Convenience Store

1. Kuantu esaki ta kosta?

   Ku-an-tu e-sa-ki ta kos-ta?

   How much does this cost?

   Usage

   For the small corner shops of the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao). The Chinese-run mini-markets, universally called tokos, are a fixture of island life. Staff switch freely between Papiamentu, Dutch, Spanish and English, so opening in Papiamentu marks you out as someone who belongs.

   Grammar Note

   Papiamentu verbs do not conjugate; tense is carried by preverbal particles — ta (present), a (past), lo (future). The verb form stays identical regardless of subject: mi ta kosta, el a kosta.

2. Bo ke un saku?

   Bo ke un sa-ku?

   Do you want a bag?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Aruba banned single-use plastic bags in 2017 and Curaçao and Bonaire followed, so what you get is a paid paper or reusable bag. Most people bring their own.

   Grammar Note

   Papiamentu turns a statement into a question by intonation alone, leaving the word order untouched: "Bo ke un saku." is the corresponding statement.

3. Duna mi un saku, por fabor.

   Du-na mi un sa-ku, por fa-bor.

   Please give me a bag

   Usage

   The customer's version. Por fabor comes from Spanish por favor and is fully at home in everyday Papiamentu.

   Grammar Note

   Imperatives drop the tense particle ta and use the bare verb, with the object pronoun immediately after (duna mi = give me). Papiamentu pronouns have the same form in subject and object roles, so position alone assigns the role.

4. Plaka òf karchi?

   Pla-ka òf kar-chi?

   Cash or card?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Debit cards — locally "pin", after the Dutch system — are widely used across the ABC islands, though a small toko may set a minimum or take cash only. Currencies differ: the Aruban florin, the Caribbean guilder in Curaçao, and since 2011 the US dollar in Bonaire, where dollar cash works directly.

   Grammar Note

   Òf borrows Dutch of (or). Papiamentu is an Iberian-based creole with a heavy Dutch overlay, and everyday speech mixes both sources freely. Plaka originally meant a coin.

5. Mi por paga ku karchi?

   Mi por pa-ga ku kar-chi?

   Can I pay by card?

   Usage

   The customer's version. Supermarkets and restaurants in tourist areas take cards, but small tokos and street stalls often stay cash-only, and some shops add a surcharge for foreign-issued credit cards. Keep cash for small purchases.

   Grammar Note

   Por (can) is a modal placed before the verb without the tense particle ta, and stays invariable: mi por, bo por, e por. Ku corresponds to Spanish con and Portuguese com.

6. Bo ke un resibo?

   Bo ke un re-si-bo?

   Do you want a receipt?

   Usage

   Said by staff. A small toko may have no till and issue nothing at all. Aruba and Curaçao levy a turnover tax (BBO / OB), which registered shops usually fold into the displayed price.

   Grammar Note

   Resibo borrows Spanish recibo. Papiamentu avoids final consonants and preserves Iberian-origin words in nearly their source shape.

7. Un bòter di awa friu, por fabor.

   Un bò-ter di a-wa fri-u, por fa-bor.

   A bottle of cold water, please

   Usage

   The ABC islands are hot and arid year-round, so water matters. Island tap water comes from desalination plants, is of high quality and is safe to drink straight — bottled water is not a necessity.

   Grammar Note

   Adjectives follow the noun (awa friu = cold water). Bòter comes from Dutch, awa and friu from Iberian sources — a single short sentence blending both strata, which is very typically Papiamentu.

8. Unda tin pan?

   Un-da tin pan?

   Where is the bread?

   Usage

   Dutch Caribbean shops stock Dutch bread and treats (stroopwafels, hagelslag) alongside local pan bati, the cornmeal flatbread. Regulars come early for what has just come out of the oven.

   Grammar Note

   Tin covers both "to have" and "there is", and can form an existential clause with no subject at all — "Unda tin X?" is the set phrase for "where is there any X?".

9. Unda ta e baño?

   Un-da ta e ba-ño?

   Where is the toilet?

   Usage

   Small tokos rarely have a customer toilet; petrol stations, malls and beach facilities are the reliable options. Dutch toilet or English bathroom will be understood too.

   Grammar Note

   The definite article is a single invariant e, with no gender or number agreement — a typical creole simplification, in sharp contrast to Spanish el / la / los / las.

10. Mi por karga mi telefòn aki?

    Mi por kar-ga mi te-le-fòn a-ki?

    Can I charge my phone here?

    Usage

    Small shops usually say no, so a café or a hotel lobby is a better bet. Mains supply is 110V in Aruba and Curaçao and 127V in Bonaire with US-style plugs, but the details vary by island — check before you travel.

    Grammar Note

    Possessives are simply the subject pronouns placed before the noun: mi telefòn (my phone), bo kas (your house). Karga comes from Spanish cargar and covers both loading and charging.

11. Bo tin power bank?

    Do you have a power bank?

    Usage

    Papiamentu absorbs new English loanwords as-is, so "power bank" is understood exactly as written. A small toko is unlikely to stock one — try a phone shop or electronics store.

    Grammar Note

    Papiamentu's vocabulary is layered: an Iberian core, a Dutch layer for administration and daily life, and English for newer technology. Almost all IT terms come from English.

12. Mi ke rekargá mi telefòn.

    Mi ke re-kar-gá mi te-le-fòn.

    I want to top up my phone

    Usage

    Prepaid top-ups are sold at tokos and petrol stations and are the easiest option for visitors. The operators are Setar and Digicel in Aruba, Flow and Digicel in Curaçao. Give your number and the amount and the vendor loads it on the spot.

    Grammar Note

    Spanish-derived verbs enter Papiamentu with a written accent on the final syllable (-á / -í). The presence or absence of that accent often hints at which layer of the lexicon a word belongs to: rekargá, paga, kompra.

13. Unda tin un ATM?

    Un-da tin un ATM?

    Where is there an ATM?

    Usage

    ATMs are plentiful in tourist areas and town centres. Machines in Aruba and Curaçao usually let you choose between local currency and US dollars, and taking dollars saves you an exchange step. In Bonaire the currency is the dollar anyway.

    Grammar Note

    The indefinite article is the invariant un. Plurality is not marked on the article but by the noun suffix -nan (ATM-nan = ATMs).

14. Mi no tin sèn chikitu.

    Mi no tin sèn chi-ki-tu.

    I don't have small change

    Usage

    Said by staff, and equally usable by you. A small toko may not be able to break a large note. In Bonaire US coins and notes circulate directly; in Curaçao and Aruba shops will take dollars but normally give change in local currency.

    Grammar Note

    Negation is simply no before the verb; when a tense particle is present it follows the no (mi no ta bai = I am not going).

15. Un so, por fabor.

    Un so, por fa-bor.

    Just one, please

    Usage

    For making the quantity clear. Swap in dos (two) or tres (three) as needed.

    Grammar Note

    So (only) follows the word it modifies: mi so (only me), awe so (only today). The cardinals stay close to Spanish: un, dos, tres, kuater, sinku.

16. Te ki ora boso ta habrí?

    Te ki o-ra bo-so ta ha-brí?

    Until what time are you open?

    Usage

    For asking opening hours. Small island shops often shut for a midday break, and Sunday means closed or reduced hours. As Dutch territories they observe Dutch public holidays plus their own — Flag Day, Carnival and the like.

    Grammar Note

    Te is the preposition "until", used for both time and place, and boso is the plural "you", suitable when addressing a shop as an organisation. Note that spelling differs by island: Curaçao and Bonaire use a phonemic orthography (habrí, sèn) while Aruba keeps an etymological one (habri, cen).

Browse all TravelPhrases languages