The Language of Vanuatu – Words and Phrases You’ll Need To Know

First of all, if you’ve got Vanuatu on your travel plan, high five! It’s a little-known country in the South Pacific that certainly doesn’t get the exposure it deserves. If you’re not planning to visit anytime soon, keep reading anyway, as the language of Vanuatu is interesting, endearing and occasionally pretty hilarious!

When I travelled there in 2014 it was almost on a whim; I knew I was heading out to Tonga to spend some time swimming with humpback whales and as I was so far across the other side of the world it made sense to do a little exploring. 

So where to go? Well, I had no real prior knowledge of the South Pacific and decided to simply google it and check out the images. Cue getting sucked into a world of endless ocean and white sands. It was then that I stumbled across an image of the blue holes on Espiritu Santo island looking breathtakingly, well, blue. A little more research (admittedly not very much!) and that was it, I’d booked a flight there. 

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that as the most comprehensive way to find a new destination, but sometimes it pays to be spontaneous, right? This spontaneity certainly paid off.

Now, let’s get into the good stuff. 

The lingo. 

What Is The Language Of Vanuatu?

I have to admit I had no idea what the language of Vanuatu was before I arrived. Vanuatuan? Vanuatish? 

Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly if those options didn’t convince you, it’s neither.

The vast majority of ni-Vanuatu (the term used to refer to those indigenous to the country) speak a form of Pidgin English called Bislama. It sounds similar to English, but has the grammar of Melanesian, with a few French and Spanish colloquialisms thrown in for good measure. 

It’s by no means the only language spoken across the rugged archipelago of Vanuatu, as they speak around 113 languages (not including multiple dialects!) but it’s often used as either their first or second language. Astonishing, considering the low population of under 300,000 people. That’s roughly one language spoken per every 2,600 people. Crazy!

Three Important Words You’ll Need to Know

1. Blong
2. Mi
3. Long

Probably the number one word you’ll notice being said, or see written down, is blong. 

Blong = Belong

You’ll also notice mi a lot. Mi translates to me, my, myself, etc. It’s just a simplified pronoun. You know the phrase “why say one word when a thousand will do”? Well, Bislama takes the opposite approach.

Whilst the grammar may be totally different, Bislama sounds phonetically similar to English, so sentences are often relatively easy to translate if you already speak English. 

For example:

Bia blong mi = My beer

Trak blong mi = My truck/car

Another word you’re bound to come across left, right and centre is long. Perhaps confusingly, this doesn’t carry the same meaning as it does in English. It translates to in, on, from and to.

Yu cam long Vanuatu = You have come to Vanuatu

So, we’ve covered three basic words that you’ll come across a LOT. Now let’s have a look at the typical conversational words and phrases that, if learnt and used, will gain you a friendly smile and some respect from the ni-Vanuatu.

Simple Words And Phrases You Should Learn

Below is a list of everyday phrases you should learn before going to Vanuatu. The ni-Vanuatu were very impressed when I reeled off a few words and phrases here and there. Not convinced my accent was on point, but they clearly got the gist!

As a native English speaker, it’s often all too easy to just speak English and assume everyone else understands. In most cases, everyone else does understand because English is such a universal language. However, that doesn’t mean us English speaking folk shouldn’t attempt a local language. 

It shows appreciation for being allowed to visit their country, shows respect for their culture and it’s fun! I love trying out speaking local languages! What’s so great about the language of Vanuatu is that as an English speaker already, the pronunciation comes reasonably easily. Below are some handy words and phrases to know, to give you the foundation for a simple conversation:

Halo                                                    Hello

Alè Tata                                              Goodbye

Gudmoning                                        Good morning

Gudnaet                                              Good night

Plis                                                       Please

Tankyu                                                Thanks

Tankyu tumas                                    Thank you

Yu oraet? / Olsem wanem?              How are you?

I orate, tankyu / I gud nomo            I’m fine, thanks

Mi sori tumas                                     I’m sorry

Skiusmi                                                Excuse me

Hamas (long hem)?                           How much (is that)?

Mi no save                                           I do not know/understand

It’s All In The Description

Most of us are used to everything having a different name. For example, in English, we don’t call the sea “salt water”, we give it a name: the sea, the ocean, etc. We wouldn’t call a small, 5-door family car a “truck”, we’d keep that name for something larger, a vehicle that carries building equipment in the back, perhaps.

In Bislama, however, they don’t offer out an array of different names for things. They simply stick with one word that covers a huge variety of things and then add an adjective alongside it. 

Check out what I mean below:

Wata                                                   Water

Solwata                                               Salt water (sea/ocean)

Kolwata                                               Cold water

Freswoto                                             Fresh water (drinking water)

Trak                                                     Truck/car/any road vehicle

Smol trak                                             Small truck (car)

Bigfala trak                                         Big truck/big car (or big fella truck as I like to imagine)

Fis                                                        Fish

Kaofis                                                  Cow fish (dugong)

Welfis                                                 Whale fish (whale)

Flaengfis                                             Flying fish

Words You Probably Won’t Need But Want To Know

Ok, this is the bit you probably wanted to read, maybe without even knowing you wanted to. I absolutely love how easy to pronounce Bislama is, and how descriptive their words are. Also high on my “why I love Bislama” list is how accidentally funny it can be. 

I therefore present to you the following. Prepare to giggle.

• If you didn’t know, sea snakes are striped black and white. Why not give them a name that perfectly describes them – blakanwaet. Black and white. Simple but effective.

• In Bislama, ‘uncle’ is angkel. It’s only natural therefore that ‘nephew’ would be smol angkel. A small uncle! Sounds so cute!

• While we’re on the theme of small things, if something’s really small, even tiny, it’s emphasised and described as smolsmol. No need for another word, just repeat it.

• This one I hope you never need, but for the ‘they’ve nailed the description’ factor I’ve included it. Haf ded. Yes, it’s exactly how it sounds – half dead. In other words, unconscious. 

• Now you’ll probably like one of these words as a standalone – pikinini, meaning ‘child’. It’s got one of those sounds that makes you want to snigger like a naughty school child. To improve upon it, why not describe the place where a child grows. A womb/uterus. I give you: basket blong pikinini. A basket for a child. Kind of genius when you think about it.

Hopefully you enjoyed this little insight into the language of Vanuatu. If you’re going, let me know what words and phrases you used and if you found out any new ones. Share the Bislama love!