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Bislama phrasebook Voyage Tips and guide

You can check the original Wikivoyage article Here

    Bislama is a pidgin language used in Vanuatu and is now a creole in urban areas. It essentially combines a typically Melanesian grammar with a mostly English vocabulary. It is the only language that can be understood and spoken by the whole population of Vanuatu, generally as a second language.

    It is a mixture of phonetic English woven in a loose French sentence structure spoken with ‘local sound' producing some comical outcomes e.g., ladies brassieres or bathing top is called "Basket blong titi"; no offense intended. An excellent Bislama dictionary is available from good book shops: 'A New Bislama Dictionary,' by the late Terry Crowley.

    Pronunciation guide

    [edit]

    Bislama pronunciation is generally straightforward for English speakers, as much of the vocabulary is derived from English. However, spelling is very phonetic with Spanish/Italian vowels, which can be misleading to the English speaker: for example, save is "savvy", not "seiv" like "shave".

    Vowels

    [edit]
    a
    like the 'a' in "father" (e.g., wan - one)
    e
    like the 'e' in "bet" (e.g., nem - name)
    i
    like the 'ee' in "see" (e.g., mi - me/I)
    o
    like the 'o' in "go" (e.g., no - no)
    u
    like the 'oo' in "food" (e.g., yu - you)

    Consonants

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    Consonants are mostly similar to English, with a few key points:

    g
    always hard, like in "go" (e.g., gud - good)
    j
    like the 'ch' in "church" (e.g., jif - chief) - sometimes written as 'ch'.
    h
    often silent, especially at the beginning of words derived from English words starting with 'h' (e.g., ae - eye, from 'eye'). However, it is pronounced in words like halo (hello).
    r
    often rolled or tapped, similar to Spanish 'r'.
    s
    like the 's' in "sun" (e.g., save - know/understand)
    t
    Often unaspirated, sounding closer to 'd' between vowels sometimes.
    ng
    like the 'ng' in "sing" (e.g., long - in/at/on/belonging to)

    Stress

    [edit]

    Stress usually falls on the second-to-last syllable, but there are exceptions. Listen to native speakers to get the rhythm.

    Grammar

    [edit]
    Pronoun blong yumi


    • Me / you - mi / yu
    • Him / her / it (neither masculine nor feminine)
    • this here - hem/ hemia
    • Us /we / all of us - mifala / mifala evriwan
    • You / you (plural) - yu / yufala

    Bislama grammar is surprisingly different from English. Putting together simple phrases is not hard, but you will not become a native speaker overnight.

    Bislama has no plurals or conjugations, and it replaces nearly all English prepositions with just two: long and blong.

    Long is mostly used to indicate place: next to (along), near, at, to, in, etc.

    Stoa long haos
    The store next to the house.
    Mi stap long stoa
    I am at the store.
    Jea long haos
    The chair in the house.

    Blong indicates possession: of, from, belong to.

    Buk blong mi
    The book that belongs to me, my book
    Man blong Amerika
    Man from America, American.
    Man blong dring
    Man of drinking (a drinker)

    Most Bislama verbs are formed by taking an English stem and adding the suffix -im/em.

    English Bislama
    stem verb
    take tek- tekem
    show so- soem
    look luk- lukim
    want wand- wandem

    There are a few important exceptions:

    kakae
    'eat, bite'
    trink
    'drink'
    save
    'know', 'able to'
    se
    'say'

    Verbs do not conjugate, but there is a complex set of markers used for tense, aspect, and mood:

    Mi stap kakae taro
    I'm eating taro (ongoing action)
    Mi bin kakae taro
    I have eaten taro (past action that has finished)
    Bae mi kakae taro
    I will eat taro (future/hypothetical action)

    The predicate marker i is frequently inserted between the pronoun and the subsequent verbal phrase in ways that defy easy explanation in English. It's often tacked onto the third person pronouns, making them hemi/emi/oli.

    hem i no wantem yam
    he doesn't want yam
    plen i no bin fulap
    the plane was not full
    fish ia i save kilim man
    this fish can kill a person

    Phrase list

    [edit]

    Basics

    [edit]
    Common signs


    OPEN
    CLOSED
    ENTRANCE
    EXIT
    PUSH
    PULL
    TOILET
    MEN
    WOMEN
    FORBIDDEN
    Hello
    Halo
    How are you?
    Yu oraet? (lit. You alright?) / I gud? (lit. It good?)
    Fine, thank you.
    Mi oraet, tangkyu. / I gud, tangkyu.
    What is your name?
    Wanem nem blong yu?
    My name is ______ .
    Nem blong mi ______ .
    Please
    Plis
    Thank you
    Tangkyu
    Thank you very much
    Tangkyu tumas
    You're welcome
    I oraet / No wori
    Yes
    Yes
    No
    No
    Excuse me. (getting attention)
    Skiusmi.
    Excuse me. (begging pardon)
    Skiusmi. / Sori.
    I'm sorry.
    Mi sori. / Sori tumas.
    Goodbye
    Tata (informal) / Ale lukim yu (lit. OK see you)
    I can't speak Bislama [well].
    Mi no save tok Bislama [gud].
    Do you speak English?
    Yu save tok Inglis?
    Is there someone here who speaks English?
    I gat wan man/woman ia i save tok Inglis?
    Help!
    Helpem mi! / Help!
    Good morning.
    Moning / Gud moning
    Good afternoon.
    Aftenun / Gud aftenun
    Good evening.
    Gudnaet (also used for Good night)
    Good night.
    Gudnaet
    I don't understand.
    Mi no save. / Mi no harem. (lit. I don't hear/feel)
    Where is the toilet?
    Wea toilet i stap? / Toilet i stap wea?

    Problems

    [edit]
    Leave me alone.
    Yu lego mi. / Livim mi.
    Don't touch me!
    Yu no tajem mi!
    I'll call the police.
    Bambae mi kolem polis.
    Police!
    Polis!
    Stop! Thief!
    Stop! Stilman!
    I need your help.
    Mi nidim help blong yu.
    It's an emergency.
    Hemia i wan emergency.
    I'm lost.
    Mi lus.
    I lost my bag.
    Mi lusum bag blong mi.
    I lost my wallet.
    Mi lusum wallet blong mi.
    I'm sick.
    Mi sik.
    I've been injured.
    Mi karem soa. (lit. I got sore/wound) / Mi foldaon. (If from a fall)
    I need a doctor.
    Mi nidim wan dokta.
    Can I use your phone?
    Mi save yusum fon blong yu?

    Numbers

    [edit]
    1
    Wan
    2
    Tu
    3
    Tri
    4
    Foa
    5
    Faef
    6
    Sikis
    7
    Seven
    8
    Eit
    9
    Naen
    10
    Ten
    11
    Leven
    12
    Twelef
    13
    Totin
    14
    Fotin
    15
    Fiftin
    16
    Sikistin
    17
    Seventin
    18
    Eitin
    19
    Naentin
    20
    Twenti
    21
    Twenti wan
    22
    Twenti tu
    23
    Twenti tri
    30
    Teti
    40
    Foti
    50
    Fifti
    60
    Sikisti
    70
    Seventi
    80
    Eiti
    90
    Naenti
    100
    Wan handred
    200
    Tu handred
    500
    Faef handred
    1,000
    Wan taosen
    2,000
    Tu taosen
    1,000,000
    Wan milion
    number _____ (train, bus, etc.)
    namba _____
    half
    haf
    less
    les
    more
    moa

    Clock time

    [edit]
    What time is it?
    Wanem taem nao? / Taem i hamas?
    It's _____ o'clock.
    Hem i _____ klok.
    It's half past _____.
    Hem i haf pas _____.
    It's quarter past _____.
    Hem i kwota pas _____.
    It's quarter to _____.
    Hem i kwota tu _____.
    morning
    moningtaem / long moning
    afternoon
    aftenun / long aftenun
    evening
    naet / long naet
    midnight
    medol naet

    Duration

    [edit]
    _____ minute(s)
    _____ minit
    _____ hour(s)
    _____ aoa
    _____ day(s)
    _____ dei
    _____ week(s)
    _____ wik
    _____ month(s)
    _____ manis
    _____ year(s)
    _____ yia

    Days

    [edit]
    today
    tudei
    yesterday
    yestedei
    tomorrow
    tumora
    this week
    wik ia
    last week
    las wik
    next week
    nekis wik
    Sunday
    Sande
    Monday
    Mande
    Tuesday
    Tuste
    Wednesday
    Wenesde
    Thursday
    Tosde
    Friday
    Fraede
    Saturday
    Sarere

    Months

    [edit]

    Months are usually the English names, sometimes slightly adapted.

    January
    Janueri
    February
    Februeri
    March
    Maj
    April
    Epril
    May
    Mei
    June
    Jun
    July
    Julae
    August
    Ogis
    September
    Septemba
    October
    Oktoba
    November
    Novemba
    December
    Disemba

    Writing time and date

    [edit]

    Dates are typically written Day-Month-Year, e.g., 5 Epril 2025.

    Colors

    [edit]
    black
    blak / blakbala
    white
    waet / waetbala
    gray
    grei / greibala
    red
    red / redfala
    blue
    blu / blufala
    yellow
    yelo / yelofala
    green
    grin / grinfala
    orange
    orenj / orenjfala
    purple
    pepol / pepolfala
    brown
    braon / braonfala

    Note: The '-fala' suffix often acts like '-ish' or '-colored', or simply as an adjective marker.

    Transportation

    [edit]

    Bus and train

    [edit]

    (Note: Vanuatu primarily relies on buses/minibuses and taxis, there are no trains.)

    How much is a ticket to _____?
    Tiket i go long _____ hem i hamas?
    One ticket to _____, please.
    Wan tiket i go long _____, plis.
    Where does this bus/minibus go?
    Bus/Minibus ia i go wea?
    Where is the bus stop?
    Wea bus stop i stap?
    Does this bus stop in _____?
    Bus ia i stop long _____?
    When does the bus for _____ leave?
    Wanem taem bus blong _____ i aot?
    Bus
    Bus / Minibus
    Taxi
    Taksi

    Directions

    [edit]
    How do I get to _____ ?
    Olsem wanem mi go long _____? / Rod i go long _____ i olsem wanem?
    ...the airport?
    ...epot?
    ...the market?
    ...maket?
    ...the tourist information office?
    ...turis ofis?
    ...the post office?
    ...pos ofis?
    ...the bank?
    ...bank?
    Where are there a lot of...
    Wea i gat plante...
    ...hotels?
    ...hotel?
    ...restaurants?
    ...restaurant? / ...ples blong kakae?
    ...bars?
    ...bar?
    Can you show me on the map?
    Yu save soem mi long map?
    Street
    Rod / Stret
    Turn left.
    Yu tanem lef.
    Turn right.
    Yu tanem raet.
    left
    lef / lefsaed
    right
    raet / raetsaed
    straight ahead
    stret / stretahed
    towards the _____
    go long _____
    past the _____
    pas long _____
    before the _____
    bifo long _____
    Intersection
    janksen / ples wea tu rod i mit
    North
    Not
    South
    Saot
    East
    Is
    West
    Wes
    uphill
    antap long hil / go antap
    downhill
    daon long hil / go daon

    Taxi

    [edit]
    Taxi!
    Taksi!
    Take me to _____, please.
    Yu tekem mi i go long _____, plis.
    How much does it cost to go to _____?
    Hamas blong go long _____? / Charge blong go long _____ i hamas?
    Take me there, please.
    Tekem mi i go long ples ia, plis.

    Accommodation

    [edit]
    Do you have any rooms available?
    I gat rum i stap yet? / Yu gat rum?
    How much is a room for one person/two people?
    Wan rum blong wan man/tu man hem i hamas?
    Does the room come with...
    Long rum ia i gat...
    ...a bathroom?
    ...toilet/bathroom?
    ...a shower?
    ...shaoa?
    ...a telephone?
    ...telefon?
    ...a TV?
    ...TV?
    May I see the room first?
    Mi save luk rum fastaem?
    Do you have anything quieter?
    Yu gat samting wea i kwaet moa?
    ...bigger?
    ...i bigwan moa?
    ...cleaner?
    ...i klin moa?
    ...cheaper?
    ...i jip moa?
    OK, I'll take it.
    Oraet, bambae mi tekem.
    I will stay for _____ night(s).
    Bambae mi stap long _____ naet.
    Can you suggest another hotel?
    Yu save talem nem blong narawan hotel?
    Do you have a safe?
    Yu gat sef?
    Is breakfast/supper included?
    Brekfast/sapa i stap insaed? (lit. Breakfast/supper is inside?)
    What time is breakfast/supper?
    Wanem taem blong brekfast/sapa?
    Please clean my room.
    Yu klinim rum blong mi, plis.
    Can you wake me at _____?
    Yu save wekem mi long _____ klok?
    I want to check out.
    Mi wantem jek aot. / Mi wantem finis.

    Money

    [edit]

    The currency is the Vanuatu Vatu (VUV).

    Do you accept credit cards?
    Yu save tekem kredit kad?
    Can you change money for me?
    Yu save jenjem mani blong mi?
    Where can I change money?
    Wea mi save jenjem mani?
    Where is an ATM?
    Wea ATM i stap? / Wea maşin blong kas i stap?
    Money
    Mani
    Bank
    Bank
    Vatu (currency)
    Vatu

    Eating

    [edit]
    A table for one person/two people, please.
    Wan tebol blong wan man/tu man, plis.
    Can I look at the menu, please?
    Mi save luk menu, plis?
    I'm a vegetarian.
    Mi vegeterian. / Mi no kakae mit.
    I don't eat pork.
    Mi no kakae pig.
    I don't eat beef.
    Mi no kakae bif.
    breakfast
    brekfast
    lunch
    lanj
    supper/dinner
    sapa
    I want _____.
    Mi wantem _____.
    I want a dish containing _____.
    Mi wantem kakae wea i gat _____ insaed.
    chicken
    jikin
    beef
    bif / buluk
    fish
    fis
    pork
    pig
    cheese
    jis
    eggs
    eg
    salad
    salad
    (fresh) vegetables
    (fres) vejtabol / gras (leafy greens)
    (fresh) fruit
    (fres) frut
    bread
    bred
    rice
    raes
    beans
    bin
    May I have a glass of _____?
    Mi save karem wan glas _____?
    May I have a cup of _____?
    Mi save karem wan kap _____?
    May I have a bottle of _____?
    Mi save karem wan botel _____?
    coffee
    kofi
    tea (drink)
    ti
    juice
    jus
    (bubbly) water
    (gas) wota
    water
    wota
    beer
    bia
    red/white wine
    red/waet waen
    May I have some _____?
    Mi save karem smol _____?
    salt
    sol
    black pepper
    blak pepa
    butter
    bata
    Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention)
    Skiusmi weita/wetres! (or just call 'boe'/'gel' informally but politely)
    I'm finished.
    Mi finis.
    It was delicious.
    I bin gud tumas. / Kakae i bin swit. (lit. Food was sweet/tasty)
    Please clear the plates.
    Yu tekemaot plet, plis.
    The check, please.
    Bil, plis. / Mi save pem nao? (lit. Can I pay now?)

    Bars

    [edit]
    Kava i strong tumas

    Most bars in Vanuatu serve kava, not alcohol. Kava bars are also known as nakamals and kava is traditionally sold by the coconut shell, although these days plastic bowls filled to order by price (100 vatu, 200 vatu etc) are also common.

    Do you serve alcohol?
    Yu salem alkahol? / Yu gat bia/waen?
    Is there table service?
    Servis i stap long tebol?
    A beer/two beers, please.
    Wan bia/tu bia, plis.
    A glass of red/white wine, please.
    Wan glas red/waet waen, plis.
    A bottle, please.
    Wan botel, plis.
    whisky
    wiski
    vodka
    vodka
    rum
    ram
    water
    wota
    orange juice
    orenj jus
    Coke (soda)
    Kok (or brand name) / soft drink
    Do you have any bar snacks?
    Yu gat washemaot? (lit. "wash the mouth", chaser)
    One more, please.
    Wan moa, plis.
    Another round, please.
    Nara raon, plis.
    When is closing time?
    Wanem taem yu klos?
    Cheers!
    Jeas!

    Shopping

    [edit]
    Do you have this in my size?
    Yu gat hemia long saes blong mi?
    How much is this?
    Hamas long hemia?
    That's too expensive.
    Hemia i sas tumas.
    Would you take _____?
    Yu save tekem _____? (Offering a lower price)
    expensive
    sas
    cheap
    jip
    I can't afford it.
    Mi no gat naf mani long hemia. / Mi no save pem.
    I don't want it.
    Mi no wantem.
    You're cheating me.
    Yu trikim mi. / Yu lai long mi.
    I'm not interested.
    Mi no intres. / Mi no wantem.
    OK, I'll take it.
    Oraet, bambae mi tekem.
    Can I have a bag?
    Mi save karem wan bag?
    I need...
    Mi nidim...
    ...toothpaste.
    ...tutpes.
    ...a toothbrush.
    ...tutbras.
    ...soap.
    ...sop.
    ...shampoo.
    ...shampu.
    ...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or paracetamol)
    ...medesin blong hed/so. (medicine for head/sore)
    ...cold medicine.
    ...medesin blong kolkol.
    ...stomach medicine.
    ...medesin blong bel.
    ...a razor.
    ...resa.
    ...batteries.
    ...batri.
    ...writing paper.
    ...pepa blong raet.
    ...a pen.
    ...pen.
    ...English-language books.
    ...buk long Inglis.
    ...English-language magazines.
    ...magasin long Inglis.
    ...an English-language newspaper.
    ...niuspepa long Inglis.
    ...an English-Bislama dictionary.
    ...wan diksonari Inglis-Bislama.

    Driving

    [edit]

    (Note: Driving is on the right in Vanuatu.)

    I want to rent a car.
    Mi wantem haerem wan kar.
    Can I get insurance?
    Mi save karem insurens?
    stop (on a street sign)
    STOP
    one way
    WAN WEI
    no parking
    NO PAKING
    speed limit
    SPID LIMIT
    gas (petrol) station
    gas stesen / petrol stesen
    petrol
    petrol / gas
    diesel
    disel

    Authority

    [edit]
    I haven't done anything wrong.
    Mi no mekem wan samting we i rong.
    It was a misunderstanding.
    Hemia i wan mistek nomo. / Mifala i no harem gud nomo.
    Where are you taking me?
    Yu tekem mi i go wea?
    Am I under arrest?
    Mi stap anda long ares? / Yu arestem mi?
    I am an Australian/British/Canadian/American citizen.
    Mi wan man Ostrelia/Inglan/Kanada/Amerika.
    I want to talk to the Australian/British/Canadian/American embassy/consulate.
    Mi wantem tok tok wetem embasi/konsulet blong Ostrelia/Inglan/Kanada/Amerika.
    I want to talk to a lawyer.
    Mi wantem tok tok wetem wan loya.
    Can I just pay a fine now?
    Mi save pem wan faen naoia nomo?

    Learning more

    [edit]
    • Listen to locals speak. Many Ni-Vanuatu are happy to help you learn a few words.
    • Look for Bislama dictionaries or phrasebooks in bookshops in Port Vila or Luganville.
    • Radio Vanuatu's Lisen Live can be streamed for free online.
    This Bislama phrasebook is a usable article. It explains pronunciation and the bare essentials of travel communication. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.


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