Maldivian phrasebook
A Maldivian phrasebook arranged by situation, not alphabetically: introductions, cafés, directions. Each has both sides' lines, so you understand not only what to say but what you will be told back.
Conversations by situation
- 💬Getting acquaintedA first meeting in Malé
- 💬At the caféOrdering at a sai-hani tea house
- 💬Where the ferry isLooking for the ferry pier
- 💬At the marketThe morning fish market in Malé
- 💬Calling a repairmanA call to the landlord
- 💬At the pharmacyA pharmacy on the corner, evening
- 💬Weather and plansTwo people arranging a trip
- 💬About workA talk with a new acquaintance
- 💬At the airportThe check-in desk at Malé airport, early morning
- 💬At the pierA pier on an island: arranging a boat
- 💬At the clothes shopA shop in Malé: choosing a shirt
- 💬A friend is upsetEvening, a bench by the pier
- 💬In the kitchenHome, evening: cooking dinner together
- 💬The phone does not workA workshop in Malé: a phone was brought in that will not switch on
- 💬At the police stationA station in Malé: a bag was stolen at the market
- 💬After the matchA yard by the stadium: they met after the game
- 💬A wedding invitationA street by a house: a neighbor invites them to her daughter's wedding
- 💬An evening at homeA house on an island: mother and son divide the chores
- 💬Choosing a facultyThe admissions office of a university in Malé: an applicant hands in papers
- 💬A loan at the bankA bank branch in Malé: a client asks for a home loan
- 💬At the doctorA clinic in Malé: a patient describes the symptoms
- 💬The interviewAn office room: a talk with a candidate
- 💬Moving houseBy a house in Malé: a neighbor asks about the move
- 💬Car rentalA rental office in Malé: a client takes a car for a few days
- 💬What was on yesterdayA home in Malé: two people work out what to watch in the evening
- 💬The work permitThe immigration window in Malé: a newcomer hands in papers
- 💬To go or not to goAn office in Malé: two colleagues decide who flies to the island
- 💬Malé or the islandAt the pier: two friends argue whether it is worth moving to the capital
- 💬Who is this in the photographA home in Malé: a guest studies a family picture
- 💬Making upBy the pier in Malé: two friends after a quarrel
- 💬A mother teaches a recipeA kitchen in Malé: a mother explains a recipe to her daughter
- 💬An exchange at the shopA mall in Malé: a customer at the returns counter
- 💬At the service centerA service center in Malé: a client has brought in a phone
- 💬What is with the weatherA pier on an island: two people wait for the dhoni and watch the sky
- 💬How to get thereA street in Malé: a newcomer stops a passer-by
- 💬Signing up for a courseA learning center in Malé: at the registration desk
- 💬Setting a timeA phone call: two people move a meeting
- 💬Did not catch itAn office in Malé: a visitor asks a clerk to repeat
- 💬The job interviewAn interview at a small Maldivian firm: what one did before, what one can do and when one can start
- 💬The agreement no one read outA call to the provider: the tariff went up, one wants to end the contract, and a clause about a fine turned up in it
- 💬An island charityTwo neighbors on an island collect money for the treatment of a fellow islander: who gives, who counts, who delivers
- 💬At the exhibitionTwo people at an exhibition in Malé: they study the paintings, argue about the old and the new, buy a book
- 💬First days at the gymThe first day at a gym in Malé: a membership, a locker, a warm-up and a strained leg
- 💬Measuring a boardAt a hardware shop in Malé they choose a board for a table: length, width, weight and price
- 💬In the doctor's officeAn appointment at a doctor in Malé: the back has ached for three days, sleeplessness, an X-ray and a painkiller
- 💬Preparing the house for the feastTwo people at home prepare for the feast: the table, the decorations, the guests and the speech of the guest of honor
- 💬An argument at the meetingA meeting at work: one is against the decision, the other defends it, and the argument ends with a proposal to call in a specialist
- 💬Shall we sail?Two people decide whether to sail tomorrow on the first ferry: the weather, the risk and advice
- 💬At the fabric shopAt a fabric shop in Malé: the buyer needs a dense but pliable fabric, and the seller offers now a shiny, now a rough one
- 💬The road got tangledA newcomer got lost in the lanes of Malé and asks the way: landmarks, turns, a dead end
- 💬The reckoning of the tripTwo people work out what a trip to an atoll will cost: shares, multiples, a margin
- 💬The repair that dragged onA landlord and a workman: the repair dragged on, they began with the wrong thing, who did what and how to finish it
- 💬Is the news true?Two people argue about a news item from social media: is it reliable, is there proof, where the knowledge comes from
- 💬The change that came to the islandTwo people meet after a long break: how the island changed over the decade, what stayed the same
- 💬The talk about the trashA meeting of the islanders about waste: the dump, sorting, what each can do alone
- 💬Building a houseA plot owner and a builder: the foundation, the materials, the delivery terms and what can be made to order
- 💬How it happenedOne person tells another how he nearly missed the ferry: in order, with judgment and with someone else's words
- 💬About a friendTwo people discuss a mutual acquaintance: stubbornness and responsiveness, an act and an excuse
- 💬Coffee with a croissantAt a cafe: the order, the sugar, the bill
Phrases that always rescue you
These are learned first not for politeness. They bring back a conversation that has already gone wrong — which makes them more useful than any list of nouns.
- ކިހިނެއްތޯ؟kihinehthoa?how are you (polite)?
- ޝުކުރިއްޔާshukuriyyaathank you
- މާފުކުރޭmaafukureyexcuse me
- ތިޔަ ބޭފުޅާthiya beyfulhaayou (polite)
- ނޭނގޭneyngeyI don't understand
- މަޑުމަޑުންmadumadunslowly
- އަނެއްކާ ބުނޭanekkaa buneyplease say it again
- އެހީeheehelp
- ބޭނުމެއް ނޫންbeynumeh noonI don't need it
- މިނިޓެއް މަޑުކުރޭminiteh madukureywait a minute
- ހުރިހާ ކަމެއް ރަނގަޅުhurihaa kameh rangalhuall is well
- އަހަންނަށް ނުހުޅުވުނުahannah nuhulhuvunuI can't open it
Frequently asked
Which Maldivian phrases to learn first?
“Hello”, “thank you”, “sorry”, “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”. The first three open a conversation; the last two save it.
Is a phrasebook enough without grammar?
For a short trip — yes. For living in the country — no: memorized phrases do not assemble into new ones, and the other person does not follow your script.