Family in Romani: mother, father and more
Family words in North Central Romani (Slovak Romani) from unit 3 of the Čiriklo course, with example sentences and the grammar you need to talk about your family.
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Mother, father, brother and sister
| Romani | English |
|---|---|
| daj | mum |
| dad | dad |
| phral | brother |
| pheň / phen | sister |
| fameľija | family |
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| Oda hin miro dad. | That is my dad. |
| Oda hin miri daj. | That is my mum. |
| Miro phral hino khere. | My brother is at home. |
Children and grandparents
| Romani | English |
|---|---|
| čhavo | boyMeans both “boy” and “son”. |
| čhaj | girlMeans both “girl” and “daughter”. |
| čhavore | childrenOne small child is čhavoro. |
| papus | grandfather |
| baba | grandmother |
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| E baba hiňi khere. | Grandma is at home. |
| O čhavore hine khere. | The children are at home. |
| Miro papus hino phuro. | My grandad is old. |
| Kaj hino o čhavo? | Where is the boy? |
Čhavo and čhaj
Čhavo means both boy and son, čhaj both girl and daughter. A little child is čhavoro, and children are čhavore.
Husband and wife
The words for a Romani man and a Romani woman, Rom and Romňi, also mean husband and wife.
| Romani | English |
|---|---|
| Rom | Rom (a Romani man)A Romani man. The word rom also means husband. |
| Romňi | Romani womanA Romani woman. The word romňi also means wife. |
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| Hin tut rom? | Do you have a husband? |
Rom and gadžo
A Rom is a Romani man and a Romňi a Romani woman. A person who is not a Rom is a gadžo (a woman: gadži). The words rom and romňi also mean husband and wife.
My and your
| Romani | English |
|---|---|
| miro | my (masculine) |
| miri | my (feminine) |
| tiro | your (masculine) |
| tiri | your (feminine) |
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| Miri daj hiňi khere. | My mum is at home. |
| Kaj hino tiro dad? | Where is your dad? |
| Kaj hiňi tiri pheň? | Where is your sister? |
| Tiro phral hino khere. | Your brother is at home. |
Saying “my”
Possessives change their ending to match the noun: miro dad (my dad), miri daj (my mum), mire phrala (my brothers). The same goes for tiro/tiri/tire (your), amaro/amari/amare (our), leskero (his), lakero (her).
“I have a brother”: how to say “have”
| Romani | English |
|---|---|
| Hin man | I haveLiterally “is me”. Hin man phral. – I have a brother. |
| Hin tut? | do you have? |
| Nane man | I don’t have |
| Hin les | he has |
| Hin la | she has |
| Example | English |
|---|---|
| Hin man phral. | I have a brother. |
| Hin tut pheň? | Do you have a sister? |
| Nane man pheň. | I don’t have a sister. |
| Hin man čhavo the čhaj. | I have a son and a daughter. |
| Hin man duj phrala. | I have two brothers. |
Saying “I have”
Romani has no verb “to have”. Instead you say Hin man phral. – literally “is me a brother”, meaning I have a brother. Hin tut? – Do you have one? Nane man. – I don’t have one.
Masculine and feminine
Masculine and feminine
Romani nouns are either masculine or feminine. The article o goes before masculine nouns (o dad), e before feminine ones (e daj). In the plural it is o (o čhave).
More about Romani
- Romani greetings: hello, thank you, I love you
- Numbers in Romani
- Romani alphabet and pronunciation
- Romani grammar basics
- 73 Romani phrases for beginners
- How to learn Romani
- Romani dialects
Learn it with Čiriklo
Most of these words come from unit 3, “Family”, of the free app Čiriklo. In the app you hear every word and sentence – also slowed down – and practise it in short lessons. The app’s explanations are in Czech.
Free · iPhone with iOS 17.0 or later
Android: in testing on Google Play, coming soon
Thanks! We will e-mail you when Čiriklo is on Google Play.
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