Gambian Wolof (EC)

Gapped Text Exercise

This is a gapped text exercise for introductory level greetings/introductions and common questions/answers in Gambian Wolof.

Part 1

Helpful tips:

  • “Naka” can mean how or what. It is also used in certain contexts to show a higher level of appreciation and respect, especially for elders. For example “nga deff” means how are you, but to be more respectful you can say “Naka nga deff”.
  • “Suba” means day and can be used for similar words like morning/tomorrow. For example “beh suba” means see you tomorrow.
  • “Goudi” means night.
  • Highlight the sections after each arrow to see complete Gambian Wolof sentences and English translations.

Greetings:

____ suba si → Naka suba si Good morning 

____ bechek bi → Naka bechek bi Good afternoon 

____ ngon si → Naka ngon si Good evening 

____ goudi gi → Naka goudi gi Good night 

Part 2

Helpful tips:

  • “tuda” means name
  • “nga” means you
  • “jogay” means from
  • “Nyaata” means how many
  • “att” means years
  • Translating Gambian Wolof to English will not always have word for word translations and the order of words may by different.
  • Highlight the sections after each arrow to see complete Gambian Wolof sentences and English translations.

Common Questions:

Naka ___ tuda? →  Naka nga tuda? →  What is your name?

Fan ___ jogay? →  Fan nga jogay?  Where are you from?

Nyaata ___ ___ am? → Nyaata att nga am? →  How old are you? (how many years do you have?) 

Answers to Common Questions:

Ernesta la ____ → Ernesta la tuda My name is Ernesta 

Wisconsin la _____ → Wisconsin la jogay  I am from Wisconsin 

Man gi 24 ___ → Man gi 24 att I am 24 years old

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Resources for Self-Instructional Learners of Less Commonly Taught Languages Copyright © by University of Wisconsin-Madison Students in African 671 is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.