A collection of useful phrases in the North Marianas dialect of Chamorro, an Austronesian language spoken in the Marianas Islands, and also in Guam.
See these phrases in any combination of two languages in the Phrase Finder. If you can provide recordings, corrections or additional translations, please contact me.
Key to abbreviations: frm = formal, inf = informal
| English | Chamorro (North Marianas dialect) |
|---|---|
| Welcome | Bienbenidu |
| Hello (General greeting) | Hafa Adai |
| How are you? | Hafa tatamanu hao? Hafa mamaoleka? |
| Reply to 'How are you?' | Mamaolek ha' yo' Todu maolek |
| Long time no see | Apmam tiempo ti uli'e hao (It's a long time since I've seen you) Apmam tiempo ti uli'e hit (It's a long time since we've seen each other) |
| What's your name? | Hayi na’an-mu? |
| My name is ... | Na’an-hu si ... |
| Where are you from? | Taotao manu hao? |
| I'm from ... | Taotao ... yu |
| Pleased to meet you | Ma’gof yu sa umali’i hit |
| Good morning (Morning greeting) |
Buenas dihas |
| Good afternoon (Afternoon greeting) |
Buenos tatdes |
| Good evening (Evening greeting) |
Buenas noches |
| Goodbye (Parting phrases) |
Adios |
| Good luck! | Suette |
| Cheers! Good Health! (Toasts used when drinking) |
Hago lao! |
| Have a nice day | Puedi ha todo maolek |
| Bon appetit / Have a nice meal |
Buen prubechu |
| Bon voyage / Have a good journey |
Buen biahe |
| I understand | Hu po kumprende |
| I don't understand | Ti hu kumprende |
| Please speak more slowly | Pot fabot na despasio I kuentos-mu |
| Please write it down | Tuge’ papa pot fabot |
| Do you speak Chamorro? | Kao siña hao fumino’ Chamorro? |
| Yes, a little (reply to 'Do you speak ...?') |
A’a, didide’ ha |
| How do you say ... in Chamorro? | Hafa taimanu un sangan ... gi fino’ Chamorro? |
| Excuse me | Dispensa yu |
| How much is this? | Kuanto baliña? |
| Sorry | Dispensa yu |
| Thank you | Si Yu’us ma’ase (God have mercy) |
| Reply to thank you | Buen prubechu |
| Where's the toilet / bathroom? | Manu na gaige i kemmon? |
| This gentleman/lady will pay for everything | Para guiya hu apasi todo este |
| Would you like to dance with me? | Malagu hao bumaila yan guahu? |
| I love you | Hu guiaya hao |
| Get well soon | Puedi homlo hao ti apmam |
| Leave me alone! | Sappe! Litira hao! Basta ma estotba yu! |
| Help! | Ayuda! |
| Fire! | Guafe! |
| Stop! | Basta! |
| Call the police! | Agang I polisia! |
| Christmas greetings | Felis Nabidat |
| New Year greetings | Felis Año Nuebo |
| Easter greetings | Felis Pasgua |
| Birthday greetings | Biba Kumpleaños |
| One language is never enough | Un linguahe ni ngai’an u nahom |
| My hovercraft is full of eels | Bula hasuli gi halom hovercraft-hu |
Chamorro phrases provided by Michelle Wilmot and Si Yu'us Må'åse' Si Aaron Matanane
If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.
Information about Chamorro | Phrases (Guam dialect) | Phrases (North Marianas dialect) | Numbers
Collections of Chamorro phrases (some with audio)
http://www.chamoru.info/language-lessons/chamorro-words-common-phrases/
https://wikitravel.org/en/Chamorro_phrasebook
http://www.chamoru.info/category/language-lessons/chamorro-phrases/
Balinese, Banjar, Central Dusun, Chamorro (Guam dialect), Chamorro (North Marianas dialect), Coastal Kadazan, Fijian, Iban, Indonesian, Javanese, Malagasy, Malay, Māori, Palauan, Tetum, Yapese
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