N - n
na1
v.
COP.
Den tu man na skowtu.
The two men are policemen.
Usage: Used only in present tense stative clauses. Past tense stative clauses use ben de.
See:
de1.
na2
1)
prep.
locative preposition.
Mi e go na mi mama oso.
I’m going to my mother’s house.
Mi de na mi mama.
I’m at my mother’s.
Poti a sensi a tapu a tafra.
Put the money on the table.
Usage: Na may be used with other prepositions, as in: na ini 'in',
na tapu 'on', etc.
Variant:
a3.
2)
prep.
instrumental preposition.
San den sma ben du fosi te yu ben kari wan bigisma
na en nen?
What did people do in the past if an adult was called only by his first name?
3)
art.
emphasis marker.
Na kon yu e kon fu teki a moni kba?
You’ve come already to take the money?
Na yu fufuru mi moni!
You (emp) stole my money!
Na drape un mus go.
We must go there (emp).
Usage: Na as emphasis marker occurs initially before subject pronouns and before fronted items in clefted sentences.
na3
See main entry: a2.
art.
singular definite article.
na di
conj.
because.
Na di den dagu bari so mi no kon ini a dyari.
Because the dogs barked so, I didn’t come in the yard.
syn:
bikasi;
fu di.
nafun
interj.
good evening.
Usage: Used as a greeting in the evening hours. People in Paramaribo generally use the Dutch greeting 'goedenavond'.
See:
morgu;
adyosi;
kuneti.
nai
vt.
sew.
Mama e nai krosi gi ala en pikin.
Mother sews clothes for all of her children.
See:
nanai;
kleriman;
sneiri.
naki
1)
vt.
hit.
Kaba! Mi o naki yu!
Stop it or I’ll hit you!
See:
fon;
tuma.
From: Eng.
Etym:
knock
.
fu naki dagu
idiom.
in abundance.
Nyanyan de fu naki dagu!
There is food in abundance!
syn:
bogobogo.
naki wan ...
v.
hit with something.
Mi naki a sneki wan tiki, dan mi trowe en abra a skotu.
I hit the snake with a stick, then I threw it over the fence.
Usage: the instrument used for hitting something can be stated after the direct object and introduced by wan, e.g. wan kofu, wan tiki, wan ston.
2)
v.
beat.
Go naki a figifutu gi mi na dorosei.
Go beat the doormat for me outside.
nak'naki
v.
hit or bang repeatedly.
Aka a fensre, noso a o nak'naki te winti e wai.
Put the shutter on the hook, otherwise it will bang open and closed when the wind blows.
Morph: redup.
nanai
n.
needle.
Spelling variation: n'nai
nanasi
n.
pineapple.
Ananas comosus (Bromeliaceae).
nanga
1)
conj.
and.
Boiki papa ben kweki fowru nanga wan kaw.
Boiki’s father raised chickens and a cow.
Usage: used to conjoin noun phrases.
See:
èn.
Variant:
anga2.
2)
prep.
with, together with.
Mi go nanga mi brada na foto.
I went with my brother to town.
ant:
sondro.
2)
n.
claw.
naniwagi
n.
in earlier days it was a hearse for poor people.
napi
n.
a kind of edible tuber, cushcush.
Dioscorea trifida (Dioscoreaceae).
gen:
gron-nyanyan.
nati
1)
vt.
get wet, make wet.
Alen nati mi te mi krosi dropu.
The rain soaked me to the bone.
From: NL.
Etym:
nat
.
2)
ad.
wet.
A empi fu mi nati; mi no man weri en.
My shirt are wet. I can’t wear them.
nat'nati
1)
vt.
moisten, sprinkle (water).
Yu mu nat'nati den krosi fosi yu kan triki den.
You need to sprinkle water on the clothes before ironing them.
2)
adj.
humid, moist, damp, sticky.
Usage: spoken normally.
3)
ad.
drenched.
Usage: spoken with emphasis.
Morph: redup.
ne
conj.
then, indicates that something happened at the same time.
Di mi opo a doro, ne mi si Hendrik e kon.
When I opened the door, (at that moment) I saw Hendrik coming.
Usage: carries more the idea of 'at that time' than 'after that'.
See:
dan1.
nefo
1)
n.
nephew.
Usage: young men will also say ne.
2)
n.
opening for the neck in a piece of clothing.
Mi lobi a bosroko ma a neki-olo smara.
I like the T-shirt but the opening for the neck is too small.
neleki
ad.
just like.
Den boi disi e wroko tranga neleki fa den ppa ben wroko tranga.
These boys work hard just like their father did.
syn:
soleki.
tyari ... nen
vt.
bear someone’s name.
Mi tyari mi mama nen.
I have my mother’s name.
tyari nen
idiom.
scapegoat, be blamed for things.
Odo: Ala bus'meti e nyan kasaba, ma konkoni e tyari nen.
Proverb: All the animals in the bush eat cassava, but the rabbit gets the blame.
2)
vi.
be named.
A: Fa a langa boi nen san e lon dape? B: A nen Jerrel.
A: What is that boy’s name who is running over there? B: His name is Jerrel.
See:
kari.
2)
adj.
Creole.
3)
n.
man.
Tranga nengre no de dape.
There aren’t any strong men there.
Variant:
man-nengre.
4)
n.
Sranan Tongo.
A man disi e taki soso nengre.
This man only speaks Sranan Tongo.
syn:
nengretongo.
nengredoro
n.
gate (usually narrow and made of used tin roofing).
Historically it was a small gate on the side of the house where negroes could enter the yard behind the house.
nengrenoto
n.
souari nut.
Caryocar nuciferum (Caryocaraceae).
Also known as sawarinoto.
See:
noto.
nengre-oso
n.
a small house, often more than one are on a single property.
syn:
prasi-oso.
Spelling variation: nengr'oso
nengre-oso sabi
n.
information that is specific to the local culture (often having to do with the healing of various ailments).
nengre-oso siki
n.
sickness that is not treatable by modern medicine, such as psychosomatic problems based on cultural beliefs.
syn:
nengresiki.
nengresiki
n.
spiritual or psychological disorders, often caused by the violation of social or religious norms or taboos.
Datra dresi no e yepi nanga nengresiki.
Medicine from the doctor does not help with infirmities of the spirit.
See:
datrasiki.
Variant:
nengre-oso siki.
neti
1)
n.
night.
Den srudati lasi dri dei nanga tu neti ini a busi.
The soldiers were lost for three days and two nights in the jungle.
A e teki neti meki dei.
Saying: He works night and day.
See table under:
dei.
2)
ad.
nighttime.
Te neti yuru dan birman nanga en frow lobi go teki wan koiri.
In the evening the neighbors like to take a walk.
no
1)
adv.
not.
Mi no man kon tamara.
I cannot come tomorrow.
No wan enkri sma kon tide.
Not a single person came today.
2)
interj.
no.
A: Yu o kon tamara? B: No, mi no o kon.
A: Are you coming tomorrow? B: No, I’m not coming.
Variant:
nono.
3)
TAG.
used to induce a response to one’s statement.
A film ben span, no?
The movie was exciting, wasn’t it?
4)
interj.
expresses wonder or shock/surprise.
A: I yere tak' a man dati dede? B: Nò? Fa a du dede?
A: Did you hear that that man died? B: No! How did he die?
no wan
quan.
none at all, not one.
A no abi no wan pikin.
She has not one single child.
See:
noti.
nofo
ad.
enough.
A batra abi nofo watra.
The bottle has enough water in it.
nofotron
adv.
often, frequently.
Mi bari en nofotron fu no waka nanga den boi dati.
I warned him often not to hang around those boys.
noiti
ad.
never.
Noiti mi kisi ini mi prakseri taki so wan sani bo psa.
I never thought that such a thing would happen.
noko
n.
highest point of a building, ridge of a roof.
nomo
1)
ad.
only.
Mi go wan leisi nomo na Nickerie.
I’ve only been to Nickerie one time.
From: Eng.
Etym:
no more
.
2)
conj.
however, but, then.
Nomo di a bigin taki, a trawan ati bron.
But when he began to speak, the other one got mad.
syn:
dan1;
ma2.
nomonomo
ad.
on and on, again and again, continually.
Nomonomo mi taki nanga a pikin fu a leri na skoro.
I tell the child over and over again to pay attention at school.
syn:
dorodoro2.
Morph: redup.
|
TABLE 5: Numbers
|
| 1 |
wan |
30 |
dritenti |
| 2 |
tu |
31 |
dritenti-na-wan |
| 3 |
dri |
32 |
dritenti-na-tu |
| 4 |
fo |
... |
|
| 5 |
feifi |
40 |
fotenti |
| 6 |
siksi |
50 |
feifitenti |
| 7 |
seibi |
60 |
siksitenti |
| 8 |
aiti |
70 |
seibitenti |
| 9 |
neigi |
80 |
aititenti |
| 10 |
tin |
90 |
neigitenti |
| 11 |
erfu |
100 |
wan hondru |
| 12 |
twarfu |
101 |
wan hondru nanga wan |
| 13 |
tin-na-dri |
102 |
wan hondru nanga tu |
| 14 |
tin-na-fo |
... |
|
| 15 |
tin-na-feifi |
110 |
wan hondru nanga tin |
| 16 |
tin-na-siksi |
111 |
wan hondru nanga erfu |
| 17 |
tin-na-seibi |
112 |
wan hondru nanga twarfu |
| 18 |
tin-na-aiti |
113 |
wan hondru nanga tin-na-dri |
| 19 |
tin-na-neigi |
114 |
wan hondru nanga tin-na-fo |
| 20 |
tutenti |
... |
|
| 21 |
tutenti-na-wan |
200 |
tu hondru |
| 22 |
tutenti-na-tu |
300 |
dri hondru |
| 23 |
tutenti-na-dri |
... |
|
| 24 |
tutenti-na-fo |
1,000 |
wan dusun |
| 25 |
tutenti-na-feifi |
... |
|
| 26 |
tutenti-na-siksi |
1,000,000 |
wan milyun |
| 27 |
tutenti-na-seibi |
|
|
| 28 |
tutenti-na-aiti |
|
|
| 29 |
tutenti-na-neigi |
|
|
nono
interj.
no, not at all, by no means.
Wi o wroko tide te siksi yuru? Nono, tamara baka.
Are we going to work today until six o’clock? No, tomorrow we will.
Yu denki tak' Anansi ben teki leri fu a sani disi? Nono. A no e kba nanga a gridifasi fu en.
Do you think that Anansi learned something from this? No way! He will never stop being greedy.
See:
kwet'kweti.
bro noso
idiom.
blow one’s nose.
A boi no sabi fu bro en noso ete.
The boy doesn’t know how to blow his nose yet.
broko ... noso
idiom.
used to say that something has a very pleasant aroma or scent.
A broin bontyi san birfrow bori tide broko mi noso!
The brown beans that the neighbor cooked today smelled delicious!
hari ... noso
v.
sniffle.
Fa a abi a frikowtu, a e hari en noso heri dei.
Because he has a cold, he sniffles all day long.
hari ... noso
idiom.
stick ones nose up at something.
Te wan sani no fiti en ai, a e hari en noso.
If something doesn’t please her, she sticks her nose up at it.
noso2
conj.
otherwise, or.
Yu no mus go drape noso yu o kisi mankeri.
You must not go there or you’ll get hurt.
noti
prn.
nothing.
A: San psa nanga yu? B: Noti no psa nanga mi.
A: What happened to you? B: Nothing has happened to me.
See:
not'noti.
not'noti
ad.
nothing at all.
Usage: Stronger than noti.
Morph: redup.
now
ad.
now.
Fosi yu ben bai wan bruku bunkopu, ma now yu e pai diri fu en.
Earlier a pair of pants was cheap, but now you pay a lot for one.
ant:
fosi.
See:
nownow.
nownow
ad.
immediately, at once, right away; now.
Yu mu kon nownow!
You must come right away!
Mi yere tak' nownow srudati e feti nanga skowtu fu teki a kondre.
I hear that right now soldiers are fighting with the police for control of the country.
syn:
wantron;
wantewante.
Morph: redup.
nownowde
ad.
now, nowadays, at this time, at this moment.
Nownowde soso verkiezing tori e taki.
Nowadays everyone is talking about the election.
nowtu
n.
need, problem, difficulty, trouble.
Mi de klar'klari fu yepi den sma di de na nowtu trutru.
I am ready to help people who are truly in need.
Dati na wan nowtu di kon miti Johan!
That is some trouble that has happened to Johan!
syn:
problema;
dyam;
broko-ede;
trobi.
2)
v.
eat in a figurative sense of use up or spend, but also endure.
A nyan fakansi na bakrakondre.
He spent his vacation in the Netherlands.
A nyan ala en moni.
He wasted all his money.
A e nyan pina.
She suffers need.
nyan-oli
n.
cooking oil.
Spelling variation: nyanyan-oli
nyanyan
n.
food, meal, feed (animal).
nyofi
adj.
very small, little, tiny.
Fu sanede yu bai den nyofinyofi apresina disi? Yu ben mu piki moro grofu wan.
Why did you buy these tiny oranges? You should have chosen bigger ones.
syn:
nyoni.
Variant:
nyofinyofi.
nyoni
adj.
very small, undersized.
Den froktu nyoni a yari disi. Den no bigi leki a yari di psa.
The fruit is undersized this year. It is not big like last year.
syn:
nyofi.
nyunsu
n.
news.
Leti a radio fu un arki a nyunsu na ini Sranan Tongo.
Turn on the radio so that we can listen to the news in Sranan Tongo.
nyunyun
ad.
very new.
Baya! Esde mi libi mi nyunyun slipper na doro, dan dagu nyan en.
Darn it! I left my brand-new thongs outside yesterday and the dogs tore them up.
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