In this post, we will learn how to say the words for “this” and “that” in Chamorro. We will also go over how to use these words with nouns, to make simple sentences such as “This is coffee” or to use phrases with “this and that” in sentences with verbs. Happy studying!
Continue reading “This and That in Chamorro”
Over the past few months I’ve been a bit obsessed with matchmaker television shows, and when I stumbled across this story in Påle’ Eric’s book Estoriåye Yo’ I was so excited. We read and translated this story in our Saturday morning practice group, and all of us got a great chuckle at the story’s end. If you don’t already have a copy of Påle’ Eric’s book Estoriåye Yo’, I would highly recommended getting it. It’s a collection of over 300 stories in Chamorro with English translations for every story, which is fantastic for those of us learning the language. I hope you enjoy this story about I Atkaguete, or The Matchmaker, written by Påle’ Eric Forbes and narrated by Jay Che’le.
A couple of Saturdays back, my friend Alicia voted for our practice group to listen to this song. It’s such a beautiful song, with lyrics that go straight to the heart. I’m pretty sure all of us were teary-eyed by the end, trying to hold it together in front of each other in the study group. So here are the Chamorro lyrics and an English translation for Kantåyi Ham by Pacific Cool.
Continue reading “Kåntan Chamoru: Kantåyi Ham”
In Chamorro, we actually have two calendars – one calendar is the traditional Chamorro calendar, based upon the phases of the moon. The other calendar is the western calendar, which is based upon the sun and takes its days and months from Spanish. In this post, we’ll go over the days and months that use Spanish loanwords, how to make dates, and how to use these words in basic phrases.
taitai mås
Here’s another cultural piece, from the short stories book I found in the KPV Collection, about devotional prayers and the parties that are held in honor of the saint that the devotional prayer is said to. This short story is in Chamorro with the English translation and narration done by Jay Che’le. Whenever I read or listen to this story, I always end up very hungry because of all the food they describe for the party, and it makes me nostalgic for the days, now 20 years ago, when my family would host events like this or attend them. Hope you enjoy!
Lengguahi-ta 