Chavacano

Chavacano - Chabacano online collaborative dictionary. Chavacano is a word coined by Zamboangueños. El diccionario chavacano. The first and still the only online chavacano dictionary where everybody can add chabacano words and sentences.

Chavacano - Chabacano: The original online Chavacano - English Dictionary.
El lenguaje del Ciudad de Zamboanga. El diccionario en línea original de Chavacano Desde 1997.

An example of a sentence translation from English to Chavacano

• Ta prepara ya bo para el dia de Valentino?
  • Are you preparing for Valentine's day?

Updated: February 5, 2024

Chavacano LifeStyles - Estilo de Chavacano

Translate English to chavacano or chabacano, simply click on the letter that the English word starts with below. Or use "SEARCH" top right

El Chavacano bien vivo aqui na Zamboanga. Man ayudahan kita para engrandese el lenguaje de chavacano, el lenguaje del Zamboangueño.

Click on any letter to find the chavacano or english word you are seaching. Click on the word to see the corresponding translation. We have also included sentences in chabacano(chavacano) with english translations. Puede ustedes omenta maga palabra de chavacano o ase entra habladas del maga palabra chabacano.

• Ninguno puede habla que ele el tiene autoridad o poder na lenguaje del chavacano. Todo kita necesita colabora para continua vivi el lenguaje de aton.
• Si ustedes quiere hace diccionario para publica y distribui, puede ustedes usa este mio diccionario. Menciona lang este lugar y mi nombre como un referencia.
  

This picture was taken in Zamboanga City. The carabao is pulling the pajagat or sleigh. The man manages the carabao with the pamitik that he is holding. The big basket on the pajagat is the Canastro. That's where the cargo goes. The yoke on the carabao's neck is called the ayugo.

Chavacano is the language of the Zamboangueños. Some refer to the language of the Zamboangueños as chabacano, which the Zamboangueños do not mind, as some of them refer to chavacano as chabacano. However, it is commonly accepted that if you are officially referring to the language of the Zamboangueños, then you might as well call it chavacano. Many zamboangueños pronounce the letters "V" as "B" , the "F" as "P" and the "Z" as "S". However they may say "chabacano" but they will write it as "chavacano", they'd say "prio" but they will write it down as "frio" or say "crus" but correctly write it down as "cruz".

In this site you will find Chavacano words with translations and how they are used in sentences. The chavacano words are translated into english and spanish. Simple chavacano sentences are used as examples.

This site is open to all. We invite the Chavacano people around the world to participate in this open interactive Chavacano site. If you remember any chavacano words that are not in this on-line interactive chavacano dictionary, go ahead and enter those chavacano words here.

Man ayudahan kita para el lenguaje chavacano di aton ay hinde muri.

Comentos de Chavacano
Chavacano: Sangit English: Snag Ya man sangit el camiseta na tunuk de cania The shirt got snagged by the thorn of the bamboo.

Why it is Officially Chavacano and not Chabacano

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In Zamboanga City, the old-timers will be offended if you tell them that their language is chabacano instead of chavacano. To the new generation the words chabacano and chavacano are interchangeable. With that said, it's time to put things into perspective.

In the spanish language, the word chabacano is not referred to as a language. The word chabacano or chabacana is defined as: Coarse, unpolished, ill-finished. And in Mexico, chabacano is a kind of Apricot (fruit). The word Chabacana is an insipid kind of plum.

The people of Zambaonga, being a proud bunch of people, who just helped the spaniards build the fort (June 23, 1635) and in the process developed the dialect, wanted to "own" this unique new language and hence baptized it as CHAVACANO. The word chabacano was derogatory. The people of Zamboanga were proud of their new language, the language of Chavacano.

The word CHAVACANO is only as old as the chavacano language itself. The word Chavacano is not a spanish word. The people of Zamboanga "coined" the word.

In the Philippines there were a handful of dialects that were developed in the areas where the spaniards had employed several indegenous people from different areas with different dialects. These workers had to communicate using the spanish language as the common denominator. These "new" dialects were referred to by the spaniards as CHABACANO, meaning "un-refined, coarse, or unpolished" form of spanish. The communities of Ternate - Ternateños, Ermita - Ermitaños, and Cavite City - Caviteños: did not "coin" their new found dialects. The dialects were called by the spaniards as the "Chabacano" of the spanish language and hence these communities proceeded to call their new dialects as "Chabacano".

The people of Zamboanga were unique. They coined the word "Chavacano" and they spread this new language to the new places they settled in later. Places, like Cotabato, Davao, and Basilan. The people in these areas referred to their dialect as CHAVACANO.

The government website of zamboanga city(zamboanga.gov.ph) incorrectly refers to chavacano as chabacano. Well, the mayor who authorized the website(2004) was not a zamboangueño.

I Frank Maletsky born, raised and educated in Zamboanga City speaks chavacano fluently. I created this FREE online chavacano wiki dictionary to enable any chavacano zamboangueño to contribute their knowledge of the chavacano language.

Chavacano History

Read about the history of the Chavacano Language: READ ON

June 23, 1635 should be symbolically known as “Dia del Chavacano de Zamboanga.” Why you might ask? This was the day that a permanent foothold was laid on Zamboanga by the Spanish government with the construction of the San José Fort, and the subsequent evolution and proliferation of a unique dialect/language based on ancient Creole Spanish that is called Chavacano de Zamboanga. This is our history, this is our culture.

Zamboanga is the largest Spanish-Creole speaking region in Asia (Thus, Chavacano de Zamboanga is the de facto largest Spanish-Creole language in Asia!)

Let us begin the account by saying that as a result of continued Moro Pirate attacks on the Spanish controlled Visayas and Luzon Islands, a lingering plan to take possession of the strategic Mindanao peninsula and its town of Jambangan in the center of Moroland would be finally commenced at the urging of Bishop Fray Pedro of "Santissimo Nombre de Jesus" (Cebu) to the interim Governor-General of the Philippines, Don Juan Cerezo de Salamanca. >>>>Read More

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You may post a Zamboangueño Chavacano Article Here
CLICK HERE TO POST AN ARTICLE

Examples of chavacano words in a sentence - Ejemplos de chavacano palabras na un frase o oracion.

Borrachon Bien alboroto. gayot el borrachon. The drunk is very loud. No puede man rason(razon) con el borrachon. You can't reason with a drunk. Si man istorya el borrachon, hinde ta akaba. If the drunk tells a story, it does not end. Ta acorda yo el maga cuento del maga borrachon alla na tubaan. I remember the stories of the drunkards at the local tubaan (tavern for tuba).	Maga borrachon bien tomao gayot. The drunkards are really drunk.
Estudiante Llega el mes de Junio, el maga estudiante ta prepara ya para anda na escuela. In the month of June, the students are preparing to go to school.	Maga estudiante ta anda na escuela. The students are going to school.

• Nombre
  • Cosa de tuyo nombre?
    • What is your name?
• Soquia
  • Soquia conese hombre pamparon.
    • Sock (hit) that pompous man.
• Ventaja
  • Tiene bes el amo, ta toma ventaja.
    • Sometimes the master takes advantage.

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Cania ma tunuk.

Flores y hojas del akapulco.

Hojas y Frutas de Bankoro

El lavandera ta lava ropa.