It's all good

An earlier post gave the Wolof phrase for:

good night



Here's a few phrases that are similar

good morning


good afternoon


And here's the same speaker with:

good night

Housekeeping

I'm new to this blogging game, so when I figure out a better way to do something, I'll try and incorporate it into the blog.

That's the case with the audio files here. Recently I realized that Windows users had to do a lot of clicking to hear the audio (I write the blog on a Mac). So I found out a way to streamline that, and I've embedded a playback control witin the blog, powered by Quicktime. Let me know if it works out OK for you.

More Counting in Wolof

Here are a few more numbers in Wolof, courtesy of Abdoulaye via Jim. Can you see the pattern, and fill in other numbers?

eleven


twelve


twenty


thirty

Counting 6 to 10 in Wolof

Here are a few more numbers in Wolof:


six


seven


eight


nine


ten

Protect Your Gear

Have you ever gotten caught in the rain with your camera gear? What about a particularly dusty place, or somewhere that makes you worry about your gear getting splashed? Here's a handy tip. I stash a clear garbage bag in my camera bag, plus a roll of waterproof tape. They take up very little room, and cost next-to-nothing, but can save your gear in a pinch. Just enclose your slr in the garbage bag, so the end of the lens is sticking out of the opening in the bag. Run a strip of the tape around the lens (ideally, on the lens hood), so the bag stays put and is sealed. Voila! Instant protection. and because the bag is clear, you can still use your camera.

If you've got a point-and-shoot, then a ziploc bag can do the trick, too, and you won't need the tape.

Counting Up to 5 in Wolof

My friend Jim was kind enough to share some Wolof recordings with me. He had help from his friend Abdoulaye. Here are some numbers:

zero


one


two


three


four


five

Frozen Waterfall

We'll take a break from the Wolof lessons today for a peek at a frozen waterfall. I came across this beauty while hiking in Colorado earlier this year. The waterfall is at least 100 feet tall, and completely frozen.

More How Ya Doing?

Here are a couple more Wolof phrases for you:

I am too hot


I am happy

How are ya doing?

Here's a few more Wolof phrases, courtesy of Massamba:

I am tired


I am hungry

If you have a lot of friends

We've got a theme going here.... Say there's a party going on, but you've had it. You want to say good night to a lot of people in Wolof. Instead of the phrases we've already mentioned -- they apply if you're speaking to a small group -- use this instead:

Have a good sleep (to a lot of people)

Have a Good Sleep

Yesterday I started a discussion about sleeping. It's a topic that's sure to light up the blogrolls... Anyway, here are a few more Wolof phrases along those lines:

Have a good sleep


Have a good sleep too (response to "have a good sleep")

Good Night

I'm writing this in the morning, so it seems odd, but here's a useful Wolof phrase when the day is done:

I'm going to bed



That was Massamba's voice. Here's Abdou, with the same phrase:

Wolof and French

Say you're visiting, oh, a school in Senegal. You want to strike up a conversation with a student in Wolof.

You could say:

Which means "Show me your notebook and book."

Anyone familiar with French will recognize the words for "notebook" and "book." Mixing the two languages isn't unusual, especially in a school setting where the students learn French (Senegal is a former French colony). So if you're stuck for a Wolof word, and you know French, you could always try it.

Directions

Suppose you're walking around, and you need to figure out how to get somewhere. Below's how to ask to get to Sobobade, a wonderful place to stay, south of Dakar, on the coast. If you're not lucky enough to be headed there, just insert the correct destination:

How do you get to Sobobade?


Too much all at once? Maybe this slower version will help:


Still too fast? Try this even slower version:



Of course, knowing how to ask in Wolof and understanding the answer are two different things...

Ahhh

Rounding out the Wolof phrases helpful around mealtime, there's a phrase you can say after eating if you not only enjoyed the meal, but it makes you feel good.

Huh?

Abdou explained: You know the feeling you get, say, after a Thanksgiving dinner? You've stuffed yourself silly, and feel like you're only good for lying around on the couch. That's the OPPOSITE of what Abdou is talking about here. Instead, think about the feeling you get after eating a meal that just sits well with you. It makes you feel like you've got energy, and you know it'll digest well. There's actually a phrase for that in Wolof, and it is a great compliment to your host:


It means "My body feels good from that meal."

Interesting how the existence of such phrases casts a light on the culture, eh?

It's all good

Here's a few more Wolof phrases that are helpful when someone has prepared a good meal for you:

lunch is good
dinner is good, then thank you

Breakfast is good

I must be hungry when I write these posts. Here's Abdou with some food-related Wolof vocabulary:

breakfast

and

breakfast is good

Still hungry?

Following up on yesterday's post about the great eats in Senegal, you'll want to know how to ask for what is perhaps the national dish:

Fish and rice, I want fish and rice.

Please notice the "I want" portion of the phrase -- the subject of an earlier blog post.

Oh yeah, don't forget to say please and thank you.

In with the new

Just a quick note to let you know I've updated my website. I'd sure appreciate any feedback from you on it. Thanks!

Hungry?

If you go to Senegal, you'll soon find out there's some great eating there. Many meals are accompanied by rice, and you can't go wrong ordering a dish pronounced "che-bu-jen" -- rice and fish -- or "che-bu-gan-ar" -- rice and chicken (I've seen them spelled many different ways, so I'll just give you the phonetics here).

Here's how to say "I want some rice and chicken."

Meals there are an experience unto themselves. Often, a large tray -- similar to a large pizza pan -- is brought out with the food, and placed on a cloth on the ground. You and your friends gather around the dish in a circle, and dig in together, sans utensils. Word to the wise: It's polite to only use your right hand when eating.

Come here

Here's a trio in Wolof to start your Monday off:

Come
Come Here

And the related:

Let's Go

Time to go shopping

Shoppping is sure an experience in Senegal. From the vendors on Goree Island to the ladies selling clothing on the beach at Toubab Dialaw, it's an adventure. One thing to know: whatever price they ask at first, it's always a multiple of the price they actually want. Bargaining is a national sport.

Here's a few Wolof phrases, courtesy of Massamba, that'll help you play the game:

How much does it cost?
It's too expensive.
I don't have money.

More, please

So you and your friends are under the stars in Toubab Dialaw, the lilt of the kora filling your ears. Your eyes are closed, but only so you can hear better. The kora player mistakenly thinks you've heard enough, but that's the furthest thing from your mind. The music stops, and your momentary disappointment is dispelled when you hear one of your friends say, politely,

Play more music, please.

Then the world is OK again.

How ya doin?

Here's a pair of Wolof phrases you could use many times a day in Senegal:

How are you? I am fine.

What do you want?

Wrapping up our "want" Wolof phrases this week, here are a few more to practice:

I want to go to the ocean.

I want to go to your school.

I want to use the telephone.

Have fun, and remember to practice the phrases from earlier posts.

Should I stay or should I go?

When you go to Senegal, you probably won't say this (in Wolof) too often:

I want to go back home.

Instead, you'll probably say this:

I want to stay.

More wants

Building on yesterday's Wolof vocabulary, here are a few more helpful phrases, courtesy of my friend Massamba:

I want to buy shoes.
I want to buy clothes.
I want food (I want to eat).

As my mother would say, don't forget to say please!

The magic word

Here's a good Wolof word to include with requests for things you want:

please.

Got water?

It's good to know how to ask for what you want. Here's how to do it in Senegal, in the Wolof language:

I want
I want a drink
I want a drink of water

Picture this

Anyone who takes pictures while on vacation knows the frustration of running out of space on your digital cards. It's no fun trying to ration card space, or, worse, taking time away from your vacation to delete images to make room for new ones.

Sometimes you can just buy a new card, but who wants to hunt down a camera store while on vacation? Or what if you can't find one?

Last year I started taking along a small storage device, one that's about the size of a point-and-shoot camera. You just stick your photo card in a slot, and it automatically copies your images to a hard drive. You don't need to bring along a computer to do this. The one I use, a Wolverine ESP (shown above), has a small screen, too, so I can check visually that the images copied fine. Other recommended manufacturers of this type of device include Epson and Jobo.

Once you get home, you connect the device to your computer with a cable, and copy the images to your computer's hard drive.

More to be thankful for

No slouch in the politeness department himself, Massamba offers his take on Wolof phrases thank you and thank you, you're welcome.

Note though, that the "you're welcome" part is indeed the correct response to "thank you," but the literal translation is a bit different. The actual translation means "we share it." So when you say "thank you" to someone in the Wolof language, their reply means "we share it." Interesting to think about the cultural implications.

It's nice to be polite

Abdou is a guy who could give polite lessons. Not only is he a great dancer, but he's a heckuva nice guy, too. So when he tells you how to say thank you and thank you, you're welcome in Wolof, well, it's the real deal.

Wolof 101

Want to learn some Wolof? Why not? It's the most common language in Senegal, in addition to French. It's pretty easy to find someone to help you with French, but a Wolof expert is a bit harder to come by. Earlier this week, friends Massamba and Abdou gave me a crash course, and I'll soon share what they taught me. Click here to hear what Massamba says about the lessons.