Word Order and Sentence Building

The standard sentence structure in Wolof is Subject - Verb - Object (SVO), which is the same as in English.

However, Wolof grammar is very different when it comes to verbs. Instead of conjugating the verb itself for tense (like "walk" vs. "walked"), Wolof uses subject pronouns that are combined with tense or aspect markers.

These markers indicate who is doing the action and when or how (e.g., if it's happening now, is a habit, or already happened). The main verb (like "eat," "go," "see") often stays in its base form.

For example, "I am eating" is Maa ngi lekk.

• Maa = "I" (subject pronoun)

• ngi = (present progressive aspect marker)

• lekk = "eat" (verb)

Understanding this pronoun + aspect marker system is the key to building sentences.

Example Sentences:

• Maa ngi lekk. (I am eating.)

• Yaa ngi lekk. (You are eating.)

• Mu ngi lekk. (He/She is eating.)

• Fatimata demoon na ci lopitaal. (Fatimata went to the hospital.)

• Dama bëgg ndox. (I want water.)

• Lii dafa neex. (This is delicious.)

• Modou jënd na mburu. (Modou bought bread.)

• Daara ji dafa rëy. (The school is big.)

• Ñoom dañuy wax wolof. (They speak Wolof.)

• Sama xarit bii mu ngi jàng. (My friend is studying.)

• Man, Wolof laa jàng. (As for me, I am learning Wolof.)

• Fan laay jënd attaya? (Where do I buy ataya?)

Making Positive Statements

Forming a positive (affirmative) statement relies on correctly combining the subject with the appropriate aspect marker.

The most common structure for simple statements of fact or action involves a subject pronoun (like Dama, Danga, Dafa) followed by the verb. This is often used for states of being or general truths.

For actions happening now, you use the progressive marker ngi (e.g., Maa ngi, Yaa ngi, Mu ngi).

For completed actions in the past, you often use the marker na (e.g., Jàng naa. - I studied.)

Example Sentences:

• Dama mar. (I am thirsty.)

•Dafa tàng. (It is hot.)

• Maa ngi dem Dakar. (I am going to Dakar.)

• Sama yaay mu ngi togg. (My mother is cooking.)

• Lekk naa ceebu jën. (I ate Thieboudienne.)

• Modou dafa sonn. (Modou is tired.)

• Ñu ngi jàngale wolof. (We are teaching Wolof.)

• Danga rafet. (You are beautiful.)

Forming Negatives and Questions

Negation in Wolof depends on the grammatical construction and the person. In the perfective negative, the verb takes person-marked negative forms.

For example, Bëgg naa (I want) becomes Bëgguma (I do not want), while the third-person singular form is Bëggul (he/she does not want).

The negative marker changes slightly depending on the pronoun.

• Duma (I will not...)

• Doo (You will not...)

• Du (He/She/It will not...)

• Dunu (We will not...)

• Dungeen (You all will not...)

• Duñu (They will not...)

To form questions, you can use a question word (like Fan? - Where? or Kañ? - When?) at the beginning or end of the sentence.

You can also use the question particle Ndax at the beginning of a sentence to turn it into a yes/no question. Sometimes, just using a rising intonation (like in English) is enough.

Negative Examples:

• Bëgguma ndox. (I do not want water.)

•Sonnul. (He/She is not tired.)

• Duñu dem Dakar. (They are not going to Dakar / They will not go to Dakar.)

• Lekkuma ceeb. (I did not eat rice.)

• Xamuma. (I do not know.)

•Dafa dul jàng. (He/She is not studying.)

Question Examples:

• Naka nga tudd? (What is your name?)

• Fan nga jëm? (Where are you going?)

• Kañ ngay ñëw? (When are you coming?)

• Ndax bëgg nga ceeb? (Do you want rice?)

• Danga sonn? (Are you tired?)

• Modou, mu ngi lekk? (Is Modou eating?)

• Lii lan la? (What is this?)

• Fan la sa kër nekk? (Where is your house?)

• Lu tax? (Why?)

Nouns: Gender and Number

This is a key area where Wolof differs from European languages. Wolof nouns do not have grammatical gender (like masculine or feminine).

Instead, nouns belong to "noun classes," which are identified by the definite article (the word for "the") that is used with them. This article follows the noun.

• The article -bi is very common (like "the" in English). Example: xaj bi (the dog)

• Other articles include: -gi, -ji, -si, -mi, -li, -wi, -ki.

To make a noun plural, you generally change the article, not the noun itself. The most common plural article is -yi.

• Singular: xaj bi (the dog)

• Plural: xaj yi (the dogs)

• Singular: kër gi (the house)

• Plural: kër yi (the houses)

The noun itself normally remains unchanged; plurality is marked by the plural determiner/agreement marker, usually -yi, with -ñi for a restricted group of human nouns.

Example Nouns:

• kër gi (the house)

• kër yi (the houses)

• auto bi (the car)

• auto yi (the cars)

• xarit bi (the friend)

• xarit yi (the friends)

• ndox mi (the water - singular class)

• jigéen ji (the woman)

• jigéen ñi (the women - note the article changes to ñi)

• buum gi (the rope)

Articles and Determiners

As covered above, the definite article (the) in Wolof follows the noun and agrees with its class.

• bi: ceeb bi (the rice)

• gi: góor gi (the man)

• mi: ndox mi (the water)

• ji: jëkkër ji (the husband)

• li: lii (this thing)

The indefinite article (a/an) is simpler. It often comes before the noun.

The indefinite article is formed with a plus the appropriate noun-class consonant, giving forms such as ab, ag, am, as, and aw. The form am (the indefinite article associated with the m-class; it is not a phonological variant of ab caused by a following b, p, or m).

•ag kër (a house)

• ab xaj (a dog)

• am mburu (a bread)

In many cases, no article is used at all, just like in English (e.g., "I want water" - Dama bëgg ndox).

Example Sentences:

• Dama bëgg ndox mi. (I want the water.)

• Dama bëgg ndox. (I want water.)

• Am naa ab auto bu bees. (I have a new car.)

• Jënd naa mburu. (I bought bread.)

•Mburu mi dafa tàng. (The bread is hot.)

• Xale bi mu ngi jàng. (The child is studying.)

• Xale yi ñu ngi jàng. (The children are studying.)

• Gis naa jigéen ji. (I saw the woman.)

• Gis naa ab jigéen. (I saw a woman.)

Practice Section

Fill in the Blanks

Fill in each blank with the correct word, letter, or form based on what you learned.

1- Dama bëgg togg ceeb _____ (the rice).

2- kër gi (the house) -> kër ____ (the houses)

True/False

Read each statement carefully and decide if it is True or False.

1- The standard word order in Wolof is Subject-Object-Verb (SOV).

2- Wolof nouns have masculine and feminine genders, just like Spanish or French.

Translation

Translate each English phrase or sentence into Wolof.

1- I want the water.

2- The child is not sleeping.

3- The houses are big.