Malagasy

Malagasy: Tattoo Vocabulary

For people coming from North America and Europe, Madagascar is a remarkably inexpensive place to get a tattoo. Be careful, though! Many artists are self-taught, and may do things like reusing needles that would not be considered hygienic in the United States. Ask around and exercise caution.

Tattoo

Mila tomboka vatsy. I need a tattoo. tomboka – seal, stamp, tattoo
vatsy – supply [or, in context, “to get”]
Mila tomboka vatsy lehibe. I need a big tattoo.
Tsy mila tomboka vatsy. [I] don’t need a tattoo.
Tsy misy tomboka vatsy aho. I don’t need a tattoo.
Marary ny tomboka vatsiko. My tattoo hurts. marary – to hurt
Tsy marary ny manao ny tomboka vatsiko. It didn’t hurt to get my tattoo.
Tsy marary aho rehefa nanao tomboka vatsy. It didn’t hurt when I got my tattoo.
Harary ve aho rehefa hanao tomboka vatsy? Will I hurt when I get a tattoo? harary ve – will it hurt
Harary ve rehefa hanao tomboka vatsy? Will it hurt when getting a tattoo?

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Resources for Self-Instructional Learners of Less Commonly Taught Languages Copyright © by University of Wisconsin-Madison Students in African 671 is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.