It's nice outside [weather]

Language / Langue Bambara/Jula-English
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How would a you say “It’s nice outside” or other similar phrases such as “It’s nice today” or “the weather is nice” in Bambara?

When asking this question to native Bambara speakers they don’t seem to have a clear cut answer for this.

I have heard “yɔrɔ ka ɲi”, ou des mots empruntés du français (french borrowed words) like: “temps ka ɲi sa!”.

Hopefully there are other ways to say this!

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I ni ce! First, I’d say that the weather expressions in English/French are obviously culturally situated; that in part explains the French loanwords.

I would potentially say things like:

  • Yɔrɔ ka ɲi = The place is good
  • Yɔrɔ ka di = The place is pleasant
  • Yɔrɔ sumana = The place is cool (as in, it is not really hot)

Note that the use of yɔrɔ here means the ‘the place’ in the general sense of ‘the place where we are’ or ‘our location’

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@malikdiallo Hi! Your questions really peaked my interest! So I asked Koro, a friend of mine, about them. :slightly_smiling_face: She said:

  • I face this question all the time. :slightly_smiling_face:

  • Waati is weather, but can’t translate directly. Only contextual.

These are two ways she shared:

  • Nin yɔrɔ cɛ ka ɲi = This place is nice

  • Bi fiɲɛ ka di = Today the air is pleasant

‘Yɔrɔ’ seems to be the most common way to describe weather though, as you and @coleman have also used it here. But I have to admit, I like “Bi fiɲɛ ka di” better! :slightly_smiling_face:

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:slightly_smiling_face: This just in from one of Koro’s contacts:

Weather can sometimes be said as waati in Bambara.

  • Waati bɛ cogo di? = What is the weather like?

  • Nɛɛma bɛ kɛnɛ ma bi = The weather is nice outside today (lit. ‘Serenity is outside today’)