Learn Pijin:

Solomon Pijin is easy to learn, especially for English speaking people. In this page we are going to show only few examples which will help you get going in and around the hospital.  The best way to learn Pijin is to start speaking and learn as you speak!  

 

Pijin Vowel Sounds:

a   sounds as 'a' in father      

e   sounds as 'a' in baby

i     sounds as 'ee'  in week

o    sounds as 'oa' in boat

u   sounds as 'oo' in moon

  

Pijin Consonants sound very close to English.

 

Most Pijin words are English words just written in Pijin style.

Few Examples:

abaot = about

aes = ice

agri = agree

baet = bite

bikos = because

buk = book

dae = die

denja = danger

doa = door

drim = dream

evritaem = every time

faea = fire

fes = face

fren = friend

gan = gun

gud = good

gudnaet = good night

hama = hammer

hanggre = hungry

hani = honey

helt = health

helti = healthy

iang = young

Inglan = England

ivining = evening

jaj = judge

jem = germ

ka = car

kago = cargo

kamaot = to come out

kandere = country

klin = clean

kuin = queen

laef = life

lagun = lagoon

lida = leader

maket = market

mun = moon

mistek = mistake

muv = moove

namba = number

nius = news

ofis = office

oraet = alright

paoa = power

pei = pay

pipol = people

pua = poor

raes = rice (or rise)

raet = right

rif = reef

ruf = roof

safa = suffer

saon = sound

sekret = sacret/secret

sista = sister

smol = small

taem = time

tude = today

ves = verse

voes = voice

wari = worry

wei = way

wosip = worship

 

 

Verbs:

Most Pijin verbs are  taken from English words by adding 'em' or 'im' to the word:

 

adem = to add

adoptem =  to adopt

askem = to ask

aeanem = to iron clothes

baetem = to bite

bringim = to bring

draevem = to drive

dringim = to drink

duim = to do

enjoiem = to enjoy

faetem = to fight

finisim = to finish

givim = to give

haedem = to hide

hamarem = to hammer

holem = to hold

iusim = to use

joenem = to join

katem = to cut

kisim = to kiss

kukim = to cook

lanem = to learn

lidim = to lead

lukim = to look at

mekem = to make

mitim = to meet 

openem = to open

pusim = to push

raetem = to write

ridim = to read

saenem = to sign

talem = to tell

traem = to try

visitim = to visit

wearem = to wear

wivim = to weave

 

FEW NOTES ON GRAMMAR 

 

About Plurals & Tense  :

There are no plural forms in Pijin as that in English. There are no different words for Present and Past Tenses, except when you may add 'finis' (finish) after the verb. Most sentences with Future Tense begins with  'Bae' or 'Baebae'.

 

e.g:  Present tense:  Mi go long hospital  ( I am going to hospital)

       Past tense:   Mi go long hospital OR Mi go finis long hospital

       Future tense: Bae mi go long hospital (I will go to the hospital)

Bae or Baebae = will, shall

 

Prepositions:

There are 4 common prepositions in Pijin: long, blong, fo and from

long  is the commonest and may be loosely called universal preposition. It may be variously  translated in English as: 'at', 'in', 'on', 'of', 'to', 'by', 'about',and 'for'.

 

blong : (Eng:belong) indicates possession. e.g: Nem blong mi Sue(My name is Sue)

fo : indicates purpose, future possession, and characteristic of:

      e.g: Hem i man fo dring  (He is a drunkard)

     'fo' is also used sometimes as "to": e.g. Mi laek fo go (I want to go)

From: largely similar in use as English

 

Pronouns:

There are no gender markers in Pijin:

English                                   Pijin

I, Me                                 Mi

You                                   Yu (singular) Yufala (plural)

He/She/It                           Hem

We                                    Yumi (includes the listener)

                                        Mifala (excludes the listener)

 

They/Them                         Olketa

 

Directionals:

Indicates the direction of action: They are kam  and go

e.g: Yu tekem kam (You bring it)

       Yu putim go long tebol (You put it on the table there)

 

Emphasis markers:

They are ia, nao, nomoa, seleva

e.g: Hem tu, ia. (He also, the very one)

      Yu nao save (You are the one who knows)

 

'nomoa' emphasizes by denial of the negative, that is "nothing else but".

      Gud nomoa (It couldn't be better)

      Yu seleva mas duim (You yourself must do it)

 

 

Predicate marker: "i"

"i" comes between the subject of a sentence and the verb. Mainly used when the subject is third person:

e.g:  Hem i sik  (He is sick)

       Olketa i save (They know)

 

Additional Markers:

 

added at the end of the phrase they qualify:

agen = again

moa = again, some more

tu =  too, as well.

 

e.g: Yumi duim moa (Let's do it again)

 

Conditionals:

Conditionals come before the statement they qualify;

sapos = if

nomata =  even if, although

nogud = it would be good if, lest

 

e.g: Sapos yu go, baebae mi go tu (If you go, I will go too)

      Nomata yu talem hem, baebae hem i no lisen (Even if you tell him, he will not listen)

      Yu no go, nogud yu dae (don't go, it would be no good if you were to die)

 

Negatives:

All come before the words they negate:

no = not

nomoa = no, no more

nating  = not at all, definitely not, never

 

Hem i no save (He does not know)

Nomoa eni mit i stap (There isn't any more meat left)

Hem i nating save (He is completely in the dark)

 

Interrogatives:

wanem = what?

hu =  who?

wea = where?

hao = how?

waswe = why?,  How?, is it the case that?

wataem = when?,  At what time? 

blong hu = whose?

haomeni = How many?

 

These question words often begins the sentence and are usually followed by 'nao'.

e.g: Hu nao nem blong yu? (What/Who is your name?)

      Wanem nao yu duim? (What are you doing?)

        

 

OK, OK! Enough of Grammar! Let's start talking!

Some Conversational sentences that may be useful around the hospital: (English to Pijin)

What is your name? = Hu nao nem blong yu?

My name is John = Nem blong mi John

How old are you? = Haomas nao yia blong yu?

I am 20 years old = Eij blong mi 20

Where do you live? = Wea nao yu stap? or Wea nao ples blong yu?

I live in Nusa Hope = Mi stap long Nusa Hope

What is your sickness? = Wanem nao siknes blong yu?

What is wrong with you? =  Wanem nao rong long yu?

I have pain in my abdomen = Mi garem soa long belle blong mi

When did it started? = Wataem nao hem i stat?

It started yesterday = Hem i stat yastade

Were you alright day before yesterday? = Yu oraet las yastade?

Yes, I was alright = Ya, mi oraet

Is it alright if I look at your abdomen? = Hem i oraet sapos mi lukluk  long belle blong yu?

Please look at me = Plis luk kam long me

Open your mouth = openem maos

Put out your tongue = Aotem tang

Take your shirt off = Aotem sote

Lie down = lae daon (or  slip)

Where does it pain most? = Wea nao soa hem i strong?

Breathe in = Tek win

Sit = sidaon

stand = stand ap 

walk = wakabaot

go to pharmacy = go long pamasi

quickly = kwiktaem

take this medicine twice a day = dringim disfala meresin tufala taem long wan dei

come back next week = kam baek neks wik

 

Some medical terms:

pain = soa

abscess/lump = boila

fever = fiva

itching = scratch

injury = karakil

cut = kat

cough = kof

sputum = spit

elephantiasis = big lek

Diabetes = suga

diarrhoea = belle ran

ulcer = alsa

breathlessness = sot win (short wind!)

shivering = sek sek

vomit = toro aot

injection = nila

 

Relationships

father = dadi, fada

mother = mami, mada

brother = barata

sister = sista

uncle = anggol, angkol

grandparent, grandchild = grani

relative = wantok

child, children = pikinini

 

Food & food items

food = kaikai

eat = kaikai,kaikaim

green vegetable = kabis

tasty = swit

not tasty = saoa

 

Business = bisnis

market =maket

money = selen, seleni

change = sens

buy = baem, peim

 

Few common Pijin words:

long (already shown above)

lelebet = slightly, a little, rather, to a small extent

barava = true, truely, really, exact, genuine, authentic

olsem = to be like, to resemble, to be the same as.

olketa = they, them

         = the, a definite plural marker: eg.: Lukluk long olketa pikinini (look at the children)

 

Thank you = Tanggio