Language/Pulaar/Grammar/Negation

Pulaar Grammar - Negation

Hi Pulaar learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn how to use negation in Pulaar sentences. Negation is an important part of any language, and learning it will help you express negative thoughts and ideas in Pulaar.

Negation in Pulaar

Negation in Pulaar is accomplished by adding the word "alaa" before the verb. The word "alaa" means "not" in English. By adding this word to a sentence, you can make it negative. Here is an example:

• Pulaar: Mbindum gooto alaa (IPA: [mbíndùm göòtò àlàà]) - Literal translation: I go not - English Translation: I do not go.

As you can see, by adding "alaa" before the verb "go", we have created a negative sentence. Let's look at a few more examples.

Examples

Here are some examples of negative sentences in Pulaar:

Pulaar	Pronunciation	English
Mbindum gooto alaa	[mbíndùm göòtò àlàà]	I do not go
Mi mbaawoy alaa	[mì mbàáwòy àlàà]	He/she is not hungry
Mi koy ko alaa	[mì koy kò àlàà]	He/she does not eat fish
Mi nganyi alaa	[mì ngànyì àlàà]	He/she does not know
Mbaaw naata alaa	[mbàáw nááta àlàà]	We are not tired

Now that we have seen how negation works, let's look at some other aspects of negation in Pulaar.

Using "Aka" with Negation

In Pulaar, it is common to use the word "aka" with negation. "Aka" means "also" or "too" in English. By using "aka" with negation, you can create complex sentences. Here is an example:

• Pulaar: Mbindum gooto alaa, mi joy aka (IPA: [mbíndùm göòtò àlàà, mì jòy akà]) - Literal translation: I go not, he/she too - English translation: I do not go, neither does he/she.

In this example, we have used "aka" to link two negative sentences. Let's see another example:

• Pulaar: Mi mbaawoy alaa, mi joy aka (IPA: [mì mbàáwòy àlàà, mì jòy akà]) - Literal translation: He/she is not hungry, he/she too - English translation: He/she is not hungry either.

As you can see, by using "aka" with negation, we can create more complex sentences. Let's look at another aspect of negation in Pulaar.

Using "Nde" with Negation

In Pulaar, it is common to use the word "nde" with negation. "Nde" means "but" in English. By using "nde" with negation, you can create a contrast between two ideas. Here is an example:

• Pulaar: Mi koy ko alaa, nde mi koy ñalaw (IPA: [mì koy kò àlàà, ndè mì koy ñàlàw]) - Literal translation: He/she does not eat fish, but he/she eats meat - English translation: He/she does not eat fish, but he/she eats meat.

In this example, we have used "nde" to contrast two ideas. Let's look at another example:

• Pulaar: Mbindum gooto alaa, nde mi nganyi (IPA: [mbíndùm göòtò àlàà, ndè mì ngànyì]) - Literal translation: I go not, but he/she knows - English translation: I do not go, but he/she knows.

As you can see, by using "nde" with negation, we can create a contrast between two ideas. Let's look at a dialogue so we can see negation in context.

Dialogue

• Person 1: Njeyaa mum sinno? ([ndʒèyàà mum sìnnó] - Have you eaten already?)
• Person 2: Alaa, mi koy ko ([àlàà, mì koy kò] - No, I did not eat fish)

In this dialogue, we can see the use of negation in context. Person 2 has used "alaa" to create a negative sentence.

Conclusion

In this lesson, we have learned how to use negation in Pulaar sentences. We have seen how to use "alaa" to make a sentence negative, how to use "aka" with negation to create complex sentences, and how to use "nde" with negation to create a contrast between two ideas. Remember to practice using negation in Pulaar, and if you have any questions, you can always ask native speakers on Polyglot Club. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Improve your Pulaar Grammar with more practice and by reading relevant articles on wikipedia, such as:

Sources

• Pulaar Language
• Wolof language
• Fula people

Don't forget to come back for more lessons on Pulaar grammar! 😊

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