Useful phrases in Nahuatl

A collection of useful phrases in Nahuatl (nawatlahtolli), a Uto-Aztecan language spoken mainly in central Mexico.

See these phrases in any combination of two languages in the Phrase Finder. If you can provide recordings, corrections or additional translations, please contact me.

Key to abbreviations: sg = singular (said to one person), pl = plural (said to more than one person).

English	nāhuatl / nawatlahtolli (Nahuatl)
Welcome	Ximopanōltih
Hello (General greeting)	Niltze Tialli Pialli
How are you?	¿Quen tinemi? (How do you live?) ¿Quen tica? (inf)
Reply to 'How are you?'	Cualli ninemi, tlazocāmati. ¿Īhuān tehuatl?
Long time no see	Ahmo titonāmiqui ye huehcāuh
What's your name?	¿Quen motoca?
My name is ...	Notōcā ... Nehua notōcā ... Ni ...
Where are you from?	¿Campa tihuala?
I'm from ...	Nehuatl ... Nehua ... Ne nihuala ...
Pleased to meet you	Nechpactia nimitzixmati
Good morning (Morning greeting)	Cualli tlanecic tlanecic Cualli tonalli (Good day) ¿Quen otlathuililo? (How was the dawn?)
Good afternoon (Afternoon greeting)	Cualli teotlac Cualli tiotaqui Tiotaqui Cualli tonalli (Good day) ¿Quen ocemilhuitihuac? (How was the day?)
Good evening (Evening greeting)	Cualli teotlac Cualli tiotaqui Tiotaqui ¿Quen oteotlahquililo? (How was the dusqu?)
Good night	Cualli yohualli Ma xicochi (May you sleep)
Goodbye (Parting phrases)	Ye niauh (to person leaving) Xiauh ica cualtzin (to person staying) Timo-itazque (we will see one another later) Totazque (we will see one another later) Ixquicha moztla (until tomorrow) Ixquicha nimitzihtaz (until I see you later)
Good luck!	Ma cualli ohtli
Cheers! Good Health! (Toasts used when drinking)	Ma ixpāntzinco Ixpāntzinco
Have a nice day	Ma cualli tōnalli
Bon appetit / Have a nice meal	Xitlacua cualli
Bon voyage / Have a good journey	Xiauh ica cualtzin
I understand	Nitlacaqui
I don't understand	Ahmo nitlacaqui
I don't know	Ahmo nicmati
Please speak more slowly	Ma yōlīc xitlato
Please say that again	Ma occepa xitlato
Please write it down	Ma xitlacuilo
Do you speak English?	¿Tinleztlahtoa? ¿Titlahtoa Inlez? ¿Titlahtoa Inleztlatōlli?
Do you speak Nahuatl?	¿Tināhuatlahtoa? ¿Titlahtoa Nāhuatlahtōlli?
Yes, a little (reply to 'Do you speak ...?')	Quema, achitzin
How do you say ... in Nahuatl?	¿Quenin moihtoa ... ica Nāhuatl?
Excuse me	Ma ixpāntzinco ("In front of an honorable place")
How much is this?	¿Quexqui inin? ¿Quen tlazohti? ("What's this worth?")
Sorry	Ma xinechtlapohpolhui
Please	Nimitztlatlauhtia
Thank you	Tlazohcamati Cenca tlazohcamati
Reply to thank you	Ahmitla ((It's) nothing)
Where's the toilet / bathroom?	¿Campa ca in cuitlacalli? ¿Campa ca in axixcalli? ¿Campa ca in alticalli? ¿Campa ca in tlapiazoti? ¿Campa ca in tlapiazohualoyan?
This gentleman will pay for everything	Oquichtli ixtlahuaz nochi
This lady will pay for everything	Cihuatl ixtlahuaz nochi
Would you like to dance with me?	¿Ticnequi tihtōtiz īhuān nāhuatl?
I miss you	Nimitlailnamiqui
I love you	Nimitztlazohtla Nimitznequi
Get well soon	Niman xipahti
Go away!	¡Xiauh!
Leave me alone!	¡Xiauh!
Help!	¡Xinechpalēhuia! (sg) ¡Xitopalēhuicān! (pl)
Fire!	¡Tletl!
Stop!	¡Ximocahcāhua!
Be careful!	¡Ma timocuitlahui!
Be quiet!	¡Macamo xinahuati!
Call the police!	¡Xicnōtza tepixqui!
Christmas greetings	Cualli netlācatilizpan īhuān yancuic xihuitl
Easter greetings	Cualli paxcuatl
Birthday greetings	Ilhuitl Tlacatilizilhuitl
One language is never enough	Cēntlahtōlli aocmō moāhcic
My hovercraft is full of eels	Noehēcatlapalqui cōāmichtēnqui

Nahuatl phrases provided by Pat Rivera, with recordings, corrections, additions by Itzchimalli Metziuhki

Download all the audio files (Zip format, 1.4MB)

Download an spreadsheet including these Nahuatl phrases - also includes the alphabet and numbers

If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.

Links

Other collections of Nahuatl phrases
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Nahuatl/Common_phrases
http://6thsunridaz.com/basic-nahuatl-phrases-greetings/
http://www.hoanumpoli.org/uploads/Nahuatl_Greetings.pdf

Phrases in Uto-Aztecan languages

Comanche, Nahuatl, Oʼodham, Serrano

Phrases in other languages

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