Malagasy
Malagasy: When the Power Goes Out 2
| Tsy azo antoka ny herinaratra eto Madagasikara. | The electricity in Madagascar is not reliable. | azo antoka – reliable |
| Tokony hanana jiro misy bateria foana ianao amin’ny alina.
Tokony hanana jiro misy pila foana ianao amin’ny alina. |
You should always have a flashlight or a headlamp at night. | tokony – should
bateria – battery pila – battery |
| Manoro hevitra aho ny hanana pila ho an’ny findainao. | I recommend having an extra battery for your cell phone. | manoro – to make a recommendation / point out
findahy – cell phone findainao – your cell phone |
| Tokony hanana pila ho an’ny findainao. | You should have a battery for your cell phone. | |
| Ao an-tranoko dia tsy mandeha ny lakolosy rehefa tapaka ny jiro. | At my house, the doorbell doesn’t work when the power is out. [Lit: There at my house…] | an-tranoko = abbreviation for amin’ny
lakolosy – bell rehefa – when (conj.) tapaka – broken / cut |
| Raha manana fuses elektrika ny tranonao, dia tokony hividy boaty misy fuses hafa ianao. | If your house has electrical fuses, you should get a box of spare fuses. [Lit: If your house has electrical fuses, you should buy a box of spare fuses.] | raha – if
fuses elektrika – electrical fuses mividy – to buy hafa – extra / spare |
| Ny fihinanana sakafo hariva amin’ny labozia dia romantika. | Eating dinner by candlelight is romantic. [Lit: Eating dinner with candles is romantic.] | sakafo hariva – dinner |
| Na izany aza, ny fanaovana devoara amin’ny labozia dia tsy tena romantika. | However, doing homework by candlelight is not very romantic. | na izany aza – however
fanaovana – doing devoara – homework |
| Ka raha manana jiron’ny masoandro ianao dia afaka manao tsara koka ny asanao.
Noho izany raha manana jiron’ny masoandro ianao dia afaka manao asanao tsara kokoa. |
So if you have a solar-powered flashlight, you can do your work better. | ka – so
raha – if noho izany raha – so if masoandro – sun asa – job kokoa – [a special word used after adjectives to make comparative adjectives] tsara kokoa – better |
| Tokony handoa ny faktiora herinaratra koa ianao.
Tokony handoa ny faktiora herinaratra ianao ankoatra. |
You should also pay your electrical bill. | koa – also
ankoatra – besides / in addition to / also |
