greetings manahoana? salama?

How are you? ( 1 or 1') + 2

1) Manahoana (ianao, ianareo, tompoko) = Hello (you, all of you, sir/sirs, madam/madams).

Answer= Manahoana (Hi)

Some people answer instead : salama ( I am well), salama tsara ( I am fine)

Normally, Hi aks for Hi in return, if you feel it is without any inquiry about your health. You don't say anything but hello.

Another option in the family circle, or with friends:

1' ) Manahoana ny fahasalamana?= How is your health? how are you?

It is the long form for manahoana, which was shorten.

Answer: Tsara fa misaotra ( Fine, thank you) [ ˈtsarə̥ fa mʲˈsoːtʂə̥ ]

2) Inona ny vaovao? = What's new? What is the news?

Answer: Tsisy vaovao= No news

phonetics from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malagasy_language

Famataranandro the hours

1) Fanazarana: exercise

Amy firy ary izao? what time is it?

Valiny=

Amin'ny iray ora latsaka fefany=amy ray latsaka fefany

Amin'ny enina ora latsaka folo= amy enina latsaka folo

Amin'ny sivy ora sy sasany mahery kely=amy sivy sy sasany

Amin'ny roa ora latsaka fefany = amy roa latsaka fefany

remarks :
latsaka kely= nearly but some minutes/seconds (less than five/ten minutes/seconds) =amy roa latsaka kely: it is nearly two o'clock but some seconds/minutes
mahery kely = nearly plus some minutes/seconds  (more than five/ten  minutes/seconds)= amy telo mahery kely( it is three o'clock plus some seconds/minutes)

latsaka and mahery kely (meaning approximately work with the hour, the 30mn, the 15mn and the 45mn= sasany mahery/latsaka  kely (nearly 30mn), fahefany/fefany mahery/latsaka kely ( nearly 15mn) , latsaka fefany mahery kely/ latsaka fefany latsaka kely (nearly 45 mn to the hour)

We say for the exact hour= marina, tampina

example: amy folo ora marina/ amy folo ora tampina. (10 o'clock)

For the quarter past= fahefany = sy dimy ambifolo minitra = 15 minutes after the hour

example : amin'ny folo ora sy fahefany

For the half past the hour=sasany= (sy) telopolo minitra)= (and) 30 minutes

example: amin'ny folo ora sy sasany

for the quarter to the next hour/ 45 minutes past the hour= = latsaka fefany/sy dimy amby efapolo minitra=we say quarter to the next hour

Amy iray ambiny folo latsaka fahefany

we can say

- roa ambinifolo or rombifolo

-fahefany or fefany

-telo sasany or telo SY sasany

FOTOANA SY ORA

TELLING TIME

What time is it? Amy firy zao?

Can you say the time in malagasy?

1 iray (on)

2 roa (two) ru

3 telo (three) telʷ

4 efatra ( four) ˈefatʂə̥

5 dimy (five) ˈdimʲ

6 enina (six) enː

7 fito (seven) fitʷ

8 valo (eight) valʷ

9 sivy (nine) sivʲ

10 folo (ten) fulʷ

11 iraika ambiny folo (eleven) rajkʲambefulʷ

12 roa ambiny folo (twelve) rumbefulʷ

15 dimy ambiny folo (fifteen minutes) ˈdimʲ ambefulʷ

30 telopolo (thirty minutes) telopulʷ

45 dimy amby efapolo minitra ( forty five minutes ) ˈdimʲ ambefapulʷ '

AM (morning) / PM (afternoon)

we say twelve o'clock noon (amy roa ambifolo ora atoandro),

then back to one:

one o'clock in the afternoon (amy iray ora hariva, tolakandro), PM

two o'clock in the morning (amy roa ora maraina), AM

so on.

Most of the time people do not pronounce "ora" or maraina, atoandro, hariva, tolakandro or alina. Just the numbers plus AMY.

Amin'ny firy izao? 'am ˈfirʲ zə̥u

Amy firy ary zao?

What time is it?

Amy ray, amy roa, amy telo, aminy efatra

Amin'ny iray ora

Amin'ny roa ora

Amin'ny telo ora

Amin'ny efatra ora

Amy dimy, aminy enina, amy fito, amy valo

Amin'ny dimy ora

Amin'ny enina ora

Amin'y fito ora

Amin'ny valo ora

Amy sivy, amy folo, amy raikambifolo, amy roambifolo

Amin'ny sivy ora

Amin'ny folo ora

Amin'ny iraika ambin'ny folo ora

Aman'y roa ambin'ny folo ora

Tsia/Eny

EXPRESSING YOURSELF

Saying Yes or No

To accept:

Yes= Eny (stress on E) [ˈʲenj ]

the malagasy people also say ie (pronounce separately english e and a)

To refuse:

No=Tsia (don't pronounce the a at the end) [tsi, tsʲ ]

the malagasy people also say an-an-an quickly

To refuse less rudely:

another time= amin'ny manaraka

thank you very much=misaotra betsaka

Dialogues:

A- Tia paiso ve ianao? (Do you like peaches?)

B- An-an-an / Tsia.

A- Tia frezy ve ianao? ( Do you like strawberries?)

B- Ie / Eny.

A-Te hihinana fromazy ve ianao? (would you like to eat some cheese?)

B-Tsia, misaotra betsaka. (No, thank you very much)

A-Hisotro ronono ve ianao? ( would you like to drink some milk?)

B-Tsia, amin'ny manaraka. (No, some another time)

Exercise:

1) Invite someone to eat some fruit or vegetable, see list on this blog. Say no/ Say Yes.

2) Someone invites you to eat something. Accept or refuse.

manahoana, hello

LEARNING MALAGASY

GREETINGS:

Manahoana (Hello, Hi, good morning, good afternoon) [ manaˈonə̥ ]

also written manao ahoana [manaˈʷonə̥,] in the first place, which became a formula now

(manahoana for the morning, noon, afternoon, night greetings)

Salama [ saˈlamə̥ ] (Hi) ( in the coast of Madagascar and they say salama for all the greetings).

More and more now in Antananarivo, it is an answer meaning I am fine to the question manahoana. So when they say it at the place of manahoana, they shortcut the question by the answer. There is no bad intention in that, it is due to time., because Malagasy people take a lot of time to say hello and the news, so they make it short.

Veloma (bye, goodbye) [ veˈlumə̥ ]

(veloma for the morning, noon, afternoon, night farewell)

Times of the day:

Morning = maraina

Noon = atoandro

Afternoon= hariva

Night = alina

phonetics taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malagasy_language