Writing guide
Writing to a pen pal in Tanzania
✍️ A few words to start and end with
Nobody expects a whole letter in their language. A greeting and a sign-off in it says you thought about who is reading — and gives them something to correct, which is a fine way to start a friendship.
- Hello
- Hello
- Opening a letter
- Dear …,
- Thank you for your letter
- Thank you for your letter.
- Signing off
- Best wishes,
- Hello
- Habari
- Opening a letter
- Mpendwa …,
- Thank you for your letter
- Asante kwa barua yako.
- Signing off
- Kila la heri,
🕰 What time it is there
It is 00:09 in Tanzania right now.
Mention the time of day or the season you are writing in. It is the detail that makes a letter feel sent from somewhere, and the one they are most likely to answer in kind.
🧭 Members in Tanzania, in numbers
Counts only, and only once at least 3 members share an answer.
- English 11
- Swahili 10
- French 5
- Animals 5
- Football 5
- Music 5
- Gaming 4
- Technology 4
- Travel 4
- Culture 3
- Dancing 3
If you speak one of the languages they are learning, say so in your first letter — a pen pal who can help is a pen pal worth answering.
🌍 How Tanzania answered the world questions
Good openers: ask them about the one where they differ from everybody else.
When is dinner at your home?