Martial Arts

1. I gat wanpela boksin klab long hia?

   I gat wan-pe-la bok-sin klab long hia?

   Is there a boxing club around here?

   Usage

   The combat sport you will actually find in Papua New Guinea is boxing, with small clubs in Port Moresby and Lae. There is no well-documented codified traditional fighting school; village bows and spears were tools of hunting and conflict rather than a taught martial art. Be sceptical of invented style names

   Grammar Note

   "I gat" is the set existential. The suffix "-pela" turns numerals and adjectives into modifiers of a noun (wan → wanpela, gut → gutpela) and is one of the most distinctive features of Tok Pisin

2. Inap mi kam insait long trening bilong tude?

   I-nap mi kam in-sait long tre-ning bi-long tu-de?

   May I join today's training?

   Usage

   Asking about a drop-in. Clubs in Papua New Guinea rarely have formal joining procedures — speaking to the coach directly is usually enough. Port Moresby needs care over personal security, so keep to basic precautions such as not travelling alone after dark

   Grammar Note

   "Long" is the single all-purpose preposition of Tok Pisin, covering place, time and most other relations. Possession is handled separately by "bilong", and the split between these two words is fundamental

3. Inap mi lukluk tasol long trening?

   I-nap mi luk-luk ta-sol long tre-ning?

   May I just watch the training?

   Usage

   Asking to observe. Always ask separately before taking photos or video — unannounced filming can provoke real anger in Papua New Guinea, particularly where children or ceremonial activity are involved

   Grammar Note

   "Lukluk" reduplicates "luk" (to look) to express sustained watching. Reduplication is the standard device for repetition or continuity in Tok Pisin: "toktok" (to talk), "waswas" (to wash)

4. Hamas mani long wanpela trening?

   Ha-mas ma-ni long wan-pe-la tre-ning?

   How much does one session cost?

   Usage

   Asking the price. The currency is the kina (PGK). Community boxing clubs often run on small subscriptions or donations and may have no per-session rate. Carry small notes — change is not always available

   Grammar Note

   The question word "hamas" comes from English "how much" and covers both quantity and price. Tok Pisin has no copula, so "Hamas mani ...?" stands as a complete sentence with no verb

5. Mi nupela tru long boksin.

   Mi nu-pe-la tru long bok-sin.

   I am completely new to boxing.

   Usage

   Flagging that you are a beginner. Clubs in Papua New Guinea post no skill levels, so saying it aloud is the only way to be placed sensibly — otherwise you may end up in drills pitched at experienced fighters

   Grammar Note

   "Tru" follows an adjective or verb as an intensifier: "nupela tru" (completely new), "gutpela tru" (very good). Tok Pisin needs no copula with a predicate adjective

6. Plis, mekim isi isi.

   Plis, me-kim i-si i-si.

   Please, take it easy.

   Usage

   For asking a partner to lower the intensity. "Isi isi" means "slowly, gently" and is everyday vocabulary used for driving, handling objects and much else. Saying it plainly is the safe choice

   Grammar Note

   The suffix "-im" marks a verb as transitive and appears whenever it takes an object (mek → mekim, luk → lukim). Repeating "isi" softens the manner rather than intensifying it

7. Skru bilong lek bilong mi i pen, mi no inap kikim.

   Skru bi-long lek bi-long mi i pen, mi no i-nap ki-kim.

   My knee hurts, so I cannot kick.

   Usage

   Declaring an injury. "Skru bilong lek" literally means "screw of the leg", that is, the joint — the knee. Clubs use no intake form, so speaking up is the only channel, and medical care is thin on the ground, so do not push through pain

   Grammar Note

   The particle "i" is a predicate marker that appears before the verb with a third-person subject. With a compact vocabulary, Tok Pisin regularly builds concepts by combining existing words, as in "skru bilong lek"

8. I gat glavs mi ken yusim?

   I gat glavs mi ken yu-sim?

   Are there gloves I can use?

   Usage

   Checking on equipment. Clubs in Papua New Guinea run on limited kit and often rotate a shared set of gloves. Bring your own wraps and mouthguard — few shops stock them locally

   Grammar Note

   Relative clauses attach directly to the noun with no linking word: "glavs mi ken yusim" = gloves that I may use. "Ken" expresses permission while "inap" expresses capability, splitting what English packs into "can"

9. Wanem taim trening i stat?

   Wa-nem taim tre-ning i stat?

   What time does the training start?

   Usage

   Asking about the timetable. Clubs train mostly in the late afternoon to avoid the heat, and schedules travel by word of mouth. Darkness falls soon after 6pm year-round, so sort out how you will get back at the same time

   Grammar Note

   The question word "wanem" (what) precedes a noun to form "which X": "wanem taim" (what time), "wanem samting" (what thing). Fronting it does not otherwise change the word order

10. Inap yu skulim mi long dispela?

    I-nap yu sku-lim mi long dis-pe-la?

    Could you teach me this?

    Usage

    Asking to be taught a move. Always say "Tenkyu tru" once you have been shown. Papua New Guinea has over 800 languages and Tok Pisin serves as the lingua franca, though English and Hiri Motu are mixed in depending on the region

    Grammar Note

    "Skul" (school) takes the transitivising "-im" to become "skulim" (to teach). Deriving verbs from nouns this way is highly productive in Tok Pisin: wok → wokim, tok → tokim

11. I gat ples bilong waswas long hia?

    I gat ples bi-long was-was long hia?

    Is there somewhere to wash here?

    Usage

    Checking for washing facilities. Clubs and community halls in Papua New Guinea do not always have showers; a tap or a drum of water may be what is on offer. Bring your own towel and a change of clothes

    Grammar Note

    "Ples bilong + verb" forms a noun phrase meaning "place for doing X". "Waswas" reduplicates English "wash" and is the everyday word for bathing

12. Long PNG, ol manmeri i save laikim boksin na ragbi tru.

    Long PNG, ol man-me-ri i sa-ve lai-kim bok-sin na rag-bi tru.

    In Papua New Guinea, people really love boxing and rugby.

    Usage

    A good conversation opener. Rugby league is the national obsession in Papua New Guinea, and the country has sent boxers to the Olympics and the Pacific Games. Talk about modern sport lands far better than fishing for a traditional martial art

    Grammar Note

    "Ol" marks plurality and precedes the noun. Before a verb, "save" marks habitual action: "i save laikim" = habitually likes. "Manmeri" compounds "man" and "meri" (woman) to mean "people"

13. Apim han bilong yu, lukim ai bilong narapela man.

    A-pim han bi-long yu, lu-kim ai bi-long na-ra-pe-la man.

    Get your hands up, look at the other man's eyes.

    Usage

    Said by the coach. One of the most frequent cues during pad work and sparring — reading the eyes rather than the hands tells you what is coming. The clipped imperative carries no harshness

    Grammar Note

    Commands front the bare verb with no subject. "Apim" is English "up" plus the transitivising "-im", an example of Tok Pisin deriving verbs from prepositions and adverbs

14. Kikim strong tru, no ken holim bek.

    Ki-kim strong tru, no ken ho-lim bek.

    Kick it really hard, do not hold back.

    Usage

    Said by the coach. The call from the pad holder when they want full commitment. Half-hearted contact is the more likely way to hurt yourself, so this doubles as permission to kick at full power

    Grammar Note

    Prohibitions use "no ken" before the verb. "Holim bek" borrows the English phrasal verb "hold back" wholesale, which Tok Pisin does readily

15. Malolo faivpela minit, na dringim wara.

    Ma-lo-lo faiv-pe-la mi-nit, na drin-gim wa-ra.

    Rest for five minutes and drink some water.

    Usage

    Said by the coach between rounds. The country is hot and humid and training often happens in semi-open venues under a roof, so water breaks come often. Tap water is unsafe to drink in most areas, so bring bottled water

    Grammar Note

    Numerals take "-pela" when modifying a noun: "faivpela minit" = five minutes. "Wara" covers both water and river, with context doing the disambiguating

16. Em inap long tude. Yu mekim gutpela wok.

    Em i-nap long tu-de. Yu me-kim gut-pe-la wok.

    That is enough for today. You did good work.

    Usage

    Said by the coach to close the session. Clubs in Papua New Guinea often finish with a short prayer, reflecting how deeply Christianity is embedded in daily life. "Tenkyu tru" is the natural reply to the coach

    Grammar Note

    "Em" is the third-person singular pronoun but can also point back at a whole situation, as here. Tok Pisin has no tense inflection; past reference comes from context or markers such as "pinis"

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