Gungan (language)

Boss Rugor Nass communicated using Gungan Basic. Gungan or Gunganese is regarded as a variation of the Basic language, utilized in both spoken and written forms by the Gungans residing on the planet of Naboo. Unique speech patterns and phrases defined it, setting it apart as specific to the Gungan people. Primarily, it evolved from the Naboo settlers' rendition of Basic, characterized by a distinct accent. Occasionally, words originating from Old Gungan would surface in conversations, often lacking apparent meaning unless interpreted.

Humans generally possessed the ability to comprehend it, and conversely, Gungans were capable of understanding Basic as spoken by Humans (even when written). Regarding single-syllable words referencing the self, a suffix of "-sa" was typically added, exemplified by "We-sa" and "You-sa". Furthermore, numerous single-syllable terms concluding with a consonant would feature an ending of "-u".

Counting in Gunganese

una - one
duey - two
dee - three
foosa - four
fife - five
seeks - six
sevin - seven
ate-a - eight
ninee - nine
tenska - ten

Common altered words

"Berry." - very
"Bees" - Be
"Bombad" - superior, superb or great
"Dowopee" - landspeeder
"Mesa" - I am, me, my
"Weesong" - Reason
"My" - **I **
"Mui" - much or a lot
"Moole" - my or mine
"Yousa" - you or you are or did you...?
"Mula" - money or credits
"New" - No
"Yu" - Objective of you
"Yous" - your or plural of you
"Hesa/Shesa" - he/she or he is/she is or did he...?/did she...?
"Wesa" - we or we are or did we...?
"Daysa" or "Desa" - they or they are or did they...?
"Dalee" (or "Daree") - there
"Them-sa" - them
"Yesa." - yes
"No" or "Nosa." - no
"Dat" - that
"Disa" or "Dis" - this
"Okeeday." - okay
"Outlaunder" - Outlander
"Looky." - look
"Smilin." - happy
"Spake." - speak or say
"Skeebeetle" - ship
"Palos." - pals or friends
"Gos." - go
"Hair." - here
"Hep." - help
"Hisen." - human
"Tello" - a story
"Nutsen" - crazy
"Longo"- long
"Hot" - cool, great
"Boyos"- Boys
"Messen" - Mess
"Maken" - Make, makes
"All-n youse" - All of you
"Machineeks" - Droids or machines
"Tis" - It is
"Nutsen" - Nuts

Known phrases

"Heyo dalee!" - Greetings there!
"Heyo-dalee! Mesa goen to Hoth in da bombad Star Toursa skeebeetle." - Greetings! I am traveling to Hoth aboard the superb Star Tours vessel. [4] [5]
"Hidoe!" - Greetings!
"How Wude!" - How Rude!
"Oie boie!" - Oh boy!
"Oyl, moole, moole." - Oh, my, my.
"My no know." - I do not have knowledge.
"Ex squeezee me." - Excuse me.
"Daysa dalee"/"Dalee daysa" - They are present there/There they exist
"Mesa doen nutten!" - I am not engaging in any activity!
"What yousa spake?" - What did you articulate?
"Mesa yous humbule servant." - I am your (plural) respectful servant.
"Mesa luv yous." - I hold affection for you.
"Yousa cannot bees hair. Dis army of machineeks up dare tis new weesong!" - You are restricted from being present here. The droids positioned above provide no justification!
"Tank yu." - Thank you.
"Mesa greeting. In peles mesa comen." - Greetings, I arrive in peace.
"Mesa like to visit yousa city. Can wesa goen dalee?" - I desire to explore your city. Is it permissible for us to proceed to that location?
"Tanken yousa per da meal invitateon." - Appreciation for the invitation to partake in this meal.
"Oh pass pleasa da liquid." - Kindly provide the liquid.
"Disa foosa isa berry good." - The sustenance presented is of high quality.
"Fraidee frog." - Lacking courage.
"Okee day!" - Okay.'''' __
"Selongabye!" - Until our paths cross again! [6]

The verb to be

To be ( Besa ):
I am - Mesa (if followed by an adjective) or * My (if followed by another verb)
You are - Yousa
He is - Hesa
She is - Shesa
It is - Isa (pronounced "izzuh")
We are - Wesa
You (plural) are - Yousas
They are - Deysa

Use "my" if a verb follows "I am," like "I am jumping" or "I am going." So, for "I am going," don't say "Mesa going." Instead, say "My goen" because of this rule. (Also, replace the -ing suffix with -en, so it's "goen," not "going.")

Behind the scenes

The Gungan version of Basic initially appeared in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, which marked the beginning of the prequel trilogy. Ahmed Best, the actor who portrayed Jar Jar Binks in the movie, proposed that Star Wars creator George Lucas modeled the Gungan language on how his son Jett, then six, processed language. After The Phantom Menace was released, Ryder Windham created a Gungan glossary for internal use at Lucasfilm. This document provided English-to-Gungan translations for common phrases, the numbering system, and rules for sentence construction.