Learn Wolof (Senegalese)

Learn Wolof online with practical, real-life situations! Simple, fast and easy learning. Speak Senegalese language with confidence. Start now with uTalk!


About Wolof (Senegalese)

The Wolof people make up only about 40% of the Senegalese population, but at least 80% of the country speaks Wolof as either a first or second language. Technically, the official language is French, but Wolof is commonly used as a lingua franca in a country of 36 languages. Wolof is also spoken in The Gambia, where it borrows heavily from English - in contrast, Senegalese Wolof is influenced more by French. uTalk teaches Senegalese Wolof.

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Planet Earth
Where is it spoken?

Senegal

People Talking
Number of speakers

5,000,000

Family Tree
Language family

Niger-Congo

Atlantic–Congo

Senegambian

Fun facts — Wolof

  • Watch out for the numbering system, which is based on 5s and 10s, so 16 is 'ten and five-one', and 17 is 'ten and five-two'.
  • 'One hand cannot clap' - benn loxo du tàcu - is a Wolof proverb meaning that people who share a common interest need to work together to achieve a common goal.
  • The word 'banana' comes from Wolof.

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