Convenience Store

1. Ohatrinona ity?

   O-hat-ri-no-na i-ty?

   How much is this?

   Usage

   Neighbourhood shops in Madagascar (usually called épiceries) rarely mark prices, so this is the line you need most. Answers come in ariary, but older speakers still quote the old franc (1 ariary = 5 francs) — if the figure seems five times too big, ask again.

   Grammar Note

   Malagasy demonstratives grade by distance: ity (right here), io (near you), iny (further off), iroa (far away). For an item in your hand, ity is the right choice.

2. Mila kitapo ve ianao?

   Mi-la ki-ta-po ve i-a-nao?

   Do you need a bag?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Madagascar banned thin plastic bags by law in 2015, so what you get is paper or cloth. Many small shops have none at all, so bringing your own bag is the safe move. A plastic bag is also called a poketra.

   Grammar Note

   Malagasy is a verb-object-subject language, so the subject ianao lands at the end. The question particle ve normally sits immediately before the subject.

3. Omeo ahy ny kitapo, azafady.

   O-me-o a-hy ny ki-ta-po, a-za-fa-dy.

   Please give me a bag

   Usage

   The customer's way of asking. Azafady covers both "please" and "excuse me" and is the standard opener for approaching anyone.

   Grammar Note

   Omeo is the passive (theme-focus) imperative of manome (to give): the thing given (kitapo) is the grammatical subject, and the recipient is expressed with ahy (to me). Malagasy has a focus system where the verb form shifts according to which participant the sentence centres on, and this is a textbook case.

4. Vola sa Mvola?

   Vo-la sa M-vo-la?

   Cash or mobile money?

   Usage

   Said by staff. MVola (Telma), Orange Money and Airtel Money are all widespread, and even a tiny shop will take payment or transfers through them. Card acceptance in small shops is essentially nil, so carry cash or use mobile money. Note the local pun: vola means "money", and MVola is the service built on it.

   Grammar Note

   Malagasy has two words for "or": sa in alternative questions, na when listing options in a statement. "Vola na Mvola" would mean "cash or MVola, either is fine".

5. Afaka mandoa amin'ny Mvola ve aho?

   A-fa-ka man-do-a a-min'ny M-vo-la ve a-ho?

   Can I pay with mobile money?

   Usage

   The customer's version. Travellers with a local SIM can register and use mobile money too. The vendor gives you their phone number; after sending, show them the confirmation SMS.

   Grammar Note

   "Afaka + verb" expresses ability. Amin'ny is the preposition amina fused with the definite article ny; it is the workhorse preposition covering means, place and time.

6. Te hividy crédit Telma aho.

   Te hi-vi-dy cré-dit Tel-ma a-ho.

   I want to buy Telma phone credit

   Usage

   One of the commonest transactions in any Malagasy shop. Scratch cards for Telma, Orange and Airtel are sold by denomination — scratch the back and key in the PIN. Crédit is a French loanword and is universally understood; for data, say crédit internet.

   Grammar Note

   Te (want to) always takes a future-tense verb. The future is formed by swapping the initial m- for h-: mividy (buy) → hividy. The past uses n-: nividy (bought).

7. Omeo ahy rano mangatsiaka, azafady.

   O-me-o a-hy ra-no man-ga-tsi-a-ka, a-za-fa-dy.

   Please give me cold water

   Usage

   Many small shops have no fridge, so room-temperature water is the default. Tap water is not drinkable in Madagascar, so always take a sealed bottle (brands like Eau Vive or Cristalline).

   Grammar Note

   Adjectives follow the noun (rano mangatsiaka = cold water). Mangatsiaka covers both cold weather and cold objects; hot is mafana. Most Malagasy adjectives are verb-like forms beginning with m-.

8. Aiza ny mofo?

   Ai-za ny mo-fo?

   Where is the bread?

   Usage

   For shops you can browse; in a counter-service épicerie you simply name the item. Thanks to the French colonial legacy the baguette (mofo baguette) is a breakfast staple in Madagascar and is sold from bakeries and street stalls too.

   Grammar Note

   The question word aiza comes first. Equally common is "Aiza no misy X?" (where is there any X?), which also implicitly asks whether the shop stocks it at all.

9. Afaka mampiasa ny kabone ve aho?

   A-fa-ka mam-pi-a-sa ny ka-bo-ne ve a-ho?

   May I use the toilet?

   Usage

   Small shops almost never have a customer toilet, so expect to be turned down; hotels, restaurants and petrol stations are the realistic options. Kabone comes from French cabinet and is the everyday word, though WC (pronounced "vay-say") or trano fidiovana also work.

   Grammar Note

   Mampiasa is built from the causative prefix mamp- and the root iasa (to work) — literally "to make something work", hence "to use". Malagasy systematically reshapes verb meaning through prefixes.

10. Afaka manao charge ny findaiko eto ve aho?

    A-fa-ka ma-nao charge ny fin-dai-ko e-to ve a-ho?

    Can I charge my phone here?

    Usage

    Power supply is patchy outside the capital and some shops sell charging as a paid service. Even in Antananarivo, rolling blackouts (délestage) are frequent, so most travellers carry a power bank. Finday is the native Malagasy word for a mobile phone.

    Grammar Note

    "Manao (to do) + a borrowed noun" is how Malagasy verbalises foreign actions. Possession is suffixed: finday + -ko → findaiko (my phone), findainao (your phone).

11. Manana power bank ve ianao?

    Ma-na-na po-wer bank ve i-a-nao?

    Do you have a power bank?

    Usage

    With blackouts so common, power banks sell well in Madagascar and are stocked by electronics and phone shops. A small épicerie usually will not have one — follow up with "Aiza no misy?" (where can I find one?) and they will point you somewhere.

    Grammar Note

    Manana expresses possession; its negative is tsy manana. Distinguish it from misy (there is): "Misy power bank ve?" asks whether the shop has any in stock at all.

12. Misy ATM ve eto akaiky?

    Mi-sy A-T-M ve e-to a-kai-ky?

    Is there an ATM near here?

    Usage

    ATMs cluster at bank branches (BNI, BFV-SG, BOA) in Antananarivo and other cities; in the provinces they exist only in town centres. Withdrawal limits are low and fees high, so stock up on cash before heading out of the cities.

    Grammar Note

    Misy is a dedicated existential verb and takes no subject. The locative eto (here) belongs to the same distance system as the demonstratives, alongside eo (there), eny (further) and ery (far).

13. Tsy manam-bola madinika aho.

    Tsy ma-nam-bo-la ma-di-ni-ka a-ho.

    I don't have small change

    Usage

    Said by staff, and equally usable by you. Malagasy shops routinely run short of change, so a large note (10,000 ariary) may be refused, or the difference made up in sweets. Keep small notes when you get them.

    Grammar Note

    Manana + vola fuses into manam-bola under the Malagasy rule that a final -na merges with the following word's initial consonant. The negator tsy goes directly before the verb.

14. Iray ihany, azafady.

    I-ray i-ha-ny, a-za-fa-dy.

    Just one, please

    Usage

    Malagasy shops sell cigarettes, sweets, washing powder and cooking oil by the single unit or ladle, so this comes in handy. For more, swap in roa (two) or telo (three).

    Grammar Note

    Malagasy cardinals: iray (1), roa (2), telo (3), efatra (4), dimy (5). Numerals follow the noun — mofo roa (two breads). Ihany also means "still" or "all the same" in other contexts.

15. Mila rosia ve ianao?

    Mi-la ro-si-a ve i-a-nao?

    Do you need a receipt?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Small shops have no till and will hand you a written slip if you ask; supermarkets (Shoprite, Leader Price, Score) print a proper one. "Rosia" borrows French "reçu".

    Grammar Note

    Malagasy adapts French loans to its own phonology, which favours open syllables and final vowels: "reçu" → "rosia", "facture" → "faktiora". "Rosia" is a paper showing that money was received (a receipt). Note that "rosia" is homographic with capitalised "Rosia" (Russia); in mid-sentence lowercase there is no confusion at a till.

16. Amin'ny firy no mikatona ity fivarotana ity?

    A-min'ny fi-ry no mi-ka-to-na i-ty fi-va-ro-ta-na i-ty?

    What time does this shop close?

    Usage

    Corner épiceries typically run from around 07:00 to 19:00-20:00, though Sunday may mean mornings only or closed. In rural areas shops shut at sunset, so do your shopping before dark.

    Grammar Note

    Malagasy often brackets a noun between paired demonstratives: ity … ity. The particle no marks focus and appears before the predicate whenever a question word is fronted. To ask about opening, swap mikatona for misokatra (to open).

Browse all TravelPhrases languages