Gambia Languages

The official language spoken in Gambia is English. It is important for official use and in education as a language of instruction. The English language consists of 26 letters of the alphabet. The alphabet has both vowels and consonants.

Mandingo is the first language for most Gambians. About 38% of the population of Gambia speaks Mandingo. On the other hand, 21.2% of people speak Fula, 18% speak Wolof/Serer, and 4.5% speak Jola. The population of Gambia in 2017 was about 2,051,363.

Some helpful easy phrases in Mandika include "esama" for "good morning", "etinyang" for "good afternoon", and "mbe jela saayiu" for "see you soon".

The other languages used in Gambia are Mandinka, Krio, Serer, Wolof, Jola, and Fula among other native languages. Besides the local dialects, many Gambians also speak French. The French they speak is as a result of its dominance across most West African states. The hearing impaired community uses Gambian Sign Language for communication.