West Africa
Wolof
WolofThe everyday language of Senegal, spoken far beyond the Wolof ethnic group and written both in Latin script and in Wolofal, the Arabic-script tradition of the Sufi brotherhoods.
- Family
- Niger–Congo (Atlantic)
- Script
- Latin (and Wolofal in Arabic script)
- Speakers
- ~12 million speakers
- Spoken in
- Senegal, Gambia, Mauritania
The course
Five units, one word at a time
0/5 mastered
Unit 1
Greetings
Greetings open with peace and end with family.
- Salaam aleekum — Peace be with you (hello)
- Nanga def? — How are you?
- Maangi fi rekk — I am here / I'm fine
- Jërëjëf — Thank you
- Ba beneen — Goodbye (until next time)
- Dalal jamm — Welcome in peace
Unit 2
People and family
The words of the household and the neighbourhood.
- Yaay — Mother
- Baay — Father
- Xale — Child
- Xarit — Friend
- Nit — Person
- Jigéen — Woman
Unit 3
Numbers one to ten
Wolof counts in fives: six is literally five-one.
- Benn — One
- Ñaar — Two
- Ñett — Three
- Ñeent — Four
- Juróom — Five
- Fukk — Ten
Unit 4
Food and the market
Enough for Marché Sandaga.
- Ndox — Water
- Lekk — To eat / food
- Marse — Market
- Ñaata la? — How much is it?
- Dama bëgg — I want
- Dafa jafe — It is expensive / difficult
Unit 5
Everyday phrases
The small words that make you sound at home.
- Waaw — Yes
- Déedéet — No
- Su la neexee — Please (if it pleases you)
- Fan? — Where?
- Xamuma — I don't know
- Baal ma — Forgive me / excuse me
How to sound right
- Doubled letters are long: 'jamm' holds the m.
- Teraanga — the famous Senegalese hospitality — is a Wolof word, not a slogan.
- The full greeting exchange asks after peace: Nanga def? Maangi fi rekk.
The audio button in lessons uses your device's speech engine, which rarely has a native African voice. Treat it as a rough guide and trust the written pronunciation hints and the coach instead.
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