Photograph taken around
1986 of the first public meeting at Azad Maidan,
Panjim when goans from all over the State turned out
to demand Konkanim as the official language.
Photo Courtesy Lui Godinho
This page is intended to give you some basics in the native and official language of Goa, India. The information available here is not intended to make you an expert nor is in any way a substitute for any formal language training. The Konkani language is written in both the Roman script and Dev Nagri script. Konkani presented here is in the Roman Script.
For starters, my approach will be to present some essential Konkani words, Phrases and expressions that will give a flavor of the language and might help you out on your next trip to Goa. This is a purely voluntary effort on my part so I cannot promise how far, how soon and in what direction this page will go. What I do promise is that, if you are new to Konkani or know very little of it, it will give you a quick and dirty start on the language. Since I live and breathe American English for the most part , do not be surprised to see some strange sounding expressions or spellings in English. I will make an effort to minimize those to the extent possible. Hopefully you will be motivated to learn more and explore the Konkani language beyond what will be presented here.
So relax, put your feet up and enjoy!!
Your A, B, C in Konknni
| Sound | Spelling | In these Sample Words | Konkani Word | Translation |
| A | Aah | Albert, Ardent, (Arabic:Al Baker) | Ambot | Sour |
| B | Bah | Bahrain, Barbados | Bara | Twelve |
| C | Ce | Center, Cemetary | Celestino | Celestino(Name) |
| CH | Hard "Ch" sound | Chair, Champion | Char | Four |
| Ch | Soft "Ch" sound | No equivalent in English | Panch | Five |
| D | hard "DD" sound | Drum, Daring | Gaddo | Cart |
| Dh | Soft "D" | The | Dant | Tooth |
| DH | Hard "THE" sound | No equivalent in English | Dhunvor | Smoke |
| D'D | Double "D" sound" | No equivalent in English | God'do | Marble |
| E | Aye! | April, Alien | Ek | One |
| E | Air | Elevator, entrance | Ekvottant | Unity |
| F | Fah | Far, Farm | Falea | Tomorrow |
| G | Gah | Gum | Gadum | Donkey |
| Gh | Ghah(Hard sound) | Ghost(with much more emphasis on GH) | Ghantt | Bell |
| H | Hah (Very soft H) | Harp | Hat | Hand |
| I | Eeeh | India | Ixttagot | Friendship |
| J | Jah | Like the french "Je" in Jacque | Jezu | Jesus |
| K | Kah | Kangaroo | Kallo | Black |
| Kh | Khah | Ro"ck", Arabic word:"Kh"alid | Khatt | Bed |
| L | Lah | London, Lima | Lamb | Tall |
| L'L | Double "L" sound | I"ll"iterate | Dil'li | Delhi |
| LL | hard "L" sound | No english equivalent | dollo | eye |
| M | Mah | Material | Mataro | Old Man |
| N | Nah | Null, Nuptuals | Natu | Grandson |
| O | Oh | Operation, Opportunity | Ontorlo | Died |
| O | Awe | As in:Awful,Awkward | Opman | Insult |
| P | Pah | Police, Palace | Ponnos | Jackfruit |
| Q | Kah | Quit, Quality | Quepem | (Name of district in Goa) |
| R | Rah | Rapid, Radio | Ramponn | Fishing Net |
| S | Sah | Saturn, Salt | Soponn | Dream |
| T | Tah | Tatoo, Potato | Motto | Fat |
| t | Soft T sound | Toge"th"er, Ma"th" | Tambdo | Red |
| U | Oooh | Clue, Blue | Udok | Water |
| V | Vah | Valentine, Victory | Viman | Airplane |
| W | Note: Used quite infrequently; | when used, pronounced like "V" as in Victor, not "W" as in Water | - | - |
| X | Shah | Sharp, Shape | Bhaxa | Language |
| Y | Yah | Yellow, Yard | (Not commonly used in Konknni) | - |
| Z | Zah | Zebra, Zenith | Gozal | conversation,chat |
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Contact the Tutor(s)
My Background:
I grew up speaking Konkani in my home(1961-1980) in Moira, Bardez, Goa. Since I left Goa, my Konkani has been dying a slow death. I am working to change that. Most of my Konkani came from informal spoken Konkani. I am not a Konkani expert by any means.
I consider this opportunity to tutor in Konkani a privilege and service
to my mother tongue. I look forward to learning from you as much as I
anticipate sharing what I know and love. It may not all be perfect, but
it comes from the heart. Please contact me with any corrections, questions or suggestions.h