The languages of West Africa

Learn the languages of West Africa, properly

Fon, Yoruba, Wolof, Hausa, Mooré, Bambara, Fula, Akan and more: free lessons, vocabulary checked against reference sources, quizzes. In English and French.

Choose a languageStart with greetings
71articles and lessons
1,717checked words and phrases
13languages
2interface languages: EN and FR
Where to start

Pick a topic, then a language

Each topic exists in several languages: compare them, or follow the one you care about.

Greetings

How to say hello, ask how people are and say goodbye.

AkanFulaHausaMandingMooréWolofYoruba

Numbers

Numbers from 1 to 1,000, and the logic behind them.

AjaAkanBaribaDendiFulaHausaMandingMooréWolofYoruba

Days

Days of the week, today, tomorrow, yesterday.

FulaHausaMandingMooréYoruba

Family

Father, mother, brothers, sisters, children.

AjaFulaMandingMooréWolofYoruba

Food and market

Food, drinks and market words.

AjaAkanFulaHausaMandingMooréWolofYoruba

Names and meanings

What names mean, and day-of-birth names.

AkanFulaMooré

Useful phrases

Introduce yourself, ask the way or a price.

AjaAkanFulaHausaMandingMooréWolofYoruba

Body parts

From head to toe.

AjaMandingMooréWolofYoruba

Animals

Domestic and wild animals.

AjaMandingMooréWolofYoruba

Verbs

Eat, drink, go, come, buy…

AjaMandingMooréWolofYoruba

Colours

Colour words.

MandingMooréWolofYoruba

Months and seasons

The calendar and the seasons.

HausaMandingMooré
The languages

13 languages, from Benin to Senegal

New articles are added every week. Languages marked “soon” are being prepared.

FonBeninvideo courseGunBenin, NigeriasoonAjaBenin, Togo7 articlesYorubaNigeria, Benin, Togokáàárọ̀good morning11 articlesBaribaBenin, Nigeria1 articleDendiBenin, Niger1 articleDitammariBenin, TogosoonHausaNigeria, Niger, Ghanasannuhello, hi7 articlesFulaSenegal to CameroonAssalaa maaleykumpeace be upon you7 articlesWolofSenegal, GambiaAsalaa maalekumpeace be upon you (greeting)9 articlesAkanGhana, Côte d’IvoireMema wo akyegood morning5 articlesMooréBurkina Fasone y beoogogood morning12 articlesMandingMali, Guinea, Côte d’IvoireI ni sɔgɔmagood morning11 articles
New

Latest articles

Lessons, vocabulary and quizzes, each with its sources.

Hausa

Hausa names and their meanings

Yoruba

Yoruba names and their meanings

Aja (Ajagbe)

Body parts in Aja: head, hand, foot…

Aja (Ajagbe)

Animals in Aja: common animal names

Aja (Ajagbe)

Essential verbs in Aja: eat, drink, go…

Aja (Ajagbe)

Useful Aja phrases for travellers

Fula (Fulfulde)

Useful Fula (Pulaar) phrases for travellers

Fula (Fulfulde)

Fula (Pulaar) names and their meanings

Coming soon

The Toobi app is coming

All of Toobi’s languages in your pocket: lessons, reviews and quizzes, even offline. The articles on this site are its first building block.

Explore the languages
The full Fon course

79 video lessons with a native speaker

Fon is Toobi’s first language, carried over from Parlons Fongbe. Its video course takes you from your first greeting to real conversation (taught in French).

See the course