Morphology and Vocabulary
Standard French equivalents are in quotation marks, and the English translations within brackets.
| Magoua | Standard French | English |
|---|---|---|
| mouén | moi, je | I |
| toué | toi, tu | you |
| (mouén) ch(u) tà ben màlàd | j’étais très malade | I was very sick |
| (mouén) chu la pis j’rès | j’y suis, j'y reste | I am here, and I stay |
| i son tà deus euzot | ils étaient deux | There were two of them |
| Ti-Oui i ben màlàd | Louis est très malade | Louis is very sick |
| Ti-Oui i tà ben màlàd | Louis était très malade | Louis was very sick |
| Ti-Oui tà pour t’aider | Louis t’aurait aidé | Louis would have helped you |
| tà mér tu la? | ta mère est-elle là? | Is your mother at home? |
| tà mér tà tu la? | ta mère était-elle là? | Was your mother at home? |
| (nouzot) ouen tà pour viend | nous serions venus | We would have come |
| vouzot tà àprà bouér | vous étiez en train de boire | You all were drinking |
| m’a fer sa | je le ferai | I will do it |
| t'a fer sa | tu le feras | You will do it |
| ouan alé wér wér si la djòb tà fèt | nous irons voir si le travail a été vraiment fait. | We will go and see if the job was really done |
| mon kien | le mien | mine |
| ton kien | le tien | yours |
| à gar | à la gare | at the train station |
| dan kour | dans la cour | in the yard |
| dan kor | dans le corps | in the body |
| ya ben kàrant onz d'skotch dan kor | il a bu quarante onces de scotch | He must have been drinking 40 ounces of Scotch |
| kòsen | vieillerie, truc, chose, affaire | old stuff |
| èn plènté d'kosen | une grosse quantité d'objets divers | plenty of stuff |
| ranmàs té kòsen pi dékris | prends tes affaires et vas-t’en | Pick up your things and scram! |
| tokàp | pénis, sans allure, con | penis, idiot |
| tokàpin | conne | idiotic woman |
| parlé màgoua | parler magoua | to speak Magoua, "comme les gens de chez nous" |
| èn cour d'Màgoua | une cour en désordre où on trouve de tout | a courtyard that looks like Ali Baba's cave |
| en vrà Màgoua | un Magoua de souche; un vrai débrouillard | a person of Magoua descent; someone without "proper European" manners; a resourceful person |
Read more about this topic: Magoua Dialect
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