Everything below is what a beginner actually needs first: greetings, polite words, numbers, family, food, time and getting around. Each entry shows the Malagasy spelling, the English meaning, and a respelling with the stressed syllable in capitals so you can say it out loud without guessing.
First words Greet someone and be polite
Manao ahoana Hello Misaotra Thank you Azafady Please Veloma Goodbye Eny Yes Tsia No Miala tsiny Sorry Tongasoa Welcome Meeting people Introduce yourself and ask how someone is
Iza ny anaranao? What is your name? Amara no anarako My name is Amara Manao ahoana ianao? How are you? Tsara fa misaotra I am fine Namana Friend Rano Water Trano House Zaza Child Counting Numbers and market basics
Iray One Roa Two Telo Three Efatra Four Dimy Five Ohatrinona izany? How much is it? Tsena Market Rano Water Vola Money Questions people ask about Malagasy Is Malagasy hard to learn? Related to languages of Borneo, not to Bantu languages. Word order commonly puts the verb first. Final vowels are often barely pronounced. Where is Malagasy spoken? Madagascar — around 25 million. Writing system: Latin alphabet.
Can I learn Malagasy for free? Yes. This phrasebook is free to read, and SemaSoma gives you the first three units of the course plus 15 translations a day before anything is paid.