Bambara/Vocabulary

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Welcome
i ni chè
Yes
awó
No
ayi
Come and eat
na ka dumini ke
Thank you
i ni cé
Numbers
  1. kelen
  2. fila
  3. saba
  4. naani
  5. duuru
  6. woóró
  7. wolonfla, wolonwula
  8. segin
  9. kónótón
  10. tan
  11. tan ni kelen
  12. 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]

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