In most cases, everyone else does understand because English is such a universal language. Not convinced my accent was on point, but they clearly got the gist!Īs a native English speaker, it’s often all too easy to just speak English and assume everyone else understands. The ni-Vanuatu were very impressed when I reeled off a few words and phrases here and there. Simple Words And Phrases You Should Learnīelow is a list of everyday phrases you should learn before going to Vanuatu. Now let’s have a look at the typical conversational words and phrases that, if learnt and used, will gain you a friendly smile and some respect from the ni-Vanuatu. So, we’ve covered three basic words that you’ll come across a LOT. Yu cam long Vanuatu = You have come to Vanuatu

Perhaps confusingly, this doesn’t carry the same meaning as it does in English. Whilst the grammar may be totally different, Bislama sounds phonetically similar to English, so sentences are often relatively easy to translate if you already speak English.Īnother word you’re bound to come across left, right and centre is long. You know the phrase “why say one word when a thousand will do”? Well, Bislama takes the opposite approach. Probably the number one word you’ll notice being said, or see written down, is blong. That’s roughly one language spoken per every 2,600 people. Crazy! Three Important Words You’ll Need to Know It’s by no means the only language spoken across the rugged archipelago of Vanuatu, as they speak around 113 languages (not including multiple dialects!) but it’s often used as either their first or second language. Astonishing, considering the low population of under 300,000 people. It sounds similar to English, but has the grammar of Melanesian, with a few French and Spanish colloquialisms thrown in for good measure. The vast majority of ni-Vanuatu (the term used to refer to those indigenous to the country) speak a form of Pidgin English called Bislama. Surprisingly, or unsurprisingly if those options didn’t convince you, it’s neither. I have to admit I had no idea what the language of Vanuatu was before I arrived.

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend that as the most comprehensive way to find a new destination, but sometimes it pays to be spontaneous, right? This spontaneity certainly paid off. A little more research (admittedly not very much!) and that was it, I’d booked a flight there. It was then that I stumbled across an image of the blue holes on Espiritu Santo island looking breathtakingly, well, blue. Cue getting sucked into a world of endless ocean and white sands. So where to go? Well, I had no real prior knowledge of the South Pacific and decided to simply google it and check out the images. When I travelled there in 2014 it was almost on a whim I knew I was heading out to Tonga to spend some time swimming with humpback whales and as I was so far across the other side of the world it made sense to do a little exploring. First of all, if you’ve got Vanuatu on your travel plan, high five! It’s a little-known country in the South Pacific that certainly doesn’t get the exposure it deserves. If you’re not planning to visit anytime soon, keep reading anyway, as the language of Vanuatu is interesting, endearing and occasionally pretty hilarious!

Vanuatu pidgin english