Furusiri

Warm-up

  • I furulen don? Ni ɔwɔ, kabi tuma jumɛn? Ni ayi, à ka di i ye ka furu kɛ? Tuma jumɛn?
  • I ka dugu la, ni furu bɛ yen, mun bɛ kɛ?
  • À ka di i ye ka taa furusiri la? Munna ɔwɔ walima ayi?

None for now!

Text

SITUATION: Adama arrives in a family courtyard for wedding celebration. He is greeted by Abi, a younger sister of the groomsman.

-- ABI: Adama, i nana wa?
-- ADAMA: Ɔwɔ! O ye waajibi ye - i kɔrɔkɛ furu don!
-- ABI: I ni ce! Na i sigi n kɛrɛfɛ (1).
-- ADAMA: Ayiwa. Kɔɲɔmuso ni kɔɲɔkɛ, u cɛ ka ɲi (2)!
-- ABI: Ɔnkɛ! U ye fini ɲuman don bi.
-- ADAMA: Furu mana siri, an bɛna mun kɛ?
-- ABI: An bɛna dɔnkili da ani an bɛna dɔn kɛ!
-- ADAMA: Bi kɛra donba ye (3).
-- ABI: Ani fana i kana ɲinɛ dumuni ni minfɛnw kɔ!
-- ADAMA: Bɛɛ dusu bɛ diya bi! Ala k’à kɛ furu ye.
-- ABI: Amiina!

-- ABI: Adama, you've come?
-- ADAMA: Ɔwɔ! That's a requirement - it's your older brother's marriage!
-- ABI: "Thanks!" Come sit next to me (1).
-- ADAMA: Alright. The bridge and groom, they are good-looking (2)!
-- ABI: But of course! They have put on nice clothes today.
-- ADAMA: When the wedding is "tied", what will we do?
-- ABI: We will sing and we will dance!
-- ADAMA: Today is a grand day (3).
-- ABI: And don't forget the food and drinks!
-- ADAMA: Everyone is happy (lit. "everyone's heart gets pleased") today! May God make it marriage.
-- ABI: Amen!

Vocab

waajibi
obligation
kɔɲɔkɛ/muso
groom/bride
Ɔnkɛ!
"But of course!"
ka fini don
to wear/put on clothes
ka furu siri
to "tie" a marriage (as in, 'to complete vows' etc)
ka dɔn kɛ
to dance
ka ɲinɛ fɛn kɔ
to forget about something
X dusu bɛ diya
to rejoice; be happy

None for now!

Notes

  • (1): Reflexive Imperatives: When you use verbs that are reflexive (e.g., k'i ko 'to bath oneself') in imperative sentences (i.e., orders or commands), you need to use the appropriate pronoun before the verb. For instance: I ko! "Bath yourself!".
  • (2): Noun + VQ for qualities/emotions: In Bambara, many qualities or emotions are expressed by comining nouns like body parts with qualitative verbs. For instance, Muso cɛ ka ɲi "The woman is good-looking" (lit. "The woman's appearance is good") or N dusu ka di "I am happy (lit. "My heart is pleasing").
  • (3): "To be/become" [ka kɛ fɛn ye]: Sometimes the idea of "to be" or "to become" is expressed in a phrasal verb expression ka kɛ fɛn ye "to be/become sth". In this expression, the verb ka kɛ (lit. 'to occur') is used to in conjunction with the postposition ye. For instance, À kɛra donba ye! (lit. "It has become a big day", as in, "It is/was a big day!").

None for now!

Comprehension

  • Kɔɲɔkɛ ye jɔn ye?
  • Furusiri kɔfɛ, u bɛna mun kɛ?

Activity

Imagine that you attended the wedding too. Afterwards, you get a call from a close friend who asks about how your trip is going. Tell them about the wedding. What are some things that might have seen unique or special to you in terms of the ceremony, party, food, clothing, etc? Create the scene!

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