Chapter 13: Useful Terms & Phrases

English is the official language of Belize, but the country is one of the most polyglot places on the planet. In addition to English, many Belizeans speak Spanish, and among some members of the population, this is the primary language. You will find Spanish prevalent in the northern and western regions, near the borders with Mexico and Guatemala, but given Belize’s long history of immigration, Spanish speakers can be found throughout the country. In fact, conversations among Belizeans are often a mix of English and Spanish (“Spanglish”), with a fair amount of Creole thrown in for good measure.

Creole, or Kriol, is the local patois, a colorful, rhythmic, and often difficult-to-understand dialect. Although based primarily on English, it takes some getting used to before most Westerners can grasp the pronunciations and sentence structures that distinguish Belizean Kriol. While this was originally the language of former black slaves and their descendants, today most Belizeans understand and speak Kriol, and they will often use it among themselves in the presence of foreigners if they don’t want to be understood.

In addition to English, Spanish, and Kriol, Belize’s Garífuna (or Garinagu) people have their own distinct language, while the various Maya tribes still speak primarily their native languages.

Creole Terms

Creole, or Kriol, is largely based on English, although it does incorporate words and syntax from various African languages as well. Once you get the hang of certain pronunciations and syntactical phrasings, however, it’s actually quite easy to understand. Almost any Kriol speaker will understand you if you speak in English. However, they’ll be really impressed if you start inserting various Kriol words and phrases into your conversations.

Basic Words

Agen Again

Aks To ask

An And

Bak Back

Bwai Boy

Chinchi A very small amount

Daata Daughter

Da At, on, in, to

Da Is, am, are

Da It is

Deh/di Am, is, are (located); for instance, “Ih deh pahn di boat” means “He/she is on the boat”

Dehn Them

Di The

Doe Door

Fi To

Fo For

Ih He, she, it

Kunku Small

Nize Noise

Noh Isn’t it so?

Shudda Should have

Tideh Today

Uman Woman

Unu You all

Vex/bex Angry

Waata Water

Wudda Would have

Yaiy Eye

Yaiy waata Tears, literally “eye water”

Yerriso Gossip

Menu Items

Bail op Traditional dish made with cassava, cocoa, sweet potatoes, plantains, boil cake, and fish or pig’s tail

Bambam Traditional dish made with cassava

Bami Cassava bread

Chimoaleh Traditional dish of blackened chicken soup and rice; chimole in Spanish

Dukunu Dish of mashed and steamed corn, wrapped in a leaf, similar to a tamal

Eskabaycheh Pickled onion soup with chicken or fish; derived from the Spanish word escabeche (“pickled”)

Garnache Fried tortilla topped with beans and rice

Janny kake Traditional fried or baked bread, served at breakfast

Konks Conch

Panades Traditional dish of finely chopped fish wrapped in a tortilla

Recado Red achiote paste

Reyeno Soup made with chicken, pork, and boiled eggs

Rise and beanz Rice and beans with coconut milk

Rompopo Alcoholic drink similar to eggnog

Strech-mi-gots Traditional taffy

Tablayta Coconut candy

Wildlife

Bilam Small river fish

Chaaly prise Large rat

Gaalin Heron

Gibnut Paca

Gwaana Iguana

Hooyu Owl

Jankro Vulture

Janny fidla Fiddler crab

Kwash Coati, coati-mundi

Taapong Tarpon

Tuba River fish

Waari Wild pig or peccary

Waata daag River otter

Weewi ants Leaf-cutter ant

Wowla Boa constrictor, also used to refer to a type of basket used for processing cassava for bread

Folklore & Traditional Terms

Anansi/Hanaasi Popular character in local folklore, portrayed as the trickster and hero of local tales

Bram A dance party held at Christmas; a type of dance at parties

Brokdong/Brukdown Traditional folk music, from “break down”

Gombeh Typical hand drum made with goatskin

Punta Sensual and vigorous dance, also refers to its accompanying music

Sambai Full-moon fertility dance

Tata Duhendeh Mythical forest gnome, with no thumbs and backward feet

Wine op A lively, hip-swinging dance

Spanish Terms

Basic Phrases

English Spanish Pronunciation

Good morning Buenos días Bweh-nohss dee-ahss

Good afternoon/evening Buenas tardes Bweh-nahss tahr-dehs

Good night Buenas noches Bweh-nahss noh-chehs

How are you? ¿Cómo está usted? Koh-moh eh-stah oo-stehd

Very well Muy bien Mwee byehn

Thank you Gracias Grah-syahss

Good-bye Adios Ad-dyohss

Please Por favor Pohr fah-vohr

Yes Sí See

No No Noh

Excuse me (to get by someone) Perdóneme Pehr-doh-neh-meh

Excuse me (to begin a question) Disculpe Dee-skool-peh

Give me Deme Deh-meh

Where is . . . ? ¿Dónde está . . . ? Dohn-deh eh-stah

the station la estación la eh-stah-syohn

the bus stop la parada la pah-rah-dah

a hotel un hotel oon oh-tehl

a restaurant un restaurante oon reh-stow-rahn-teh

the toilet el servicio el ser-bee-syoh

To the right A la derecha Ah lah deh-reh-chah

To the left A la izquierda Ah lah ee-skyehr-dah

Straight ahead Adelante Ah-deh-lahn-teh

I would like . . . Quiero . . . Kyeh-roh

to eat comer ko-mehr

a room una habitación oo-nah ah-bee-tah-syohn

How much is it? ¿Cuánto? Kwahn-toh

The check La cuenta La kwen-tah

When? ¿Cuándo? Kwahn-doh

What? ¿Qué? Keh

What time is it? ¿Qué hora es? Keh oh-rah ehss

Yesterday Ayer Ah-yehr

Today Hoy Oy

Tomorrow Mañana Mah-nyah-nah

Breakfast Desayuno Deh-sah-yoo-noh

Lunch Almuerzo Ahl-mwehr-soh

Dinner Cena Ceh-nah

Do you speak English? ¿Habla usted inglés? Ah-blah oo-stehd een-glehss

Is there anyone here who speaks English? ¿Hay alguien aquí que hable inglés? Eye ahl-gyehn ah-kee keh ah-bleh een-glehss

I speak a little Spanish. Hablo un poco de español. Ah-bloh oon poh-koh deh eh-spah-nyohl

I don’t understand Spanish very well. No (lo) entiendo muy bien el español. Noh (loh) ehn-tyehn-doh mwee byehn el eh-spah-nyohl

Numbers

English Spanish Pronunciation

one uno (oo-noh)

two dos (dohss)

three tres (trehss)

four cuatro (kwah-troh)

five cinco (seen-koh)

six seis (sayss)

seven siete (syeh-teh)

eight ocho (oh-choh)

nine nueve (nweh-beh)

ten diez (dyehss)

eleven once (ohn-seh)

twelve doce (doh-seh)

thirteen trece (treh-seh)

fourteen catorce (kah-tohr-seh)

fifteen quince (keen-seh)

sixteen dieciséis (dyeh-see-sayss)

seventeen diecisiete (dyeh-see-syeh-teh)

eighteen dieciocho (dyeh-syoh-choh)

nineteen diecinueve (dyeh-see-nweh-beh)

twenty veinte (bayn-teh)

thirty treinta (trayn-tah)

forty cuarenta (kwah-rehn-tah)

fifty cincuenta (seen-kwehn-tah)

sixty sesenta (seh-sehn-tah)

seventy setenta (seh-tehn-tah)

eighty ochenta (oh-chehn-tah)

ninety noventa (noh-behn-tah)

one hundred cien (syehn)

one thousand mil (meel)

Days of the Week

English Spanish PronunciationMonday lunes (loo-nehss)

Tuesday martes (mahr-tehss)

Wednesday miércoles (myehr-koh-lehs)

Thursday jueves (wheh-behss)

Friday viernes (byehr-nehss)

Saturday sábado (sah-bah-doh)

Sunday domingo (doh-meen-goh)