How to Speak Dothraki and High Valyrian from Game of Thrones
DISCLAIMER: we do accept that if you are not a Game of Thrones fan, this post might be a bit boring… we instead direct you to our other blog posts which might be more of interest :). Apologies as always, your faithful Tandem blog team.
Game of Thrones, HBO’s epic fantasy series based on the books by George R. R. Martin, hit our screens again this month. All pretty exciting for those of us who are big fans. But did you know you can also learn Game of Thrones languages on Tandem?
The languages we have on the app are High Valyrian…
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... and Dothraki.
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Both are constructed languages - meaning not grown organically through culture and society, but rather constructed artificially and intentionally. In this case, both languages were created by David Petersen for the show. Despite their artificial nature, both languages sport a devoted fan following.
You can indeed learn Dothraki and High Valyrian like any other language - they both have a large vocabulary and a whole grammar system to ensure eloquent communication. And they are not the only constructed languages like this out there. A famous example of an older, even more developed constructed language is Klingon, from Star Trek (also available on Tandem, if you’re interested).
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So… what if you do actually want to learn Dothraki or Valyrian? Of course, the ideal scenario would be to have an actual language exchange with a Dothraki warrior or a nobleman from Essos for Valyrian. We hope you find one on Tandem… but if you need a head start, here are a few key phrases for any occasion:
“Hash yer dothrae chek?” - How are you? (Or, literally, did you ride well today?)
“Anha dothrak chek asshekh” - I feel good today (Or, literally, I rode well today)
“Asshekhqoyi vezhvena!” - Happy birthday! (Or, literally, great day of blood)
“Shekh ma shieraki anni” - My sun and stars (from a woman, to her man)
“Jalan atthirari anni” - The moon of my life (from a man, to his woman)
“Me nem nesa” - It is known
“Yer zheanae (sekke)” - You’re (very) beautiful
“Anha vazhak yeraan thirat” - I will let you live (not likely in Game of Thrones, let’s be honest)
Nerdy grammar note: there are three different verbs for “to kill” in Dothraki: addrivat, drozhat and ogat.
“Rytsas!” - Hello!
“Skoriot ñuhyz zaldrīzesse ilzi?” - Where are my dragons?
“Skoros morghot vestri? Tubī daor” - What do we say to death? Not today
“Bantis zōbrie issa se ossȳngnoti lēdys” - The night is dark and full of terrors
“Ao ynoma dīnilūks?” - Will you marry me?
“Kessa!” - Yes!
“Daor” - No
“Valar morghulis” - All men must die
Want to show off your new Valyrian and Dothraki skills? Download Tandem for iOS and Android today!
