3. Yaram gi – The body: How to talk in Wolof about your health

Welcome to the third Wolof Class: Yaram gi – The body. Yesterday, I taught you how to easily talk about family in Wolof. Today, we are going to continue the Wolof class and talk about our body or suñu yaram gi. Sunday April 4th, we celebrated the independence of Senegal, but the celebrations are NOT over (yet). While living in Senegal I went to the pharmacy or doctor a couple of times for my foot or tank. Not only that, but people always ask you about your health actually. Before we get into the subject: don’t forget to join the SeneGambia Vibes Club on ClubHouse where we do a Wolof class each Saturday! Until Saturday, I will be posting a Wolof class on YouTube. The video will contain a dialogue about the subject of that class and then we will dissect it. I will also share additional information on my Instagram and a downloadable syllabus in each blog for the class! – Let’s get into the second class: Yaram gi – The body.

Health in Senegal

Normally when people greet each other, it is also normal to ask about your health. Especially when it pertains older people. For example, if I would talk with my grandmother, I would ask: Naka sa yaram? How is your body, health. Knowing that my grandmother has some aches and pains at her age. However, if I would talk to my best friend Youma, I would not necessarily ask her. What is known in Senegal is that we struggle with health. You will hear a lot of middle-aged and older people complain that they have high tension, cardiovascular disease or diabetes. However, there are a lot of campaigns in Senegal to motivate people to be more healthy. There are gyms, groups of people that go running together and campaigns that promote healthier food (less sugar and salt for example). Which is important! Also, I love seeing very big groups of women and men running along la corniche ouest for example.

Yaram gi – The body

Now let’s get into yaram gi. When someone who knows you have an ache asks: Naka sa yaram, mbaa mu ngiy tane? They want to know how your body is and if you feel better. You can say: mu ngiy tane to express that it is indeed better. However, you can also just emphasize that the ache is still there. Sama ___ mu ngiy metti translates to My ___ is hurting. Of course, you can fill in any body part on the dots, try and practice with the words from the syllabus! Additionally, you can add ba tey to express that it is still hurting. I think talking about your body in Wolof is quite funny, the name for hand, loxo and foot tank can also be used for arm or leg. For today’s class I have found the PERFECT song: Tank by Daara J Family. The song mentions different bodyparts, can you hear them all? Definitely let me know which ones you already knew and which you didn’t!

If you want to learn more about Yaram gi – The body, definitely watch today’s video class below. If you have any questions, definitely reach out to me on Instagram and I will answer your questions :).

Don’t forget to download the syllabus for Yaram gi – The body for even more insights! I specifically created it for this class. The idea was to only share a one-page stencil or worksheet. However, I was so consumed by creating this syllabus and this is the result! If you find it hard to listen to Wolof, definitely read the dialogue between me and Nafissa while watching my video. Enjoy and Ba suba, In Sha Allah.

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