Bambara is the variety of Manding spoken in Mali. You greet by time of day with “I ni…”, and, as in Mooré, men and women do not answer with the same word.
1
Greeting by time of day
“I ni” + the time of day.
I ni sɔgɔmagood morning
I ni tilegood afternoon (from noon to about 2 pm)
I ni wulagood afternoon
I ni sugood evening
2
Answering: man or woman
A man answers “Nba”, a woman “Nse”.
Nbareply to a greeting (men only)
Nsereply to a greeting (women only)
Good to know. According to the Bamadaba dictionary, “abarika” (thank you) is also used at the market to ask for a lower price. Bambara has two tones that distinguish words: they are not written in the official spelling, which is why listening to speakers matters.
3
Asking how people are
Then you ask whether the night was peaceful, whether all is well, how the family is.
Hɛrɛ sira?was the night peaceful?
↳ Hɛrɛ dɔrɔnpeace only (reply)
I ka kɛnɛ?are you fine?
↳ Tɔɔrɔ tɛI’m fine (lit. no trouble)
I bɛ di?how are you?
Somɔgɔw bɛ di?how is your family?
4
Welcoming and saying goodbye
You welcome with “bisimila” and part with “K’an bɛn”.
I bisimila!welcome! (singular)
↳ Saha!thanks! (reply to “bisimila”)
K’an bɛn!see you!
K’an bɛn sininsee you tomorrow
Ka su hɛrɛ cayahave a good night
5
Small words you will use all the time
Thank you, sorry, yes, no.
abarikathank you
hakɛtosorry; please
ɔwɔyes
ayino
In practice: Seydou greets Fanta in the morning
SeydouI ni sɔgɔmagood morning
FantaNsereply to a greeting (women only)
SeydouHɛrɛ sira?was the night peaceful?
FantaHɛrɛ dɔrɔnpeace only (reply)
SeydouK’an bɛn sininsee you tomorrow
FantaK’an bɛn!see you!
Key points
- I ni sɔgɔma: good morning
- Hɛrɛ sira? → Hɛrɛ dɔrɔn: was the night peaceful? / peace only (reply)
- abarika: thank you
- K’an bɛn!: see you!
Test yourself
1. How do you say “good morning”?
2. A woman answers a greeting with…
3. What does “abarika” mean?
4. “Hɛrɛ sira?” — the usual answer is…
Where do these words come from?
The phrases in this lesson come from the Peace Corps Mali Bambara courses (An Introduction to Bambara and the 2009 manual) and the Bamadaba dictionary (Corpus Bambara de Référence), in the official Malian spelling (ɛ, ɔ, ɲ, ŋ). Do you speak this language and spot a mistake? Write to us.
The phrases in this lesson come from the Peace Corps Mali Bambara courses (An Introduction to Bambara and the 2009 manual) and the Bamadaba dictionary (Corpus Bambara de Référence), in the official Malian spelling (ɛ, ɔ, ɲ, ŋ). Do you speak this language and spot a mistake? Write to us.