Cape Verdean language Kriol

Crioulo or Kriol is generated from the earliest years of the population at the end of the fifteenth century by the urgent need for mutual understanding between slaves from different tribes of Guinea and with European settlers coming mainly from Portugal. Of course, “reinol” (the language of the Kingdom, ie Portuguese) was the raw material for the manufacture of this language, surprisingly simple and clear, forged in the daily contacts between all the participants, in a process that began with a classic entry of commercial communication and that later it would elaborate a language capable of expressing with ideas and feelings of wealth, able to generate linguistic manifestations very rich like for example, the morna.

Creole is what is technically called a neo-Latin language and is totally involved in Portuguese, to the point of attracting interest recently by linguists looking for residual elements of an archaic Portuguese. Despite the desire to establish a well-defined creole as an official language, it occurs in a “landless”, which brings a significant number of scholars (schoolchildren) the critical situation for which without learning Portuguese (which did not stop be the official language of Cape Verde), are not able to express themselves in writing in Creole. A situation that requires urgent attention, since there is a risk of leaving a generation deprived of access to culture.

It is essential to apply the provisions of the constitution of Cape Verde, which is to effectively create the conditions for the Creole to become in force the official language of the country, such as Portuguese.

Pronunciation: “dj” sounds like “j” like in jungle  – “g” sounds like “gh” ghost – “x” sounds like “sh”like in shade – “lh” sounds like “l” in million – “nh” sounds like “ni” in onion  – “tx” sounds like “ch” like in chain.
The articles do not exist, as well as the variations (gender, number).

A million – Um milhão
as? – komu?
automobile – car – káru
because? – Pamodi?
before yesterday – Ontonti
cigarette – sigáru
closed – fitchadu
day after tomorrow – otra manham/ depois de manha
do you have a room to sleep? – Bu tem um kuartu pa durmi?
doctor – dotór
double room – kuartu ku kama pa dós algem
drugstore – farmása
Everything is good? – tudu bem, tudu dretu
First – Primeru/Prumer
Fourth – Quarta
Friday – sèsta fera
gasoline – gazólina
gasoline pump – bomba di gazulina
give me – Da-n
good evening – bo noti
good luck – bo sorti
Good Morning – Good Afternoon – buon giorno-bo tardi
grocery / food store – kumida /loja aliméntu
hospital – spital/hospital
how are you? – Moki bu sta?
how do you say in creole? – kumò ki bu ta txoma-l na Kriolu?
how far? – kantu lonji?
how much time? – kantu tempu?
how much? – kantu?
How old are you? – ki idadi bu tem?
I can? – Podi?
I dont understand – n’ ka sta ‘ntendi
I have – I don’t have – m ‘tem- m’ ka tem
I live in – nha morada é
I’m not in a hurry – n ka sta ku presa
mail – Kureio
Monday – Segunda fera
my name is … – nha nomi è…
near – far – pertu – lonji
Open – abertu
Pee – fase xixi
please – Favor
police – pulísia
postcard – pustal
room with private bathroom – kuartu ku kasa-banhu particular
room with two beds – kuartu ku dós kama
rubber (wheel) – pineu
Saturday – Sábado/sábadu
Second – Sugundu/Segund
see you later – ti logu, ti proxima
see you tomorrow – ti manham
Show me – Mostra-n
Sunday – Domingo/ dia dimingu
thanks- for nothing – Obrigadu-de nada
thing – kusa
Third – Tirseru/Terser
Thursday – kinta fera
today – Oxi
tomorrow – Manham
tomorrow morning – Manham de sed/manham sédu
Tuesday – tèrsa fera
very – little – tcheu-poku
wait a moment – spera un momentu
Wednesday – kuárta fera
well – bad – Bem-Mal
what is it? – kel è kusè?
What time is it? – ki óra stá?
what you want? – kusa bu kre?
what’s your name – moki bu tchoma?
where are you going … – na undi ta bai pa …
Where do you live? – undi bu ta mora?
Where? – Undi
who? – kem?
with hot water – ku águ kenti
yesterday – Aont
You speak English? – bu ta papia inglés?Bu ta fala inglés?
1 – one 2 – two 3 – three – 1 um 2 – dós 3 – trés
10-ten 11 – eleven 12 – twelve-10 – dés 11 – onzi 12 – dozi-
1000 thousand – 1000 – mil
13 – thirteen 14 – fourteen 15 – fifteen – 13 – treizi 14 – katórzi 15 – kinzi
16 – sixteen 17 – seventeen 18 – eighteen – 16 – dizaséx 17 – dizaséti 18 – dizoitu
19 – nineteen 20 – twenty – 19 – dizanóvi 20 – vinti
200 two hundred – 200 – duzéntus
30 – thirty 40 – Forty 50 – Fifty – 30 – trinta 40 – korenta 50 – sunkuenta
4 – four 5 five 6 – six – 4 – kuátru 5 – sinku 6 – séx / sax
500 five hundred – 500 – kinhentus
60 – sixty 70 – seventy 80 – eighty – 60 – sasenta 70 – satenta 80 – oiténta
7 – seven 8 – eight 9 – nine – 7 – set 8 – oit 9 – nov /7 – séti 8 – oitu 9 – nóvi
90 – ninety 100 hundred – 90 – noventa 100 – sem

what is there to eat? – kusè bu teni pa-m kumi?
it is at a good price – sta baratu
it’s expensive! – sta karu!
I’m hungry – n-sta ku fómi I am thirsty – n-sta ku sedi
the bill, please?- kónta favor?
how much? – è kantu?
I do not understand you – n ka ta konprende
speaks slowly – pur favor, papia digabar
please repeat – torna fla, pur favor
I forgot the money – n diskise di nha dinheru
water – águ
watermelon – balansia
lobster – lagosta
Orange – laranja
roast – ásadu
avocado – bakati/ Abakati
banana – banana
glass – kopu
beer – sarabedja o serveja
beef steak – bifi, bitoki
boiled- ferbedu
bottle- garáfa
pudding- pudim
conch- búziu
cáchupa – katchupa (corn, beans, meat or fish and vegetables)
coffee- coffee with milk – kafé ku leti, galom
stewed goatling – kábritada
beef – kárni
kale – kobi
dinner- djantá
Onion- sabóla
knife- faka
croquettes – króketi (they are usually fish)
spoon- kudjer
sugar cane distillate – grogu – (póntchi + molasses)
espresso – kafé pekenu
bean stew – fixoada
green beans – sapatinha
flour- farinha
fork- gárfu
cheese- kexu
strawberry- murángu
fried – fritádu
fruit- fruta
crayfish- kamárom
Garopa – garopa (a kind of small grouper per serving)
ice cream- jeládu
wheat- trigu
grilled- gredjadu
salade- alfása
milk- leite
lemon- limao
pig- porku
corn- midju
mango- mangi
marmalade- doxi di (guava, papaia )
apple- masam
aubergine- brijéla
menu – ementa
market- merkadu
molluscs and crustaceans- marisku
cow- báka
moray- moreia
bread- pom
potato- batáta ‘ngleza (fried- fritta, ferbédu-boiled)
chili pepper – malgéta o piripiri
sweet pepper – pumentom
fish – serra – pexi – sèra
Polenta- xerem
Chicken- frángu
chicken, chicken soup – kanja di galinha
Octopus- polvu
Tomato- tumáti
Lunch- almusu
Parsley- sálsa
Breakfast – pekenu almusu
Rice – arós
Sauce – modju
Skewer- pintchu
Spinach- spinafre
Fruit juice – sumu
Table- mésa
tè – xá (In Cape Verde it is said for almost anything)
Tuna – atum
Cake – bolu
Napkin- guárdanápu
Egg- óbu
Grapes- uva
Wine – vinhu o binhu (white, red tint)
zucchini- bóbrinha
Fish Soup- kaldu di pexi