Senegalese Words

There are many French words that I learned in Senegal because I am constantly speaking in and listening to French. There are other French words that I learned in Senegal, simply because I live in Senegal. Below, I have tried to compile a list of those words and some appropriate examples of how I have used or have heard these words used in English.

Goudron/ goudronner= tar or paved.
To get to Chez Alpha books you have take the road that isn’t paved well.

Jeûner= to fast
Are you fasting for Ramadan, why not?

“Coupure de courant”= Power outage
People, fed up with the frequent power outages, threw rocks at the director of the electricity company.

Prier= to pray
Mama is praying upstairs and will be done soon.

Baggage= junk; things; luggage; baggage
How am I going to take all this baggage home with me from the boutique?
There is too much baggage on the roof.

Pirogue= a dugout canoe; boat
To get to Spain clandestinely, migrants take motorized pirogues to the Canary Islands.

Foulard= headscarf
Awa wears a headscarf to preserve her modesty.

Mouton= sheep; mutton
If I eat sheep I get sick in a very unpleasant way.

Chapelet= rosary; worry beads
One mustn’t talk to someone who is doing their chapelet because it interferes.

Groupe électrogène= power generator
We cut power in Mamelles frequently because the people who live there are rich and can afford generators,” someone from the electricity company, Senelec.

Ablution= ablution
Before praying, Muslims must conduct their ablutions as a form of cleansing.

Seau=bucket
If a toilet is clogged, dump a bucket of water down the hole to help it flush.

Embouteillage= traffic
There is so much traffic in Dakar because of the buses, taxis, scooters, and car rapids that it can take several hours to go a few kilometers.

Paludisme= malaria
If there was a better trash collection system, malaria would be less of a plague in Dakar.

Moustiquaire= mosquito net
Sleeping under a mosquito net helps to prevent malaria and it looks like a canopy.

Pagne= (lit. loin cloth) but it most commonly describes a type of skirt that ties that most Senegalese women wear.
Pagnes are very practical skirts that guard modesty and can also be used as blankets and towels.