Sardinian - sardu

Standard Sardinian vocabulary, numerals and quotations for comparison with other languages


The Sardinian language, isolated from the other Romance languages on the continent, preserved some older Latin features that the others lost. For instance, in Classical Latin c and g before e or i were pronounced with a hard sound, like c in cold or g in gold. Latin cena, pronounced with a k- (dinner) became cena with a ch- in Italian, cena, with th-, in Spanish and cène, s-, in French, but kept the hard k- in chena in Sardinian. Similarly, Latin genu, hard g- (knee) gave ginocchio with a j- sound in Italian and genou, zh-, in French while preserving the hard g- in Sardinian ghenugru. Unlike Italian, Sardinian plurals are formed by adding -s, not not by using a vowel, e.g. fèmina (woman), fèminas (women).

1. frade    brother        1. èia    yes        1. Cantu costat?    How much is that?
2. sorre    sister        2. no    no        2. Innoi pagu?    Where do I pay?
3. figiu    son        3. pro praghere    please        3. Cumprèndere    To understand
4. figia    daughter        4. gràzias    thank you        4. Cumprèndo    I understand
5. babbu    father                  5. No cumprèndo    I don’t understand
6. mama    mother        1. domìniga    Sunday        6.   
          2. lunis    Monday        7.   
1. beranu    spring        3. martis    Tuesday          
2. istade    summer        4. mèrcuris    Wednesday        1. (eo) soe    I am
3. attòngiu    autumn        5. giòbia    Thursday        2. (tue) ses    you are (inf.)
4. ierru    winter        6. chenàbura    Friday        (Bostè) est    you are (formal)
          7. sàbadu    Saturday        3. (issu) est    he is
1. caddu    horse                  (issa) est    she is
2. cane    dog        1. cittade    town          
3. gattu    cat        2. bidda    village        1. (nois) seus    we are
4. bacca    cow        3. arruga    street        2. (bois) seis    you are (inf., plur.)
5. trau    bull        4. prazza    square        (Bois) seis    you are (frm., plur.)
6. porcu    pig        5. ponte    bridge        3. (issos) sunt    they are (msc.)
7. berbeghe    sheep        6. domu    house        (issas) sunt    they are (fem.)
8. lupu    wolf        7. giardinu    garden          
9. tòpe    mouse        8. crèsia    church          
10. pugione    bird        9. iscola    school        1. unu, una    one (msc., fem.)
11. còca    goose        10. istazione    station        2. duos, duas    two (msc., fem.)
12. pische    fish                  3. tres    three
                    4. bàttor    four
1. pane    bread        1. nieddu    black        5. chimbe    five
2. mela    apple        2. biancu    white        6. ses    six
3. nughe    nut        3. biaittu    blue        7. sette    seven
4. sale    salt        4. birde    green        8. otto    eight
5. pìbere    pepper        5. grogu    yellow        9. noe    nine
6. mele    honey        6. arrùbiu    red        10. deghe    ten
7. latte    milk                  11. ùndighi    eleven
8. buttiru    butter        1. bìere    to see        12. dòighi    twelve
9. casu    cheese        2. ascurtare    to hear        13. trèighi    thirteen
10. abba    water        3. pappare    to eat        20. binti    twenty
11. binu    wine        4. buffare    to drink        30. trinta    thirty
12. birra    beer        5. cantare    to sing        100. chentu    a hundred
                      
1. monte    mountain        1. nòmene    name        1. manu    hand
2. mare    sea        2. iscrìere    to write        2. pee    foot
3. lagu    lake        3. libru    book        3. coru    heart
4. arriu    river        4. chistionare    to speak        4. sàmbene    blood
5. bècciu    old        5. die    day        5. conca    head
6. nou    new        6. notte    night        6. ogru    eye
7. nae    ship        7. chida    week        7. origra    ear
8. trenu    train        8. mese    month        8. dente    tooth
9. postale    bus        9. annu    year        9. pilos    hair
10. portu    harbour        10. e    and        10. dormire    to sleep
                      
1. ghennàrgiu    January        7. trèulas    July        1. sole    sun
2. freàrgiu    February        8. austu    August        2. luna    moon
3. marzu    March        9. cabudanni    September        3. isteddu    star
4. abrile    April        10. Santu Gaine    October        4. bentu    wind
5. màiu    May        11. Sant’Andria    November        5. proina    rain
6. làmpadas    June        12. Nadale    December        6. nie    snow
                    7. gelau    ice
1. fridu    cold        1. callente    hot        8. fogu    fire
2. pitticcu    small        2. mannu    large        9. pedra    stone
3. làngiu    thin        3. grassu    thick        10. pratta    silver
4. agru    sour        4. durche    sweet          
                      
1. bucca    mouth        1. donare    to give        1. surdu    deaf
2. limba    tongue        2. comporare    to buy        2. fundudu    deep
3. paràula    word        3. istare sèzziu    to sit        3. prenu    full
4. limba    language        4. lèggere    to read        4. giòvanu    young
5. frore    flower        5. mercau    market        5. bonu    good
6. sabone    soap        6. ghenna    door        6. re    king


9 Babbu nostru chi ses in celu santificau siat su nòmine tuu, 10 bengiat s’arrennu tuu, siat fatta sa boluntadi tua, comenti in celu aici in sa terra. 11 Su pane nostu fitianu donasì oi 12 e perdona a nosu is dèpidus nostrus comenti nosu ddus perdonaus a is depidoris nostrus, 13 e no si lessis arrui in sa tentatzione ma liberasė de su mali.

9 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Matthew 6


Sardinian is spoken in:

Sardìnnia - Sardegna
Tàttari - Sássari
Nùgoro - Núoro
S’Alighera - Alghero - L’Alguer
Arbatassa - Árbatax
Is Crèsias - Iglésias
Casteddu - Cágliari


Some Approximate Pronunciations

Sardinian as in is pronounced as in UK English
c(e)-, c(i)- centru, cittade ch chest, children
ch chelu k kettle
vowel + d + vowel meda th mother
g(e)-, g(i)- gente, giminera j jet, jingle
gh ghenna g get
r muru r trilled Italian ravioli
vowel + s + vowel mesa z maze
sc(e)-, sc(i)- iscetti, càscia sh shed, ship
sch pische sk risky
x axedu si vision
z zuccare ts cats

My other websites:
Languages of the World
New Nutshell
Christianity in a Nutshell

My wife's websites:
Meaning of Life
Bits


I wanted to share with you why I think Christianity is such a great religion. A person who lives to 70 has a life of 613,200 hours. Christianity promises that the next life will be in ideal surroundings with friendly, happy people. There will be perfect health and no crime. Of course you’re free to reject it.

Isn’t it worth, though, spending at least part of one of your 613,200 hours just checking it out. Then if you reject it, at least you’ll have made an informed decision. Is it just possible that your world view could be wrong and Christianity might actually be true? Where would that leave you if you choose to turn down the offer of eternal life?


These are some of my wife's thoughts and ideas:



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