Helpim mi!
Help me!
Usage
Used to call for help in an emergency
Grammar Note
The transitive marker "-im" is attached. Shout loudly in an emergency. Pairing with "Polis!" (Police!) is effective.
Polis!
Police!
Usage
Shouted to call the police
Grammar Note
PNG has no single nationwide police emergency number. In Port Moresby (NCD) call 1800100 or 3089000; in Lae (Morobe) the police hotline is 112. The ambulance number is 111. "Bringim polis!" (Bring the police!) is also useful.
Haus sik i stap we?
Where is the hospital?
Usage
Used urgently to find a hospital or clinic
Grammar Note
"Haus sik" is a classic Tok Pisin compound: "haus" (house) + "sik" (sick) = hospital. This pattern is very productive in Tok Pisin.
Mi sik
I am sick / I feel ill
Usage
Basic expression used to report illness or feeling unwell
Grammar Note
You can add symptoms. The real idioms use "pen" as the predicate: "Het bilong mi i pen" (my head hurts), "Mi pilim pen long bel bilong mi" (I feel pain in my stomach). A fever is "Skin bilong mi i hat" (my skin is hot).
Kolim ambulens, plis
Please call an ambulance
Usage
Used in a medical emergency
Grammar Note
Emergency medical services in PNG can be limited, especially in remote Highlands and island areas. Having travel insurance with medical evacuation coverage is strongly advised.
Ol i stilim samting bilong mi
Someone stole my things
Usage
Used to report theft to police or hotel staff
Grammar Note
"Ol" (from "all") serves as the third-person plural "they" and also as an impersonal "someone." Petty theft is a concern in urban areas of PNG.
Mi lus
I am lost / I have lost the road
Usage
Used when lost to ask for directions or help
Grammar Note
"Lus" is intransitive and takes no object — the transitive counterpart is "lusim", with the -im suffix. The form used is intransitive "Mi lus" (e.g. "mi lus long wanpela bikbus" = I was lost in a deep forest). ⚠ Do not "correct" this to "Mi lusim rot": "lusim rot" means to leave/stray from the road, which is a different statement. To add that you don't know the way, say "Mi no save long rot".
Paia! Paia!
Fire! Fire!
Usage
Shouted urgently when a fire is discovered
Grammar Note
Repetition in Tok Pisin adds urgency or emphasis. Doubling emergency words (Paia! Paia!) intensifies the call for help.
Mi nidim dokta
I need a doctor
Usage
Emergency phrase used when medical help is needed
Grammar Note
In PNG, "dokta" can refer to any health worker. Note the difference between an "aid post" (rural clinic) and a "haus sik" (hospital).
Dispela i inap bagarapim mi
This is dangerous (this could harm me)
Usage
Used to warn about a dangerous situation or object
Grammar Note
"Bagarapim" = "bagarap" + transitive "-im." Example: "Dispela wara inap bagarapim yu" = "This water could harm you."
Ofis bilong kantri bilong mi i stap we?
Where is my country's embassy?
Usage
Used in an emergency to locate your country's embassy
Grammar Note
The US Embassy in PNG calls itself "Ofis bilong America long Papua New Guinea", and PNG travel advice in Tok Pisin says "hai komisen o consulet ofis bilong kantri yu laik go long em" (the high commission or consular office of the country you are going to). Commonwealth countries (Australia, NZ, UK) are represented in PNG by high commissions rather than embassies, so the generic "ofis bilong kantri" is the safe term. Major missions are in Port Moresby; note the address and emergency contact before you travel.
No ken!
Stop it
Usage
Show it firmly without speaking, e.g. to aggressive touts
No ken tasim mi!
Do not touch me
Usage
Show it firmly without speaking
Lusim mi!
Leave me alone
Usage
Show it firmly without speaking
Stilman
Thief
Usage
stil (steal) plus man (person): someone who steals without using force
Raskol
Robber
Usage
Someone who uses violence to take money or goods, as against the stilman, who only steals
Bom
Bomb
Usage
The Tok Pisin form of English "bomb"
Paia! Ranawe!
Fire! Run!
Usage
Shout it to alert others and get them moving when you see a fire
Grammar Note
"Paia! Paia!" with the second word swapped for "ranawe" ("to run away"), the same form as in "I gat limet long hamas kilomita mi inap ranawe?". Tok Pisin is an English-lexified creole, so English-looking forms are legitimate.
Stilman! Holim em!
Thief! Catch him!
Usage
Calling for help from bystanders when someone snatches your belongings
Grammar Note
"Holim" ("to hold, detain") is the same form as in "Polis i holim mi. Wanem mi mas mekim?", where it likewise means physically detaining a person. "-im" is the transitive suffix and "em" the 3rd-person singular object (also in "Em i bagarap"). Note: "Stilman" rather than "Raskol" because the latter implies violence.
Polis i stap we?
Where are the police?
Usage
Asking where to go to report a theft
Grammar Note
"X i stap we?" ("Where is X?") is the frame of "Haus sik i stap we?", "Haus marasin i stap we?" and "Ofis bilong kantri bilong mi i stap we?"; only the subject is swapped for "Polis" (the same form as "Polis" and "Polis!"). Note: "Polis" names the force or an officer rather than the building.
I gat wanpela man i save toktok Japanis?
Is there anyone who speaks Japanese?
Usage
Show it first at a police or hospital counter when looking for an interpreter
Grammar Note
"I gat …?" ("Is there …?") is the form used in "I gat haus bilong malolo long maunten?" and "I gat aksiden.". "I save toktok + language name" is the pattern of "Yu save toktok Inglis?" ("Do you speak English?"), with the language name swapped for "Japanis" (the same form as "Mi Japanis"). "Save" marks ability/habit and "wanpela" works as an indefinite article ("Mi laik baim wanpela karvim").
Ol i go insait long rum bilong mi.
My room was broken into
Usage
Reporting that your room was entered while you were out
Grammar Note
"Ol i + verb + … bilong mi" is the construction of "Ol i stilim samting bilong mi" ("My things were stolen"), used when the agent is unknown. The verb phrase is swapped for "go insait" (the same form as "No ken go insait") and the noun for "rum" ("Rum"). "Long" is the locative preposition.
Dispela man i raskol.
That person is the culprit
Usage
Pointing out the offender to the police
Grammar Note
"Dispela + noun + i + predicate" is the construction of "Dispela ka i gat skrach." and "Dispela ples i gat wanpela naispela fisig vilis.". "Raskol" is the established Papua New Guinean word for a criminal (glossed as "someone who uses violence to take money or goods").
Mi lusim bek bilong mi.
I left my bag behind
Usage
Reporting that you left a bag behind in a shop, a bus or a PMV
Grammar Note
"Lusim" is the same transitive verb as in "Lusim mi!" — "lus" ("Mi lus" = "I am lost") plus the transitive suffix "-im". The object is swapped for "bek" ("Bek" = "bag") and possession is marked with "bilong mi".
I gat aksiden long rot.
There has been a traffic accident
Usage
Reporting a road accident
Grammar Note
Reuses the first sentence of "I gat aksiden. Plis singautim ski patrol!" and adds the location "long rot". "Long rot" is the same form as in "I gat abus i save bagarapim man long rot hia?".
Wanpela ka i bagarapim mi.
I was hit by a car
Usage
Telling police or medical staff that a car hit you
Grammar Note
"Bagarapim mi" is the same form as in "Dispela i inap bagarapim mi" — the transitive "bagarapim" ("to damage, injure"; intransitive in "Mi bagarap." = "I am injured") with the object "mi". The subject is swapped for "wanpela ka" ("ka" = car as in "Dispela ka i gat skrach.").
Plis ranawe long rot bilong go ausait.
Please escape through the exit
Usage
Directing people to evacuate in a fire or similar emergency
Grammar Note
"Plis + verb" is the request form of "Plis helpim mi liklik" and "Plis toktok isi". "Rot bilong go ausait" ("exit"). There is no modifier for "emergency"; the card names an ordinary exit.
Plis kam nau.
Please come right away
Usage
Telling someone on the phone, or through a third person, to come to where you are
Grammar Note
The "Plis + verb" request frame ("Plis tokim mi", etc.) with "kam" ("come", as in "Kam" and "…i ken kam insait?") and "nau" ("now", as in "Mi laik tekewe nau").
Ol i paitim mi.
I was beaten
Usage
Reporting an assault to the police or to medical staff
Grammar Note
The same "Ol i + transitive verb + object" construction as "Ol i stilim samting bilong mi", used when the agent is unknown. The verb is "paitim" (English "fight" + the transitive suffix -im); it means "to fight / to hit / to knock".
Ol i sutim mi.
I was stabbed
Usage
Telling medical staff or police that you were stabbed
Grammar Note
The "Ol i + transitive verb + object" construction. "Sutim" is used of piercing with a blade or spear — e.g. "Wanpela soldia i sutim sait bilong em long spia" ("a soldier pierced his side with a spear").
Ol i giamanim mi.
I was deceived
Usage
Reporting a scam or a rip-off
Grammar Note
The "Ol i + transitive verb + object" construction. "Giamanim" is "giaman" (a lie) plus the transitive suffix "-im"; it means "to cheat someone / to trick someone maliciously" (e.g. "Snek i giamanim mi olsem na mi kaikai").
Wanpela man i draun long wara.
Someone is drowning
Usage
Alerting others when you see someone drowning at sea or in a river
Grammar Note
"Wanpela" is the form of "Mi laik baim wanpela karvim" and "long wara" of "Wanem saen bilong hep aninit long wara?". "Draun" occurs in "mekim meri i draun long wara" — literally making the woman drown in water.
Ol i stilim paus mani bilong mi.
My wallet was stolen
Usage
Use it when filing a theft report; remember to cancel your cards too
Grammar Note
"Ol i stilim samting bilong mi" with only the object swapped for "paus mani" ("wallet, money pouch"). "Paus mani" appears as "ol i lukim paus mani bilong ol insait long wan wan beg bilong ol".
Plis hariap.
Please hurry
Usage
Telling an ambulance or taxi that the situation is urgent
Grammar Note
The "Plis + verb" request frame ("Plis helpim mi liklik", "Plis toktok isi") with "hariap" (from English "hurry up"). It is used verbally, e.g. "Abraham i hariap i go long haus sel".
More Tok Pisin phrases
- Basic Words
- Basic Nouns
- Basic Verbs
- Adjectives
- Question Words
- Greetings
- Food & Drinks
- Transportation
- Shopping
- Numbers
- Hotel
- Sightseeing
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- Airport & Customs
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- Café & Drinks
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- Beauty & Grooming
- Remote Work
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- Signs
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- Feelings
- Slang
- Local Dishes
- Local Drinks
- Indulgences