Wolof does not have adjectives and few adverbs of manner. Instead, verbs and verb phrases are used to modify nouns and verbs. Thus, there are two kinds of verbs in Wolof:

 

. Active verbs are those which indicate an action or process. lekk to eat

. Stative verbs are usually verbs which indicate being in a particular state or static condition: baax to be good

 

A small number of verbs can take either sense depending on the context. In the case where a verb carries both an active and a passive sense, the  di  indicates the active incomplete sense.

toog:	to sit down (active) / to be seated (stative)
	Mu ngi toog. He is sitting down.
	Mu ngiy toog. He is in the process of sitting down.
	Maa ngi toog. I am seated.
	Maa ngiy toog. I am in the process of sitting down.

 

The difference in meaning can sometimes be subtle. For instance, xalaat means to think about, ponder, an active process of an active verb. Whereas foog means to think, or believe, a state of being of a stative verb.

 

One of the most concrete differences between these two kinds of Wolof verbs has to do with the use of the presentative -angi. Active verbs can be modified by -angi, while stative verbs ordinary cannot. This provides the quickest way to tell where a Wolof verb is active or stative: simply ask a native speaker whether one can say  Mu ngi x.  where  x  is the verb in question.

 

Peace Corps Course: pp 39, 49

J'apprends le wolof: pp 213, 215

PhD Thesis of Eric Church: pp 26

Notes on Grammar Wolof (Stewart) pp 4-6

Grammaire wolof: pp 33

Richard Shawyer

 

Wolof is a language of class. Every class is marked by a different determining consonant. The determining consonant is the base from which all articles are derived : definite or indefinite, relative, interrogative and demonstrative articles.

These determinants mark each class with different initial consonant, desinence staying the same. In Wolof there are 10 of these classes, each with their determining initial consonant, 8 of which correspond to singulars and 2 to plurals.The b class absorbs all others that don't fall in a class, especially for new words having to do with progress and development.

The determining consonant is never added directly to the noun ; it is either placed before or after, the latter of which makes it defined.

Singular : b - k - j - g - m - l - w - s
Plural : ñ - y


SINGULAR

Definite		Indefinite
xale bi  the child		ab xale  a child
nit ki  the person		ak nit  a person
jabar ji  the wife		aj jabar  a wife
gune gi  the baby		ag gune  a baby
xar mi  the sheep		am xar  a sheep
cuuraay li  the incense		al cuuraay  some incense
waas wi  the carp		aw waas  a carp
suukër si  the sugar		as suukër  some sugar

PLURAL

Definite		Indefinite
nit ñi  the people		ay nit  some people
nag yi  the cows		ay nag  some cows

The  k  classifier (singular) refers to people.
The  ñ  classifier (plural) refers to people.
The  y  classifier (plural) is valid for all classes.


Abdoulaye Dial

AFFIRMATIVE 1

Damay jàng wolof.  I am learning Wolof.
Dangay jàng wolof.  You are learning Wolof.
Dafay jàng wolof.  He is learning Wolof.
Danuy jàng wolof.  We are learning Wolof.
Dangeen di jàng wolof.  You are learning Wolof.
Dañuy jàng wolof.  They are learning Wolof.



AFFIRMATIVE 2

Maa ngiy jàng wolof.  I am learning Wolof right now.
Yaa ngiy jàng wolof. You are learning Wolof right now.
Mu ngiy jàng wolof.  He is learning Wolof right now.
Nu ngiy jàng wolof.  We are learning Wolof right now.
Yéena ngiy jàng wolof.  You are learning Wolof right now.
Ñu ngiy jàng wolof. They are learning Wolof right now.



Affirmative 1 and Affirmative 2 have the same negation :

NEGATIVE

Jànguma wolof.  I am not learning Wolof.
Jànguloo wolof.  You are not learning Wolof.
Jàngul wolof.  He is not learning Wolof.
Jàngunu wolof.  We are not learning Wolof.
Jànguleen wolof.  You are not learning Wolof.
Jànguñu wolof. They are not learning Wolof.



N.B. The particules dama, danga, dafa, danu, dangeen, dañu are used to justify a fact, an action having a cause and effect relationship.

Looy def?  What are you doing?
Damay jàng.  I am studying.

Lu tax ngay dem?  Why are you going?
Damay yàkkamti.  I am in a hurry.



N.B. The particule oon added to a verb marks the antecedence and corresponds to the plus-que-parfait form in French.

With a verb of being :

Dama feebaroon.  I was sick.
Feebaruma woon.  I was not sick.

With an action verb :

Dama demoon Dakaar.  I had gone to Dakar.
Demuma woon Dakaar.  I hadn't gone to Dakar.



EXAMPLES :

AFFIRMATIVE

– Dangay jàng wolof?  Are you learning Wolof?
– Waaw, damay jàng wolof.  Yes, I am learning Wolof.

– Dangeen di dem Dakaar?  Are you (pl.) going to Dakar?
– Waaw, danuy dem Dakaar.  Yes, we are going to Dakar.

– Damay jàngale wolof?  Do I teach Wolof?
– Waaw, dangay jàngale wolof.  Yes, you teach Wolof.

– Yaa ngiy jàng wolof?  Are you learning Wolof?
– Waaw, maa ngiy jàng wolof?  Yes, I am learning Wolof.

– Yéena ngiy jàng wolof?  Are you (pl.) learning Wolof?
– Waaw, nu ngiy jàng wolof.  Yes, we are learning Wolof.



NEGATIVE

– Dangay dem Dakaar?  Are you going to Dakar?
– Déedéet, demuma Dakaar.  No, I am not going to Dakar.

–  Yaa ngiy lekk ceebu-jën?  Are you eating ceebu-jën.
– Déedéet, lekkuma ceebu-jën.  No, I am not eating ceebu-jën.

– Danga feebaroon?  Were you sick?
– Déedéet, feebaruma woon.  No, I was not sick.

– Danga demoon France?  Had you gone to France?
– Déedéet, demuma woon France.  No, I had not gone to France.

– Jàngoon nga wolof?  Had you studied Wolof?
– Déedéet, jànguma woon wolof.  No, I had not studied Wolof.

– Maa ngiy jàngale pulaar?  Am I teaching Pular?
– Déedéet, jàngalewuloo pulaar.  No, you are not teaching Pulaar.

– Dangeen di jàng pulaar? Are you (pl.) learning Pular?
– Déedéet, jàngunu Pulaar. No, we are not learning Pulaar.



CULTURAL EXPLANATION :

Ceebu jën (rice and fish) is Senegal's national dish. If the rice is cooked with tomato paste, the dish is called ceebu xonq (red rice), due to the red color. If not, it is called ceebu weex (white rice).

Dakar is the bustling capital city of Senegal, the center of commerce and international affairs. Population : 2,384,000 inhabitants in 2002. The first capital of Senegal under the French was Saint-Louis. However the capital changed to Dakar in 1958.

Pulaar, spolen by over 2 million Senegalese, is one of the six official languages of Senegal. Pulaar communities are also found in the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, and Mauretania.

Abdoulaye Dial

Maa ngi (nga) ...	I am ...
Yaa ...	You are ...
Mu ...	He is ...
Nu ...	We are ...
Yéena ...	You are ...
Ñu ...	They are ...
fi	here (without specifying)
fii	here (on this very spot)
nii	here (with gesture to exact spot)

GRAMMATICAL NOTE

The particule nga can indicate remoteness in space or time.

Mu nga farans. He is in France.

The concept of an i ending to indicate close proximity and an a ending for remoteness is used elsewhere as well. For example,  Ana waa kër gi?  is used when you are in the house of which you speak. If you are not in the house, you would say Ana waa kër ga?


Abdoulaye Dial

AFFIRMATIVE

Man tubaab laa.  I am Tubaab.
Yow amerikeŋ nga.  You (sing.) are American.
Moom wolof la.  He/she/it is Wolof.
Nun ... lanu.  We are ...
Yéen ... ngeen.  You (plur.) are ...
Ñoom ... lañu.  They are...

– Yow, tubaab nga?  Are you (sg.) Tubaab?
– Waaw, man tubaab laa.  Yes, I am Tubaab.
– Man, wolof laa?  Am I Tubaab?
– Waaw, yow wolof nga.  Yes, you (sg.) are Wolof.
– Yéen tubaab ngeen?  You (pl.) are Tubaab?
– Waaw, nun tubaab lanu.  Yes, we are Tubaab.
– Nun, wolof lanu?  Are we Wolof?
– Waaw, yéen wolof ngeen.  Yes, you (pl.) are Wolof.

 

 

NEGATIVE

Man duma wolof.  I am not Wolof.
Yow doo ...  You (sg.) are not ...
Moom du ...  He/she/it is not ...
Nun dunu...  We are not ...
Yéen dungeen ...  You (pl.) are not ...
Ñoom duñu ...  They are not ...

– Man tubaab laa?  Am I Tubaab?
– Déedéet, yow doo tubaab.  No, you (sg.) are not Tubaab.
– Yow wolof nga?  Are you Wolof?
– Déedéet, man duma wolof.  No, I am not Wolof.

– Nun, tubaab lanu?  Are we Tubaab?
– Déedéet, yéen dungéen tubaab.  No, you (pl.) are not Tubaab.

– Yéen, wolof ngeen?  Are you (pl.) Wolof?
– Déedéet, nun dunu wolof.  No, we are not Wolof.

There is no distinction between the masculine and the feminine pronoun in Wolof. Thus, whenever the third person singular (moom) or third person plural (ñoom) forms are used, context clues help to figure out if the pronoun refers to a masculine, a feminine person or a group. From now on, 'he/she' will be reduced to 'he', unless the subject is specified as feminine.


CULTURAL EXPLANATION

Tubaab is the word for French (language and people). However, it is more often employed to refer to white people in general.


Abdoulaye Dial