ga1gai1to go, to move (for a special purpose that is often mentioned; sometimes interchangeable with cheng v.)Maa ga yaba ain n da yiisa.I go to the market to buy salt. (Maa ga yaba alone would be an incomplete sentence.)Akayam ga yaali daata.Akayam went to fetch firewood.(Prov.) Ni-kota kan gai noai ya.Empty hands do not go to the mouth.2in order to (transl. of Buli verb)Te ti cheng viuku ga nyu daam.Let us go (cheng) to the (market-) stall to drink pito.3till, until, to (local and temporal)Vaari dan vienti weni a gaa sing dii ate kpaaroa a tom la ale la.From daybreak until sunset this is what a farmer does.A nyin Navarong a ga Tamale ku yalima ya?Is it far from Navrongo to Tamale?ngman ga(lit. again go), to inheritJadoka ale ngman gai ka boan?Who will inherit the jadok-shrine? (Lit.: To whom will the jadok go again?)cheng v.
Browse Buli – English
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ga-duokgadɥɔk; h hga-duokuga-daata or ga-doaatabed (European type)N ko kpiengka daam ta ka kuta ga-duok.My grandfather had an iron bed.
Hausa gado
ga-liikm lmga-liika [m l m]ga-liisa [m lm l]blouse, shirt, dress (is put on over the head; esp. used for women's blouses)N mawa baali ga-liisa te ti ain ti de burinya.My mother sewed dresses for us to celebrate Christmas.ngoota ga-liikpullover
garuk (cloth), liik (pot)
ga-talil h hga-tal(i)niga-tala1remaining piece of cloth after a smock or dress have been tailored (may be used for a head-tie or baby-clothes)2second hand clothesBa ta ga-tala a bo yabanga po a da.They offered second-hand clothes at the market for sale.
ga-tiakl lmga-tiaka [m l h]ga-taasa [m l m]gar-tiak1big (cover) cloth (for wearing it in "Ashanti fashion" with a free right shoulder), togaAnaab yulim ka ga-tiaka. Anaab put on a cover-cloth.N ta zaa a ga da yaba a da ga-tiak.I took millet and sold it in the market and bought a cloth (for the money). 2waist-cloth of women
gaabhgaamugaasa or gaaWest African ebony tree or swamp ebony tree; fruit (“monkey guavas”) edibleNipooba bata ale jueli goai ain ba yaali daata a yaa nya ale gaab za.Three women went to the bush in order to fetch firewood, and they saw an ebony tree (standing).ga-biri [h h h], pl. ga-bie [h h]seed of the fruit (used e.g. as rattle element in drums)Wa de gaanga a yug nga bienga a basi.He ate the gaab-fruit and threw away their seeds.Diospyros mespiliformis
gari n., gapik 1 n.
gaam1to surpass, to be or go beyond sth. or sb., to outnumberBa pagrimu ale gaam Yuisanga-la.Their strength surpassed that of the Kasena.2used as a comparative (e.g. to be better, worse, bigger etc.)(Prov.) Bumbobroa a gaam sakpak.A traitor is worse than a witch.N nye gaam ba.You do more than they.(Prov.) Jinla deka a gaam chum deka.Eating today is better than eating tomorrow.3to cross (also translated by "across"), to go or pass over sth., to passBa za, ban baga a gaam a taamu.They stood and could not pass (or cross).Wa yog gaam belni.He jumped over the river (lit. jumped and crossed).4to go beyond what is right or becoming, to go too farWa gaam wani.He has gone too far.poli gaam wadekto deviate (diverge) from a normal behaviour, to do sth. that is not becoming for a certain age, to misbehavegaam taamto do or be sth. in an extreme way, (often transl.:) extremely, extraordinarily, exceedingly, tooNaab ale ta wa lie, ate wa nala ga gaam taam.A chief had a daughter who was extremely beautiful.Wa zu a (ga) gaam taam.He steals "like a professional".chali gaam chaabto run a race, to compete in a raceTa yaa te chali gaam chaab.We wish to compete in a race.poasima... a gaamto be smaller thanBienga a poaasima kama a gaam...The seeds are smaller than...
gaamam mpoisonous millet (za-piela) with black spots (makes you feel tired or sleepy)Fi dan de gaama saab, faa goa kama.If you eat millet porridge made from gaama, you will fall asleep.
gaantito do sth. with difficulty (e.g. because one is starting to learn an activity)Biika a gaanti kama ale wa chelimu.The child is beginning to walk with difficulty.
gaanglgaangkagaangsa(only used for food:) plain, "incomplete" (in the meaning "without a sauce or an accompanying dish to make it complete or tasty")Mi le kan jam yeri a wuli la, n jam paa ka mu-gaangsa.As I did not get home in time, I came and got only plain rice.sa-gaang [l l]T.Z. without a saucemu-gaangsa [l l l]plain rice (without a sauce or meat)ga 2 v.
gaari2abbr. gaa or gai1to separate, to isolateBisanga a bora kpaling chaab, ga gaari ba.The children are fighting, go and separate them.2to distinguish, to discern, to recognizeBa nyiem kpang ka nna yeg-yega ka ngman ze badek biik a gaari.They used to grow so very old that they no longer recognized their own child.3to disentangleMiika a melim wuuku ate nipooba an bagi a gaari.The rope entangled in the grass so that the woman could not disentangle it.gaari kpalingkato stop a fight (by separating the fighters)Ase kpaling dan bo sinsii, wa ale wa ga a gaari kpalingka.If there was a fight somewhere, he went and stopped the fighting.4to subtract, to do a mathematical subtractionKarichiwa begi biika ain wa gaari banu pi po, ate biika an baga.The teacher asked the child to subtract five from ten, and the child could not do it.Gaari mu bas.Set me free. Release me.gaa-basitransl. ‘minus’Bega: Kpesa pi fi gaa sinu basi?Question: Ten fowls minus five is? (lit. Ten fowls you subtract five?)gaa-basika v.n.subtraction
gaarukl mgaaruku [l m h]gaar(u)ta [l l] or gaarisa1cobweb (of a spider)Ninaruk ta gaaruk.The spider has a cobweb.2fat or fatty tissue in an animal's stomachDungka gaaruku zue ya.There was much fat in the animal's stomach.3frame, wooden body of a drumN te fu footo, ate fi da gaaruk a su.I give you a photo, and you buy a frame to put it in.
gaasal mgaasanga [l m h]wickedness, badness, naughtiness, brutality, foolishness (if connected with wickedness), viciousness, spitefulness, malevolence, ill-will, maliceBa jam ta ka gaasa.They were wicked (lit. had wickedness).
gaasito perform a certain ritual, specific ritual performed after an illness or after birth lifting a taboogaasika v.n. and gaasung n.
gaasikaa ritual consisting of a chain of ceremonies, performed e.g. after excision, stillbirth, snakebite, coming back from the South etc.N nyini Kumasi a jam paai yeri a deri maa nya yabsanga gaasika.I came home from Kumasi (lit. came from Kumasi and reached home) and it was just then that I witnessed the gaasika of excision (too).gaasi v.
gaasungm mfood that is used in the performance of the gaasika-ritual after which the ritualsubject is allowed to eat this foodBa gaasi nipok pokogni ale ká gaasung.They performed the gaasika-ritual on a widow with (formerly forbidden) food.
gaaunggã:ũŋ; lgaaungkugaanta or gaauntadumb person, mute personWa poowa nala ale chim gaaung.His wife is beautiful but she has become (a) dumb (person).
gaglito speak indistinctly, to stammer, to stutter, to gurgle, to babbleFi daa biisi a gagli n kan wom-o.If you speak so indistinctly, I cannot understand (you).
gagliroam m mgagliroawagagliroabastammerer, stuttererWa le ka gagliroa nying, wa kan yaa kpaling-a.As he is a stammerer, he does not like quarrelling.
galam mgalanga1left side, left part, leftNisomwa za naawa gala.The elder stood on the chief's left side.Wa cheng ka gala nying.He moved to the left.Wa gala nisanga kpi kama.His left hand (lit. hand of his left side) is paralysed.2left hand(Prov.) Ba kan pa gala a dagi ngesi yeri ya.They do not use their left hand to point to their maternal uncle's house (i.e. he is very important).Fi galanga bo ka be?Where is your left hand?gala nying(nying, body, side) anti-clockwise (syn. ngaang nying, backwards; cf. juga nying, clockwise), south (i.e. on the left side of the entrance of a compound)Tamu bangka ka chengi a gala nyinga.The clock does not move anti-clockwise.
galasigalasiwacup or tumbler made of glass, also used for the materialWa doku galasiwa mobi kama.The window-pane of the room broke.
Engl. glassnyaasung n. and nina-glaase, (spectacles)
galikh hgalikagalisa1left-hander, left-handed person, leftyNurba ain galikade a ta pagrim kperik.People say that this lefthander has extraordinary power.2scoreAmoosa te Abui ka galisa sita ata bo bienga tongka po.Amoosa scored (lit. gave score) Abui three nil in the Owari game.
galimto crossFi bu dan ga galim wa, fi yeni, ka bolim ala ju di.If you went and crossed him, your house would be burnt by fire.
Buli Dictionary © 2021 Franz Kroeger®
