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Here is a list of '''common phrases in different languages'''.

It is possible for [[tourism|tourists]] in a country whose language they do not understand to get along with a surprisingly short list of phrases, combined with pointing, miming, and writing down numbers on paper.

You are invited to add more languages to the list. Please use the minimum number of words that would be understandable and put the pronunciation in slashes according to [[SAMPA]] or [[X-SAMPA]] transcription if possible. If desired, also add a pseudo-English pronunciation guide for those not familiar with SAMPA or [[international Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]].  However, actual pronunciations of the pseudo-English spellings will vary wildly from speaker to speaker.  Enclose the "spelling guide" in parentheses, separate syllables with dashes, use English words that sound like the syllables if possible, and render the stressed syllable in ALL CAPS.

The [[language families and languages|language family]] of every language is listed in parentheses.








== Examples ==

=== [[English language|English]] ([[germanic languages|Germanic]]) ===

As a sample, here's English, according to British [[Received Pronunciation]], followed by [[American English/Standard American English]]:

*English: ''English'' /"iN lIS/, /IN glIS/
(contracted; show full)
*generic toast: ''gëzuar'' /g@ zu ar/  (gUh-zuh-ar) ([[Media:Albanian_gëzuar.ogg|listen]])
*Do you speak English?: ''flisni Anglisht?'' /flis ni an gliSt/ (flee-snEE ahn-GLEE-sht) ([[Media:Albanian_flisni_anglisht.ogg|listen]])

: ''Note: All the sounds above are in the [[Ogg]] [[Vorbis]] format.''









=== [[Arabic language|Arabic]] ([[semitic languages|Semitic]]) ===

''Note that this is relevant only to Classical Arabic; since these are commonplace words, they're often changed in local dialects, meaning most Arabs, even educated ones, will have difficulty understanding these in common usage.''

(contracted; show full)
*where's the bathroom?: ''On és el bany?'' /'on'ez@l'BaJ/; ''on es el lavabo?'' /'on'Ez@l'l@'BABu/
*generic toast: ''Salut!'' /s@'lut/;
*Do you speak English?: ''Que parla anglès?'' /k@ 'pArl@ @n'glEs/
*Do you speak Catalan?: ''Que parla català?'' /k@ 'pArl@ k@t@'lA/









=== [[Mandarin Chinese|Chinese, Mandarin]] ([[Chinese language|Chinese]]) ===

''Note: tone 1 is high and level; 2 is rising; 3 is dipping; 4 is falling.  A dot following SAMPA palatals indicates a retroflexed phoneme. For more info, see [[pinyin]].  Also note that the first set of characters preceding the slashes are in [[Simplified_Chinese|simplified Chinese characters]] and the ones following the slashes are in [[Traditional_Chinese|traditional characters]].''

(contracted; show full)
*generic toast: Γειά μας! /'ja mas/ (YAH mass)
*Do you speak English?: Μιλάτε αγγλικά; /mi'latE aNgli'ka/ (mee LAH teh ang glee KA)









=== [[Hawaiian language|Hawaiian]] ([[Malayo-Polynesian]]) ===

*Hawaiian: Hawai`i /ha wa i ?i/ (ha why ee)
*hello: aloha /a lo ha/ (a low ha)
*good-bye: A hui hou. /A hu i ho u/ (a hoo-ee hoe)
*please: e `olu `olu `oe /e ?o lu ?o lu ?o e/ (ey owe-loo owe-loo owe-ay)
*thank you: mahalo /ma ha lo/ (ma ha low)
(contracted; show full)
*English language: ''Bahasa Inggeris'' /ba-ha-sa iN-g@ris/
*yes: ''ya'' /ja/
*no: ''tidak'' /ti-dak/
*excuse me: ''maaf'' /ma-af/
*I don't understand: ''saya tidak faham'' /sa-ja ti-dak fa-ham/
*Can you speak English?: ''bolehkah cakap bahasa Inggeris?'' /bo-leh-kah tSakap .../
*Where is the restroom?: ''di mana tandas?'' /di mana tan-das/









=== [[Maori language|Maori]] ([[Austronesian languages|Austronesian]]) ===
("4" is spelt "r" but is not trilled and is close to "d")

*Maori: ''Māori'' /ma:o4i/
*hello: ''tēnā koe'' /te:na: koe/ (to one person), ''tēnā kōrua'' /te:na: ko:4ua/ (to two people), ''tēnā koutou'' /te:na: koutou/
(contracted; show full)
* Do you speak English?: &#1042;&#1099; &#1075;&#1086;&#1074;&#1086;&#1088;&#1080;&#1090;&#1077; &#1087;&#1086;-&#1072;&#1085;&#1075;&#1083;&#1080;&#1081;&#1089;&#1082;&#1080;? /vy gOvOrit<sup><small>j</small></sup>e pO.aNgliskij/ ([[Media:CPIDL Russian - vi govorite.ogg|listen]])









=== [[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit ]] ([[Indo-Iranian languages|Indo-Iranian]]) ===

*Sanskrit: ''sanskrta'' (also ''samskrta'') /san (nasal n) skrr tuh/
*hello: ''namo namah'' // 
*good-bye: '''' // 
*please: '''' // 
*thank you: ''anugurihiitosumi'' // 
(contracted; show full)r the British "Water Closet" may be used instead of the local word for "Toilet".  In U.S. English "toilet" refers primarily to the fixture (the toilet itself) rather than the room which contains it.  In German, "W.C." is pronounced with the German names of the letters,  and the informal "Klo" for "Klosett" can refer to either the fixture or the room.

==See also==
* [[Numbers in various languages]]
* [[Common phrases in constructed languages]]









==External link==
* [http://www.elite.net/~runner/jennifers/language.htm Dictionaries, Grammars, and other online language resources]

[[es:Frases usuales en distintos idiomas]]
[[ro:Fraze uzuale &#238;n diferite limbi]]
[[zh:&#19981;&#21516;&#35821;&#35328;&#20013;&#30340;&#20849;&#21516;&#35789;&#32452;]]