A few words of Corsican are enough to say hello, thank someone or make sense of a map. The forms and translations below come from Infcor, the ADECEC’s database of the Corsican language; they can vary from one region to another. The words from the French spoken in Corsica have each been checked in at least two sources, listed at the end of the page.
A few pronunciation basics
In Corsican, word endings are often barely stressed, and ‘u’ is pronounced ‘oo’. Some consonants change sound depending on their place in the sentence (these are called mutations), and pronunciation varies from one small area to the next: in the speech of the Taravo, for example, ‘ll’ is pronounced ‘dd’.
Basic Corsican words and phrases
| English | Corsican |
|---|---|
| Yes | iè |
| No | innò |
| Welcome | benvenutu |
| Hello, good morning | bonghjornu |
| Good evening | bonasera |
| Good night | bonanotte |
| Goodbye | avvedeci |
| Thank you | grazie |
| Cheers! | salute ! |
| To excuse | scusà |
| To eat | manghjà |
| Well, good | bè |
| How | cumu |
| Friend | amicu |
| Maquis | machja |
| Three-part polyphonic song | paghjella |
To ask how someone is in Corsican, people usually say ‘Cumu và ?’, and the reply is ‘Và bè’ (I’m fine).
Va bè and babin, Bastia’s punctuation
Và bè means ‘it’s going well’: in Infcor, bè means ‘well’. Said with a Bastia accent, it becomes babin. Said as a question, it means ‘all right?’. Most of the time it is an interjection, dropped in at every turn to show surprise or astonishment, often preceded by a ‘bouh’. It comes up so often that it ends up setting the rhythm of the conversation, rather like an exclamation mark.
Corsican words in place names
These words keep coming up on maps and hiking signs:
| Corsican | Meaning |
|---|---|
| bocca | pass (also: mouth, entrance) |
| capu | head, cape |
| lavu | lake |
| penta | slope |
| pentone | large rock |
| foce | pass, river mouth |
| carrughju | street |
| piscia, spiscia | small waterfall, waterfall |
| serra | mountain range |
| castagnu | chestnut tree |
| liccetu | holm oak wood |
| ind’è | at someone’s home, in |
Corsicanisms: Corsican words in the French spoken in Corsica
The French spoken in Corsica is sprinkled with Corsican words. Here are the ones you will hear most often.
Muntà a sega
In Infcor, ‘muntà a sega’ means to fool someone, to take them in with smooth talk. A montasega is a braggart, a show-off. In Corsican French, people also say monter la sega: be wary if someone tells you a story that sounds too good to be true.
Macagna
Macagna is teasing, banter: gently making fun of others and of yourself is part of the conversation.
Pinzutu
Literally ‘pointed’: the word for a French person from the mainland. It is slightly pejorative, so it is best not to use it yourself.
Aiò !
‘Come on!’, ‘let’s get a move on!’: you hear it to hurry someone along or to encourage them.
Avà
‘Now’, ‘at present’. In speech, it is also used to show surprise, in the sense of ‘you’re joking!’.
Chè
‘That’, ‘what’. In speech, it is also used to call on someone as a witness to what you are saying.
Macu, toccu de macu
Mainly in Ajaccio, macu describes something good, something you like. ‘C’est toccu de macu’ means it’s brilliant. The word is not in Infcor: it belongs to local slang.
Goffu
In Infcor, goffu means ugly (goffa in the feminine). In Corsican French, it is also used for a silly person or an unpleasant situation: ‘Comme il est goffu, ce mur !’ (that wall is hideous), ‘Tu es goffu, tu m’as fait peur !’ (you’re daft, you gave me a fright).
Doumé
Doumé is Dominique. The name is Dumènicu in Corsican, and its short form Dumè is also spelt ‘Doumé’. If someone mentions Doumé, they mean a man called Dominique, not an expression.
Se prendre une chapatte
A chapatte is a spanking, or more broadly a slap, a smack round the face. The word comes from the Corsican sciappata, a spanking, itself derived from sciappa, a buttock. Se prendre une chapatte therefore means to get a hiding.
Strega, stragna
You hear these words used for a strange or unpleasant person, a ‘witch’. They are words of everyday speech, not listed in Infcor in this form: the verb stregà means to bewitch, and a foreigner is a stranieru.
Funny Corsican expressions
Corsican humour likes a vivid image and a short turn of phrase. These expressions and proverbs all come from Infcor.
| Corsican | Literal translation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Goffu cum’è u peccatu | ugly as sin | not good-looking at all |
| Per ellu hè sempre dumenica | for him, it’s always Sunday | he never does any work |
| Vulè botte piena è moglia briaca | to want the barrel full and the wife drunk | to want the impossible |
| Esse cum’è a castagna, bella di fora, in dentru macagna | to be like the chestnut, fine outside, rotten inside | appearances are deceptive |
| Ùn ci capiscu un accidente | I don’t understand an accident of it | I don’t understand a thing |
| Fà a sbacca | to show off | to strut about |
| Pigliassi una sbornia | to get a skinful | to drink too much |
Two more words complete the teasing kit. A puttachju is a piece of gossip, and a puttachjone is the person who spreads it, a real busybody. A saetta is a bolt of lightning, but the word is also used for a child who cannot keep still: ‘istu zitellu hè una saetta’ (this child is a lightning bolt).
Corsican insults and swear words
Like every language, Corsican has its insults and its swear words. The crudest ones have no place here; these are the ones you are likely to hear, with how strong they really are.
Common insults
| Corsican | Meaning in Infcor | Register |
|---|---|---|
| tontu | silly, stupid, crazy | informal, common |
| scemu | mad, lacking judgement | informal |
| lollu | idiot | informal |
| bestia | beast, fool (‘sì una bestia’, you’re a fool) | informal, can hurt |
| baullu | trunk (chest); figuratively, simpleton, dimwit | informal |
| goffu | ugly | teasing |
| montasega | braggart, show-off | teasing |
| puttachjone | gossip, rumour-monger | teasing |
Among friends, tontu or goffu get thrown around with a laugh, the way you might say ‘idiot’ or ‘you’re daft’ in English. Tone is everything: the same words, said to a stranger, come across as a provocation.
Oaths and curses
Piombu ! means ‘lead’, but Infcor also gives it as an informal interjection of admiration, sometimes ironic, which you could translate as ‘my word!’; Diavule ! (the devil!) is an equivalent. Accidenti !, from accidente, is also used as an exclamation. Saetta, lightning, is also heard as an oath of astonishment.
Heavier still, curses wish harm on someone. ‘Ch’ella ti fali una mannaghja’ (may the blade fall on you) means ‘curse you’; ‘Ch’ellu ti ghjunga un accidente !’ wishes a stroke on the person you are talking to. These cause real offence.
When not to use them
Do not use these words yourself, even as a joke. From a visitor, a Corsican insult sounds like mockery of the language, not a friendly nod. Avoid them with older people, in shops, at the wheel or in a disagreement, and never aim them at someone’s family. If someone calls you a pinzutu or a tontu with a smile, smile back: most of the time it is just macagna.
