A couple of Saturdays back, my friend Alicia voted for our practice group to listen to this beautiful song. It tells the story of a father and spouse leaving for war, as their family asks them to sing their favorite song as a lasting memory in case he never returns. Many of us Chamorros have (many) family members in the military, and so a song like this pierces 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. Happy listening!
Continue reading “Kantåyi Ham by Pacific Cool – Chamorro Lyrics and English Translation”
The Chamorro Calendar from Spanish
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
Kottura: Gupot Nobena
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!
Maila’ Ta Baila by Pacific Cool – Chamorro Lyrics and English Translation
This song, “Maila’ Ta Baila” by Pacific Cool holds a special place in my heart. When I was just a few months into learning Chamorro, Jay sent me a playlist of Chamorro songs and this was the first on the list. I listened to it four times in a row because I couldn’t stop smiling, being caught by the song’s uplifting energy and romantic lyrics. A couple of years later, one of the former band members – Henry Hofschneider – and a group of Chamorro musicians were kind enough to play this at my party to celebrate finishing grad school. It meant so much to me because of how much I love this song. This song is great for beginners getting started in the language because the lyrics are a blend of English and Chamorro. The Chamorro lyrics and their English translation are included in this post. I hope this song makes you smile 🙂
Continue reading “Maila’ Ta Baila by Pacific Cool – Chamorro Lyrics and English Translation”
How to Say “I Will Stay” in Chamorro – Talking About the Future With Intransitive Verbs
This lesson is part of the Beginner Chamorro learning path.
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to talk about things that will happen in the future in Chamorro. We’ll practice building simple sentences you can use in real conversations, such as saying where someone will go, what someone will do, or what plans are coming up — like “I will stay in Yigo” or “They will walk to the party.” You’ll also find plenty of example sentences and practice drills, with new audio recordings forthcoming. Happy studying!
Read more
Lengguahi-ta 