Use these questions to practice in different ways: read and respond on your own, take notes to prepare for a discussion, or talk through them with a partner or group. Toggle translation if needed.
- Waatiko¹ bɛ cogo di i fɛ bi?
- Tuma jumɛn ka di i ye san kɔnɔ? Fonɛnɛ? Samiya?
- Ni samiya sera, à ka di i ye ka mun kɛ?
- I bɛ sanji fɛ? Munna ɔnhɔn walima ayi?
- Waatiko bɛ cogo di i yɛrɛ ka dugu walima jamana na?
1. Waatiko (Lit. "Time-affair") is a neologism of sorts for saying "weather". It is possibly inspired by the French expression temps ("weather"; Lit. "time"). It appears in some Bambara language texts, but in my experience, it is not commonly used in everyday speech. People will often discuss the idea of the current weather via the word yɔrɔ "place" (e.g., Yɔrɔ ka di bi, Lit. "Place is pleasing today" to say "The weather is nice today". Other times, you can use the word san "sky" to discuss the current weather (e.g., San finna "The sky has blackened" to say "It's grey out (and looks like it might rain)", etc.
Vocab
Some words that you can use to help answer the questions!
- tile
- sun
- san
- sky
- sannɔgɔ
- cloud [Lit. "sky-dirt"]
- sankaba
- cloud [Lit. "sky-stone"]
- sanji
- rain
- fiɲɛ
- wind [Bambara]
- fɔɲɔ
- wind [Jula]
- funteni
-
heat; hotness
- nɛnɛ
- cold
- ka ja
- to dry
- k'à ɲigi
- to wet sth
- funteni hakɛ
- the level of heat [as in, "temperature"]
- nɛnɛ hakɛ
- the level of cold [as in, "temperature"]
- sanpɛrɛn
- lightning [Lit. "sky-explode"]
- nɛzi
- snow [< Fr. neige]
- ka funfun
- to drizzle [Lit. "to sprinkle; to spray"]
- samiyɛ/samiya
-
rainy season; "summer" in US and Europe [roughly June to August in Mali, Burkina and the north of Côte d'Ivoire]
- samiyɛdonda
-
beginning of rainy season
- fo(nɛnɛ)
-
cold season; dry season; "winter" in US and Europe [roughly December to February]
- tuma
- time; moment; season
- zanwuye(kalo)
- January [< Fr]
- feburuye(kalo)
- February [< Fr]
- marisi(kalo)
- March [< Fr]
- awirili(kalo)
- April [< Fr]
- mɛ(kalo)
- May [< Fr]
- zuwɛn(kalo)
- June [< Fr]
- zuluye(kalo)
- July [< Fr]
- uti(kalo)
- August [< Fr]
- sɛtanburu(kalo)
- September [< Fr]
- ɔkutɔburu(kalo)
- October [< Fr]
- nowanburu(kalo)
- November [< Fr]
- desanburu(kalo)
- December [< Fr]
- diya-n-ye
- favorite
- X ka fisa n ma
- X is preferable for me
- k'i nɔn
- to swim
- ka taa dugu la
- to travel
- ka bɔ mɔgɔ ye
- to visit sb
- ka dumuni kɛ kɛnɛ ma
- to eat outside
- ka si kɛnɛ ma
- to sleep outside
- ka sigi tile kɔrɔ
- to sit under the sun
- ka sigi suma na
- to sit in the shade
- ka sogo jeni
- to grill meat
- ka tulon kɛ
- to play
- k'à boli
-
to ride sth; to drive sth
- kɔgɔjida
- the beach
- pariki
- park [< Fr. parc]
- kɛnɛmayɔrɔ
- outdoor place
- sanminɛnan
- umbrella
- parapuluyi
- umbrella [< Fr. parapluie]
- sira
- road
- pɔtɔpɔtɔ
- mud
- sani
- clean
- k'à saniya
- to clean sth; to make sth clean
- mankan
- noise
- kasa
- smell
- k'à tɔɔrɔ
- to annoy sb; to make sb suffer
- ka mɔgɔ lafiya
- to make sb comfortable
- kulu
- mountain; hill
- cɛncɛnkungo
- desert [Lit. "sand-bush"]
- jiri/yiri
- tree
- bin
- grass
- kalan
- hot
- suma
- cool; cold; slow
- ka yɛlɛma-yɛlɛma
-
to vary [as in, "regularly"]; to change up
- ka to ten
-
to stay thus [as in, "the same"]; to stay as is
- kilimatizɛri
-
AC unit [< Fr. climatiseur]
- kilim
- AC [< Fr. clim]
- fifalan
- fan