Bambara/Dioula Dictionary
F - f
fa vt. fill; remplir.
vi. become full. N fara. I'm full. Je suis rassasié.
fǎ1 n. father; père. Variant: fàcɛ ‘Jula’.
fǎ2 n. madness, insanity; folie. Syn: fàtɔ̀ya.
fàama n. authority, police officer, civil servant; gendarme, authorité, fonctionnaire.
fàamu vt. understand; comprendre. Variant: fàmu.
fàamùya1 vt. understand; comprendre.
fàamùya2 n. understanding; compréhension.
fàantan n. poor person, weak person; personne faible, personne sans moyens, pauvre.
fàantànya n. poverty, misery; pauvreté, misère.
faatu vi. pass away, die; décéder, mourrir. Variant: fatu.
fàden n. paternal brother, rival; frère ou soeur de même père, mais pas de même mère, rival.
fàga 1 • vt. kill, slaughter; tuer.
2 • vt. turn off.
3 • vi. die; mourrir.
fago Variant: fawo ‘Jula’. See: fagon ‘be worthless’.
fagon vi. be without value; être sans valeur. Variant: fago; fawo.
fajiri n. prayer at dawn, dawn; prière à l'aube, l'aube.
falatɔ n. orphan; orphelin. Syn: yàtiimɛ̌.
falen vi. germinate, grow (as in plants); germer, pousser.
fàlen vt. 1 • exchange; échanger, changer. An bɛnà hakili fàlen kà ɲɛtaa sɔ̀rɔ̀. We're going to exchange ideas to move forward and evolve.
2 • make change (money). I bɛ se kà nǐn fàlen? Can you break this? (i.e., "Can you make change?") Pouvez-vous faire la monnaie de ça ?
fàli n. donkey; âne.
fàma n. long absence; longue absence.
fàma vi. be absent for a long time, not see someone for a long time; être absent pendant longtemps; ne pas voir quelqu'un pendant longtemps. À fàmana an mà Cela fait longtemps que nous ne l'avons pas vu.
fàmu See: fàamu ‘understand’.
fan n. egg; oeuf. Syn: kili.
fǎn n. 1 • side; côté.
2 • zone, région.
fana part. 1 • also, too, as well; aussi. Bamakɔ ka bon! À ka di fana! Bamako is big! It's nice too! Bamako est grand ! C'est sympa aussi !
2 • neither; non plus. I tɛ taa? Ne fana, n tɛ taa. You aren't going? Me neither, I'm not going. Tu ne pars pas ? Moi non plus, je ne pars pas. See: fɛnɛ.
fàna n. liar, fabricator; menteur.
fàna2 n. meal; repas.
fànàya n. lies, defamation; mensonges. Variant: fànìya.
fǎnfɛ̌ ppc. by, close, vicinity of; près de, proche de.
fànga n. 1 • strength, power, force; puissance, force, pouvoir.
2 • authority, reign, rule; autorité, règne. fànga ̀ la... by force...
fàni Usage: Jula See: fìni ‘cloth ; clothing’.
fànìya See: fànàya ‘lies ; defamation’.
fara vt. 1 • rip, tear, separate; déchirer.
vi. 1 • rip, separate; déchirer.
2 • turn, branch off, diverge, fork; tourner, diverger.
3 • ...la; stem from; provenir. Kɛ̀lɛ ̀ bɛ fara ɲɔgɔnfaamubaliya ̀ la. Fighting stems from a lack of mutual understanding.
fara n. separation; sepération.
fara2 n. stone, rock; pierre, roche.
fàra1 vt. ...kǎn; add; ajouter. N b'à fɛ kà dɔ fàrà n ka dɔnniya ̀ kàn. I want to acquire more knowledge. (Lit. "I want to add more to my knowledge.")
fàra2 n. skin; peau. Syn: wòlo.
fàràfin n. black person, African; personne noire, Africain. Lit: black skin
fàràfinna n. Africa; Afrique.
fàràgwɛ See: fàràjɛ.
fàràjɛ n. white person; personne de couleur blanche. Syn: tùbàbu. Variant: fàràgwɛ ‘Jula’.
farajɛla n. "white people land"; pays des blancs, Europe, Amérique.
faranfasi vt. distinguish; elucidate; distinguer, différencier, expliquer clairement.
fàràti n. danger, risk; danger, risque.
fàri n. 1 • body; corps.
2 • health; santé.
fàri ka di feel good physically. N ka kɛ̀nɛ̀! N fàri ̀ fana ka di! I'm healthy! I feel good too!
fàri fòni relax, unwind. Sìgi yàn kà i fàri fònì dɔɔnin! Sit here and relax a bit!
fàri kùmu become or be sore. N fàri ̀ kùmùna. I'm sore.
fàrìgan n. fever; fièvre. Variant: fàrìgwan ‘Jula’.
fàrìkolo n. body, skeleton; corps, squelette. Sim: fàri.
farin vq/adj. 1 • fiery, ardent, strong, spicy; piquant. Tìle ̀ ka farin… The sun(light) is strong... Dumuni ka farin... The food is spicy...
2 • courageous, bold, brave; courageux.
3 • severe, harsh, cruel, violent; sévère, cruel. Adj: farinman; V/N: farinya. Variant: fari.
farinman adj/n. 1 • fiery, spicy; piquant.
2 • courageous; courageux.
3 • severe, violent; violent. See: farin.
farinya vt. 1 • make fiery, make spicy; rendre piquant.
2 • make brave; rendre courageux.
3 • make severe; rendre sevère.
vi. ...la; man up (to something).
farinya n. 1 • fieryness, spicyness.
2 • courageousness, courage; courage.
3 • severity, cruelness; cruaté, sevérité. See: farin.
fàsa vq. leathery, tough, sinewy; dur, coriace, maigre. Adj: fàsàman; V/N: fàsàya. Variant: fàsan; pàsan.
fàsa vt. 1 • make tough; rendre dur. kà tǒ fàsa... knead tô (to make it thick).
2 • make skinny (as in tough and sinewy); rendre maigre.
vi. lose weight, become skinny (as in tough and sinewy); maigrir.
vr. ...la; become or make oneself stubborn; devenir têtu.
fàsa n. tendon, nerve, muscle; tendon, muscle, nerf.
fàsa2 n. hymn of praise; louange. ...fàsa ̀ da sing the praises of...
fàso n. fatherland, homeland, motherland; patrie.
fata vt. slap; gifler.
fàtɔ n. crazy person; personne folle.
fàtɔ̀ya n. madness; folie. Syn: fǎ.
fawo Usage: Jula See: fagon ‘be worthless’.
feere n. flower, blooming; fleur. Variant: feeren.
fèere vt. ...mǎ; sell, sell to; vendre, vendre à.
fèere n. sale, transaction; vente, transaction.
fewu part. at all; du tout. Ant: pewu. Variant: fyewu.
fɛ̌ pp. 1 • location; valeur locative générale.
2 • location, with a value of crossing; locative: valeur de trajet.
3 • 'chez'; 'chez'.
4 • value of time; valeur temporelle.
5 • social; valeur sociative.
6 • leader; indication de l'acteur principal.
7 • passive agent; complément d'agent.
8 • cause; valeur de cause.
9 • love or want; aimer ou vouloir. N b'i fɛ̀. I love you. Je t'aime.
[X] bɛ́ à fɛ̌ kà [Y] auxiliary construction expressing that something is about to happen. Ji ̀ b'à fɛ̌ kà bìn. The water is about to fall over.
[X] fɛ̌ in [X]'s opinion. N fɛ̌, an kàna taa sinìn. I don't think we should go tomorrow.
fɛɛrɛ lack of clothing; manque d'habit.
fɛ̀ɛrɛ [fyɛ̀rɛ] n. strategy, way, method, solution; stratégie, ruse, solution, méthode, moyen. Syn: dàbàli.
fɛɛrɛbɔ vt. dress; habiller.
fɛfɛ [fyɛfyɛ] n. ground pepper (as in salt and pepper); poivre.
fɛgɛn Variant: fiyɛn ‘light-weight, fragile’.
fɛn n. thing; chose, truc. Variant: fen.
fɛnɛ See: fana ‘also’.
fɛngɛ See: fɛnkɛ ‘watchamacallit’.
fɛnkɛ n. "watchamacallit", thing; chose, truc. Variant: fɛngɛ.
fɛsɛfɛsɛ vt. go over with care, investigate, verify; vérifier, investiguer.
fìfa vt. blow, fan, waft; éventailler. Ninst: fìfanan.
fìfanan n. fan; éventail.
fìla [fla] num. two; deux.
filanan adj. second; deuxième.
fìlànin n. twin; jumeau.
fìle n. 1 • flute; flute.
2 • whistle, whistling; sifflet.
fìle fiyɛn engage in the act of whistling.
filen n. calebash (cup or bowl formed out of gourd); calebasse.
filɛ v. 1 • look, watch; regarder.
2 • examine; examiner.
3 • try. Syn: lajɛ. In Jula, filɛ is more common whereas in Bamana, lajɛ is more frequent.
filɛli n. act of looking; regard. Nalonman! I tɛ filɛli ̀ kɛ yanni i ká sira tìgɛ̀? Idiot! Don't you look before you cross the street?
fìli vt. throw, throw out; jeter.
vi. 1 • err; make a mistake, be mistaken; se tromper, avoir tort.
2 • ...la; make a mistake on or with sth.
3 • ...mǎ; mix up, mistake sth./so.
fìli n. error, mistake; erreur.
fǐn vq/adj. 1 • black, dark; noir.
2 • varied superlative values (in the adjectival form). dònsòfin master hunter. fàngàfin tyrannical power. Adj: fìnman; V/N: fìnya.
fǐn vt. blacken, darken; rendre noir.
vi. become black, be black; noircir.
fǐn n. black, darkness, "the black", "the dark" (as in black or dark spots etc); noir, obscurité.
fìnfin n. coal; charbon, charbon de bois.
fini n. a dish known in French as "fonio"; fonio.
fìni n. cloth, fabric, article of clothing; vêtement, tissu, habit, tenu. Variant: fàni ‘Jula’.
kà fìni ̀ bɔ take off clothes.
kà fìni dòn put on clothes; mettre un habit.
finikolon n. rag; torchon.
fìnman See: fǐn.
fìnya See: fǐn.
fìɲɛ n. fault, flaw, error. Variant: fìyɛn.
fìsa vq. better, preferable; mieux, préférable, meilleur, mieux.
...mǎ better for, best for. Ji ̀ ka fìsà n mà I prefer water. / Water is best for me. Adj: fìsàman; V/N: fìsàya.
fìsàya vt. 1 • improve, make better; améliorer.
2 • prefer.
...ye prefer over; préferer. N bɛ nɛnɛ ̀ fìsàyà (ni) fùnteni ̀ ye. I prefer the cold over the heat.
vi. get better, improve.
fìsàmànci
fìsàmàncìya See: fìsa.
fìsàya n. improvement; amélioration. See: fìsa.
fitinin adj. small, little; petit, miniscule. vq: dɔgɔ; suff: -nin. Variant: ncinin.
fìtiri n. 1 • prayer at dusk.
2 • dusk; prière à la couche du soleil.
fiyentɔ n. blind person; personne aveugle.
fiyɛn1 vq. 1 • light, light-weight; léger.
2 • fragile; fragile. Adj: fiyɛnman; V/N: fiyɛnya. Variant: fɛgɛn.
fiyɛn2 n. air, wind; vent, air. Variant: fɔɲɔ ‘Jula’.
fiyɛn3 vi. blow; souffler.
vt. blow on, fan; souffler sur. Variant: fiyɛ.
fìyɛn See: fìɲɛ ‘fault’.
fiyɛnman adj. 1 • light, light-weight; léger.
2 • fragile; fragile.
fiyɛnya n. 1 • lightness, light-weightness; légerté.
2 • fragility; fragilité.
3 • humiliation; humiliation.
fiyɛnya 1 • vt. lighten; rendre léger.
2 • vt. humiliate; humilier.
3 • vi. become light-weight etc; devenir léger.
fo prep/conj. until, til, all the way to, up to; jusqu'à. Sita ye nɛ̀gɛ̀so ̀ bòlì fo Bàmàkɔ. Sita rode a bike all the way to Bamako. Sita a fait du vélo juqu'à Bamako. Adama ma nà fo wula fɛ̀. Adama didnt come until the afternoon. Adama n'est pas venu jusq'à l'après-midi.
fǒ1 vt. 1 • greet, say hello to; saluer. Den ̀ ye cɛ̀kɔ̀rɔ̀ba fo. The child greeted the old man. L'enfant a salué le vieil homme.
2 • thank; remercier. N b'i fò! I thank you! Je te remercie !
3 • express condoleances to; exprimer ses condoléances à.
fǒ2 v. seemingly defective verb that only figures in the consoling expression i fò ('There, there!)
i fò int. used to console someone who is crying, upset or enduring a hardship. I fò! Kàna kàsì! There, there! Don't cry!
fòfo vi/vr. crawl; ramper.
vt. drag.
fogonfògon n. lung; poumon. Variant: fɔgɔfɔ̀gɔ ‘Jula’.
fòli n. 1 • greeting, salutation; salutation.
2 • thank you, thanks, recognition; remerciements, reconaissance.
3 • condolences; condoléances.
fonɛnɛ n. cold season; saison froide.
foni vt. detach, untie, separate, unfold; détacher, déplier. Ant: sìri.
fòro n. field (for farming); champ (agricole).
fòròba n/adj. common good, public good; public. Gram: Typically used as the first element in compound noun. (fòròbà- + N)
foroko n. cover, leather bag, envelope; couverture, enveloppe, sac en cuire.
fòrònto n. 1 • hot pepper, chili pepper; piment, poivron.
2 • hot sauce; piment.
fosi See: foyi ‘nothing’.
foyi nothing; rien. Variant: fosi.
fɔ1 vt. 1 • say; dire.
2 • speak a language; parler une langue.
3 • play an instrument; jouer d'un instrument de musique.
i n'à fɔ like, as if.
k'à fɔ X mà ko... refer to X as...
fɔ2 vi. 1 • miss; rater, manquer. N taara i fɛ, nka an fɔra ɲɔgɔn kɔ! I went to your place, but we missed each other.
2 • succeed, come after; se succéder.
fɔ [m.] kɔ vi.con. 1 • miss [sb.]; rater, manquer, louper. N taara i fɛ, nka an fɔra ɲɔgɔn kɔ! I went to your place, but we missed each other.
2 • suceed [sb.], come after [sb.]; se succéder. I mana fɔ mɔ̀gɔ̀w kɔ, dɔw bɛ fɔ i kɔ. As you succeed people, others will succeed you.
fɔgɔfɔ̀gɔ Usage: Jula See: fogonfògon ‘lung’.
fɔli n. 1 • act of saying; acte de dire.
2 • act of playing a (percussion) instrument; "music"; musique. Cɛ̌w bɛ fɔli ̀ kɛ. Mùsow bɛ dɔ̀nkili ̀ da. An bɛ dɔ̌n ̀ kɛ! The men play music. The women sing. We dance! Morph: fɔ‑li.
fɔlifɛn n. musical instrument; instrument musical. Morph: fɔli‑fɛn.
fɔlikɛla n. musician; musicien. Morph: fɔli‑kɛ‑la.
fɔlɔ 1 • adj. first; premier. Gram: Remains tonally independent as an adjective and does not carry the tonal article. Mɔ̀gɔ ̀ fɔlɔ nànà. The first person came.
2 • adv. before, in the past, formerly; avant, dans le passé. À tùn bɛ tèn fɔlɔ. It was like that in the past. C'était comme cela dans le passé.
3 • adv. first (in positive constructions); en premier, d'abord. N y'à ye fɔlɔ! I saw it first!
4 • adv. yet (in negative constructions); encore. Ù ma nà fɔlɔ. They haven't come yet. Ils ne sont pas encore venus. Syn: ban.
n. the past.
fɔlɔfɔlɔ n. the past; le passé. fɔlɔfɔlɔ ̀ mɔ̀gɔ ̀ people of the past.
adv. before, in the past, formerly.
fɔlɔ vi. start out, begin by, begin with; commencer par.
fɔ̀lɔ̀kɔ n. cloud of dust; nuage de poussière.
fɔnɔ See: fɔɔnɔ ‘vomit’.
fɔɲɔ Usage: Jula See: fiyɛn.
fɔɔnɔ vi. throw up, regurgitate, vomit; vomir, gerber. À fɔɔnɔna. He threw up.
vt. throw up, regurgitate, vomit up; vomir. À ye sògo ̀ fɔɔnɔ. He threw up meat. Variant: fɔnɔ.
fɔrɔ n. penis, dick, cock; sexe masculin, pénis. Syn: wulu.
fu n. zero; zéro.
fufàfu n. 1 • great great grandparent; arrière arrière grand père, arrière arrière grand mère, ou ancètre encore plus éloigné.
2 • great great grandchild; arrière arrière petit fils, arrière arrière petite fille.
fugala See: fugula ‘hat’.
fùgàri n. worthless person, lout; vaurien.
fugula n. 1 • hat, cap, headwear; chapeau, casquette.
2 • condom; présérvatif, capote. Variant: fugala; fugulan.
fula1 [fla] n. Fulani, Fulbe, "Peul"; Peul.
fula2 See: fura ‘medicine’.
fulaburu Usage: Jula See: furabulu ‘leaf’.
fulan See: furan ‘sweep’.
fùnteni n. heat; chaleur. Fùnteni ̀bɛ! It is hot (out)! Il fait chaud! Fùnteni ̀ bɛ n na, i tɛ n fifa wà? I'm hot, why don't you fan me?
funu vi. 1 • swell, rise, puff up, inflate; gonfler.
2 • get mad, get pissed off; s'énerver.
vt. inflate, blow up; gonfler. Variant: funun.
funun See: funu ‘swell, inflate’.
fura n. 1 • medicine, treament, remedy; médicament.
2 • leaf; feuille. Variant: fula ‘Jula’. See: furabulu; furakɛ.
furabulu n. leaf; feuille. Variant: fulaburu ‘Jula’.
furafeerela n. pharmacist, medicine seller, healer; pharmacien, vendeur de médicaments.
furafeereyɔrɔ n. pharmacie; pharmacie.
furakɛ vt. treat, apply medicine to; soigner. Variant: fulakɛ.
furakɛla n. nurse, healer; infirmier, personne qui soigne. Variant: furakɛbaga.
furakisɛ n. medicine in pill form; médicament en comprimé.
furan vt. sweep; balayer. Variant: fulan ‘Jula’.
furu1 n. marriage, wedding; mariage.
furu2 vt. marry, wed; épouser, se marier : en bambara c'est l'homme qui épouse la femme. Gram: Traditionally the transitive construction is only valid for males. N y'à furu. I married her.
vi. marry, wed. Gram: Traditionally the intransitive construction is reserved for females. Dennin ̀ furura. The girl was married off.
...mǎ be married to someone. Mùso ìn furula Madù mà. That woman was married to Madu!
kà furu ̀ sìri complete a wedding.
fùru n. stomach of an animal; estomac des animaux.
fùrùfuru n. pancake, breakfast cake; galette.
furunafolo n. dowry; dot.
fururu adv-exp. jusuq'à; continuellement. Mùn kosɔ̀n i mɛɛnna fururu kà nà? Pourquoi as-tu attendu avant de venir? À tagamara fururu Il a marché jusqu'à (= longtemps).
furusa n. divorce; divorce.
furusiri n. wedding ceremony; cérémonie de mariage.
furutaama n. matrimonial preparations; démarches de mariage.
fyewu See: fewu.