English→Malagasy

Translate English to Malagasy like a local.

Ny feon’ny Malagasy Merina eto Madagasikara dia miseho amin’ny fiarahabana hoe «manao ahoana tompoko», ny fangatahana ankolaka amin’ny «mba», ary ny voambolana andavanandro toy ny «taxi-brousse».

Going the other way? Malagasy to English

474 local dialects

AIRTranslate on iPhone choosing between Malagasy varieties

What locals actually say

Hello, how are you?

Manao ahoana tompoko?

«Tompoko» dia fiantsoana am-panajana ampiana amin’ny fiarahabana, ka manome ilay feo feno fanajana fahita eto Madagasikara.

Please, could you give me a little water?

Azafady, mba omeo rano kely aho.

Ny «mba» dia manalefaka ny baiko «omeo» ho fangatahana ankolaka, ary ny «kely» dia mampitony kokoa ilay fangatahana.

Excuse me, where do I catch the taxi-brousse to Antsirabe?

Azafady, aiza no iandrasako taxi-brousse mankany Antsirabe?

«Taxi-brousse» no teny andavanandro ilazana ny fiara fitateram-bahoaka mandeha lavitra, ary «iandrasako» no fomba voajanahary ilazana ny toerana andrasana na andraisana azy.

How much is this?

Ohatrinona ity?

Ohatrinona is the Malagasy quantity question meaning “how much,” while ity is the near demonstrative for an item at hand.

I’m full, thank you.

Voky aho, misaotra.

Voky means “full” after eating, and aho marks the speaker as the subject.

My older sister is coming tomorrow.

Ho avy rahampitso ny zokiko vavy.

Zokiko vavy combines zoky, “older sibling,” with the possessive ending -ko and vavy, “female,” to specify an older sister.

It looks like it will rain today.

Toa hilatsaka ny orana androany.

Toa introduces an appearance or cautious inference, while the Malagasy word order places ny orana after the verb phrase.

Let’s meet tomorrow morning.

Andao hihaona rahampitso maraina.

Andao is the Malagasy hortative construction meaning “let’s,” followed by the reciprocal verb hihaona, “meet one another.”

Notes like these come with every AIRTranslate translation, so you learn why locals phrase it that way as you go.

How Malagasy differs

Malagasy (Merina standard); manao ahoana greetings; courteous indirect register valued.

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