In this post, you will learn how to say ‘how are you?’ in Wolof. You’ll also learn common responses so you can respond if you’re asked this question. This can be really useful if you’re speaking with someone from Senegal, the Gambia, Mauritania or if you’re travelling to any of those places.
Wolof is the native language of the Wolof people. It is spoken in Senegal, the Gambia and Mauritania. There are approximately 5.5 million speakers worldwide.
Table of Contents
How To Say ‘How Are You?’ In Wolof
There are a few different ways to ask ‘how are you?’. Here are the most common:
| How are you? | Na nga def? |
| How are you? (Lit. do you have peace?) | Jaam nga am? |
How To Respond To ‘How Are You?’ In Wolof
There are many different ways that you can reply to this question. Below are the most common responses to this question. I’ve also included how to say ‘thank you’ as it’s polite to thank someone if they ask how you are.
| Thank you | Je-re-jef |
| I’m fine | Mangi fi / mangi fi rek |
| I’m fine (Lit. I’m in peace) | Jaam rek |
| I’m sick | Damaa wo |
| I’m happy | Damaa beg |
| I’m sad | Damaa geey |
| I’m angry | Damaa mer |
| I’m tired | Damaa tayyal |
| I’m worried | Damaa jaaxle |
It’s also useful to know how to say ‘and you?’ or ‘what about you?’ to find out how someone else is if they ask you.
| And you? | Yow nak? |
Check out the below video to hear the pronunciation of some of these phrases:
Example Conversation:
Person 1: Na nga def? (How are you?)
Person 2: Mangi fi, je-re-jef. Yow nak? (I’m fine, thank you. And you?)
Person 1: Mangi fi (I’m fine)
Thanks for reading this post.
You should now know how to say ‘how are you?’ in Wolof and you should also be able to respond if you’re asked!
You can’t go wrong with these simple phrases.
Someone’s birthday coming up? Learn how to wish them a happy birthday in Wolof.
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