Festivals & Events

1. Ki fecha ta e Karnaval di Kòrsou?

   Ki fe-cha ta e Kar-na-val di Kòr-sou

   When is the Carnival of Curaçao?

   Usage

   Asking about the dates of Curaçao's famous Carnival celebration

   Grammar Note

   "fecha" is identical to Spanish (date); "Kòrsou" is the Papiamentu name for Curaçao

2. E desfile di Karnaval ta kuminsá ki ora?

   E des-fi-le di Kar-na-val ta ku-min-sá ki o-ra

   What time does the Carnival parade start?

   Usage

   Asking about the start time of the Carnival parade

   Grammar Note

   "desfile" is identical to Spanish (parade); "kuminsá" from Spanish "comenzar" (to begin)

3. Mi kier bisti un kostüm di Karnaval

   Mi kier bis-ti un kos-tüm di Kar-na-val

   I want to wear a Carnival costume

   Usage

   Expressing interest in participating in Carnival with a costume

   Grammar Note

   "bisti" from Spanish "vestir" (to dress); "kostüm" from Dutch "kostuum" (costume)

4. E Festival di Muzik ta un eksperensia úniko den bida.

   E Fes-ti-val di Mu-zik ta un eks-pe-ren-si-a ú-ni-ko den bi-da

   The Music Festival is a once-in-a-lifetime experience

   Usage

   Expressing enthusiasm about an unforgettable festival experience

   Grammar Note

   "úniko" means "unique/one and only" and "den bida" means "in life". "eksperensia" (experience) and "bida" (life) are Spanish-derived

5. Unda ta e lugar di e fiesta?

   Un-da ta e lu-gar di e fies-ta

   Where is the festival/party venue?

   Usage

   Asking about the location of a festival or celebration

   Grammar Note

   Both "lugar" (place) and "fiesta" (party/festival) are identical to Spanish

6. E celebrashon di Dia di Awa ta masha kolorido

   E ce-le-bra-shon di Di-a di A-wa ta ma-sha ko-lo-ri-do

   The Water Day celebration is very colorful

   Usage

   Describing a local Curaçao cultural celebration

   Grammar Note

   "celebrashon" from Spanish "celebración"; "kolorido" from Spanish "colorido" (colorful)

7. Por fabor bendi mi un tiket pa e festival

   Por fa-bor ben-di mi un ti-ket pa e fes-ti-val

   Please sell me one ticket for the festival

   Usage

   Buying a ticket for a festival or cultural event

   Grammar Note

   "bendi" from Spanish "vender" (to sell); "tiket" borrowed from English "ticket"

8. E tradishon di Dera Gai ta masha interesante

   E tra-di-shon di De-ra Gai ta ma-sha in-te-re-san-te

   The Dera Gai tradition is very interesting

   Usage

   Discussing Curaçao's traditional Dera Gai (rooster burial), a harvest ritual of the San Juan celebrations in June

   Grammar Note

   "tradishon" from Spanish "tradición"; Dera Gai is a harvest tradition of the June San Juan celebrations, not a Carnival ritual

9. Mi kier mirá e vürwèrk

   Mi kier mi-rá e vür-wèrk

   I want to watch the fireworks

   Usage

   Expressing interest in watching fireworks at a festival

   Grammar Note

   "vürwèrk" comes from Dutch "vuurwerk" (fireworks); ü and è are the vowel letters Papiamentu uses in Dutch loanwords

10. E Siman di Kòrsou ta selebrá kada aña

    E Si-man di Kòr-sou ta se-le-brá ka-da a-ña

    Curaçao Week is celebrated every year

    Usage

    Describing the annual Curaçao Week cultural celebration

    Grammar Note

    "cada aña" is identical to Spanish "cada año" (every year); "siman" from Spanish "semana" (week)

Browse all TravelPhrases languages