June 1, 2020
Asking Questions in Chamorro
Asking Questions is a good way to learn new things in Chamorro, and is essential in daily life.
Kåo siña hao fumino’ Chamoru?
Can you speak Chamorro?
Månu na sumasaga hao?
Where do you live?
Håfa kumeke’ilek-mu?
What do you mean?
Yes/No Questions
In Chamorro, to ask a question that can be answered with hunggan or åhe’ is easy. You simply have to start off the question with the marker kåo.
| Statement | Question |
| Chumochu i patgon. The child ate. | Kåo chumochu i patgon? Did the child eat? |
| Asut i kareta. The car is blue. | Kåo asut i kareta? Is the car blue? |
| Lunes på’go. Today is Monday. | Kåo Lunes på’go. Is today Monday? |
| Ya-mu na’italianu. You like Italian food. | Kåo ya-mu na’italianu? Do you like Italian food? |
Question Words
When asking questions that require a response beyond hunggan or åhe’, you’ll need to start off your question with a question word or phrase. Here is a list of some common Chamorro question words.
| CHAMORRO | ENGLISH |
| håyi | who |
| håfa | what |
| ngai’an | when |
| månu | where |
| sa’ håfa | why |
| taimanu | how |
| kuånto, akuånto | how much, how many |
| ginen manu | from where |
| para månu | to where |
| para håfa | for what |
| pot håfa | about what |
Here are some examples of Chamorro interrogative sentences.
Taimanu un fa’tinas i titiyas-mu?
How did you make your titiyas?
Ginen manu hao?
Where were you? Where did you come from?
Para månu hao?
Where are you going? Where are you off to?
Ngai’an i fiestan San Jose?
When is the San Jose fiesta?
Månu na sumåsåga hao på’go?
Where do you live now?
Håyi i na’ån-ña?
What’s her name?
Kuånto un fåhan na gimen?
How many drinks did you buy?
Para håfa este?
What is this for?
Pot håfa i lepblo?
What is the book about?
Tag Questions
A tag question is a mini question after a statement that asks for confirmation. Look at the bolded words in the following questions. These are the tag questions.
He’s tall, isn’t he?
You’re hungry, aren’t you?
The ocean is salty, isn’t it?
You don’t like me, do you?
In English, when creating tag questions, we ask the opposite of the statement. If our statement is negative, we ask the positive, and the same goes for a positive statement. In Chamorro, to ask a tag question, we simply say “no” at the end.
Guiya i ma’gas, no?
She’s the boss, isn’t she?
Månnge’ este, no?
This is good, isn’t it?
Ti matuhok hao, no?
You aren’t sleepy, are you?
