Days of the Week in Soussou – Telling Time and Making Plans

Objective:

Discuss the days of the week in Soussou. This is an important skill for making plans and setting a schedule for the future. It is important to be able to tell people where you might be on which day. It is also important to understand some of the cultural context of certain days, as will be discussed below.

Key Vocabulary:

The Seven Days of the Week – Lökhè soloféré nakha na lökigni kouï

Monday – Tènèn

Tuesday – Talatè

Wednesday – Arabè

Thursday – Alahamounsè

Friday – Djoumè

Saturday – Simiti

Sunday – Sandé

Example Sentences:

I will go downtown this Monday – N’sigamanè takoui  tènèn

I am leaving from Guinea this Tuesday – N’sigama la Guinè talatè ma

Sunday is a day off for many people – Sandé malaboui lökhè nara mikhi gbégbé bè

I am going to Boké this Wednesday for my research – N’sigamanè Boké gui alahamounsè ma m’ma wali rabadé

Friday is an important day for Muslims – Djoumè, lökhè fangni nara mousilimé bè

Cultural Context:

As in many Western countries, the weekends are usually days of rest for most people, especially those who work in the government. It is important to recognize that Guinean businesses tend to work on a Monday-Friday schedule. However, the majority of the population in Guinea is also Muslim (approximately 90%). As such, Friday afternoons are also an important time of rest and prayer. When planning one’s week, it is important to remember that Friday after about 1:30 usually many office places will close so that people can go to the Friday prayer at the mosque. After this, many offices will not reopen, as this will be start of the weekend. A small note: in Arabic, the Friday pray is referred to as Salāt al-Jumu‘ah (lit. “the congregational/communal prayer). This is where the name “Djoumè” is Soussou is derived from.

Exercises:

First, drill the days of the week. Create flashcards or something similar to try to memorize them. This is an important structure, as the days themselves will be relatively easy to memorize. Then, try to come up with sample sentences, planning out the days of your week. Use the example sentences as a guide. Try to think about what you are going to do every day of the week. This is also a good chance for you to practice using the various verbs you have learned. Finally, record yourself saying the sentences that you have come up with. Afterwards, review these with your language mentor, and adjust and re-record as needed to work on sentence construction, use of vocabulary, and pronunciation.