Language/Wolof/Grammar/Questions

Wolof Grammar - How to Ask Questions

Hi Wolof learners! 😊
In today's lesson, we will be learning how to ask questions in Wolof. Asking questions is an important part of any language, and it's essential to understand the basics of how to do it in Wolof. We'll cover the different types of questions, as well as the grammar rules that apply when asking questions. By the end of this lesson, you should have a good understanding of how to ask questions in Wolof.

Types of Questions

In Wolof, there are two main types of questions: yes/no questions and wh-questions.

Yes/No Questions

Yes/no questions are questions that can be answered with either "yes" or "no". They are used to ask for confirmation or to check if something is true. For example:

• Ndax nga xamul? - Are you hungry?
• Waaw, dafa am? - Yes, why?

In Wolof, yes/no questions are formed by adding the particle ma at the end of the sentence. For example:

• Ndax nga xamul ma? - Are you hungry?

Wh-Questions

Wh-questions are questions that begin with a question word such as "who", "what", "when", "where", "why", or "how". They are used to ask for more information about something. For example:

• Xel nga bokk? - Who are you?
• Naka nga bokk? - What are you?
• Naka nga def? - When did you come?
• Naka nga tudd? - Where did you go?
• Naka nga jox? - Why did you leave?
• Naka nga sotti? - How did you do it?

In Wolof, wh-questions are formed by adding the particle naka at the beginning of the sentence. For example:

• Naka xel nga bokk? - Who are you?

Grammar Rules

When asking questions in Wolof, there are some grammar rules that you need to follow.

• The verb always comes at the end of the sentence.
• The subject always comes before the verb.
• The particle ma or naka is added at the end of the sentence.

For example:

• Ndax nga xamul ma? - Are you hungry?
• Naka xel nga bokk? - Who are you?

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If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Related Lessons

• Am (to have) in the present tense
• Pronouns and How to ask questions
• Enonciative pronouns
• Conjugation
• Notable characteristics
• Conditional Mood
• Negation
• The possessive expressed by “U”
• Nouns
• Future Tense