Health & Hospital

1. Dama tawat

   My body feels bad / I am sick

   Usage

   The basic phrase for expressing that you feel sick or unwell

   Grammar Note

   "tawat" is the intransitive verb "to be sick / to feel sick" (synonyms: "feebar", "opp"). Body is "yaram" and "suma" is "my" ("Suma yaram" = "my body"). "seet" means "to look for" and cannot express feeling unwell

2. Bëgg naa dem ci doktor bi

   I want to go to the doctor

   Usage

   Used when you need to see a doctor or get medical help

   Grammar Note

   "Doktor" is borrowed from French. "Ci" serves as a preposition indicating direction/destination. "Kër bu doktor" (the doctor's house/clinic) is also used

3. Sama bopp dafa dee

   My head hurts

   Usage

   Used to express that you have a headache

   Grammar Note

   "Dee" literally means "to die" but "dafa dee" is an idiomatic expression for intense pain. Body parts: "bopp" (head), "biir" (stomach), "bët" (eye)

4. Fan la kër gu doktor nekk?

   Where is the clinic?

   Usage

   Used to ask for the location of the nearest clinic or medical facility

   Grammar Note

   "Kër" means house or facility in Wolof, so "kër gu doktor" literally means "doctor's house" = clinic. The French word "clinique" is also widely understood in Senegal

5. Bëgg naa garab

   I need medicine

   Usage

   Used when you need medication or medicine

   Grammar Note

   "Garab" originally meant tree or plant, evolving to mean medicine (plant-based remedies). In modern usage it covers all types of medicine

6. Dama sibbiru

   I have a fever

   Usage

   Used to report a fever, particularly important in malaria-endemic areas of Senegal

   Grammar Note

   "sibbiru" is both the noun "fever / flu / malaria" and the intransitive verb "to have a fever". Malaria is a major cause of fever in Senegal and the same word covers it, so it is understood at clinics. "seet" means "to look for", and "fiir" is not a Wolof word

7. Sama biir dafa dee

   My stomach hurts

   Usage

   Used to express stomach pain or abdominal discomfort

   Grammar Note

   "Biir" means belly/interior in Wolof. This phrase covers stomach complaints common among travelers. In Senegal, always drink bottled water to avoid digestive issues

8. Dama jomlu

   I have an allergy

   Usage

   Used to inform medical staff or restaurant workers about a food or medication allergy

   Grammar Note

   Wolof does have a verb for this: "jomlu" ("to be allergic to"; example "Dama jomlu mééw." = "I'm allergic to milk"). Name the allergen after the verb to be specific ("Dama jomlu gerte." = "I'm allergic to peanuts"). "xamul" means "does not know" and never "is allergic"

9. Wooleen ambulance bi!

   Call an ambulance

   Usage

   Used in an emergency to request that someone call an ambulance

   Grammar Note

   The verb is "woo" ("to call"), for example ("di woo nit ñi" = "calling the people"; "Sëriñ bi da daan woo ay taalibeem" = "the sheikh used to call his disciples"). The polite plural imperative adds -leen to the stem — the same shape as "Wooleen polis yi!". No native Wolof word for "ambulance" is known, so the French "ambulance" is used as-is; it is widely understood in Senegal. In emergencies you can also say "Siti naa" (it is urgent) or "Dafa am bon" (it is serious). Senegal's ambulance number is 1515 (SAMU National). Note: "dëkk bi" means "the town", not a vehicle, and "Bijji naa" is not confirmed.

10. Jërejëf, maa ngi wér ndank ndank

    Thank you, I am feeling better

    Usage

    Used after receiving care to express gratitude and indicate you are feeling better

    Grammar Note

    "To recover / to be in good health" is "wér", as in "bu yaakaaree ne dana wér" ("if he expects to recover"), "Ñi ko ame ba wér" ("those who caught it and recovered"). The compound "wér-gu-yaram" is "health" (it names Senegal's health ministry). "Little by little" is "ndank ndank" (adverb "ndank" = "Doucement"; "ay mandargam danuy law ndank ndank" = "its symptoms spread little by little"), the same word as in the proverb "Ndank ndank mooy japp golo ci ñaay". "Maa ngi" is the first-person presentative. Note: "yees" does not mean "to recover" but "new" — all its uses are about novelty: "jokkoo yu yees yi" ("new means of communication"), "Xeltu gu yees gi" ("the new philosophy"), "àdduna gu yees gi" ("the new world"), paired with "àdduna gu yàgg ga" ("the old world"). Note also that "ak yàgg" does not mean "gradually": the adverb is "bu yàgg" = "Depuis longtemps" ("since long ago") and the verb "yagg" is "Durer" ("to last"), whose proper use is "Yagg" = "old"

11. Ëmb naa

    I am pregnant

    Usage

    Decides what medicine, X-rays, or anaesthetic are allowed — show it first

    Grammar Note

    "Ëmb" = to be pregnant; "naa" is the first-person perfect marker

12. Tansiyoŋ

    High blood pressure

    Usage

    In Senegal this borrowing from French "tension" is itself the word for hypertension

    Grammar Note

    The final letter is ŋ (U+014B), not ñ — they are distinct letters in Wolof

13. Diabet

    Diabetes

    Usage

    Lead with this before explaining diet limits; borrowed from French "diabète" and understood at clinics

14. Feebaru xol

    Heart disease

    Usage

    The condition to declare first in an emergency

    Grammar Note

    "Feebar" = illness, "-u" = the genitive linker, "xol" = heart — literally "illness of the heart"

15. Metit

    Pain

    Usage

    Show it next to a body-part card to convey both what hurts and how

16. Sëqët

    Cough

    Usage

    To report the symptom or to buy cough medicine

17. Deret

    Blood

    Usage

    Show it while pointing at where you are bleeding; also for blood type or transfusion

18. Tàngoor

    Fever

    Usage

    "Tàngoor" also means heat in general, so touch your forehead as you show it; clinics also understand the French "fièvre"

19. Assurance

    Insurance

    Usage

    Show it at reception while handing over your policy papers

    Grammar Note

    Wolof has no native term; Senegalese clinics and offices use the French word as is

20. Wooleen doktoor bi!

    Please call a doctor

    Usage

    Ask someone present to call a doctor when you cannot do it yourself

    Grammar Note

    The "Wooleen + whom to call" frame of "Wooleen ambulance bi!" and "Wooleen polis yi!", with the called party swapped for "doktoor".

21. Fii dafa dee

    It hurts here

    Usage

    Point at the spot that hurts as you show this; it works without knowing the name of the body part

    Grammar Note

    Keeps the predicate of "Sama bopp dafa dee" and "Sama biir dafa dee" and puts "Fii" in place of the body part. "fii" means "this place", as in "Fii fan la?" (where is this place?).

22. Sama yaram dafa sonn

    My body feels sluggish

    Usage

    Describe heaviness and lack of strength, as distinct from fever or pain

    Grammar Note

    "Sama + noun + dafa + predicate" combines "Sama néeg bi am na jafe-jafe" with "Géej bi dafa gaaw". "Sonn" is the word of "Sonn naa" and means "Fatigué / Être fatigué", as in "dama sonn : je suis fatigué". "yaram" means body.

23. Ndax soxlo naa noppalu?

    Do I need to rest?

    Usage

    Ask the doctor after an examination whether you should stay still or may move about

    Grammar Note

    "Soxlo naa ..." is the frame of "Soxlo naa doktoor ci lu gaaw" and "Soxlo naa néeg", with the needed thing replaced by the stem "noppalu" of "Noppaluleen juróomi simili" and turned into a question by the question mark.

24. Biir buy daw

    Diarrhea

    Usage

    The name of the symptom. Wolof has no single word for it and says "a belly that runs". Use it with a doctor or pharmacist

    Grammar Note

    "biir buy daw" means "la diarrhée". It is also written "Biir bu daw" (the bu / buy spelling varies). "Buy" is the relative "bu" plus the imperfective "y"

25. Saw

    Pee

    Usage

    The ordinary word for pee, also used as the verb "to pee". It also works when describing urine or urinary symptoms

    Grammar Note

    The verb "saw" means "uriner" (to urinate), with "gaanuwaay" as a synonym. A urinary tract infection is "eefeksionu saw" (a noun use). It also appears next to "puup"

26. Am naa biir buy daw

    I have diarrhea

    Usage

    Tell a doctor or pharmacist about diarrhea

    Grammar Note

    "Am naa + noun" means "I have ...", the same frame as "Am naa alersi bu nen" (I have an egg allergy), with "biir buy daw" in the noun slot

27. Bëgg naa saw

    I need to pee

    Usage

    A plain way to tell a companion or a child you need to pee. To ask where the toilet is, use "Fan la wanag wi nekk?"

    Grammar Note

    "Bëgg naa + verb or noun" is the same frame as "Bëgg naa dem ci doktor bi" and "Bëgg naa jënd poisson frais". The verb "saw" is "uriner"

28. Bëgg naa puup

    I need to poop

    Usage

    A plain way to tell a companion or a child you need to poop. With people you have just met, "Fan la wanag wi nekk?" is safer

    Grammar Note

    The verbs occur as a pair, "a puup, ak a saw" (to defecate and to urinate), and "xayta (dunu puup)" also occurs. So "puup" is the verb that pairs with "saw". The frame is the same as "Bëgg naa saw"

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