Bambara/Vocabulary
< Bambara
- Welcome
- i ni chè
- Yes
- awó
- No
- ayi
- Come and eat
- na ka dumini ke
- Thank you
- i ni cé
- Numbers
- kelen
- fila
- saba
- naani
- duuru
- woóró
- wolonfla, wolonwula
- segin
- kónótón
- tan
- tan ni kelen
- tan ni fila
20 - muga 21 - muga ni kelen 22 - muga ni fila
30 - bi saaba 31 - bi saaba ni kelen 32 - bi saaba ni fila
40 - bi naani
50 - bi duuru
100 - kémé
200 - kémé fila
1000 - wa kelen
1050 - wa kelen ne bi duuru
2000 - wa fila
Eat
[edit | edit source]- sogo
- meat
- jègè
- fish
- sɛsɛ/ chè
- chicken
- sukoro
- sugar
- malo/ kini
- rice
chocolate
- namasa
- banana
- buuru
- bread
- tiga
- peanut
Drink
[edit | edit source]- nono
- milk
- ji
- water
- ji kalan
- hot water
- dolo
- beer
- ginibere
- gingerbeer (traditional West African drink)
- lobaco
- dr. pepper
Animals
[edit | edit source]- wulo (wuulu)
- dog
- jakana (jakuma)
- cat
- missi
- cow
- saga
- lamb
- souroukou
- hyena
People
[edit | edit source]- cé
- man
- muso
- woman
- somógó
- family (house people)
- tubabu
- caucasian, white person
- dunan
- guest
Other
[edit | edit source]- dugu
- village, town
Bobara ba
Big butt
- so
- house
- nyégen
- toilet
- kangaro/lakoli
- school
- sugu
- market
- babili
- bridge
- dókótórósó
- hospital (house of the doctor)
- liburu (fr.)
- book
- aluméti (fr.)
- matches
- kréyon (fr.)
- pencil
- jamana
- country
- dushi
- shower
- dɔɔnin
- a little, weak, slow
- fítínì
- small
- belebele
- big, large, fat, great
- fara
- skin
- lolo
- star
- kalo
- moon
- binkéné
- grass
- bogolan
- mudcloth
- farajé
- white skin
- farafin
- black person (lit. skin=fara black=fiman)
- Farafina
- Africa
Bondola: leave me alone
Greetings
[edit | edit source]- i ni sógóma
- good morning (when speaking to one person)
- aw ni sógóma
- good morning (when speaking to a group)
- i ni tile
- good afternoon (when speaking to one person)
- aw ni tile
- good afternoon (when speaking to a group)
- i ni wula
- good evening (when speaking to one person)
- aw ni wula
- good evening (when speaking to a group)
- i ni su
- good night (when speaking to one person)
- aw ni su
- good night (when speaking to a group)
- a bé cogo di?
- how do you feel? (informal greeting)
- an formu na
- I feel good (response)
- i ni sógóma
- good morning (greeting)
- nse i ni sógóma
- good morning (response if the person responding is a woman)
- i ni sógóma
- good morning (greeting)
- nbah i ni sógóma
- good morning (response if the person responding is a man)
- sómógó bédi
- how is your family
- toóró tula
- they are fine
- i ka kéné
- how are you
- toóró si té (i fana ka kéne)
- I'm fine (how are you also)
- i fa ka kéné
- how is your father
- toóró té a la
- he is fine
- i ba ka kéné
- how is your mother
- toóró té n ba la
- she is fine
- i muso ka kéné
- how is your wife
- toóró té
- she is fine
- i cé ka kéné
- how is your husband
- toóró té
- he is fine
- i denw ka kéné
- how are your children
- toóró téyi
- all is fine (lit. problems are not)
- toóró t'u la
- they are fine
- i kóro muso ka kéné
- how is oldest sister
- toóró t'a la
- she is fine
- i dógó cé ka kéné
- how is your youngest brother
- toóró té
- he is fine
- x bé di
- how is x
- i tógó
- what is your first name
- n tógó Fanta
- my name is Fanta
- i jaamu
- what is your last name
- n jaamu Dembele
- my last name is Dembele
- i bé bó min
- where are you from
- n bé bó Ameriki
- I am from America
- n bé bó Mali la
- I am from Mali
Phrases
[edit | edit source]- n té bamanakan mén
- I don't understand/speak bambara
- n t'a don
- I don't know
- n t'a faamu
- I don't understand
- n t'a mén
- I don't understand
- I y'a mén?
- do you understand?
- n segenna
- I'm tired
- n bé lafinyé
- I'm going to sleep
- ka dugu n'yumanjé
- good night
- n b'i fé
- I like you
- nene bé
- it's cold
- funteni bé
- it's hot
- Fanta don
- It's Fanta
- i cé kanyi
- you look beautiful (handsome)
- a kanyi
- it's good
- a man nyi
- it's bad
- a ka di (kosébé)
- it's (very) good
- a banna
- it's finished
- tuguni
- again
- i sigi
- sit down
- i sigi na
- sit down here
- ni
- and
- n fana
- me too
- a barika
- thanks (for food)
- a barika Allah ye
- thank God
- héré sira
- did you sleep well
- tóró té, héré dórón
- I slept well
- n be jigin
- I want to get off
- n be jigin yan
- I want to get off here
- n be jigin plaki la
- I want to get off at the next place
- plaki la
- next place
- yan
- here
- yen
- there
- sisan
- now
- djoli
- how much
- djoli (djeli)
- blood
- n b'a fé
- I like it, I want it
- n t'a fé
- I don't like it, I don't want it
- n bé ji fé
- I like water, I want water
- a yira n na
- show me
- i bé ta min
- where are you going
- n bé n'kó
- I'm going to take a shower
- n fara
- I'm full/satisfied (at the end of a meal)
- a tun ka di
- the food was good
- i da de
- be quiet
- i (ka) da tugu
- shut up
- hakéto
- excuse me
- hakétila
- no problem (response to "hakéto")
- hakéto m'a famu
- sorry
- n'b'i fè
- i love you
- ya fa n ma
- pardon me
- mun kéra
- what's wrong/what's going on
- mun beyi
- what's wrong/what's going on
- mun don
- what is it
- a ké tan
- do as I do
- n' b'i fe
- I like you
- i ka di nye
- I like you (for children)
- n furden don
- I'm married
- nka den
- my child
- i tun bé min
- where were you
- i kólósi
- look out!
- na yan
- come here
- an ka taa
- let's go
- wuli an ka ta thé mé
- get up and let's get some tea
- bassassogo kadi shèssogo yé yiranchogo de bu boyongona
- the meat of a Goat is better than that of a chicken because of the way you cut it