, I&M Bank) but outside the capital they cluster in town centres only. Shops run on cash or mobile money, so draw out cash before heading upcountry.

    Grammar Note

    Hari is the existential built on locative class 16 (ha-): "there is". The negative uses nta: Nta ATM hafi aha (there is no ATM near here).

13. Nta mafaranga makeya mfite.

    Nta ma-fa-ran-ga ma-ke-ya mfi-te.

    I don't have small change

    Usage

    Said by staff — and equally usable by you. Rwandan shops often run out of change, so paying for a 200-franc item with a 5,000-franc note may simply be refused. Mobile money sidesteps the problem entirely, which is why vendors often steer you toward MoMo.

    Grammar Note

    After the negative nta a noun drops its initial vowel (amafaranga → mafaranga). This is a general rule in Kinyarwanda negatives, as in nta mazi (there is no water).

14. Mpa kimwe gusa.

    Mpa ki-mwe gu-sa.

    Just one, please

    Usage

    Shops routinely sell cigarettes, sweets and batteries by the single unit, so this comes in handy. For more, swap in bibiri (two) or bitatu (three).

    Grammar Note

    Numerals agree with noun class too: kimwe / bibiri for class 7, imwe / ebyiri for class 9. When simply pointing at an item, kimwe is the safest default.

15. Iri duka rifunga saa ngahe?

    I-ri du-ka ri-fun-ga saa nga-he?

    What time does this shop close?

    Usage

    Rwandan shops typically run from around 07:00 to 21:00-22:00. Note that on the last Saturday morning of every month everything shuts for Umuganda, the nationwide community work session — do not plan shopping then.

    Grammar Note

    Duka is class 5, so it takes the demonstrative iri and subject prefix ri-. Saa in saa ngahe is an Arabic loan that arrived via Swahili. East African clock reckoning is sometimes used (saa moya = 7 a.m.), so if the numbers seem off, ask to be shown on a watch.

16. Ni amafaranga magana atanu.

    Ni a-ma-fa-ran-ga ma-ga-na a-ta-nu.

    That will be 500 francs

    Usage

    Said by staff. Learning the money words makes prices far easier to catch: magana abiri (200), magana atanu (500), igihumbi (1,000), ibihumbi bibiri (2,000). If you miss it, say "Andika" (write it) and they will show you a calculator.

    Grammar Note

    Magana is the plural of "hundred" and combines with a numeral: magana abiri (200), magana atatu (300). One thousand is igihumbi (class 7), with the plural ibihumbi (class 8).

17. Ukeneye irisiti?

    U-ke-ne-ye i-ri-si-ti?

    Do you need a receipt?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Rwanda mandates electronic billing (EBM) for VAT, so any properly registered shop issues a receipt — a shop that cannot produce one is unregistered. Take it if you need to claim expenses.

    Grammar Note

    Irisiti borrows English "receipt" and slots it into class 5 (i-); Kinyarwanda assigns loan nouns to a class based on their initial vowel. To ask for one yourself, say Mpa irisiti, nyabuneka.

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