Bahasa Ambon - English Dictionary
Adapted from Bahasa Ambon - English Dictionary - edited by Chaumont B. Devin
For this dictionary, the letter, 'x', is used to symbolize the glottal stop. Bahasa Ambon has no short 'e' or schwa.
Note that the doubled vowel in the ultima of many words contracts to a single vowel when followed by another word.
For example, 'taloor' means 'egg,' whereas 'talor ayang' means 'hen's egg.'
Note: In Bahasa Ambon, the vowels, 'o' and 'u' are often freely interchangeable, but not always, the rules, as far as I know, as yet still undetermined.
Note: In Bahasa Ambon, there appears to be no distinction between the diphthongs, 'ae' and 'ai.'
To convert a word from standard Bahasa to Bahasa Ambon, in general one might employ the following shaky rules:
1. change short 'e' to 'a'. Examples: sendiri -> sandiri, sengaja -> sangaja, tempurung -> tampurung.
2. Redouble the vowels of stressed ultimate syllables. Examples: senang -> sanaang, betul -> batuul, tendang -> tandaang.
3. Drop terminal 'h' and 'k'. Examples: sungguh -> sunggu, pendek -> pende, lebih -> labee.
4. Change some 'ai' to 'e'. Examples: bagaimana -> bagemana, sampai -> sampe.
5. Convert some terminal 'u' to 'o': Example: burung -> burong, tempurung -> tampurong, sumur -> sumor, campur -> campor, sejuk -> sajoo.
6. Change some 'ai' to 'ae'. Examples: baik -> bae, naik -> nae, air -> aer.
7. Change some penultimate short 'e' to 'o'. Examples: tepuk -> topu, penuh -> ponu, sepuh -> sopu.
8. Change some penultimate short 'e' to 'i'. Example: pecah -> pica.
9. Change some penultimate short 'e' to long 'e'. Examples: berak -> bera, bengkok -> bengko.
Esoteric Abbreviations: PAN = Proto Austronesian, the reconstructed parent language of many peoples found in the region between eastern Africa and western South America.
List 30 of 3789 total records               Search by:  Bahasa Ambon:                      Unpatti   

   Bahasa Ambon English
   
   badagang    v. engage in business or trade.   
   badaki    adj. having body dirt, soild. An-ana badaki. = Children having body dirt (unbathed children).   
   badame    vi. make peace.   
   badang    n. body.   
   badang-dua    n. American P-38 fighter airplane.   
   badara    v. bleeding. adj. bloody.   
   badati    v. (of a group of people) all contribute and pool resources for some purpose.   
   badendang    v. sing while dancing.   
   badiri    v. 1. stand up. 2. remain standing.   
   badonci    v. sing verses (usually in a group).   
   baduri    adj. thorny, prickly, spiny.   
   bae    adj. good. Orang itu bae ka seng? = Is that man good or not? prp. whether. Bae beta, bae ose, sama saja. = Whether you or me, it is the same.   
   bae-bae    v. beware. Bae-bae jang . = Beware lest . adj. okay. Beta ada bae-bae. = I am okay. adv. carefully. Bajalang bae-bae jang jatu. = Walk carefully lest you fall.   
   bagadang    v. remain awake. Also matawana.   
   bagajinjang    v. carry out youthful folly. O bagajinjang lawang. = You certainly are planting a lot of wild oats. --Roy Sekewael (Oma).   
   baganggo    see baganggu.   
   baganggu    v. 1. tease. 2. stir each other up.   
   bagaraa    v. 1. make a physical movement. Dia pung tangang bagaraa. = His hand moved. 2. budge. Katong tola akang, mar akang tar bagara. = We pushed it, but it did not budge.   
   bagasi    n. 1. baggage. 2. baggage compartment of an automobile.   
   bagataa    adj. sticky. cf. gataa.   
   bagatal    adj itchy. vrb. itch.   
   bage    v. divide up.   
   bagea    n. a small, brittle, dome-shaped cake made of sago meal and kanari nuts.   
   bageang    n. part. Beta pung bageang. = My part. Bageang mana? = What part?   
   bagemana    adv. how.   
   bagini    adv. 1. like this. 2. at or by this time. Bagini lae dia su sampe di Ambong. = By now he has already reached Ambon. 3. By now. Word used to mark the end of subjunctive clauses. Kal jang beta, bagini se su mati = Had it not been for me, by now you would be dead.   
   bagitu    adv. 1. like that, in that way. 2. as soon as. Bagitu matahari nae, taruus dong bajalang. = As soon as the sun was up, they started walking. "Bagini" is also used in the same way, but "bagitu" is the more common.   
   bagus    adj. 1. pretty. itj. good!   
   bagus-bagus    adv. nicely.   
   bahalaa    adj. awesome, awesomely big, huge. Ikang bahalaa saekor. = An awesomely big fish.   
   
 
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