Bambara phrasebook
旅遊會話手冊
Bambara or Bamanankan (ߓߡߊߣߊ߲ߞߊ߲) is a language in West Africa, mostly in Mali, where it is mother tongue of the Bambara people (30% of the population), and where 80% of the population can communicate in the language. Bambara will also be useful in Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, and Gambia. Together with Dioulé and Malinké it belongs to the Mandekan dialect family, which itself part of the Mande group, which is a Niger-Congo language subgroup.
Pronunciation guide
Vowels a like 'a' in "father" e like 'e' in "prey" ε like 'e' in "met" i like 'i' in "police" o like 'o' in "so" ɔ like 'ough' in "bought" u like 'u' in "clue" There are also long vowels:
aa ee εε ii oo ɔɔ uu and nasal vowels:
an en εn in on ɔn un
Consonants j like 'j' in "jay" ɲ like 'ny' in "canyon" ŋ like 'nw' c like 'ch' in "chair" g like 'g' in "get" h like 'h' in "hard" s like 'ss' in "pass" or 'sh' in "shake" (varies by region)
Blends sh like 'sh' in "shore"
Phrase list
Basics Hello (any time of day) i ni ce How are you? (Are you well?) (to one person) i ka kεnε wa? How are you? (Are you well?) (to more than one person) Aw ka kεnε (wa)? Fine, thank you. kεnε, tɔɔrɔ te, ko tε, tana tε What is your first name? i tɔgɔ? What is your last name? i jamu? My name is ______ . ne tɔgɔ ___ Thank you. i ni ce You're welcome. basi tε (literally 'no problem') Yes. awɔ No. ayi Excuse me. (getting attention / begging pardon) (aw ye) hakε to! I'm sorry. a yafa n ma Goodbye k'an bεn Goodbye (informal) n taara I can't speak Bambara very well. Ne tε se bamanankan na kosεbε I don't speak Bambara very well, but I understand a little Ne tε se bamanankan na kosεbε, nka ne b'a men dɔɔnin dɔɔnin. Do you speak English? i bε angilekan men wa? Is there someone here who speaks English? Mogo do min bε angilekan men be yan, wa? Help! N deme! Look out! I farati! Good morning. aw ni sɔgɔma (several persons around), i ni sɔgɔma (1 person) Good afternoon aw ni tile, i ni tile Good evening. aw ni wula, i ni wula Good night. aw ni su, i ni su Good night (to sleep) ka su hεεrε I don't understand. n m'a faamu Where is the toilet? ɲεgεn bε min?
Problems Leave me alone. N bila sa! Don't touch me! I kana magan n na! I'll call the police. N bε polisiw wele. Police! Police! Stop! Thief! A yi zon (or son) minE) I need your help. N mago bε i ka deme na. It's an emergency. koo teliman do. I'm lost. N tununen don. I lost my bag. N ka saki tununa. I lost my wallet. N ka wari tununa. I'm sick. Bana bε na. I've been injured. N joki na I need a doctor. N mago bε dogotoro la. Can I use your phone? N bε se ka weleli kε ni i ka telephone ye wa?
Numbers 1 kelen 2 fila 3 saba 4 naani 5 duurun 6 wooro 7 wolonfla 8 segi 9 kononto 10 tan 11 tan ni kelen 12 tan ni fla 13 tan ni saba 14 tan ni naani 15 tan ni duurun 16 tan ni wooro 17 tan ni wolonfla 18 tan ni segi 19 tan ni kononto 20 mugan 21 mugan ni kelen 22 mugan ni fla 23 mugan ni saaba 30 bi saba 40 bi naani 50 bi duurun 60 bi wooro 70 bi wolonfla 80 bi segi 90 bi kononto 100 keme 200 keme fla 300 keme saba 1000 wa (baa) kelen 2000 wa fla 3451 wa saba ani keme naani ani biduru ani kelen 1,000,000 million kelen 1,000,000,000
Learning more
Wikibooks Bambara Parlons Bambara, langue et culture Bambara, Ismael Maiga
本指南改寫自 Wikivoyage （CC BY-SA）