Emergency

1. Wallu ma! Soxlo naa ndimbal!

   Help me! I need help!

   Usage

   Used loudly in an emergency to call for help

   Grammar Note

   Senegal emergency numbers: police 17, fire (pompiers) 18, ambulance (SAMU National) 1515. "Wallu" means "to come to someone's rescue" and is the verb to shout in an emergency (compare "Wallu ma, su la neexee"). Note that "xaar" means "to wait", not "to help", and would not be understood here.

2. Wooleen polis yi!

   Call the police!

   Usage

   Used to demand someone call the police. Senegal police number: 17.

   Grammar Note

   The verb is "woo" ("to call"); the plural (polite) imperative adds -leen to the stem (example: "Lekkleen ko!" = "Eat it, you guys!"). "yi" is the plural definite article, so "polis yi" is "the police (people)". Do not confuse this with "woy", which means "song".

3. Soxlo naa doktoor ci lu gaaw

   I need a doctor right away

   Usage

   Used in a medical emergency. Senegal's ambulance number is 1515 (SAMU National, nationwide and toll-free)

   Grammar Note

   "Ci lu gaaw" (gaaw = to be fast) means "right away". Beware of "yàgg", which means the opposite — "to take a long time" — and would reverse the sense in an emergency. "Doktoor" is borrowed from French "docteur".

4. Dama réer. Wallu ma, su la neexee.

   I am lost. Please help me.

   Usage

   Used when lost to ask for help from nearby people

   Grammar Note

   "Réer" is the verb "to get lost". Do not use "set", which is a different word meaning "to be clean". "Su la neexee" ("if it pleases you") is the standard "please" added to a request.

5. Sàcc bi! Jàppal ko!

   Thief! Catch him!

   Usage

   Used loudly when robbed or pickpocketed to alert people nearby

   Grammar Note

   "Sàcc" is both the verb "to steal" and a class-b noun meaning "thief". "Jàpp" means "to catch, seize"; its imperative takes the suffix "-al" — "Jàppal ko!" ("Catch him!"), the same pattern as "Dékkal sa loxo!". In Dakar, pickpockets in crowded areas target tourists.

6. Soxlo naa dem hopital bi

   I need to go to the hospital

   Usage

   Used when you need to go to the hospital due to illness or injury

   Grammar Note

   Dakar's main hospitals: Hôpital Principal and Hôpital le Dantec. Ambulance (SAMU National): 1515

7. Jàppal ko! Wallu ma, su la neexee!

   Stop him! Help me please!

   Usage

   Used to call for urgent help in a robbery or dangerous situation

   Grammar Note

   "Jàpp" ("to catch, seize") forms the imperative "Jàppal". The verb for calling for help is "wallu" ("to come to someone's rescue"); "dëkk" means "to live / town" and cannot be used this way. Shouting this in Wolof can draw help from bystanders in Senegal

8. Dañu sàcc sama pasepoor

   My passport has been stolen

   Usage

   Used to report a stolen passport to police or the embassy

   Grammar Note

   "Sàcc" is the verb "to steal" (compare "Dañu ma sàcc"). "Jënd" means "to buy" and cannot express theft. "Dañu" is the third-person plural focus marker, used here to say "it was stolen" without naming the culprit. For a stolen passport, file a police report and contact your embassy. Senegal police: 17

9. Bëgg naa wax ak ambassade bi

   I want to contact the embassy

   Usage

   Used to request contact with your country's embassy in an emergency

   Grammar Note

   "ambassade" is borrowed from French. Most foreign embassies in Senegal are located in Dakar

10. Am naa allergie ci garab bii

    I have an allergy to this medicine

    Usage

    Important phrase to communicate allergies at a hospital or pharmacy

    Grammar Note

    "Garab" is the Wolof word for medicine (it also means "tree"). "Bii" is the proximal determiner ("this") for class-b nouns. Wolof has no native word for allergy, so the French "allergie" is used as-is. Pharmacies in Senegal operate in French

11. Bàyyi ma!

    Leave me alone!

    Usage

    A flat refusal for persistent touts and hawkers — you will need it in Dakar

    Grammar Note

    "Bàyyi" = to leave alone / to stop; "ma" = me

12. Bul ma laal!

    Don't touch me!

    Usage

    Hold the screen up to someone touching you; bystanders can read it too

    Grammar Note

    "Bul" is the negative imperative; "laal" = to touch

13. Dañu ma sàcc

    I was robbed

    Usage

    Show it when reporting a theft at the police or a hotel desk

    Grammar Note

    "Sàcc" = to steal; "dañu" is the third-person plural focus marker (someone did it)

14. Dama réer

    I am lost

    Usage

    Show it alongside a map or your hotel address

15. Safara

    Fire

    Usage

    Point to this to report a fire; it is noun class s ("safara si"). Hellfire is the separate form "sawara wi"

16. Bomb

    Usage

    Point to this to report a suspicious object or an explosive device; a French loan, noun class b (plural "bomb yi")

17. Safara! Dawleen!

    Fire! Run!

    Usage

    Shout this to raise the alarm and tell people to run; it goes further than the plain word "Safara"

    Grammar Note

    Puts the plural imperative of "daw" (to run) after the word "Safara". The ending -leen is the plural imperative suffix seen in "Wooleen ambulance bi!" and "Noppaluleen ..., naanleen ndox".

18. Fan la commissariat bi nekk?

    Where is the police station?

    Usage

    Ask where the police station is. In Senegal the station itself is normally called by the French word "commissariat", used here inside a Wolof sentence frame

    Grammar Note

    "Fan la ... bi nekk?" is the frame of "Fan la toilet bi nekk?" and "Fan la butik hors-taxe bi nekk?", which likewise place a French loanword in the noun slot, as do "fauteuil roulant" and "ambulance bi". "Bi" is the definite article.

19. Ndax am na ku wax japonais?

    Is there anyone who speaks Japanese?

    Usage

    Ask at a hospital or a police station whether anyone there speaks Japanese; the language name is the French "japonais", which is what is used in Senegal

    Grammar Note

    The existential "Ndax am na ...?" is the frame of "Ndax am na ordinateer fi?" and "Ndax am na opportunités ...?", both of which also take a French loanword. The relativiser "ku" is the one in "Benn nit ku mag", and the verb "wax" (to speak) is the verb of "waxal bu leer" and "Waxaatal ko".

20. Dañu ma dóor

    I was beaten

    Usage

    Tell the police or a doctor that you were assaulted; literally "they beat me"

    Grammar Note

    The victim frame of "Dañu ma sàcc" (I was robbed) with the verb "dóor". Wolof does not use a passive here; it puts an unspecified "they" (dañu) in subject position.

21. Dañu sàcc ci sama néeg

    My room was broken into

    Usage

    Tell the hotel or the police that your room was entered and robbed while you were out

    Grammar Note

    Keeps the first half of "Dañu sàcc sama pasepoor" and names the place instead of the object. "Ci sama néeg" is the phrase of "Fan mooy caabi ji ci sama néeg?".

22. Dañu ma nax

    I was deceived

    Usage

    Say that you have been cheated or scammed; literally "they deceived me"

    Grammar Note

    The victim frame of "Dañu ma sàcc" with the verb "nax", which means "Tromper" (to deceive).

23. Dañu sàcc sama xaalis

    My money was stolen

    Usage

    Tell the police that your wallet was stolen; Wolof says it with "money" (xaalis) rather than a word for the wallet itself

    Grammar Note

    Swaps the stolen item in "Dañu sàcc sama pasepoor" for "xaalis", which means "L'argent" (money); the same word appears in phrases such as "ci xaalis bu yomm".

24. Fàtte naa sama bagaas

    I left my luggage behind

    Usage

    Say that you left your luggage behind; point at a map or gesture to show where

    Grammar Note

    "Verb + naa" for a first person perfect is the pattern of "Soxlo naa doktoor" and "am naa sama numéro". "Sama bagaas" is the phrase of "Sama bagaas ñëwagul" and "Bagaas". "fàtte" means French "oublier" / English "forget".

25. Moytul!

    Watch out!

    Usage

    Shout this to warn of immediate danger; point at what to watch out for

    Grammar Note

    Uses the imperative of "Moytul duus yu dëgër yi!" (watch out for the strong waves) on its own, without an object. "moytu" means French "éviter" / English "avoid"; the final -l is the singular imperative suffix of "Jàppal ko!".

26. Ñëwal léegi!

    Please come right away

    Usage

    Ask someone on the phone to come immediately

    Grammar Note

    The final -al is the singular imperative suffix of "Jàppal ko!" and "waxal bu leer"; the stem "ñëw" means to come, arrive. "Léegi" is the word in "Léegi" (now) and "Tàmbali naa jàng léegi".

27. Lii dafa gaaw!

    It's an emergency

    Usage

    Say that you cannot wait your turn and need attention now; literally "this is urgent"

    Grammar Note

    The "dafa + adjective" predicate is the shape of "Géej bi dafa gaaw", with the subject replaced by "Lii" (this) from "Lii mooy sama bagaasu loxo". "Gaaw" also carries the sense of urgency in "ci lu gaaw" (quickly, at once).

28. Yóbbu ma ci hopital bi

    Please take me to a hospital

    Usage

    Ask a taxi driver or a bystander to take you to a hospital

    Grammar Note

    The destination of "Yóbbu ma ci gare bi" (take me to the station) is swapped for "hopital bi". "yóbbu" means "Emmener" (to take along), as in "yóbbu ma marse" (take me to the market).

29. Am na aksidaŋ ci yoon wi

    There has been a traffic accident

    Usage

    Report that a road accident has happened, to the emergency line or to bystanders. In Senegal the fire and ambulance number is 18 and the police 17

    Grammar Note

    The "Am na … ci yoon wi" frame ("Am na taxes ci yoon wii?"), filled with "aksidaŋ", the Wolof borrowing of French "accident". "yoon" (definite "yoon bi") means "road / law / time". "aksidaŋ" is used as a regular noun with the Wolof relative "bu", as in "jafe-jafe jooju mu joge woon na ci aksidaŋ bu mu am ci ndaw", and unmistakably means "accident"

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