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a8 local
Saturday 25 May 2024

Papiamento words and phrases you may want to know!

(Oranjestad)—Aruba is a melting pot which makes it a flexible, dynamic also use “te oro”, which means “see 3. Bon nochi. You guessed it, “bon
of different nationalities, cultures and and resilient language. you later”. nochi” means “good night”. Just
languages. For this reason, the av- Want to learn some common words in like “tardi”, “nochi” is actually the
erage Aruban can understand and our language? Here are a few basic Greetings during the day shortened version of the word
speak Dutch, English and Spanish words and phrases that help you get Most, if not all, languages have dif- “anochi”.
relatively well. However, as much familiarized with the Aruban culture. ferent ways to greet according to

as we pride ourselves in being able When you arrive at the airport in the time of day, and Papiamento Yes…no…maybe?
to communicate with almost every- Aruba, one of the first words in Pa- is no different. Since Papiamento is The affirmative and negative expres-
one, we cherish our native tongue piamento you may encounter is “Bon heavily influenced by Portuguese and sion is very simple in Papiamento.
Papiamento above all else. This week bini.” Bon bini in Papiamento means Spanish, some of these phrases may Just like Spanish, our yeses are “si”
marked a big anniversary for us, as we welcome, and is probably the most look very familiar. and our no’s are “no”. Pretty easy
celebrated the day Papiamento was famous Papiamento word for tourists. right? If you want to gain some ex-
recognized as an official language 1. Bon dia is used in the morning, tra points from younger locals, you
on the island on May 21th 2003. Hi! Bye! up to about noon. Bon dia es- can also say “se”, which is a more
To be fair, there is no unique way to sentially means good morning. casual affirmative used mostly by the
Papiamento was born out of a ne- say “hello” in Papiamento. At least, The word “bon” means “good”, younger generation. However, do
cessity for survival during a period of not officially. We often just use the Eng- and while “dia” does not directly note: some older generations may
colonial conflict. In this process, the lish “hello” or “hey”, or Dutch “hallo” mean “morning” in English, it is find this improper and not respectful,
development of Papiamento was to greet someone. We do however, used often to refer to the morn- so keep that in mind.
necessary, and for a very long time, always follow it up with “con bay?” ing time.
the language carried the identity of or “con ta?” Con bay is a shortened 2. Bon tardi. In the afternoon to early Thanks man…
the indigenous and African inhabit- version of “con ta bay?” which es- evening hours, we use “bon tardi” Lastly, a word that we can always say
ants of the ABC sister islands (Aruba, sentially means “how are you?” to greet people, which means more often is “danki”, which means
Curacao, Bonaire), as it was used on a The word “con” in Papiamento means “good afternoon”. “Tardi” actu- “thank you”. “Danki” is derived from
day to day basis for communication. “how?” and is pronounced with a ally comes from the word “at- the Dutch word “bedankt”. Though
At the same time, Papiamento inter- rounder “o” sounds, like in the English ardi”, which directly translates we don’t really have a translation
twined itself with a range of different word “cone”. “Ta bay” refers to how to “afternoon”. However, the for “I appreciate it” in English, we do
languages from other cultures, includ- you are doing. shortened “tardi” is used to keep use “masha danki” to convey the
ing their love and respect. Conse- When we say goodbye, we use the the rhythm on the phrase. And message. “Masha” means “a lot”
quently, Papiamento reflects organic word “ayo” (not like the Ayo Rock the same could be said for our or “very”, so “masha danki” means
multilingualism and multiculturalism, Formation, but also…kinda?). We may last greeting of the day. “thank you very much”.q

Aruba Tourism Authority honored loyal visitors at the Bucuti & Tara Beach Resort!

The Aruba Tourism Authority re- secutively visiting Aruba) vacation destination, as their home
cently had the great pleasure of Goodwill Ambassador (20>years away from home.
recognizing Goodwill Ambassadors consecutively visiting Aruba)
of Aruba. The honorees were re- Emerald Ambassador (35>years The top reasons for returning to
spectively honored with a certifi- consecutively visiting Aruba) Aruba provided by the honorees
cate for their years of visits, loyalty, were:
and love for the island of Aruba. The honorees were: • Aruba’s people.
Goodwill Ambassadors • Aruba’s beach.
The honorary certification is pre- Mr. Shane & Mrs. Shari Bench from • Aruba’s weather.
sented on behalf of the Minister of Sarasota Florida, United States. • Aruba’s very safe.
Tourism as a token of appreciation • “Bucuti’s hospitality”
and to say “Masha Danki” to guests Mr. Jorgino willems representing
who have visited Aruba 10, 20, or the Aruba Tourism Authority, and On behalf of the Aruba Tourism Au-
35 years or more consecutively. staff members of the Bucuti & Tara thority, we would like to express our
Beach Resort bestowed the certifi- sincere gratitude and appreciation
The three levels of honor are as cate to the honorees, presented to the honorees for their continued
follows: them with gifts, and thanked them visits to the “One Happy Island”.q
Distinguished Visitor (10>years con- for choosing Aruba as their favorite