Martial Arts

1. Mi por wak e entrenamentu?

   Mi por wak e en-tre-na-men-tu

   May I watch the training?

   Usage

   The ABC islands have no distinctive traditional martial art of their own, but Willemstad on Curaçao and Oranjestad on Aruba have boxing, judo, karate and kickboxing gyms. As part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the islands inherited a Dutch judo tradition

   Grammar Note

   Papiamentu has a single invariable definite article "e". Verbs do not conjugate either; tense is carried by preverbal "a" (past), "ta" (present) and "lo" (future)

2. Mi por bin un dia so?

   Mi por bin un di-a so

   Can I come for just one day?

   Usage

   Island gyms mostly charge monthly, but many will sell a single session to a visitor. Gyms near the cruise terminals are used to short-stay guests

   Grammar Note

   "So" means only and follows the noun phrase. It derives from Spanish "solo" but works as an independent limiting word in Papiamentu

3. Kuantu ta kosta un les?

   Kuan-tu ta kos-ta un les

   How much does one lesson cost?

   Usage

   Aruba uses the Aruban florin while Curaçao and Bonaire differ, with Bonaire on the US dollar. Prices reflect a tourist economy, so budget roughly twenty to forty dollars per session. Card payment is widespread

   Grammar Note

   Papiamentu vocabulary is mainly Iberian, but Dutch rule left many Dutch-derived words such as "les" (lesson) in everyday use

4. Mi ta un prinsipiante, mi nunka a bringa.

   Mi ta un prin-si-pi-an-te, mi nun-ka a brin-ga

   I am a beginner, I have never fought

   Usage

   Tell the desk or coach up front and they will begin with stance and basic movement. Island gyms have a family atmosphere where a beginner never stands out

   Grammar Note

   The past is marked by "a" before the verb. "Nunka a bringa" means "never fought", with the verb itself unchanged

5. Boso tin guantenan pa hür?

   Bo-so tin guan-te-nan pa hür

   Do you have gloves to rent?

   Usage

   Most gyms keep loaner gloves, but hand wraps and mouthguards are your own for hygiene reasons. Island sports shops stock them, though the choice is limited

   Grammar Note

   Plurals are formed with the suffix "-nan" (guante becomes guantenan). This marker is generally attributed to African substrate influence and is one of the defining features of Papiamentu

6. Por fabor, bai poko poko ku mi.

   Por fa-bor, bai po-ko po-ko ku mi

   Please take it easy with me

   Usage

   Say this before sparring. "Poko poko" means slowly, little by little, and is often used to describe the island pace of life. To ask for the opposite, say "mas duru" (harder)

   Grammar Note

   Reduplication is a common Papiamentu device for emphasis or continuity, as in "poko poko" (little by little) and "lihé lihé" (quickly)

7. Mi rudia ta duel, mi no por skop.

   Mi ru-di-a ta duel, mi no por skop

   My knee hurts, I cannot kick

   Usage

   Always declare this before training. Swap "rudia" (knee) for "skouder" (shoulder), "lomba" (back) or "enkel" (ankle). Gyms take no intake form, so speaking up is the only way

   Grammar Note

   Negation places "no" before the verb. Possession simply puts the possessive pronoun before the noun, so "mi rudia" is "my knee"

8. Ki ora e les ta kuminsá?

   Ki o-ra e les ta ku-min-sá

   What time does the lesson start?

   Usage

   Gyms on the ABC islands cluster classes early in the morning and after six in the evening, avoiding the midday heat for anything outdoors. Many close on Sundays

   Grammar Note

   "Ki" is the question word for which or what, combining with nouns as in "ki ora" (what time) and "ki dia" (what day). Accent marks indicate where the stress falls

9. Boso ta duna les di hudo òf karate?

   Bo-so ta du-na les di hu-do òf ka-ra-te

   Do you give judo or karate lessons?

   Usage

   As parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Curaçao and Aruba took up judo early through Dutch channels. Many clubs run children's judo classes and are relaxed about visitors trying a session

   Grammar Note

   The letter "ò" writes an open o, appearing mostly in words of Dutch origin. "Duna les" — to give a lesson — is the set expression for teaching

10. Tin un dùsj akinan?

    Tin un dùsj a-ki-nan

    Is there a shower here?

    Usage

    The ABC islands are dry but stay around thirty degrees all year and you will sweat heavily. Gyms usually have showers, though towels are your own. Fresh water is precious on the islands, so keep it brief

    Grammar Note

    "Tin" covers both possession and existence and can stand alone as "tin ..." meaning "there is". The digraph "sj" spells the same sh sound as in Dutch

11. Mustra mi e move ei un biaha mas, por fabor.

    Mus-tra mi e mo-ve ei un bi-a-ha mas, por fa-bor

    Show me that move one more time, please

    Usage

    The standard request while learning a technique. Island gyms have a family feel and you can ask as often as you like. If you do not know the name of the move, gesturing works fine

    Grammar Note

    The demonstratives "aki" (this), "ei" (that) and "aya" (that yonder) follow the noun and pair with the article "e", as in "e move ei" (that move)

12. Hisa bo mannan, wak den wowo di bo kontrinkante!

    Hi-sa bo man-nan, wak den wo-wo di bo kon-trin-kan-te

    Get your hands up, look into your opponent's eyes!

    Usage

    Said by the coach. Gyms on the ABC islands mix Papiamentu, Dutch, English and Spanish freely. It comes as a curt imperative with no rudeness intended

    Grammar Note

    Imperatives use the bare verb with no tense marker. "Bo" is the second-person singular and doubles as the possessive

13. Dal ku tur bo forsa, no wanta!

    Dal ku tur bo for-sa, no wan-ta

    Hit with all your strength, do not hold back!

    Usage

    Said by the coach during pad work. In actual sparring you would be told "poko poko" instead, so treat this as aimed at pads and bags

    Grammar Note

    A negative command simply puts "no" before the verb. "Dal" is a broad everyday verb for striking, used well beyond the gym

14. Sosegá sinku minüt, bebe awa.

    So-se-gá sin-ku mi-nüt, be-be a-wa

    Rest five minutes, drink water

    Usage

    Said by the coach. The ABC islands are hot year round and the constant trade wind dries sweat fast, making dehydration easy to miss. Tap water is desalinated and safe to drink

    Grammar Note

    The letter "ü" appears in words of Dutch origin, while "awa" comes from the Iberian side — a neat illustration of Papiamentu's dual lexical heritage

15. Ta basta pa awe. Bo a hasi bon!

    Ta bas-ta pa a-we. Bo a ha-si bon

    That is enough for today. You did well!

    Usage

    The coach's closing line. Sessions usually end with handshakes or fist bumps all round. Reply with "danki" (thank you)

    Grammar Note

    The past is marked by "a" before the verb: "bo a hasi" is "you did". The thanks word "danki" comes from Dutch "dank je"

16. Boso tin un abonemènt pa un luna?

    Bo-so tin un a-bo-ne-mènt pa un lu-na

    Do you have a monthly membership?

    Usage

    Staying two weeks or more, monthly membership usually beats paying per session. Island prices are high and a month can cost as much as in a European or North American city. Ask up front about a joining fee and whether an unused month is refundable

    Grammar Note

    The letter "è" writes an open e and appears mostly in words of Dutch origin. The preposition "pa" covers purpose and duration: "pa un luna" (for one month), "pa mi" (for me)

17. Tin klas spesial pa hende muhé?

    Tin klas spe-si-al pa hen-de mu-hé

    Is there a special class for women?

    Usage

    Women's kickboxing and self-defence classes are popular on Curaçao and Aruba and usually run in the early evening. The islands are small and places are limited, so message ahead to secure a spot

    Grammar Note

    Gender is expressed by compounding with "hende" (person): "hende muhé" (woman), "hende hòmber" (man). Nouns carry no grammatical gender and modifiers follow the noun

18. Ki dia mi por kuminsá bringa ku un kompañero?

    Ki di-a mi por ku-min-sá brin-ga ku un kom-pa-ñe-ro

    When can I start sparring with a partner?

    Usage

    Sparring happens only when the coach says so. Island gyms are small and your partner may well be far more experienced, so always ask for light contact. A mouthguard is your own and any island sports shop stocks them

    Grammar Note

    Verbs never inflect; they simply follow a modal such as "por" (can) in their base form. Stringing two verbs together is all that is needed for "start to fight": "kuminsá bringa"

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