# Languages and dictionary

> Which languages are spoken in Mauritius, and a small English-French-Kreol dictionary of useful words and phrases.

Mauritius is a multicultural country, so it is no surprise that many different languages are spoken on this little island. English and French are the de facto official languages, although French is used mainly in the media. Both are taught in Mauritian schools, where Kreol and the ancestral Asian languages are offered as optional subjects. Because people of many different origins live in Mauritius, you can also hear various Chinese and Indian languages.

![A sign in Kreol at Le Morne: Sit Patrimwann Mondial – Peizaz Kiltirel Le Morne – Respekte li](https://www.mauritius-guide.net/photos/commons/dictionary.jpg "Photo: Discott · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sign_in_Mauritian_Creole.jpg · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/")

In daily life one language is spoken by almost everyone, no matter how old they are or where they originate from: Kreol. In the 2022 census about 90 % of Mauritians said that they speak it at home. The language is closely related to French. Since 2011 there has been an official way of spelling Kreol words, but you will still see many different spellings; the table below uses simple spellings that are easy to read aloud. Kreol came into existence during the colonial period, when slaves were forced to learn the language of the French landowners. In this way Kreol became a language that derives from French and absorbed Malagasy, Swahili and Tamil expressions, among others. About 1.1 million people speak Mauritian Kreol at home.

As a tourist you can get by in Mauritius with English. However, it is often very useful to know some French or Kreol expressions. Because French is similar to Kreol, Mauritians tend to understand and speak it better than English. Here is a little English-French-Kreol dictionary with helpful expressions and phrases.

| English | French | Kreol |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Small talk** |  |  |
| Good morning / Hello | Bonjour | Bonzur |
| Good evening / Good night | Bonsoir | Bonswar |
| Bye bye | Au revoir | Orévoire |
| Sorry | Pardon | Pardon |
| See you later | A plus tard | Apré nu zouen |
| How are you? | Comment ça va? | Ki maniere? |
| I am fine | Je vais bien | Mo bien |
| Please | S’il vous plaît | Si ouplé |
| Thank you | Merci | Mersi |
| Yes | Oui | Wi |
| No | Non | Non |
| OK | D’accord | Dacor |
| I do not understand | Je ne comprends pas | Mo pa compran |
| Do you speak English? | Vous parlez l’anglais? | Ou kapav koz anglé? |
| How much? | Combien? | Konbien sa? |
| How much does it cost? | Combien ça coûte? | Konbien sa koute? |
| When? | Quand? | Kan? |
| Where? | Où? | Koté? |
| How do I get to …? | Comment je vais à …? | Kuma pou ale …? |
| My name is … | Je m’appelle … | Mo apel … |
| I love you | Je t’aime | Mo kontan twa |
| You are beautiful | Tu es belle/beau | To zoli |
| What is your phone number? | Quel est ton numéro de téléphone? | Ki to nimero? |
| **Weekdays and time** |  |  |
| Monday | Lundi | Lundi |
| Tuesday | Mardi | Mardi |
| Wednesday | Mercredi | Mecredi |
| Thursday | Jeudi | Zédi |
| Friday | Vendredi | Vendredi |
| Saturday | Samedi | Samdi |
| Sunday | Dimanche | Dimanse |
| Minute | Minute | Minite |
| Hour | Heure | L’ére |
| Day | Jour | Zour |
| Week | Semaine | Sémaine |
| Month | Mois | Mois |
| Year | Année | Année |
| Today | Aujourd’hui | Zordi |
| Yesterday | Hier | Hier |
| Tomorrow | Demain | Démain |
| **Numbers** |  |  |
| 1 | un | inn |
| 2 | deux | dé |
| 3 | trois | trwa |
| 4 | quatre | kat |
| 5 | cinq | sink |
| 6 | six | sis |
| 7 | sept | sèt |
| 8 | huit | uit |
| 9 | neuf | nèf |
| 10 | dix | dis |
| 11 | onze | onz |
| 12 | douze | douz |
| **On your way** |  |  |
| Ship | Bateau | Bato |
| Bus | Bus | Kar |
| Car | Voiture | Loto |
| Motorcycle | Moto | Moto |
| Bicycle | VTT | Vétété |
| Airport | Aéroport | Aéroport |
| Harbour | Port | Lor quai |
| Bus stop | Arrêt | Bis stop |
| City map | Plan de ville | Plan lavil |
| Church | Église | Légliz |
| Mosque | Mosquée | Moské |
| Tamil temple | Temple tamoul | Sapèl malbar |
| **Emergency** |  |  |
| Help! | Au secours! | O sécour! |
| Police | Police | Police |
| Doctor | Médecin | Doctère |
| Hospital | Hôpital | Hôpital |
| Pharmacy | Pharmacie | Farmaci |
| Bandages | Pansements | Pansman |
| Accident | Accident | Accident |
| Headache | Mal à la tête | La tête fer mal |
| Stomach ache | Mal à l’estomac | L’éstoma fer mal |
| Diarrhoea | Diarrhée | Diaré |
| Earache | Otalgie | Malade zoreil |
| Fever | Fièvre | Fièvre |
| **Shopping** |  |  |
| Money | Argent | Arzen |
| Credit card | Carte de crédit | Carte de crédit |
| Expensive | Cher | Cher |
| Cheap | Bon marché | Bon marché |
| Market | Marché | Bazar |
| Shop | Magasin | Magazin |
| **Accommodation** |  |  |
| Room | Chambre | Sam |
| Key | Clé | Klé |
| Bed | Lit | Li |
| Telephone | Téléphone | Téléfone |
| TV | Télévision | Télé |
| Stove | Gazinière | Gazinièr |
| Bathroom | Salle de bains | Salle de bains |
| Shower | Douche | Dous |
| Towel | Serviette | Sèrvièt |
| Hairdryer | Sèche-cheveux | Sésoir |
| Toilet | WC | Kabiné |
| Price | Prix | Prix |
| Luggage | Bagages | Bagaz |
| Passport | Passeport | Passeport |
| **Eat and drink** |  |  |
| Bread | Pain | Pin |
| Milk | Lait | Dolé |
| Honey | Miel | Domièl |
| Butter | Beurre | Dobèr |
| Muesli | Céréales | Séréal |
| Jam | Confiture | Konfitir |
| Coffee | Café | Kafé |
| Egg | Oeuf | Zèf |
| Cheese | Fromage | Fromaz |
| Ham | Jambon | Zanbon |
| Rice | Riz | Do ri |
| Spoon | Cuillère | Kiyèr |
| Knife | Couteau | Kouto |
| Fork | Fourchette | Foursèt |

Source: https://www.mauritius-guide.net/dictionary/