Page 10 - AHATA

a8 local
Monday 9 deceMber 2024
Papiamento words and phrases you may want to know!

(Oranjestad)—Aruba is a melting ened “tardi” is used to keep
pot of different nationalities, cul- the rhythm on the phrase. And
tures and languages. Primarily for the same could be said for our
this reason, the average Aruban last greeting of the day.
can understand and speak Dutch, 3. Bon nochi. You guessed it, “bon
English and Spanish relatively well. nochi” means “good night”.
However, as much as we pride Just like “tardi”, “nochi” is ac-
ourselves in being able to com- tually the shortened version of
municate with almost everyone, the word “anochi”.
we cherish our native tongue Pa-
piamento above all else. Want to Yes…no…maybe?
learn some common words in our The affirmative and negative ex-
language? Here are a few basic pression is very simple in Papia-
words and phrases that can get mento. Just like Spanish, our yeses
you a hat tip from an Aruban. are “si” and our no’s are “no”. Pret-
ty easy right? If you want to gain
When you arrive at the airport in some extra points from younger lo-
Aruba, one of the first words in Pa- cals, you can also say “se”, which
piamento you may encounter is is a more casual affirmative used
“Bon bini.” Bon bini in Papiamento means “how?” and is pronounced es may look very familiar. mostly by the younger generation.
means welcome, and is probably with a rounder “o” sounds, like in However, do note: some older
the most famous Papiamento the English word “cone”. “Ta bay” 1. Bon dia is used in the morning, generations may find this improper
word for tourists. refers to how you are doing. up to about noon. Bon dia es- and not respectful, so keep that in
sentially means good morn- mind.
Hi! Bye! When we say goodbye, we use ing. The word “bon” means
To be fair, there is no unique way the word “ayo” (not like the Ayo “good”, and while “dia” does Thanks man…
to say “hello” in Papiamento. At Rock Formation, but also…kinda?). not directly mean “morning” in Lastly, a word that we can also
least, not officially. We often just We may also use “te oro”, which English, it is used often to refer say more often is “danki”, which
use the English “hello” or “hey”, or means “see you later”. to the morning time. means literally “thank you”. “Dan-
Dutch “hallo” to greet someone. 2. Bon tardi. In the afternoon to ki” is derived from the Dutch word
We do however, always follow it up Greetings during the day early evening hours, we use “bedankt”. Though we don’t really
with “con bay?” or “con ta?” Con Most, if not all, languages have dif- “bon tardi” to greet people, have a translation for “I appreciate
bay is a shortened version of “con ferent ways to greet according to which means “good after- it” in English, we do use “masha
ta bay?”, which essentially means the time of day, and Papiamento noon”. “Tardi” actually comes danki” to convey the message.
“how are you?” is no different. Since Papiamento is from the word “atardi”, which “Masha” means “a lot” or “very”,
heavily influences from Portuguese directly translates to “after- so “masha danki” means “thank
The word “con” in Papiamento and Spanish, some of these phras- noon”. However, the short- you very much”. q

Enjoy one of the best views on Aruba at the top of the Hooiberg Hill

(Oranjestad)—If you are a regu-
lar hiker, or maybe want to spice
up your morning work out session,
then you might enjoy one of the
most popular climbing sites on the
island: The Hooiberg Hill. Accom-
panied with a 600-step staircase,
this hill overlooks a great part of
the island, the Caribbean sea, and
sometimes even the Santa Anna
mountain located in the coastal
state of Falcon in Venezuela, pro-
viding one of the best views you
can get on Aruba. only 587 steps. However, don’t be The best time to climb the hill would
fooled—it may still be a work out to be early in the morning or right be-
located at the center district of the get on top. In addition, there is now fore sunset, as it may not be as hot.
island, Santa Cruz, the Hooiberg a gazebo placed halfway up the However, the hill is of course open
Hill is the second highest point on stair for a little rest. The view at this all day, every day.q
the island at 165 meters above sea resting stop is also a sight to see.
level (or about 540 feet above sea
level). The highest point is Jamano-
ta Hill at 189 meters (620 feet), lo-
cated in the Arikok National Park.
The staircase that run on the side of
the hill was first built in 1951, when
Mr. Eduardo Tromp constructed it.
At that time, the staircase consist-
ed of 900 steps. Over time, as the
steps faced erosion, the govern-
ment decided to renovate these
stairs in 1991. This new project de-
livered the newer staircase with