Airport & Customs

1. Bëgg naa gis sa pasepoor

   Please show your passport

   Usage

   Standard phrase used by immigration officers

   Grammar Note

   bëgg naa … = "I want to …"; naa is the 1sg perfect marker. An officer uses this to ask you to hand over your passport

2. Lu tax nga ñëw?

   What is the purpose of your visit?

   Usage

   Standard immigration question

   Grammar Note

   lu tax …? = why …?, literally "what causes"; ñëw = to come

3. Ñaata guddi nga bëgg a toog?

   How many nights are you planning to stay?

   Usage

   Commonly asked at immigration

   Grammar Note

   ñaata = how many, guddi = night, toog = to stay; the noun after ñaata stays singular

4. Am nga dara ci deklarasyon bi?

   Do you have anything to declare?

   Usage

   Asked at customs

   Grammar Note

   am nga …? = do you have …?; dara = anything

5. Sama bagaas ñëwagul

   My luggage hasn't arrived

   Usage

   Tell baggage claim staff

   Grammar Note

   -agul is the "not yet" suffix (ñëw "come" + -agul = has not come yet); sama = my

6. Lii mooy sama bagaasu loxo

   This is carry-on luggage

   Usage

   Tell airline staff at check-in or boarding gate

   Grammar Note

   lii = this, mooy = is; the connective -u links two nouns (bagaas + u loxo = luggage of the hand)

7. Maa ngi ci transit bi

   I'm in transit

   Usage

   Used at transit counters or immigration

   Grammar Note

   maa ngi is the presentative "I am here/now"; the standard orthography writes it as two words, not mangi

8. Fan la porte bi nekk?

   Where is the gate?

   Usage

   Ask when looking for your boarding gate

   Grammar Note

   fan = where, nekk = to be located. Senegalese airports sign in French, so the boarding gate is called porte (porte d'embarquement)

9. Kañ lañuy dugg ci avion bi?

   When does boarding begin?

   Usage

   Ask while waiting at the boarding gate

   Grammar Note

   kañ = when; lañuy is la (focus) + ñu (we) + y (imperfective); dugg = to enter, also used for boarding

10. Fan la butik hors-taxe bi nekk?

    Where is the duty-free shop?

    Usage

    Ask after clearing security

    Grammar Note

    butik = shop. In Senegal the duty-free shop keeps its French name, hors-taxe

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