Food & Drinks

1. Jox ma ceebu jën, su la neexee

   I'll have ceebu jën (rice and fish)

   Usage

   Used to order Senegal's national dish ceebu jën, recognized as UNESCO Intangible Heritage

   Grammar Note

   "ceebu jën" literally means "rice of fish" in Wolof, Senegal's most iconic dish. To order, use "jox" ("to hand over") in the frame "Jox ma …", and add "su la neexee" ("if it pleases you") for politeness. Note: "jëfandeek" is not a Wolof word; the dictionary form is "jëfandikoo" = "to use".

2. Lan la neex tey?

   What is good today? / What do you recommend?

   Usage

   Used to ask for recommendations at a restaurant or food stall

   Grammar Note

   "neex" in Wolof means "delicious/pleasant/good" and is very versatile in daily speech. Time adverbs such as "tey" ("today") go at the end of the clause (the same pattern as "match bi tey"). Note: "today" is "tey", never "ci kanam", which means "ahead / in a while".

3. Dafa neex lool!

   It is very delicious!

   Usage

   Used to compliment food. Makes cooks and hosts happy.

   Grammar Note

   "dafa" is an emphatic focus marker in Wolof. "lool" is the intensifier meaning "very much".

4. Duma lekk yàpp

   I don't eat meat

   Usage

   Important phrase for communicating dietary restrictions to Senegalese hosts

   Grammar Note

   Wolof negation combines "du-" with the person marker. "duma" = "I don't". Meat is "yàpp" with the à.

5. Bëgg naa fay

   I would like to pay

   Usage

   Used to ask for the bill after eating

   Grammar Note

   "bëgg naa" is the polite way to express wanting something in Wolof. Literally "I want".

6. Am nga maafe?

   Do you have mafe (peanut stew)?

   Usage

   Used to order mafe, a traditional Senegalese peanut stew

   Grammar Note

   Mafe is a flagship Wolof dish: a peanut-based stew with meat and vegetables, served with rice

7. Jox ma àttaya, su la neexee

   Please bring me attaya (green tea)

   Usage

   Used to order attaya, Senegal's traditional three-round mint tea

   Grammar Note

   Attaya is heavily sweetened green tea. The ceremony involves 3 rounds: bitter, less bitter, then very sweet. The spelling is "àttaya" (class ji, from Moroccan Arabic اتاي; variant "attaaya"). Note: "jëfandeek" is not a word and "dëkk" means "to live / town".

8. Duma lekk lu tang

   I cannot eat spicy food

   Usage

   Used by travelers to communicate a spicy food restriction

   Grammar Note

   "Tang" is the Wolof verb "to be hot / spicy" (also written "tàng"). "Something that is …" takes the l-class relative "lu", giving "lu tang".

9. Ceebu jën bi ñaata la?

   How much is the ceebu jën?

   Usage

   Used to ask the price of ceebu jën at a restaurant or canteen

   Grammar Note

   "ceebu jën" is the Wolof spelling; tourist menus often show the French-script spelling "thiéboudieune", but the Wolof spelling is used here for speech. Prices are asked with "noun + ñaata la?" ("ñaata la ?" = "ça fait combien ?"; compare "Tiket bi ñaata la?" and "Frais yi ñaata la?"). Note: "fukk" is the number ten, not "how much".

10. Dafa xorom lool — dama mar

    It is very salty — I need some water

    Usage

    Used when food is too salty to request water alongside your meal

    Grammar Note

    Salt is "xorom" (also the verb "Saler") and "to be thirsty" is "mar". "Lool" is the intensifier "very much", and "Dama …" is the first-person predicate focus (the same frame as "Dama tawat" and "Dama réer"). Note: "sopp" means "to love / to like" ("Sopp naa la" = "I love you") and "dëkk" means "to live / town" ("Fan ngay dëkk?") — neither has anything to do with taste or thirst.

11. Ceeb

    Rice

    Usage

    The centre of every Senegalese meal; the first half of the national dish ceebu jën

12. Mburu

    Bread

    Usage

    A breakfast staple, usually a French-style baguette

    Grammar Note

    The initial mb is a single prenasalised consonant, not m followed by b

13. Yàpp

    Meat

    Usage

    Meat in general; use "yàppu nag" and similar cards to specify which animal

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