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sa   part. particle that marks insistance or impatience when it occurs at the end of a sentence. Attached to noun phrases it signals a high style effect; enfin. Sabali sa! Be patient, will you! Mais allez ! O man ɲì sa! That's not good, man! Ce n'est pas bien (du tout) !

sǎ₁   1 • vi. die, go dead; mourir, s'éteindre.

2 • vt. end, prevent, cancel; terminer, annuler.

sǎ₂   n. snake; serpent.

alamisa   n. Thursday; jeudi. Variant: lamisa.

balansan   n. balanzan tree; balanzan, faidherbier, faidherbia albida.

basa   n. lizard; margouillat.

bàsan   n. "bazin" fabric; basin.

bisàba   num. thirty; trente.

bisan    See: busan ‘whip, switch’.

busan   n. 1 • whip (typically a whip made from a light tree branch); fouet.

2 • light branch, switch; baguette, verge, badine. Variant: bisan.

dìsa   n. scarf, turban, headwrap; écharpe, turban.

dùgùsagwɛ    See: dùgùsɛjɛ ‘following day’.

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...

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.

furusa   n. divorce; divorce.

gansan   [gwansan] adv. 1 • free; gratuitement. I b'à fèere n mà gansan? You'll sell it to me for free?

2 • simply, without reason, uselessly, unprovoked, accidently; par accident. À tɛ kɛ gansan! It doesn't just happen!

adj. 1 • free; gratuit.

2 • valueless, no-good, expected; attendu.

3 • ordinary, common, plain; ordinaire. Mɔ̀gɔ ̀ gansan tɛ -- màsa ̀ dòn! It's not just some person -- it's the king! Variant: gwansan ‘Jula’.

gwansan    See: gansan ‘free, ordinary, simply’.

jasa   n. 1 • enclosement.

2 • livestock corral.

Usage: Ivoirian Jula 3 • bathroom; salle de bain.

kàrisa   n. someone, somebody, such person; quelqu'un, un tel. Variant: kàri.

kasa   n. smell, odor; odeur, senteur, parfum. Syn: suma.

kàsaara   From: Ar. n. 1 • accident, car accident; accident, accident de route.

2 • misfortune, disaster; malheur, désastre. Variant: kàsara.

kasanke   vt. 1 • shroud; envelopper.

2 • bury; enterrer.

kasanke   n. shroud, funeral cloth; linceul, voile d'enterrement.

kàsara   n. accident.

kɔ́sa   adj. recent; récent.

làansara   n. late afternoon prayer, late afternoon; prière de la fin de l'après-midi. Variant: làgansara.

lamisa    See: alamisa ‘Monday’.

lasaa   vt. remark, distinguish, remember; remarquer, distinguer se souvenir de.

mànsa   king; roi. See: màsa.

màsa   n. king; roi. Variant: mànsa.

masala   n. chat; conversation; causerie; récit. Sim: bàro. Usage: Respectful register

mìsàli₁   n. example; exemple.

mìsàli₂   vt. propose, imagine; proposer, imaginer.

mùsàka   n. expense, fee, cost; dépense, frais.

nàmàsa   n. banana; banane. Syn: bàrànda ‘Jula’ ‘Jula’.

nànsara   n. Westerner, white person, French person; personne occidentale, blanche. Syn: tùbàbu.

nimisa₁   n. regret, remorse; regret, remords.

nimisa₂   vi. regret, be remorseful; regretter.

nsaamɛ    See: zaamɛ ‘riz gras’.

nsàban   n. type of vine and its fruit; sorte de liane et son fruit. Saba senegalensis. Variant: zàban; sàban.

nsàna   n. proverb, saying, story, tale, riddle; proverbe, histoire, conte, devinette. Sim: nsiirin ‘tale’ ‘conte’; ntàlen ‘riddle’ ‘devinette’. Usage: This term (and related ones) for a type of "oral literature" has a range of variable meanings that depend on the person and region. Variant: zàna.

nsara    See: nsɛrɛ ‘watermelon’.

pàsan    See: fàsan ‘leathery, tough’.

saafo   n. 1 • fourth Muslim prayer of the day; quatrième prière musulmane de la journée.

2 • late evening (beginning of night, 7-8pm); début de la nuit (19-20h).

saalen   n. capitaine fish; poisson capitaine.

sàanɛ   n. genie; génie féminin qui protège les chasseurs (femme du génie kɔntɔ̀rɔ).

sàba   three; trois.

sababu₁   n. 1 • cause, reason, motive; cause, raison. N cɛ̌ ̀ kɛra sababu ye n ka bamanankan ̀ dege. Because of my husband, I learned Bambara.

2 • providence; good fortune; divine guidance or care; providence, bonne fortune. Ala ka sababu ɲuman di an ma! May God give us good fortune! Que Dieu nous donne la bonne fortune !

3 • opportunity, connection; occasion, circonstance. N bɛ kà sababu ɲini. I am seeking an opportunity. Sababu ̀ man dɔgɔ! No connection is too small! (as in, "Anything can result from a connection!") Diɲɛ ̀ ye sababu ̀ ye. This world is about connections.

4 • estoteric knowledge or secrets that allows one to succeed; savoir esotérique, secrets. N taara sababu ̀ ɲini morikɛ ̀ fɛ̀. I went to get "sababu" from an Islamic holy man.. Je suis allé cherche du "sababou" chez le marabout.

5 • origin (as in, "one's parents"); origine. (parents). (parents).

6 • God (as the power guiding and sustaining human destiny); Dieu. From: Ar. Variant: sabu.

sababu₂   vt. cause, be the cause of; être la cause de. Variant: sabu; saabu.

sabali   From: Ar. vi. be patient, endure, pardon, forgive, calm down, settle down; pardonner, se patienter, se calmer. Usage: Often used as the equivalent of "Come on!" or "Please!" when pleading or cajoling Sabali! Come on! Vas-y ! Variant: sabari ‘pardon, s'excuser’.

sabali   n. patience, forgiveness, pardon, tolerance, calm, gentleness; patience, pardon, douceur.

sabanan   third; troisième.

sàbara    See: sàmara ‘footwear’.

sabari   pardon, be patient; pardonner, se patienter. See: sabali. Usage: Jula

sàbàti   vt. strengthen, reinforce, develop, uphold; renforcer, développer, être constant; mener à bien.

sabu   conj. because, cause; parce que, car.

sàfinɛ    See: sàfunɛ ‘soap’.

sàfunɛ   n. soap; savon. Variant: sàfinɛ.

sàga   n. sheep; mouton.

sàgàjigi   bélier.

sàgàmuso   brebis.

sàgàdennin   agneau.

sàgo   n. wish, desire; souhait, désir. À sàgo' bɛ kà taa. He's planning on leaving. Il a l'intention de partir. Variant: sàko.

sàgo la   as one wishes. N to n sàgo ̀ la! Let me do as I please!

Ala sàgo, i sàgo!   I leave it to God and you! Phrase often used at the end of an argument with someone. The other party typically responds Sàgotigi ̀ ye Ala ye ("It's God who decides").

saheli    See: sahɛli ‘North ; Sahel’.

sahɛli   n. North; nord. Syn: kɛ̀ɲɛ̀ka. Variant: saheli.

sàlàbàgàtɔ   n. lazy person; fainéant, flemmard. Variant: sàlìbàgàtɔ.

salati   n. salad, lettuce; salade.

sàlàya   n. laziness; paresse, fainéantise. Variant: sàlìya.

sàle    See: sɛ̀lɛ ‘grave’.

sàlìya    See: sàlàya ‘laziness’.

salòn   last year; l'année dernière.

salonasini   year before last; l'année avant l'année dernière : il y a deux ans. Variant: salonnasini.

salonnasini    See: salonasini ‘year before last’.

sàma₁   n. elephant; éléphant.

sàma₂   n. present, gift; cadeau. Typically refers to gift that one brings back and gives after a trip.

sàma₃   vt. bring a gift back for, give a present; donner un cadeau à, ramener un cadeau.

...la    I ye an sàma mùn na? What did you bring back for us?

sàma₄   vt. 1 • pull, drag; tirer, traîner.

2 • stretch; s'étirer. Cpart: ɲɔ̀ni ‘push’ ‘pousser’.

sàmara   n. shoe, shoes, sandal, sandals, footwear; chaussures, sandales. Variant: sàbara; sànbara.

sàmìya   n. rainy season, wintering, winter feeding; saison des pluies, hivernage. Variant: sàmìyɛ; sàmìɲa; sàmìnya.

sàmìya   vi. pass through the rainy season; passer l'hivernage.

san   n. 1 • sky; ciel.

2 • rain; pluie.

sankaba   cloud; nuage.

sankolo   cloud; nuage.

sǎn₁   vt. buy; acheter.

sǎn₂   n. year; année. À denmuso ̀ bɛ sàn tan ni duuru His daughter is fifteen years old. Sa fille a quinze ans. Sàn bɛ, sàn bɛ! Happy new year! Bonne année.

sanfɛ̌   ppc. above, on top, on; au-dessus de, sur, en haut de.

sanfin   n. cloud, clouds; nuage, nuages. Variant: sankaba.

sanga   n. 1 • success; succès. Ernɛsto Jeje ye sanga sɔ̀rɔ. Ernesto Djedje was successful. Ernesto Djedje a eu du succès.

2 • fashion; mode. Dɔ̀nkìlìla jùman bɛ sanga ̀ la sisàn? Which singer is in these days? Quel chanteur est à la mode maintenant?

sànga   n. funeral, death, mourning; funéraille, enterrement, mort, deuil.

sàngàfo   vt. offer condolences. Usage: after a funeral

sangawuli   n. 1 • fashion; mode.

2 • uniform; uniforme. Variant: sangawili.

sange   n. mosquito net; moustiquaire. Variant: sànge.

sani₁   vq. clean, sanitary; propre, sanitaire. Adj: saniman; V/N: saniya.

sani₂    See: sanni ‘before’.

saniya₁   n. cleanliness, hygiene; hygiène, propreté.

saniya₂   vt. clean, sanitize, disinfect, purify; nettoyer, purifier, assainir, désinfecter.

sanji   n. 1 • rain; pluie.

2 • year; année.

sànko    See: jànko ‘a fortiori, so that’.

sankolo   n. sky; ciel.

sanni   Variant: sani. See: yanni ‘before ; instead of’.

sànni   n. purchase; achat.

sanpɛrɛn   n. thunder; tonnerre.

sanu   n. gold; or.

sànyɛlɛma   n. New Year's; nouvel an, Saint Sylvestre.

sara₁   n. pile, measure, part; tas, part, unité de mesure.

sara₂   n. tabac. Variant: sira.

sara₃   n. charm; charme. Sara ̀ b'à la. S/he has charm. Il/elle est charmant(e).

sàra₁   n. pay, salary, compensation; paiement, salaire.

sàra₂   vt. pay; payer. Ù ma màlòfèerèlaw sàrà fɔlɔ. They haven't paid the rice sellers yet. Ils n'ont pas encore payé les vendeurs de riz.

sàra₃   vr. inform; informer.

saraka₁   n. alm, offering, sacrifice; offrande donnée en sacrifice. kà saraka ̀ bɔ make a sacrifice (or offer charity after a funeral). faire un sacrifice.

saraka₂   vt. offer in sacrifice; offrir en sacrifice.

sàrìya   n. law, rule; loi, règle. kà sàrìya bàtò respect/follow a law. Variant: sàlìya.

sàya   n. death; mort.

sisàn   now; maintenant.

sisàn-sisàn   right away; tout de suite.

sònsan   n. rabbit, hare; lièvre, lapin. Variant: sònsànnin.

sònsànnin   n. rabbit, hare; lièvre. See: sònsan.

sàle   Usage: Jula See: sɛ̀lɛ ‘grave’.

tasa   n. dish, bowl, plate, basin, pan; cuvette, plat, assiette.

k'à kǒ   do the dishes.

tasàlen   n. kettle, tea pot; bouilloir. Syn: selidaga.

tulomasama   n. 1 • great grandparent; arrière grand père, arrière grand mère.

2 • great grandchild; arrière petit fils, arrière petite fille.

waasa    See: walasa.

walasa   conj. so that, in order to; pour que, afin de. N b'à fɔ walasa à kàna bɔ i kɔnɔ. I'm saying it so that you don't forget. Je le dis pour que tu n'oublies pas. Variant: walisa; waasa; yaasa; yalasa.

walisa    See: walasa ‘in order to ; so that’.

wàsa₁   n. satisfaction; satisfaction.

wàsa₂   vt. satisfy; satisfaire.

vi. suffice; suffire.

yaasa    See: walasa ‘in order to’.

yalasa    See: walasa ‘so that’.