Common phrases
- 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
- I do not know/understand - mi no save
- See you later / ta ta - Lukim yu/ tata
- I am going now - ale (French derivation of allez) mi go
- One/ two / three - wan / tu / tri
- How much (is that) - hamas (long hem)
- Plenty or many - plenti
- Filled to capacity / overfilled - fulap / fulap tumas (too much)
- Day / evening / night - dei / sava (literally supper) / naet
- Hot / cold - hot / kol
- What / what is that - wanem / wanem ia (literally wanem here?)
- Why / why did you - frowanem (for why?)
- Please / thank you / sorry (very sorry) - plis / tangkyu / sori (sori tumas) - sorry too much
- Do you know - yu save (pronounced savee)
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
Vowels
Consonants
Common diphthongs
Phrase list
Basics
Common signs
; OPEN : ; CLOSED : ; ENTRANCE : ; EXIT : ; PUSH : ; PULL : ; TOILET : ; MEN : ; WOMEN : ; FORBIDDEN :
; Hello. : . (Halo) ; Hello. (informal) : . () ; How are you? : afta? yu oraet? (?) ; Fine, thank you. : . () ; What is your name? : ? (Wanem nem blong yu?) ; My name is ______ . : ______ . (Mi, nem blong mi _____ .) ; Nice to meet you. : . () ; Please. : . (plis) ; Thank you. : . (tankui) ; You're welcome. : . (welkam) ; Yes. : . (yes) ; No. : . (no) ; Excuse me. (getting attention) : . () ; Excuse me. (begging pardon) : . () ; I'm sorry. : . (sori) ; Goodbye : . (lukim yu) ; Goodbye (informal) : . (ale tata) ; I can't speak Bislama [well]. : [ mi save toktok smol bislama nmo]. ([ ]) ; Do you speak English? : ? (yu save toktok ingish ?) ; Is there someone here who speaks English? : ? (?) ; Help! : ! (!) ; Look out! : ! (!) ; Good morning. : . (Gud moning) ; Good evening. : . (afanoon__) ; Good night. : . (Gud naet) ; Good night (to sleep) : . (__) ; I don't understand. : . (mi no kasem save) ; Where is the toilet? : wem toilet? ? (?)
Problems
; Leave me alone. : . (.) ; Don't touch me! : ! (!) ; I'll call the police. : . (.) ; Police! : ! (!) ; Stop! Thief! : ! ! (! !) ; I need your help. : Mi needm help blong yu. (.) ; It's an emergency. : . (.) ; I'm lost. : . (.) ; I lost my bag. : . (.) ; I lost my wallet. : . (.) ; I'm sick. : . (.) ; I've been injured. : . (.) ; I need a doctor. : mi needm wan dokta. (.) ; Can I use your phone? : mi save usum fone bling yu ? (?)
Numbers
; 1 : () ; 2 : () ; 3 : () ; 4 : () ; 5 : () ; 6 : () ; 7 : () ; 8 : () ; 9 : () ; 10 : () ; 11 : () ; 12 : () ; 13 : () ; 14 : () ; 15 : () ; 16 : () ; 17 : () ; 18 : () ; 19 : () ; 20 : () ; 21 : () ; 22 : () ; 23 : () ; 30 : () ; 40 : () ; 50 : () ; 60 : () ; 70 : () ; 80 : () ; 90 : () ; 100 : () ; 200 : () ; 300 : () ; 1,000 : () ; 2,000 : () ; 1,000,000 : () ; 1,000,000,000 : () ; 1,000,000,000,000 : () ; number _____ (train, bus, etc.) : () ; half : () ; less : () ; more : ()
Time
; now : (a) ; later : () ; before : () ; morning : () ; afternoon : () ; evening : () ; night : ()
Clock time
; one o'clock AM : () ; two o'clock AM : () ; noon : () ; one o'clock PM : () ; two o'clock PM : () ; midnight : ()
Duration
; _____ minute(s) : () ; _____ hour(s) : () ; _____ day(s) : () ; _____ week(s) : () ; _____ month(s) : () ; _____ year(s) : ()
Days
; today : () ; yesterday : () ; tomorrow : () ; this week : () ; last week : () ; next week : ()
; Sunday : () ; Monday : () ; Tuesday : () ; Wednesday : () ; Thursday : () ; Friday : () ; Saturday : (__)
Months
; January : Januware () ; February : Februrari () ; March : Maj () ; April : Epril () ; May : Mei () ; June : Jun () ; July : Julae () ; August : Ogis () ; September : Septemba () ; October : Oktoba () ; November : Novemba () ; December : Desemba ()
Writing time and date
Colors
; black : () ; white : () ; gray : () ; red : () ; blue : () ; yellow : () ; green : () ; orange : () ; purple : () ; brown : ()
Transportation
Bus and train
; How much is a ticket to ___? : () ; One ticket to _, please. : () ; Where does this train/bus go? : () ; Where is the train/bus to ___? : () ; Does this train/bus stop in _? : () ; When does the train/bus for _____ leave? : () ; When will this train/bus arrive in ___? : ()
Directions
; How do I get to _____ ? : () ; ...the train station? : () ; ...the bus station? : () ; ...the airport? : () ; ...downtown? : () ; ...the youth hostel? : () ; ...the _____ hotel? : () ; ...the American/Canadian/Australian/British consulate? : () ; Where are there a lot of... : () ; ...hotels? : () ; ...restaurants? : () ; ...bars? : () ; ...sites to see? : () ; Can you show me on the map? : () ; street : () ; Turn left. : () ; Turn right. : () ; left : () ; right : () ; straight ahead : () ; towards the _____ : () ; past the _____ : () ; before the _____ : () ; Watch for the _. : () ; intersection : () ; north : () ; south : () ; east : () ; west : () ; uphill : () ; downhill : (__)
Taxi
; Taxi! : (__) ; Take me to ___, please. : () ; How much does it cost to get to _? : () ; Take me there, please. : ()
Lodging
; Do you have any rooms available? : () ; How much is a room for one person/two people? : () ; Does the room come with... : () ; ...bedsheets? : () ; ...a bathroom? : () ; ...a telephone? : () ; ...a TV? : () ; May I see the room first? : () ; Do you have anything quieter? : () ; ...bigger? : () ; ...cleaner? : () ; ...cheaper? : () ; OK, I'll take it. : () ; I will stay for _____ night(s). : () ; Can you suggest another hotel? : () ; Do you have a safe? : () ; ...lockers? : () ; Is breakfast/supper included? : () ; What time is breakfast/supper? : () ; Please clean my room. : () ; Can you wake me at _? : () ; I want to check out. : ()
Money
; Do you accept American/Australian/Canadian dollars? : (yu save tekm american dola?) ; Do you accept British pounds? : () ; Do you accept euros? : () ; Do you accept credit cards? : () ; Can you change money for me? : (yu save changem money blo mi?) ; Where can I get money changed? : () ; Can you change a traveler's check for me? : () ; Where can I get a traveler's check changed? : () ; What is the exchange rate? : () ; Where is an automatic teller machine (ATM)? : ()
Eating
; A table for one person/two people, please. : () ; Can I look at the menu, please? : () ; Can I look in the kitchen? : (mi save luk insaed kitchen) ; Is there a house specialty? : () ; Is there a local specialty? : () ; I'm a vegetarian. : (mi no save kakai mit) ; I don't eat pork. : () ; I don't eat beef. : (mi no save kakai beef) ; I only eat kosher food. : () ; Can you make it "lite", please? (less oil/butter/lard) : () ; fixed-price meal : () ; a la carte : () ; breakfast : () ; lunch : () ; tea (meal) : () ; supper : () ; I want . : (mi wantem) ; I want a dish containing _. : () ; chicken : (faoul) ; beef : () ; fish : () ; ham : () ; sausage : () ; cheese : () ; eggs : () ; salad : () ; (fresh) vegetables : () ; (fresh) fruit : () ; bread : () ; toast : () ; noodles : () ; rice : () ; beans : () ; May I have a glass of ? : () ; May I have a cup of _? : () ; May I have a bottle of _? : () ; coffee : () ; tea (drink) : () ; juice : () ; (bubbly) water : () ; (still) water : () ; beer : (bia) ; red/white wine : () ; May I have some _? : () ; salt : () ; black pepper : () ; butter : () ; Excuse me, waiter? (getting attention of server): () ; I'm finished. : () ; It was delicious. : () ; Please clear the plates. : () ; The check, please. : ()
Bars
; Do you serve alcohol? : () ; Is there table service? : () ; A beer/two beers, please. : () ; A glass of red/white wine, please. : () ; A pint, please. : () ; A bottle, please. : () ; _____ (hard liquor) and _____ (mixer), please. : () ; whiskey : () ; vodka : () ; rum : () ; water : () ; club soda : () ; tonic water : () ; orange juice : () ; Coke (soda) : () ; Do you have any bar snacks? : () ; One more, please. : () ; Another round, please. : () ; When is closing time? : () ; Cheers! : ()
Shopping
; Do you have this in my size? : () ; How much is this? : (hao mas lo hemia?) ; That's too expensive. : () ; Would you take ? : () ; expensive : () ; cheap : () ; I can't afford it. : () ; I don't want it. : (mi no wantem_) ; You're cheating me. : () ; I'm not interested. : (..) ; OK, I'll take it. : () ; Can I have a bag? : () ; Do you ship (overseas)? : () ; I need... : () ; ...toothpaste. : () ; ...a toothbrush. : () ; ...tampons. : . () ; ...soap. : () ; ...shampoo. : () ; ...pain reliever. (e.g., aspirin or ibuprofen) : () ; ...cold medicine. : () ; ...stomach medicine. : ... () ; ...a razor. : () ; ...an umbrella. : () ; ...sunblock lotion. : () ; ...a postcard. : () ; ...postage stamps. : () ; ...batteries. : () ; ...writing paper. : () ; ...a pen. : () ; ...English-language books. : () ; ...English-language magazines. : () ; ...an English-language newspaper. : () ; ...an English-English dictionary. : (__)
Driving
; I want to rent a car. : () ; Can I get insurance? : () ; stop (on a street sign) : () ; one way : () ; yield : () ; no parking : () ; speed limit : () ; gas (petrol) station : () ; petrol : () ; diesel : ()
Authority
; I haven't done anything wrong. : () ; It was a misunderstanding. : () ; Where are you taking me? : () ; Am I under arrest? : () ; I am an American/Australian/British/Canadian citizen. : () ; I want to talk to the American/Australian/British/Canadian embassy/consulate. : () ; I want to talk to a lawyer. : () ; Can I just pay a fine now? : ()