Mari

A hugely popular Creole intensifier meaning 'very' or 'extremely'. It's placed before adjectives (from French marier – to marry, but doesn't mean that…

Vreman, anpil (Really, very)

Literally 'he sold his pig,' a colloquial expression meaning 'he broke into his savings (piggy bank)'. Used when someone…

A fun Creole term for a pretty girl, kind of like 'cutie' or 'hottie.' Often used by boys among themselves when they spo…

Literally 'I very love (it),' used to mean 'I really like it' (using mari as 'very'). It's a direct, emphatic way to exp…

Literally 'jealous tongue,' referring to trash talk or bad-mouthing due to jealousy. If someone is spreading rumors beca…

Means 'to make a big fuss or act picky', literally to do katakata. It's used when someone is being overly formal or not …

Means 'forget it', but in slang usage it's like telling someone to drop the matter or 'yeah right' sarcastically.

Creole/French mix meaning 'to go flirt/chase girls' (from French gauler as slang for 'snag'). When guys say they're goin…

From French mal élevé (badly raised), in Creole it means a rude, ill-mannered person. Calling someone malelve is like ca…

(Lingala) The word for 'love' in Lingala, a language spoken in D.R. Congo. It's often hear…

Umgidi (traditional ceremony)

Shower yemwenga (bridal shower)

Pati yevakomana (bachelor party)

Nhaurirano dzeroora (lobola negotiations)