English-Malinke Travel Dictionary

Are you frustrated when you can't express yourself well enough in a taxi?
Do you feel that your 'i ni ke" just doesn't go as far as you'd like?
Well here's a list of useful travel phrases especially designed for you, the Guinean bush taxi traveller. This list is helpful in situations that language trainers may, or may not, have covered in Thies and Mamou.
(Our apologies to the Malinke scholar because the phrases are not at all translated into classic Kankan Malinke. But we assure you that once you begin to practice them in real-life taxis, you'll be the hit of any car, from Beyla to Bamako.)

ENGLISH PHRASE
MALINKE TRANSLATION

1. Is that your goat or mine?
Ila baa le neewa, ba nta baa?

2. Your chicken just shit on my foot.
Ila sisen bara bo ke nsen kan.

3. 1 thought tires were supposed to be round.
Mi li la ye pneu ka kan ka minnie minnie.

4. Did you see my foot or are you trying to play footsie?
I ka sen nyina, ba i ya fe ka footsie tolon?

5. Is that noise normal or should I worry?
Magan ye wo kaynin, ba hamina ko-le?

6. Dieu merci.
Allah barika.

8. Let me get this straight, the object is to aim for the ruts or to avoid them?
N ba fy ka nya ye, dah lu le ka ta den karo, ba ka matanna?

9. Do you eat rice here often?
I ye kinnin domunna yan wati be?

10. Don't look down.
I kana i yala jii.

11. This car is a piece of shit.
Monbili ye bo yala le di.

12. Is my mascara running, or do you just like to stare at me?
Nn mascara borila, ba i ya fe ka mafelen le dron?

13. It's Mrs., you're offensive, and stop talking to me.
Fudu muso le ndi, yentoronla, wa idabonna.

14. You are impolite.
Sarantan le i di.

15. I think we can, I think we can.
La y nala an be se, la y nala an be se.

16. There's no place like home, there's no place like home.
Faso 'non te, faso 'non te.

17. So do we walk it or stay with the car?
An ye se taama, ba an ye monbili makono?

18. Is that an expat car coming?
Monbili expat nala?

19. I'mjust curious, how much can you see through this cracked windshield?
Ko hamilila, i ye yini kila di vitrii tininna?

20. Please shut up, it's quiet time.
Ay makun, sabali wati sera.

21. I love what you did by removing the windshield, it really opens up the car.
Inna ko min kela ka vitri bo, wo kaynin, a be mobililla fere.

22. Excuse me, may I borrow your barf bag?
I sabali, n sen ka ila fono boitila?

23. My you're fat, will you buy 2 or 3 places?
Ile bunyale! I di se ka siidiya fila ba saba?

24. Chauffeur, I think we can fit more people in here.
Chauffeur ke, moo siyaman be kun yan.

25. Excuse me, may I borrow your window turner?
I sabali ila vitrii laila fen sen kan ma?

26. Here, give me the tube, I'll suck the gas.
Tiyo di yan, n be se sanze saman.

27. Where can I get a beer around here?
N be biere santa soron minni?

28. When you're done praying, you can find me at the bar.
Ni bana selila, ne ben soron barila.

29. Speak to the hand, because the face don't understand.
Kuma n bolola, ka masoron nya karo te na an yayina.

30. You're drooling on my shoulder.
I daajii ye kelan koro.

31. Would you like to borrow my deoderant?
I ba fe ka deoderant doo singa?

32. THANK GOD I'M IN BEYLA!
ALLAH I NI KE, N BARA SE BEYLA!

Our warmest thanks go out to the members of the Ministry of Transportation and the various syndicats of Guinea for making these phrases possible.

And yes, to the stunned, Amanda Galton did utter phrase number 32 on the 2nd of December, 1997.

.SAFE JOURNEYS-!

Amanda Galton "Dork of the West"

Amy Blasen "President of the Bama-Hater Club de la Foret"