Language/Bambara/Vocabulary/Useful-phrases

Ready to learn some Bambara? In this article, we'll teach you practical and simple phrases to help you communicate in everyday situations. We'll cover basic greetings, common questions, and more.

English	Bambara Language
hello good evening hello	i ni sogoma (matin) ; i ni tlé (soir) ; i ni cè
what's your name ? My name is ...	i togo ? n’togo …
where are you from? What country are you from ?	i bè bo jamana juma ?
I am French)	ne ye faraje
You are married)	e ye moso foru wa ? e ye n’tereke ye ?
do you have children? Yes ; How much ? i have two children	denw b’i fé ? awo ; joli ? des filla
how old are you ?	i bè san joli bo ?
do you live with your parents?	ne be n’somogo feye ?
who is this tall slim blonde (brunette)?	e ye muso kunsiki djema ?
this is my little sister (wife, daughter, mother)	n’dogomuso (muso, den muso, ba muso) do
who is this obnoxious little fat guy?	e ye jonye mogo kunta ?
he is my boss (brother, husband, father, son)	n’mako, n’dokoni, n’koroke, n’tie, nden, n’fa
what's the name of this boy? this girl  ?	hi tjaini togo ?
His / Her name is ...	a togo ye …
excuse me, where is (are) the toilet	haketo, ga bougenbaimin
I dont know ; no idea	he taiaden ; ta adonfolo
who are you ?	tjaïe ye djonye
how are you ?	i ka kene ? koni bachi tila tjai ?
not bad Thank you ; what's new ?	tooro tè, here doron, inicè ; kieraroyaw ?
I am learning Bambara; that's great !	n’be bamanankan kalan ; a kayi !
i would like to learn bambara	n’ba fe ka bamanankan kalan
I (don't) speak Bambara well	n’té bamanankan fo kosebe
do you speak bambara?	ebe bamanankan fo wa ?
no not at all ; Yes a bit ; not bad ;	ayi ; awo, doni
of course it's my mother tongue	ni ye nere kan den
I understand if you speak softly	m’b’a mè, ni i bè kuma dooni dooni
Can you repeat ?	haoubaisse kasegiakawa
do you want to eat with us?	iba fe ka dumurike anfe wa ?
with pleasure ; no ; Why ? because	ni nisoja ye ! awo n’sou na
do you like malian cuisine?	i be mali dun mun nife wa ?
of cours ; I think so	ko sebe ! hakilila awo
you are thirsty ? What would you like to drink ?	minnogo b’i la wa ? i be mun mi ?
I would like beer, wine, water	nbe biyeri ta biyeri nege be na
I (we are) hungry;	kungo be (an) na
I am not very hungry ; that's enough ; I'm not hungry anymore	kungo cama te ma ; né fara
it’s very good; Enjoy your meal !	dumuni ka di ; ka su maya aw kono
what are we eating ?	an be mun dun
how do you say… in bambara?	nin togo be di bamanankan na ?
pass me the bread (salt, sugar) please	buru (dolo, bieri) du ma haketo
here ; one minute	ijo doni
you come with me to the cinema?	i bena nofe sinema
it depends ; No, that's not possible	la wa ; ma dofolo ayi otesekake
I'm tired, I'm going to bed	n’segena
see you tomorrow ; goodbye	k’an ben sini ; ka an ben
I like you ; I miss you	n’bi fé ; i nyénafin bè n’na
no ; Yes OK ; with pleasure ; thank you	ayi ; awo, n’sona ; n’sewara ; inicè

n té bamanakan mén

I don't understand/speak bambara

n t'a don

I don't know

n t'a faamu

I don't understand

n t'a mén

I don't understand

I y'a mén?

do you understand?

n segenna

I'm tired

n bé lafinyé

I'm going to sleep

ka dugu n'yumanjé

good night

n b'i fé

I like you

nene bé

it's cold

funteni bé

it's hot

i cé kanyi

you look beautiful (handsome)

a kanyi

it's good

a man nyi

it's bad

a ka di (kosébé)

it's (very) good

a banna

it's finished

Sources

• https://auberbabel.org/spip.php?article66

Other Lessons

• Animals
• Drink
• Drinks
• How to Say Hello and Greetings
• Count to 10
• Feelings and Emotions
• Eat
• Colors
• Education