Convenience Store

1. Salaamaalekum!

   Peace be upon you — hello

   Usage

   The greeting to use as you walk in. Over 90% of Senegalese are Muslim and this greeting works at any hour; the reply is "Maalekum salaam". Skipping the greeting and going straight to business is genuinely rude — the smaller the shop, the more it matters

   Grammar Note

   Wolof borrows heavily from Arabic, above all in religion, time and numbers. This greeting is Arabic "as-salāmu ʿalaykum" naturalised wholesale

2. Fan la butik bi nekk?

   Where is the corner shop?

   Usage

   Senegal has no Japanese-style convenience stores; the street-corner "butik" fills that role. Most are run by Guinean shopkeepers and sell baguettes, sugar, rice, washing powder and phone credit in small quantities. Dakar has supermarkets such as Auchan, but daily shopping happens at the butik

   Grammar Note

   The definite article follows the noun and varies by noun class — bi, gi, ji, mi and so on. "Butik" is a class-b noun, hence "butik bi"

3. Loo bëgg?

   What would you like?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Butik stock sits on shelves behind the counter out of reach, so you will always be asked. Pointing and saying "Bii" (this one) is enough

   Grammar Note

   Wolof question words come first and routinely fuse with the subject pronoun: lan (what) + nga (you) contracts to "loo" in ordinary speech

4. Ñaata la?

   How much is it?

   Usage

   Butiks display no price tags, so you ask. The currency is the CFA franc (XOF). Unlike the market, butik prices are fixed and not something you haggle over

   Grammar Note

   "La" marks the focus of the clause and is central to Wolof sentence structure — the choice between la, na and dafa depends on which element is highlighted

5. May ma benn

   Give me one, please

   Usage

   Butiks sell in tiny units — one bar of soap, a scoop of sugar, a single cigarette. State the quantity and the shopkeeper fetches it

   Grammar Note

   Commands start with the verb and place the object pronoun immediately after it. "May ma" (give me) is the workhorse of any shopping exchange

6. Am nga mburu?

   Do you have bread?

   Usage

   French-style baguettes are a staple in Senegal and the morning bread run to the butik is part of daily life. Fresh loaves arrive early and are often gone by early afternoon

   Grammar Note

   "Am nga …?" is the all-purpose way to ask whether something is in stock. Negation changes the ending: "amuma" (I don't have), "amul" (there isn't any)

7. Am nga ndox mu sedd?

   Do you have cold water?

   Usage

   Even in the dry season Senegal passes 35°C, so cold water matters — but power cuts ("délestage") frequently take the butik fridge offline, so it pays to specify "mu sedd" (cold)

   Grammar Note

   Adjectives modify nouns through a relative clause whose marker agrees with the noun class. "Ndox" is class m, so the form is "mu sedd"

8. Bëgg naa mbuus

   I'd like a bag

   Usage

   Senegal banned thin single-use plastic bags by law in 2020. Butiks now hand over goods in a thicker bag, wrapped in paper, or with no bag at all, and more shoppers carry their own

   Grammar Note

   "Naa" simultaneously encodes the subject "I" and perfective aspect. Wolof subject pronouns are not independent words but fuse with aspect markers like this

9. Am nga weccit?

   Do you have small change?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Small change is chronically scarce in Senegal, so handing over a 10,000 CFA note always prompts this. Without small denominations a sale may be refused — keep 500 and 1,000 CFA notes and coins on you

   Grammar Note

   "Weccit" derives from the verb "wecc" (to exchange). Wolof forms nouns from verbs with suffixes such as "-it" and "-in"

10. Amuma weccit

    I don't have change

    Usage

    Said by staff. When change is short you may be handed sweets or matches to make up the difference, or told to collect it next time. This is entirely normal in Senegal and not an attempt to short-change you

    Grammar Note

    Negation inserts "-u-" into the verb: am naa (I have) → amuma (I don't have); the third-person form is "amul"

11. Man naa fay ak Wave?

    Can I pay with Wave?

    Usage

    Wave is the mobile-money service that swept Senegal thanks to its low fees, and butiks accept it widely — look for the blue Wave sign, alongside its rival Orange Money. Visitors can open an account with a local number and ID

    Grammar Note

    "Man naa + verb" expresses ability. "Man" is the verb "to be able", with "naa" carrying the subject and aspect

12. Am nga kredi Orange?

    Do you sell Orange airtime?

    Usage

    Senegalese mobile service is mostly prepaid and butiks and street vendors are the main top-up outlets. The carriers are Orange (the largest), Free and Expresso — you name an amount, buy the credit and dial in the code

    Grammar Note

    Wolof borrows technical and administrative vocabulary from French, respelling it to Wolof orthography: crédit → kredi

13. Man naa fay ak kaart bi?

    Can I pay by card?

    Usage

    Butiks take cash or mobile money only; cards work at Dakar supermarkets, hotels and service stations. Outside the city, CFA cash is essential

    Grammar Note

    Loanwords are assigned a Wolof noun class and take the matching article — "kaart" (French "carte") falls into class b, hence "kaart bi"

14. Fan la ATM bi nekk?

    Where is the ATM?

    Usage

    ATMs sit at bank branches and service stations in Dakar and the larger towns; in everyday speech people say the French "distributeur". Rural machines often run dry, so withdraw before leaving the city

    Grammar Note

    "Fan la … nekk?" is the fixed frame for asking location, with the question word "fan" first and the verb "nekk" last

15. May ma reçu bi

    The receipt, please

    Usage

    Butiks issue no receipt as a rule — if you need one, shop at a supermarket or hotel. For anything you must claim as an expense, choose a larger store from the start

    Grammar Note

    French words are sometimes kept in their original spelling and sometimes respelled Wolof-style, as with "kredi" — usage genuinely varies by writer and context

16. Ana wanag wi?

    Where is the toilet?

    Usage

    Butiks essentially never have a customer toilet. In Senegal the practical options are mosques, service stations and restaurants — asking in French ("les toilettes") also works

    Grammar Note

    "Ana + noun?" asks where something is without a verb. It is shorter than "Fan la … nekk?" and far more common in casual speech

17. Jërëjëf

    Thank you

    Usage

    Say this as you leave; the reply is "Ñoo ko bokk" (you're welcome — literally "we share it"). Senegal is known for "teraanga", its culture of hospitality, in which courtesy underpins every relationship

    Grammar Note

    Wolof "ë" is a schwa, a central vowel between "u" and "e". The letter is characteristic of Wolof orthography, though French-style spellings such as "djeredief" also circulate

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