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The Little Prince By Antoine De Saint-Exupéry Is Now Available In Chabacano!

While Le Petit Prince (The Little Prince) written by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry in 1943 now has over 300 translations in different languages worldwide and is now considered the world’s most translated book (not counting religious works), there have been surprisingly only two translations of his book in the Philippines (Filipino and Bicol). El Diutay Principe is only the third edition featuring a Philippine language. The Little Prince is a classic French novella about a pilot who gets stranded in the desert after a plane crash and encounters a little fellow who asks him to draw a sheep for him. Through the course of their meeting, the pilot rediscovers the true meaning of life and what people should value the most. When I came across the book in 2013, I found that I could relate very well to the negative image given to “growing up” in the book. When the idea to translate the book into my mother tongue was presented to me, I didn’t think twice. I thought, ‘a lot of people my ...

How To Say 'I Love You' And 'I Hate You' In Chabacano

Saying I love you in Chabacano is a bit tricky. Most people just say 'I love you' (pronouncing the word love as lab). But in songs or formal occasions, Chabacano speakers say 'I love you like this': ta ama yo contigo. Let’s dissect this sentence.

Ta= Present tense indicator

Ama= love

Yo= I

Contigo= you

Again, you’ll only hear this in songs. You really won’t hear people saying to each other ta ama yo contigo.

Saying I hate you in Chabacano is also a bit difficult. In the dictionary of Santos (2010), the word hate in Chabacano is rabia or odia. However I’m not really sure how to use these two words in a sentence because to me ta rabia yo contigo or ta odia yo contigo just doesn’t sound natural. Rabiao yo contigo (which is something people frequently say in Chabacano) just doesn't convey the correct emotion because it means something like I am angry at you (milder than hate).

So how do we say the English 'I hate you' in Chabacano?

One of the things that I will tell somebody to let them know that I don’t like them very much is peste gayod vos or makapeste gayod con vos! One can also say no quiere ya yo contigo. Although this is like I don’t like you anymore and sounds too mild. My female friends at the office always use the word enchila (from the Spanish enchilar, spelled as inchila in Camins' and Santos' dictionaries), ta enchila gayod yo con ele! Yes, that's more like it. 😠

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Comments

  1. how do you say I like you in Chavacano?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quiere yo con usted.
      Quiere yo contigo.



      Quiere yo con vos ______ mata! joke! ^_^

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    2. How do you say "God Loves you? in Chavacano?

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  2. It's quiere yo contigo or ta gusta yo contigo (although this is a bit vague and informal)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. both i think are understood the same. it is quite difficult to recognize the pure chavacano phrase, since chavacanos used to talk to cebuanos there, then the mixing of little (maybe a bit modified) cebuano words are present sometimes. Then somehow these few mixed words have become common and used later on.
      gusta -- gusto
      yo - me
      contigo - you

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    2. How do you say "I can't stop thinking of her" in chavacano?

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    3. Deficil gayot olbida conele

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    4. De facil gayot olvida con ele

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  3. i was born in zamboanga, but i forgot the language and trying to learn it again, can you tell me past/present/future tense? email me please

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  4. Hi Mark. Just replied to your email.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sir i am from cavite, can you help me learn caviteño chavacano,

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  5. How to say i want to be with you forever in chavacano?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Quiere yo esta junto contigo para siempre.

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    2. Forever translates to hasta para cuando
      so it's more like - quiere yo esta junto contigo hasta para cuando

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  6. can you help me on the pronoun and linking verbs on chavacano de zamboanga. its complicated please reply.

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  7. please post me the pronouns, verb,linking verb on the zamboanga chavacano im having problem how to use it.thanks.and translate it in english.thank you so much

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  8. Sino po ba pwede mag turo sakin ng chavacano please please help me gusto ko matutong magsalita kaso diko alam please...

    ReplyDelete
  9. how to say "i always thingking of her" in chavacano?
    please help me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Deficil gayot olbida conele

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    2. Deficil gayot ulbida conele is translated as ‘it’s really difficult to forget her”

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  10. Hi Anonymous. It would be: pirmi yo ta pensa conele.

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  11. Hi there! So glad i found this thread. How to say Happy Birthday! Thank you for being the great grandfather that you are. I love you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Felices compli año! Gracias por ser uste bien buen abuelo. Ta ama yo contigo

      Delete
  12. How about I miss you so much I want to keep you forever in my heart, I want to learn chavacano help me please

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bien tan miss gayod yo contigo. Quiere yo taqui tu na mio corazon hasta para cuando

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  13. Can someone translate this to english "aki lang tu nadimiyo custa o" i think this is in chavacano, thanks in advance:)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Lest. It means: stay here besides me.

    ReplyDelete
  15. magkaiba po ba yung Chavacano de zamboanga sa Chavacano de cavite and to other chavacano de ..... language ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes!

      There were SIX Dialects or Variants that were Development during Creolization Stage/phase of the Chavacano Language dated more than 300 years back.

      The Dialects of Chavacano Language, as follows:
      1.) Caviteño
      2.) Bahra
      3.) Ermitense
      4.) Cotabateñ
      5.) Castellano Abakay
      6.) Zamboangueño [which is my Mother Tongue/Mother Language or in Tagalog language (Sariliñg Uica).]

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    2. Arbol de la Familia del Idioma Chavacano, https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1407290846252895.1073741829.100009159805499&type=3

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  16. Yes. They are different variants of the Chabacano language.

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  17. How about, "I hold you up above everyone." Thanks po. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. uste el de mio arriba contra na todo el mundo

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  18. " peste gayod vos" translates to "peste ka talaga"
    "no quiere ya yo contigo" is somehow "i dont like you anymore"

    i was born there and lived until i graduated in elementary. hehe

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  19. I love chavacano . :v

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  20. Daog na lage ka mura man ko gekaminusan nimu. anyone who can translate this in tagalog a big help for me..thnx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "Daog na lage ka mura man ko gekaminusan nimu."

      - Oo na, panalo kana. Kung makalait.

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    2. "Daog na lage ka mura man ko gekaminusan nimu."

      - in Visayan

      "Oo na, panalo kana. Kung makapanglait."
      - Tagalog

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  21. Hi Anonymous. This is not Chabacano. However, according to a friend it means: Panalo ka na, parang minamaliit mo pa ako.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello po,ano po ba tlga sabihin ng chavacano,i love you. I miss you always.thank you po.im lani

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  22. "Odia"

    Ta odiá gat yo con vos. ¡RAYO!

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  23. what is happy bday on chavacano?

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  24. How to say " Who are you? in chavacano?

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  25. how do you say "may you rest in peace" in chabacano?!?

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  26. How do you say "I can't stop thingking about her" in chavacano? Thanks!

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  27. I can't stop thinking about her = Hinde yo ta puede para pensa con ele.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How do I say, "I adore you" in Chavacano?



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  28. Is anyone here willing to help me learn Chavacano? :D Please and thank you :)

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  29. Hi Michael. Maybe you misheard the speaker because that sentence doesn't make sense but it most probably means that the speaker or someone else likes you.

    ReplyDelete
  30. how to say i love you so much in chavacano?

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    Replies
    1. How to say "pwede ba akong manligaw sayo?" In chavacano?

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    2. Puede ba iyo enamora contigo? - Can i court you?

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  31. what is chavacano in "run"? And please use it in sentence

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  32. Ano chavacano sa "takbo"? Please din po use it in sentence

    ReplyDelete
  33. what is chavacano in "run"? And please use it in sentence

    ReplyDelete
  34. What is "I miss you" in chavacano?

    ReplyDelete
  35. http://bienchabacano.blogspot.com/2016/03/how-to-say-i-miss-you-in-chabacano.html

    ReplyDelete
  36. how do you say "thank you for always being there for me" in chavacano? i really want to learn your dialect and i found this blog so useful :) thank you for sharing this :D God bless <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Non-native Chavacano speaker here. It's kind of difficult to translate it directly, but I think the closest one is:

      "Muchas gracias gayot ha. Firmi tu aqui para conmigo."

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  37. Please translate: Ipinagmamalaki ko, ako ay Filipino to Chabacano de Zamboanga. Tnx.

    ReplyDelete
  38. I really want to learn this dialect, can someone help me ?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. Ano sa chavacano ang- ohh Sige inom tayo para mawala man lang ang mga problema mo

      Delete
  39. i wanna learn this dialect to because of my best friend ,can someone teach me please?

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  40. i want to learn that dialect too can someone teach me please?

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  41. paano naman po yung i love you too?

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  42. Pwede po pa translate ng kanta na "Si Ta Ama" by Kara Velasco?

    ReplyDelete
  43. Pwede po pa translate ng kanta "Si Ta Ama" by Kara Velasco?

    ReplyDelete
  44. Pwede po pa translate ng kanta "Si Ta Ama" by Kara Velasco?

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  45. Hi guys... pls help me on this... im serious i think ive fallen for you..

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  46. I hate you = Ta empescha yo con voz

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  47. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  48. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  49. I Love You
    I Hate You


    Interesting how we Zamboangueño chose the pronounce when saying:
    Ta Ama Yo Contigo/Con Usted.
    Con Usted/Contigo Yo Ta Ama.



    Ta Odia Yo Con Vos.
    Con Vos Yo Ta Odia.

    este when in deep pain gayot...
    Pero si aquel you just got annoyed by someone, ta puede kita habla:


    Ta Inchila yo con vos/contigo.
    Inchilao ya gat yo con vos/contigo
    Chinga! ta man ugot ugot ya gat yo con vos.
    Rayo! Ta hervi ya gat mi sangre con vos. ^_^


    There are a lot of expressions that Zamboangueños can say depending to whom they talk to.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Kere yo kontigo.. anu po sa tagalog? Sabi ng friend ko sakin na taga zamboanga

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  51. What does this mean?

    1.) deberasan Kere gayot yo kontigo
    2.) Kere yo kutigo ito lng el ya puwede dale kosa yo ta buska

    I would like to know, thank you so much po!

    ReplyDelete

  52. I love you too in Spanish
    If it is specifically about replying to someone and saying I love you too in Spanish then yes there are multiple ways for that. We can say that your reply in Spanish would depend on a lot of factors.
    i love you in spanish

    ReplyDelete
  53. What does it mean by "nusabe ya yo kosa abla"

    ReplyDelete

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