One of the first things we may become comfortable with when learning a new language is how to introduce ourselves. Practicing how to introduce ourselves is great because it is highly personal and is something we might say often in group settings. In this post, I’ve included 70 phrases to get us started with some basic introductions. At the end of the post, there are some examples of full introductions in Chamorro. Audio is also included for each phrase. Happy studying!

Contents
Name Place Age Family Work Ending Salutations Example Introductions Quizlet Flashcard Deck

Name

One of the most important things to learn how to say is “My name is ___.” If you are Chamorro, it’s also important to know how to talk about all our other names: last names, family names, and the names of our parents and/or grandparents and their family names. This helps other Chamorros figure out if we share any connections.

In these phrases below, replace the underlined portions with your own name.

Chamorro	English
I na’ån-hu si Jay Che’le.	Jay Che’le is my name.
Guahu si Jay Che’le.	I am Jay Che’le.
Cruz i apiyidu-hu.	My last name is Cruz.
Mås matungo’ yu’ kumu si Jay Che’le.	I am better known as Jay Che’le.
Mafana’an yu’ si Jay.	I am called Jay.

And continuing the section on names, here’s how we can talk about the names of our parents and grandparents as part of our introduction. In the examples below, replace the underlined portions with the names of your own parents and/or grandparents:

Chamorro	English
Si Helen Måfnas i nanå-hu.	My mother is Helen Måfnas.
I tatå-hu si Juan Cruz.	Juan Cruz is my father.
Måfnas i apiyidu-ña si nanå-hu.	My mother’s last name is Måfnas.
San Nicolas i apiyidu-ña si tatå-hu.	My father’s last name is San Nicolas.
I nanå-hu biha Si Elsie.	Elsie is my grandmother.
Si Buddy i tatå-hu bihu.	My grandfather is Buddy.

Finally, we’ll go over some phrases to talk about our family names. These are different from our last names, so if you don’t know your family name, that’s okay too! You can just say you don’t know your family name, but you can also ask your parents or grandparents and other relatives. Replace the underlined portions below with your own family names:

Chamorro	English
Familian Che’le yu’.	I am of the Che’le family.
Familian Månnok yu’ gi båndan nanå-hu.	I am of the chicken family on my mother’s side.
Familian Påle’ yu gi båndan tatå-hu.	I am of the priest family on my father’s side.
Familian Månnok si asaguå-hu.	My spouse is of the chicken family.
Ti hu tungo’ i na’an i familiå-ku.	I don’t know my family’s name.

Place

We can also talk about the important places in our lives, which includes where we currently live, where we were born, and where we grew up. If you were not born and raised in the Mariana Islands and it is important to show your roots back on the islands, you can also reference the villages where your parents or grandparents are from.

Here are some sentences to get us started with talking about where we are from. Replace the underlined portions with the places from your own life:

Chamorro	English
Taotao Inalåhan yu’.	I am from Inalåhan.
Sumåsaga yu’ giya Seattle.	I am living/staying in Seattle.
Mafañågu yu’ giya Texas.	I was born in Texas.
Dumångkulo’ yu’ giya Guahån.	I grew up on Guam.
Måtto yu’ gi States annai bente åños i idåt-hu.	I came to the states when I was 20 years old.
Mafañågu yu’ ya dumångkulo’ yu’ giya Hawaii.	I was born and grew up in Hawaii.
Pineksai yu’ as nanå-hu biha.	I was raised by my grandmother.
Tåya’ nai sumåga yu’ giya Islas Marianas.	I have never lived in the Mariana Islands.

And now, here are some sentences we can use to talk about our parents, grandparents, or family if we want to reference the islands or villages they are from. Replace the underlined portions with the villages of your parents and grandparents:

Chamorro	English
Taotao Talaifak si nanå-hu.	My mother is from Talaifak.
Taotao Malesso‘ si tatå-hu.	My father is from Malesso‘.
Taotao Inalåhan si nanå-hu biha.	My grandmother is from Inalåhan.
Taotao Hagåtña si tatå-hu bihu.	My grandfather is from Hagåtña.

Age

Sometimes you may also want to mention your age or when you were born. If you need a recap on how to make dates in Chamorro (with words borrowed from the Spanish calendar) please see this blog post. Replace the underlined portions below with your own age. If you also need a review on how to say numbers from the Spanish counting system, see this page on numbers: Numiru.

Chamorro	English
Bente åños i idåt-hu.	My age is 22 years.
Bente dos åños yu’.	I am 22 years old.
Mafañågu yu’ gi Ineru diha dosse.	I was born on January 12th.

Family

You may also want to talk about your family background, such as the number of siblings you have and if you are the oldest/youngest/middle sibling. You can also talk about your current family unit, such as if you are married or not, your spouse’s name, how many children you have, or if you are living with other family members. Or you can leave this out if it’s too personal 🙂

Here is a first set of phrases to talk about your family life. You can replace the underlined portions with the information about your own family:

Chamorro	English
Guaha dos påtgon-hu.	I have 2 children.
Guaha sais famagu’on-hu.	I have 6 children.
Guaha dos påtgon-hu, un låhi yan un palao’an.	I have 2 children, one boy and one girl.
Umasagua yu’.	I am married.
Si Elsie i na’ån-ña i asaguå-hu.	Elsie is my spouse’s name.
Umasagua ham put dosse åños.	We have been married for 12 years.
Guaha tres na famagu’on-måmi.	We have 3 children.
Si Maria i hagå-hu, yan si Mark i lahi-hu.	My daughter is Maria, and my son is Mark.
Katotse åños i idåt-ña i mås åmko’ na påtgon-hu.	My oldest child is 14 years of age.
Sinko åños i mås hoben na påtgon-hu.	My youngest child is 5 years old.

Here’s a second set of phrases to talk about your siblings. Replace the underlined portions with information about your own siblings:

Chamorro	English
Guahu i mås åmko gi familiå-ku.	I am the oldest in my family.
Guahu i mås hoben gi familiå-ku.	I am the youngest in my family.
Guahu i mina’tres na påtgon gi familiå-ku.	I am the third child in my family.
Guaha tres na mañe’lu-hu.	I have three siblings.
Guaha dos na che’lu-hu.	I have two siblings.
Sinko‘ ham na mañe’lu. Guaha tres na famalao’an yan dos na låhi.	We are five siblings. There are three girls and two boys.
Guaha tres na mañe’lu-hu famalao’an.	I have three sisters.
Guaha dos na che’lu-hu låhi.	I have two brothers.
Tåya’ mañe’lu-hu.	I don’t have any siblings.

Work

Finally, some people may want to talk about their profession. You can say what your job is and where you work. If you are going to school, you can say which school you are attending and what you are studying. In the examples below, you can choose the examples most relevant to you and replace the underlined portions with your own work or school information:

Chamorro	English
Machocho’cho’ yu’ giya Intel.	I work at Intel.
Fafa’na’gue yu’.	I am a teacher.
Hu fa’nå’nå’gue i famagu’on-hu gi iya-hami.	I teach my children at home.
Analitikan bisnes i che’cho’-hu.	My work is business analytics.
Mansupópotta yu’ mediku siha gi che’cho’-hu.	I support doctors in my work.
Ti machocho’cho’ yu’ på’go.	I’m not working right now.
Umé’eche’cho’ yu’.	I’m looking for work.
Umeskuekuela yu’.	I’m going to school.
Umeskuekuela yu’ gi i Unibetsidåt Portland.	I am going to school at the University of Portland.
Manestutudia yu’ computer science gi Unibetsidåt Portland.	I am studying computer science at the University of Portland.
Magraduha yu’ gi ma’pos na såkkan.	I graduated last year.
Ti apmam bei na’fonåhyan i inestudiå-ku.	I’m going to finish my studies soon.

Ending Salutations

To end your introduction, you can say some general pleasantries. If you are talking to one person or a small group of people, you might want to follow up with some simple questions asking about them. Try out these sentences below:

Chamoru	English
Ya hågu? Taotao månu hao?	And you? Where are you from?
Ya hamyu? Taotao månu hamyo?	And you all? Where are all of you from?
Ya hågu? Håyi i na’ån-mu?	And you? What is your name?
Ya hamyu? Håyi i na’an-miyu?	And you all? What are your names?

And finally, if you are talking to a very big group, such as in a language class or online practice group, you might want to end with more general salutations, like these below:

Chamoru	English
Magof yu’ na manggaige hit guini!	I am happy that we are all here!
Magof yu’ na gaige yu’ guini!	I am happy that I am here!
Hu agradesi ini na dinanña!	I appreciate this gathering!
Hu agradesi ini na inetnon!	I appreciate this group!
Magof yu’ na manhíhita på’go na ha’åne!	I am happy that we are all together today!
Si Yu’os Ma’åse todus hamyo!	Thank-you everyone!

Example Introductions

Here are some example introductions for beginners, using the sentences above. As a quick note, a simple way to connect your sentences together is with the word ya which means “and.” You can also use lao which means “but.”

Example 1:

Håfa todus hamyo! Guahu si Jay, ya familian Che’le yu’. Sumåsåga yu’ ya machocho’cho’ yu’ giya Portland. Mafañågu yu’ giya California, lao dumångkulo’ yu’ giya Guahån ya taotao Hågat yu’. Umeskuela yu’ gi Oregon State, ya finance i che’cho’-hu. Magof yu’ na manggaige hit guini, si Yu’os Ma’åse todus hamyo!

Hello everyone! I am Jay, and I am of the Che’le family. I live and work in Portland. I was born in California, but I grew up on Guam and I am from Agat. I went to school at Oregon State, and I work in finance. I am happy that we are all here, thank-you everyone!

Example 2:

Buenas! I na’ån-hu si Shai, ya sumåsåga yu’ giya Seattle. Mafañågu yu’ ya dumångkulo’ yu’ gi States, ya pineksai yu’ as nanå-hu biha giya Washington. Lao taotao Sinajåña si nanå-hu, yan taotao Inalåhån si nanå-hu biha. Ya hågu? Håyi i na’ån-mu ya ginen månu hao?

Hello! My name is Shai, and I live in Seattle. I was born and grew up in the States, and I was raised by my grandmother in Washington. But my mom is from Sinajåña and my grandmother is from Inarajan. And you? What is your name and where are you from?

Try It Out: Using the phrases above and the example introductions as your model, craft a simple introduction for yourself and practice using it every time you need to introduce yourself. The more you practice saying it, the easier it will become to say, until the words flow effortlessly.

Quizlet Flashcard Deck

Here is a flashcard deck on Quizlet to help you study these phrases: https://quizlet.com/900834154/how-to-introduce-yourself-in-chamoru-flash-cards/?i=2ugq94&x=1jqt