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Arabic Wolof Verb Conjugations
Complete conjugation tables for the 20 most essential Wolof verbs. Wolof is the most widely spoken language in Senegal and is also spoken in The Gambia and Mauritania. Wolof features a unique focus conjugation system — the verb paradigm changes depending on which part of the sentence is being emphasized. Each verb includes all five major paradigms with full person forms.
How Wolof Verb Conjugation Works
Wolof's verb system is built around a focus system that is unique among world languages. Instead of simply marking tense, the conjugation paradigm you choose determines what part of the sentence is highlighted. The verb stem itself stays constant — what changes are the subject markers that wrap around or attach to the verb.
Key features of Wolof verbs:
- Focus-based conjugation — five main paradigms (perfect, presentative, emphatic, negative, future) each emphasize different sentence elements
- Invariant verb stem — the verb root never changes; only the surrounding markers change
- Subject markers instead of pronouns — naa, nga, na, nañu, ngeen encode the subject
- Rich verbal derivation — suffixes create causative (-al/-le), reciprocal (-ante), and other forms
- Noun class system — affects articles and demonstratives but not verb conjugation
The Five Paradigms
Perfect (Completed)
Verb + subject marker
Neutral completed action
Dem naa. → I went.
Presentative (Progressive)
Subject marker + ngi + verb
Current state or ongoing action
Maa ngi dem. → I am going.
Emphatic (Verb Focus)
Da- + subject marker + verb
Emphasizes the action itself
Dama dem. → I DO go / I went (indeed).
Negative
Du- + subject marker + verb
Negates the action
Duma dem. → I don't/won't go.
Future
Dina- + subject marker + verb
Future action or intention
Dinaa dem. → I will go.
Imperative
Bare verb / verb + -leen
Direct commands
Dem! → Go! / Demleen! → Go! (pl.)
Subject Pronouns & Markers
| Person | Perfect | Presentative | Emphatic | Negative | Future |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| man (I) | naa | maa ngi | dama | duma | dinaa |
| yow (you) | nga | yaa ngi | danga | doo | dinga |
| moom (he/she) | na | mu ngi | dafa | du | dina |
| nun (we) | nañu | nu ngi | dañu | dunu | dinañu |
| yeen (you pl.) | ngeen | yéena ngi | dangeen | dungeen | dingeen |
| ñoom (they) | nañu | ñu ngi | dañu | duñu | dinañu |