Language/Wolof/Grammar/Question-Formation

Wolof Grammar → Verbs → Question Formation

As a Wolof language teacher with 20 years of experience, I'm excited to introduce you to the world of Wolof question formation! Knowing how to form questions is essential for effective communication in any language, and Wolof is no exception. In this lesson, you will learn how to form questions in Wolof and when to use question words.

Basic Question Formation

To form a basic question in Wolof, simply reverse the word order of a declarative sentence. For example:

• Declarative: "Yápp ci jëm." (You eat rice.)
• Question: "Jëm ci yápp?" (Do you eat rice?)

As you can see, in the question formation, the subject and the verb are inverted.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Wolof has no specific word for 'do' in its questions. Therefore, the verb goes first in the sentence.

Let's take another example:

• Declarative: "Sunu boppam bi du dém." (Our brother goes to the market.)
• Question: "Dëmm ci sunu boppam bi?" (Does our brother go to the market?)

Note that for this specific question, we need to ask if 'our brother' goes to the market. Therefore, the subject 'sunu boppam bi' is inverted with the verb 'dém'.

Question Words

Question words are used to ask for specific information in a question. Here are some common question words in Wolof:

• "Ana" - who
• "Buum" - where
• "Jàngal" - when
• "Wàññi" - why
• "Lii" - what

Let's take some examples:

• "Ana jàng ci Sheik?" (Who is at Sheik's house?)
• "Buum mu yombu?" (Where are you going?)
• "Jàngal gi ñuul?" (When did you come?)
• "Wàññi ngeen bëgg na?" (Why are you crying?)
• "Lii yëgul?" (What do you want?)

As you ask more questions, you will need to use a variety of question words to get sufficient information for your conversation.

Questioning in the Negative

Forming negative questions in Wolof requires you to switch the verb particle "ma" from after the verb to before the subject. For example:

• Declarative: "Moom bëggee jëkk." (He likes to eat fish.)
• Negative Declarative: "Moomuma fëkk jëkk." (He does not like to eat fish.)
• Negative Question: "Ma fëkk ci moom jëkk?" (Doesn't he like to eat fish?)

Note that while the structure of the negative question remains the same as for regular questions, you use "ma" in this case to reverse the negative action of "fëkk".

Conclusion

You've now learned how to form questions in Wolof and the importance of question words. As you progress in your studies, keep practicing by asking questions and working with more complex sentence structures. In the next lesson, we'll tackle the past tense and how to talk about past events. Stay tuned!

Table of Contents - Wolof Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Introduction to Wolof

• Alphabet and Pronunciation
• Basic Sentence Structure

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Greetings and Introductions

• Common Greetings
• Introducing Yourself

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Wolof Cultural Norms

• Politeness and Respect
• Greetings and Social Etiquette

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Nouns and Pronouns

• Noun Classes
• Pronouns

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Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Relationship Terms

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Family and Social Structure

• Family Roles
• Social Hierarchy

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Verbs and Tenses

• Regular Verbs
• Irregular Verbs
• Tenses

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Food and Dining

• Common Foods
• Eating and Drinking

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Wolof Cuisine and Dining Etiquette

• Traditional Dishes
• Dining Etiquette

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Adjectives and Adverbs

• Describing People and Things
• Describing Actions

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Travel and Transportation

• Modes of Transportation
• Travel Vocabulary

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Travel and Tourism in Wolof-Speaking Countries

• Popular Destinations
• Travel Tips

Related Lessons

• Comparatives
• Singular and Plural
• Alphabet and Pronunciation
• 0 to A1 Course
• Regular Verbs
• Questions
• Verb Conjugation
• Pronouns
• Simple negation