The larger part of the Surinamese population is descended from immigrants who came from three different continents: Africa, Asia and Europe. Because of that fact, the Surinamese people speak many different languages: Dutch (language of the colonists from The Netherlands), Sranan (creole language), Sarnami Hindi (language descended of Hindi from India), Javanese (from Indonesia), Chinese (from China) and Maroon and American Indian langauges. Dutch is the official language of Suriname. It is used at the schools and by the government. However in everyday situations Surinamese will often use Sranan.
Sranan is a language that emerged as communication language between European immigrants, African immigrants and the native Indians. It contains elements from English, Portugese, Dutch, and influences from African and Indian languages. The language was used from around 1700.
This text contains a short introduction into Sranan. If you are looking for information about the official language of Suriname, Dutch, check out the Integral Dutch Course (>100k) at location 1 or location 2. Below you will find some useful expressions in Sranan, mini-dictionaries Sranan-English and vice versa and pointers to literature about Sranan. The spelling used here is the same as in the 1985 book on Sranan by Max Sordam and Hein Eersel.
Some useful expressions in Sranan
odi masra (misi) - good day mister (miss)
fa waka? - how are you?
fa yu tan? - how are you?
mi bun - I am fine
mi siki - I am ill
grantangi - thanks
mi o si - see you later
tan bun - stay well
disi na mi masra (uma) - this is my husband (wife)
mi wroko gi ... - I work for ...
mi komopo de ... - I come from ...
yu abi wan ... gi mi - do you have a ... for me?
yu sabi pe mi man feni ...? - do you know where I can find ...?
mi abi tu pikin - I have two children
mi manpikin abi seybi yari - my son is seven years old
mi umapikin tan na oso - my daughter stayed home
mi lobi ... - I like ...
a presi dati fara? - is that place far away?
omeni? - how much?
Numbers and pronouns in Sranan
wan - one
tu - two
dri - three
fo - four
feyfi - five
siksi - six
seybi - seven
ayti - eight
neygi - nine
tin - tin
mi - I
yu - you
a - he,she,it
wi - we
unu - you (plural)
den - they
Sranan-English minidictionary
a - he/she/it/his/hers/its
abi - have
aksi - ask
ala - all
arki - listen
ati - hart/hurt
ay - yes
ayti - eight
baka - back
bakra - european
bari - yell
bay - buy
bigi - big
boy - boy
brada - brother
buku - book
bun - good/well
dape - there
dati - that
datra - doctor
de - from/be (place)
den - they
dey - day
disi - this
doro - door
drape - there
dri - three
dyari - garden
dyaso - here
dyompo - jump
ede - head
ef - if
esde - yesterday
esi - soon
ete - yet
fa - how
fara - far
faya - fire
feni - find
fesi - in front/face
feyfi - five
fo - four
fosi - first
fos(i) tron - first time
foto - city
(fu)furu - steal
gado - god
gi - for/give
go - will (verb)
gowtu - gold
grantangi - thanks
ingi - indian
ini - in
masra - mister
k(a)ba - stop/already
kan - can (verb)
kari - call
kerki - church
kisi - get
komopo - come (from)
kon - come
kondre - country
koti - cut
koyri - go for a walk
krin - clean
krosi - clothes
langa - long
lasi - lose
libi - live/life
lobi - love/like
ma - but
makandra - each other
man - can (verb)
manpikin - son
mati - friend
mi - I/my
misi - miss/mrs.
moni - money
moro - more
mun - month
munde - monday
musu - have to
na - be/at
neti - night
neygi - nine
nofo - enough
noso - nose
noti - nothing
nyun - new
o - abbreviation of go
odi - good day
ogri - naughty
omeni - how much
ondro - under
oso - house/home
oten - when
oto - car
pe - where
pikin - child/small
pipel - people
presi - place
psa - ago
redi - red
sabi - know
safri - soft
san - what
sani - thing
satra - saturday
seri - sell
seybi - seven
si - see
siki - be ill
siksi - six
sisa - sister
skowtu - police
skribi - write
sma - people
sneysi - chinese
sonde - sunday
sroto - lock
srudati - soldier
sturu - chair
su - shoe
suma - who
tamara - tomorrow
tan - stay
tap - at
taygi - tell
teki - take
tide - today
tifi - teeth
tin - ten
tongo - language
tori - story
trafasi - different
trow - marry
tu - two
tumsi - too much
tyari - carry
uma - woman
un - your (plural)
unu - you (plural)
umapikin - daughter
waka - walk
wan - one/a
wani - want
wantron - immediately
wenkri - shop
weri - wear
wi - we/our
wiki - week
wroko - work
yari - year
yepi - help
yere - hear
yu - you (singular)/your (singular)
yuru - hour
English-Sranan mini-dictionary
a - wan
ago - psa
all - ala
already - kaba
ask - aksi
at - tap
back - baka
be (place) - de
be ill - siki
be/at - na
big - bigi
book - buku
boy - boy
brother - brada
but - ma
buy - bay
call - kari
can (verb) - kan
can (verb) - man
car - oto
carry - tyari
chair - sturu
child - pikin
chinese - sneysi
church - kerki
city - foto
clean - krin
clothes - krosi
come - kon
come (from) - komopo
country - kondre
cut - koti
daughter - umapikin
day - dey
different - trafasi
doctor - datra
door - doro
each other - makandra
eight - ayti
enough - nofo
european - bakra
face - fesi
far - fara
find - feni
fire - faya
first - fosi
first time - fos(i) tron
five - feyfi
for - gi
four - fo
friend - mati
from - de
(in) front - fesi
garden - dyari
get - kisi
give - gi
go for a walk - koyri
god - gado
gold - gowtu
good - bun
good day - odi
hart - ati
have - abi
have to - musu
he - a
head - ede
hear - yere
help - yepi
here - dyaso
hers - a
his - a
home - oso
hour - yuru
house - oso
how - fa
how much - omeni
hurt - ati
i - mi
if - ef
immediately - wantron
in - ini
indian - ingi
it - a
its - a
jump - dyompo
know - sabi
language - tongo
listen - arki
live/life - libi
lock - sroto
long - langa
lose - lasi
love/like - lobi
marry - trow
miss - misi
mister - masra
monday - munde
money - moni
month - mun
more - moro
mrs. - misi
my - mi
naughty - ogri
new - nyun
night - neti
nine - neygi
nose - noso
nothing - noti
one - wan
our - wi
people - pipel
people - sma
place - presi
police - skowtu
red - redi
saturday - satra
see - si
sell - seri
seven - seybi
she - a
shoe - su
shop - wenkri
sister - sisa
six - siksi
small - pikin
soft - safri
soldier - srudati
son - manpikin
soon - esi
stay - tan
steal - (fu)furu
stop - kaba
story - tori
sunday - sonde
take - teki
teeth - tifi
tell - taygi
ten - tin
thanks - grantangi
that - dati
there - d(r)ape
they - den
thing - sani
this - disi
three - dri
today - tide
tomorrow - tamara
too much - tumsi
two - tu
under - ondro
walk - waka
want - wani
we - wi
wear - weri
week - wiki
well - bun
what - san
when - oten
where - pe
who - suma
will (verb) - go/o
woman - uma
work - wroko
write - skribi
year - yari
yell - bari
yes - ay
yesterday - esde
yet - ete
you (singular) - yu
you (plural) - unu
your (singular)- yu
your (plural) - un
Literature about Sranan
Last update: September 5, 1995.
Erik Tjong Kim Sang