New Wolof Dictionary

This looks like a great promising dictionary…the only thing is that it’s mostly all in French but on the other hand this can be very helpful in learning the French along with your Wolof as you Google Translate the French into English!
Oh, and the address for the website? It is http://wolofici.wordpress.com

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english n. wolof / french – A

english n. wolof / french
A
abandon v. baayi, wocca / abandonner
abdomen n. naxa / abdomen
ability n. mën, mun / capacité
ablaze v. taaka / feu
abnormal v. doyadi / anormal
above adv. kow, tiim / au-dessus
abroad adv. betimraw / à l’étranger
abscess n. taab / abcès
abundant adj. bari, las, naax, yomba / abondantes
accept v. nongu, nangu, taa / accepter
accommodate v. [...]

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French Vocabulary – L & M

Vocabulaire Français – L & M

law
juridique

linguistics
linguistique

literary
littéraire

masculine
masculin

mathematics
mathématiques

medicine
médecine

music
musique

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French Vocabulary – G, H & I

Vocabulaire Français – G, H & I

geography
géographie

geology
géologie

geometry
géometrie

grammar
grammaire

historical
historique

interjection
interjection

invariable
invariable

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French Vocabulary – E & F

Vocabulaire Français – E & F

economics
économie

education
éducation

electricity
électricité

english
anglais

especially
surtout

euphemism
euphémisme

familiar
familier

feminine
féminin

figurative
figuré

finance
finance

formal
formel

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Grocery List

I used French for the Wolof when I was not able to find a Wolof word. Please leave a comment if you know the appropriate Wolof word for the ones I missed…jërejëf!

ENGLISH
WOLOF
FRENCH

bread
mbuuru
pain

cheese
fromage
fromage

red onion
soble xonxa
oignon rouge

cooking spray
la cuisine de pulvérisation
la cuisine de pulvérisation

tomato
tamaate
tomate

bananas
le secteur de la banane
le secteur de la banane

orange juice
jus d’orange
jus d’orange

potatoes
pompitéer
pommes de terre

ketchup
sauce [...]

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French Vocabulary – B & C

Vocabulaire Français – B & C

biology
biologie

botany
botanique

british
britannique

chemistry
chimie

commerce
commerce

computers
informatique

conjunction
conjonction

cooking
cuisine

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French Vocabulary – A

Vocabulaire Français – A

abbreviations
abréviations

adjective
adjectif

adverb
adverbe

agriculture
agriculture

anatomy
anatomie

and
et

architecture
architecture

astrology
astrologie

astronomy
astronomie

attributive
devant le nom

auxiliary
auxiliare

aviation
aviation

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French – Getting Around

A quelle heure part … ? – What time does the … leave?
le bateau – the boat
le bus – the bus
le bac – ferry
l’avion – the plane
le train – the train
le tramway – the tram
Le … bus passe a quelle heure? – What time’s the … bus?
premier – first
dernier – last
prochain – next
Combien d’arrers jusqu’a [...]

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French – Enviromental

l’environnement – the environment
biodegradable – biodegradable
conservation – conservation
deforestation – deforestation
jetable – disposable
secheresse – drought
ecosysteme – ecosystem
especes en voie de disparition – endangered species
chasse – hunting
hydro-electricite – hydroelectricity
irrigation – irrigation
energie nucleaire – nuclear energy
essais nucleaires – nuclear testing
couche d’ozone – the ozone layer
pesticides – pesticides
pollution – pollution
recyclable – recyclable
programme de recyclage – recycling program
dechets toxiques – [...]

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Ay Baatu Waxtaan

More time & directions…
Phrases To Practice / Phrases à la pratique
Ban waxtu moo jot? – What time is it?
Minwi jotna. – It is midnight.
Fukki waxtu ak ñaar jotna. – It is noon.
Naka laa fay demee? – How do I get there?
Ci wetu jumaa ji. – Next to the mosque.
Toppal yoon wi. – Follow this [...]

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Wolof Lim Ak Xaalis

Wolof Numbers & Money
In Senegal they use the franc CFA (Communauté financière d’Afrique). But the traditional unit of currency is the dërëm which is counted by fives. Usually when dealing with money most people will deal strictly with the French terms for simplicity. If Wolof is used the dërëm is implied if not specifically said. [...]

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Sample Dialog

Adopted from 101 Languages of the World. Please mouse over each word for a direct translation.
Mme Jóob: Naka suba ngi? Dégg nga Angale?
Good morning. Do you speak English?
M. Mbaye: Jéggël ma, déggu ma Angale.
I’m sorry, I do not speak English.
Mme Jóob: Lu ko yaq, tuuti Wolof rekk la dégg.
Unfortunately, I speak only a little [...]

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Travel Vocabulary IV

See Travel Vocabulary III
——————————————————-
Here are a few things that you may come across if traveling to Senegal or the Gambia.
bazin – dyed fabrics that are beaten to a shine with wooden clubs
campement – could be loosely translated as ‘hostel’, ‘inn’ or ‘lodge’, or even ‘motel’; it is not a camping ground (Senegal)
djembe – short, [...]

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Travel Vocabulary III

See Travel Vocabulary II
——————————————————-
Here are a few things that you may come across if traveling to Senegal or the Gambia.
auberge – hostel or small hotel
balafon – wooden xylophone typically played by griots
calèche – horse-drawn cart used to carry goods and people, particularly in the rural regions of Senegal
dibiterie – grilled-meat stall
fête – festival (Senegal)
gargotte – [...]

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English > Français > Olaf

baby > bébé > néné
cow > vache > nag
east > est > penku
god > dieu > yaala
milk > lait > mééw
pain > douleur > miitē
truth > vérité > duuga
soap > savon > saabo

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Travel Vocabulary II

See Travel Vocabulary I
——————————————————-
Here are a few things that you may come across if traveling to Senegal or the Gambia.
alham – white Mercedes bus, also called N’Diaga N’Diaye in Dakar
beignet – simple deep-fried donut (Senegal)
calesh – horse-drawn taxi usually seating about three people behind the driver
demi-pension – half board (dinner, bed and breakfast) (Senegal)
essence – [...]

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Basic French Numbers

BASIC FRENCH NUMBERS
Nombres francais de base

un

un

1

deux

der

2

trois

trwa

3

quatre

ka-trer

4

cinq

sungk

5

six

sees

6

sept

set

7

huit

weet

8

neuf

nerf

9

dix

dees

10

I have noticed when listening to Wolof speaking people they tend to use French numbers (or sometimes even English) rather than Wolof numbers.

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Kontaan Ees At!

Happy New Years! Bonne Années!
And here is a video, although not of a New Years celebration but a celebration none the less…

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Joyeux Noël

Merry Christmas to all of our readers!

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You got the time?

What time is it? Ban waxtoo jot?
Et maintenant en français; Quelle heure est-il?
Do you have a watch? Am nga montar?
Et en français; Avez-vous une montre?
   Yes, I have a watch. Waaw am naa montar.
Et maintenant en français; Oui, j’ai une montre.
   No, I don’t have a watch. Amuma montar.
Et en français; Non, je n’ai pas [...]

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Understand This!

Do you understand? Dégg nga? (deg nguh)
and now en français; Comprenez-vous?

I understand. Dégg naa. (deg naa)
and en français; Je comprends.

I don’t understand. Dégguma. (deg-goo-ma)
en français; Je ne comprends pas.

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Mouth Anatomy

GEMMIN BI – THE MOUTH
Some of these expressions are not common in Wolof and may not always be readily understood by some Wolof speakers. Many of these (I believe?) were developed by medical professionals as a way to better communicate more precisely with non-Francophone Wolof speakers.
(mouse over for the french)
gémmiñ gi – mouth
làmmiñ wi [...]

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Translate Janga Wolof Into French

Traduire ce blog en français.
CLIQUEZ POUR LA TRADUCTION FRANCAIS.
La traduction n’est pas parfaite. Ainsi, il est plus juste pour le plaisir.

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Yes. No! Maybe?

Yes – Waaw (wow)
and now en français; Oui (wee)
No – Déedéet (dey-deyt)
and en français; Non (non)
Maybe – Xejna (khedj-nuh)
en français; Peut-être (per-tay-trer)

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Travel Vocabulary

Here are a few things that you may come across if traveling to Senegal or the Gambia.
afra – grilled meat, or grilled meat stall (Gambia)
benechin – rice baked in a thick sauce of fish and vegetables (Gambia)
cadeau – gift, tip, bribe or a hand-out (Senegal)
dash – bribe (noun); also used as a verb ‘You [...]

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Please, Thank You, You’re Welcome!

Please – Su la neexee (soo luh ney-khey)
and now en français; S’il vous plaît (seel voo pley)
Thank you – Jërejëf (je-re-jef)
and en français; Merci (mair-see)
You’re welcome – Amul sóló (ah-mool so-loe)
en français; Je vous en prie (zher voo zom pree)

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Grrrreetings!

Proper greetings in the Wolof culture are very important. Often times one will spend several minutes with greetings and pleasantries before getting down to the purpose of their visit. Sometimes the whole visit will just be greetings. Even on Senegalese call-in radio shows the callers and hosts will exchange many greetings [...]

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