Malagasy→English

Translate Malagasy to English the way locals mean it.

Malagasy often wraps greetings, requests, and refusals in softeners or idioms that a word-for-word English reading makes sound more literal, formal, or uncertain than intended.

Going the other way? English to Malagasy

474 local dialects

AIRTranslate on iPhone choosing between Malagasy varieties

What locals actually say

Manao ahoana e?

Hey, how are you?

Manao ahoana is a conventional greeting, not a literal request to explain how something is; the final e gives it a familiar, conversational tone.

Azafady mba alefaso amiko ilay izy.

Could you send it to me, please?

Azafady means excuse me or please, while mba softens the request and makes it less direct rather than adding a literal meaning of its own.

Ho hita eo izany.

We'll see how it goes.

Ho hita eo is an idiomatic way to leave the outcome open, and it can signal uncertainty or a tactful noncommitment rather than a promise that something will literally be seen later.

Ohatrinona no tokony haloako?

How much am I supposed to pay?

The construction tokony + haloako expresses an expected obligation, while the -ko ending marks the first-person payer.

Aiza ho aiza no misy ny gara?

Roughly where is the station?

Aiza ho aiza is a colloquial way to ask for an approximate location rather than an exact point.

Mbola misy vary ve?

Is there any rice left?

Vary specifically means cooked rice, the everyday staple, and mbola signals that some may remain.

Efa tonga ve i Neny?

Is Mum here yet?

Efa ... ve forms a question about whether something has happened already, while i Neny uses the familiar kin title with the personal marker i.

Mbola be atao aho androany.

I still have a lot to do today.

Mbola means still, and be atao is a common Malagasy expression meaning busy or having many tasks.

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.

Sound like a local everywhere, not just here.

Every one of 474 dialects, with voice, camera, a keyboard for any app, and offline packs.

Choosing Spanish (Peru) from 471 local variants

Localization Notes explaining why locals say it that way