A1 Collocation خنثی

Pata hasara

Make a loss

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Use 'pata hasara' when a business deal goes wrong or you lose money on an investment.

  • Means: To incur a financial loss (literally 'to get loss').
  • Used in: Markets, shops, banks, and general talk about money.
  • Don't confuse: Don't use it for losing your keys; that's 'poteza'.
📉 + 💸 = Pata hasara

Explanation at your level:

In Swahili, 'pata hasara' means to lose money in business. 'Pata' is 'to get' and 'hasara' is 'loss'. Use it when you sell something for a bad price. For example, 'I got a loss yesterday.' It is a very important phrase for shopping and markets.
This phrase is a collocation used to describe financial deficits. You use the verb 'pata' (to get) with the noun 'hasara' (loss). It is the opposite of 'pata faida' (to get a profit). Remember, do not use this for losing your keys or your bag; only use it for money and business situations.
As an intermediate learner, you should recognize 'pata hasara' as the standard term for incurring a loss. It is widely used in news reports and formal business discussions. You might also hear variations like 'ingia hasara' (to enter into loss). It's important to conjugate the verb 'pata' correctly in different tenses like 'nimepata' or 'tutapata' to show when the loss occurred.
At this level, you should understand the nuance between 'pata hasara' and 'poteza'. While 'poteza' is a general verb for losing something, 'pata hasara' is specifically commercial. You should also be aware of the passive form 'patwa na hasara', which is used to describe being a victim of circumstances that led to financial ruin. This phrase is essential for discussing economics and entrepreneurship in East Africa.
Linguistically, 'pata hasara' demonstrates the integration of Arabic loanwords into Bantu syntactic structures. 'Hasara' functions as a direct object to the transitive verb 'pata'. Advanced learners should explore the sociolinguistic implications of this phrase in market negotiations, where it serves as a pragmatic marker to signal the limit of a price concession. It reflects the 'riziki' philosophy where financial outcomes are perceived as external acquisitions.
Mastery of 'pata hasara' involves understanding its role within the broader idiomatic landscape of Swahili commerce, including its relationship with concepts like 'baraka' (blessing) and 'dhuluma' (injustice). One must be able to navigate the subtle registers between the standard 'pata hasara', the more evocative 'kula hasara', and the formal 'kuhasirika'. Cognitive linguistics reveals that the 'acquisition' metaphor (getting a loss) contrasts with Western 'deprivation' metaphors (losing money), shaping how East African entrepreneurs conceptualize risk and recovery.

معنی

Losing money in business.

🌍

زمینه فرهنگی

In Tanzania, 'hasara' is often met with the phrase 'Pole na hasara' (Sorry for the loss). It is considered polite to acknowledge someone's business failure as a shared social burden. In the vibrant 'Matatu' (minibus) industry in Kenya, owners often talk about 'hasara' when fuel prices rise or when the police demand bribes, affecting their daily targets. Due to the strong Arabic influence in Zanzibar, you might hear the word 'hasara' used more frequently in its original Arabic-style contexts, sometimes even in religious sermons about moral loss. The 'Duka' (small shop) owner often keeps a 'daftari' (ledger) where 'hasara' is recorded. Avoiding 'hasara' is the primary goal of the 'Machinga' (street hawkers).

💡

The Bargaining Shield

Use 'Nitapata hasara' as your shield when someone asks for a price that is too low. It's a culturally accepted way to say 'No'.

⚠️

Not for Keys!

Remember, if you lose your keys, you 'poteza' them. If you say 'pata hasara', people will think you are trying to sell your keys!

معنی

Losing money in business.

💡

The Bargaining Shield

Use 'Nitapata hasara' as your shield when someone asks for a price that is too low. It's a culturally accepted way to say 'No'.

⚠️

Not for Keys!

Remember, if you lose your keys, you 'poteza' them. If you say 'pata hasara', people will think you are trying to sell your keys!

🎯

Use with 'Tupu'

Add 'tupu' (empty/only) to say 'hasara tupu' for a total disaster. It makes you sound very native.

💬

Say 'Pole'

If a friend tells you they 'pata hasara', always reply with 'Pole' (Sorry/I feel your pain).

خودت رو بسنج

Fill in the correct form of 'pata' in the past tense (li).

Juma aliuza nguo zake lakini ___ hasara.

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: alipata

The sentence starts with 'aliuza' (he sold - past), so the second verb should also be in the past tense 'alipata'.

Which sentence is correct for losing your wallet?

How do you say 'I lost my wallet'?

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: Nimepoteza pochi yangu.

For physical objects like a wallet (pochi), you must use 'poteza'.

Match the phrase to the situation.

A seller says 'Nitapata hasara' when...

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: The customer offers too little money.

Sellers use this phrase to indicate that the offered price is below their cost.

Complete the dialogue.

A: Biashara inaendaje? B: Mbaya sana, mwezi huu ___.

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: tumepata hasara

The speaker says 'Mbaya sana' (Very bad), so they must have incurred a loss.

🎉 امتیاز: /4

ابزارهای بصری یادگیری

Pata Hasara vs Poteza

Pata Hasara
Money Pesa
Business Biashara
Poteza
Keys Funguo
Phone Simu

سوالات متداول

10 سوال

Yes, gambling is considered a form of business/transaction, so 'nilipata hasara kwenye kamari' is correct.

It is almost always used in the singular 'hasara'. The plural 'mahasara' exists but is very rare.

The opposite is 'pata faida' (to get a profit).

No, for losing weight, use 'punguza uzito' (reduce weight).

Yes, it is the standard term used in formal accounting and news reports in East Africa.

Yes, it can mean damage to goods that results in financial loss.

You don't use 'hasara'. You would say 'nimekosa maneno' or 'sina la kusema'.

Yes, 'ingia hasara' (enter loss) is a very common synonym.

Yes, 'pata hasara ya muda' (get a loss of time) is common when a meeting or trip was a waste.

It's a linguistic feature of Swahili where results are 'obtained' (pata) rather than 'made'.

عبارات مرتبط

🔗

Pata faida

contrast

To make a profit

🔗

Ingia hasara

similar

To fall into loss

🔗

Filisika

specialized form

To go bankrupt

🔗

Poteza pesa

similar

To lose money

کجا استفاده کنیم

🛒

At the Market

Mteja (Customer): Nipunguzie bei, kaka.

Muuzaji (Seller): Siwezi, nitapata hasara nikipunguza zaidi.

informal
💼

Business Meeting

Mkurugenzi: Ripoti ya robo mwaka inaonyesha nini?

Mhasibu: Kwa bahati mbaya, tumepata hasara ya asilimia tano.

formal
📱

Talking to a Friend

Juma: Vipi biashara yako ya kuku?

Ali: Acha tu, nimepata hasara. Kuku wengi walikufa.

informal
🪙

Investing in Crypto

Sara: Uliuza Bitcoin zako?

Ben: Ndiyo, lakini nilipata hasara maana bei ilishuka sana.

neutral
🌽

Farming Disaster

Jirani: Pole kwa ukame, mzee.

Mkulima: Asante. Tulipata hasara ya mahindi yote shambani.

neutral
🚗

Buying a Used Car

Mnunuzi: Gari hili lina matatizo mengi.

Muuzaji: Nimepata hasara tayari kwa kulitengeneza, nakuuzia rahisi.

informal

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of 'Pata' as 'Pocketing' and 'Hasara' as 'Hardship'. You pocketed a hardship instead of money.

Visual Association

Imagine a merchant at a market stall looking at an empty cash box while a 'Down' arrow (📉) glows red above his head.

Rhyme

Pata hasara, kosa mshahara. (Get a loss, miss a salary.)

Story

Peter opened a shop to sell pineapples. He bought them for 1000 shillings but sold them for 500. Peter cried, 'Nimepata hasara!' because his pockets were emptier than when he started.

Word Web

biasharafaidapesasokobeighalirahisifilisika

چالش

Go to a local market (or imagine one) and try to negotiate a price. Tell the seller, 'Sitaki upate hasara, lakini bei hii ni ghali!' (I don't want you to get a loss, but this price is expensive!)

In Other Languages

Spanish high

Tener pérdidas

Spanish uses the plural 'pérdidas' more often than Swahili uses the plural 'mahasara'.

French moderate

Subir une perte

Swahili 'pata' is more neutral than the somewhat negative 'subir'.

German moderate

Verlust machen

Swahili focuses on the 'receiving' of the loss (pata) rather than the 'making' of it.

Japanese low

赤字を出す (Akaji o dasu)

Swahili 'hasara' is a direct loanword for 'loss', not a color-based metaphor.

Arabic high

خسر مالاً (Khasira mālan)

Arabic uses a dedicated verb 'khasira', while Swahili uses the Bantu verb 'pata' + the Arabic noun 'hasara'.

Chinese moderate

亏本 (Kuīběn)

Chinese 'kuiben' is a compound word, while Swahili is a verb-noun collocation.

Korean moderate

손해를 보다 (Sonaereul boda)

The sensory verb 'see' in Korean vs the acquisition verb 'get' in Swahili.

Portuguese high

Ter prejuízo

The word 'prejuízo' can also mean 'prejudice' in other contexts, whereas 'hasara' is almost exclusively about loss.

Easily Confused

Pata hasara در مقابل Poteza

Both mean 'to lose' in English.

Use 'pata hasara' for business/money results and 'poteza' for physical objects or games.

Pata hasara در مقابل Gharama

Learners think 'cost' and 'loss' are the same.

Gharama is the money you spend; hasara is the money you don't get back.

سوالات متداول (10)

Yes, gambling is considered a form of business/transaction, so 'nilipata hasara kwenye kamari' is correct.

It is almost always used in the singular 'hasara'. The plural 'mahasara' exists but is very rare.

The opposite is 'pata faida' (to get a profit).

No, for losing weight, use 'punguza uzito' (reduce weight).

Yes, it is the standard term used in formal accounting and news reports in East Africa.

Yes, it can mean damage to goods that results in financial loss.

You don't use 'hasara'. You would say 'nimekosa maneno' or 'sina la kusema'.

Yes, 'ingia hasara' (enter loss) is a very common synonym.

Yes, 'pata hasara ya muda' (get a loss of time) is common when a meeting or trip was a waste.

It's a linguistic feature of Swahili where results are 'obtained' (pata) rather than 'made'.

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