Language/Wolof/Grammar/Comparatives

Wolof → Grammar → Comparatives

Introduction

Welcome back to another grammar lesson in the Complete 0 to A1 Wolof Course! In this lesson, we will be discussing comparatives in Wolof. This is an important subject to understand as it will allow you to describe differences and similarities between objects in Wolof. Let's get started!

Comparatives

In Wolof, to compare adjectives, we use the words fii and si. The word fii means "more" and si means "less".

To form the comparative in Wolof, you need to use the following structure:

Wolof	Pronunciation	English
Adjective + fii + nga/yi/lu/ne	adjective + fee + nga/yee/loo/neh	more + adjective + than
Adjective + si + nga/yi/lu/ne	adjective + see + nga/yee/loo/neh	less + adjective + than

You will notice that the endings of nga, yi, lu, ne in the comparative construct match the gender and number of the noun being compared.

Here are some examples:

Wolof	Pronunciation	English
Gàmmu fii nga jàngor-jàngor bi íi ci nàkk	gah-moo fee nga jangor-jangor bee ee chee nak	The big mango is more delicious than the small one
Njax fii yi aax lu jëm	nyakh fee yee ahkh loo jem	The yellow one is more sour than the green one
Tudd fii lu wër	tood fee loo weer	The red dress is more expensive than the blue one
Lu topp si yi rëy	loo top see yee ray	The white bird is less common than the black one

Conclusion

Now that you know how to form comparatives in Wolof, you will be able to express differences and similarities between objects. Keep practicing and try to use comparatives in your daily conversations. Thanks for joining me for this lesson, and see you in the next one!

Related Lessons

• Word Order
• Question Formation
• 0 to A1 Course
• Time and Dates
• Questions
• Intensifiers
• Verb Conjugation
• Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Adjective Agreement
• Indirect Object Pronouns

Sources

• The Clause Structure of Wolof: Insights into the Left Periphery ...