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A8 LOCAL
Thursday 9 November 2023

Papiamento words and phrases you may want to know!

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

Aruba’s Nature is to be Cherished

activities is available. low muddy water while sweeping its flattened
Did you know that four of the in total seven bill from side to side to catch small fish, crus-
species of sea turtle lay their eggs on Aruba's taeceans and other aquatic invertebrates. The
beaches? In the national park, a Least Tern Roseate Spoonbill remains an uncommon sight
(Sternula antillarum) keeps a strict eye on a as they are vulnerable to degradation of feed-
very special event taking place below on the ing and nesting habitats (Wetlands). (Source:
beach: a majestic Leatherback (Dermochelys arikok national park)
coriacea) heads back to sea after laying her
eggs, while another nest laid 2 months ago by The aforementioned is just a part of what
ST. CRUZ — The national park Arikok compris- the same female hatches. A very rare occur- Aruba’s nature has to offer. We cannot stress
es almost 18 % of the island. Its rugged terrain, rence of daytime nesting and hatching. Sea enough to go, see for yourself. The island has
desert-like hills filled with tall cacti, breathtaking turtles prefer nesting in the cool and dark hours the most beautiful beaches but it is also worth-
coastline and protected local flora and fauna of the night. And hatchlings usually wait for the while to go beyond this and get an idea of our
welcome you to be explored. There is numer- cue of cooling surface sand before emerging. entire island. Lately there is a discussion going
ous wildlife to discover like for example the sea on about the effect certain activities have on
turtle who lays his eggs on the park’s beaches. Bubali Magic our nature, for example the ATV vehicles cause
There are more places on the island that are a This beautiful close-up image of the pink bird is a lot of dust, noise and leave tire tracks. Animals
preserved area like the Bubali Plas which is a courtesy of Michiel Oversteegen of the Aruba live in these areas where the vehicles run, often
bird sanctuary. Birdlife Conservation. This important foundation with high speed and with detrimental conse-
showcases and builds awareness of Aruba’s quences to flora and fauna. Motorized vehicles
The national park Arikok takes you on a memo- birds and other native flora and fauna. You are forbidden to drive on the sand dunes in the
rable journey of the islands past offering unique may have seen a ‘pink cloud’ lately at the Bub- Northern part of the island and all beaches in
geological, cultural and historical sites. These ali or Spanish Lagoon Wetlands areas? It’s most Aruba are forbidden for any motorized vehicle.
can all be enjoyed and explored either on your likely to be Roseate Spoonbills (Ajaia ajaja) or Treasure our island to enjoy it like you do: as a
own or during guided tours. A wide variety of ‘Chucharon Cora’ as they are known in Papia- tropical and natural paradise. We truly appreci-
educational and informative programs and fun mento. This unusual looking bird forages in shal- ate it!q