Texts

Yejemet tesu kimatit, ken an tejemet tikmatit, ka nemi se Tiut ka te tikishmatit. Yejemet kishmatit katka tay kitat, ken ne tunal, ne at, ne tal, ne tawial, ne kwajkwawit, ne kojtan: ipal itakwal, ipal ne tapewil, wan ne kwajkwawit pal kisaluat itakil pal tikwat pal te tikseliat mayan.

They didn’t realise, as we now know, that there is a God whom we didn’t know. They recognised the things they could see, such as the sun, the rain, the land, maize, trees, and nature, which provided their food, game, and fruit-bearing trees for food so as not to endure hunger.

Yajika, mupanpa ne tuweyka mumati yek ka ne tuelishku nemi tentuk wan tiwelit tikchiwat tay tejemet tiknekit. Yajika timetzilwiat padiush, Teku Sinti.

Therefore, thanks to you our body is content because our stomach is full and we can do what we wish. Therefore we say: thank you, Father Corn.

Tay techmachtia ne tutut, ma tejemet tikchiwakan iwan tupijpilawan. Ne tutut, yaja se tamachtiani, ka techmachtia ken weli mupewa tiktemuat ne tutakwal pal te tikseliat mayan.

What the bird teaches us, let us do with our children. The bird is a teacher indeed, for it teaches us how we should start looking for our own food in order not to go hungry.

Nosotros vivimos en Santo Domingo de Guzmán.

— Te niajki nusel, yajki nuwan se nukunpa itukay Fernando. Tejemet tikwijket ne tawikani, wan tik Sentzunat tiajket tikitat se ne iechkawan itukay Luisito. Taja tikishmati?

— No fui solo, fue conmigo un amigo que se llama Fernando. Tomamos el bus y en Sonsonate fuimos a ver a uno de sus hermanos mayores llamado Luisito. ¿Lo conoces?

— Teutaka. Yejemet yawita. Tiawita tejemet nusan.

— Ahora ya es tarde. Ellos ya se van a su casa. Nosotros también ya nos vamos [o: vámonos].

Nosotros comemos

Nosotros tenemos orejas

Nosotros tenemos cara

Nosotros estamos jugando

Nosotros estamos leyendo

"We're going now", said the old man; "you go too, but don't forget, come anytime with your son; here are his friends to play with".

That's what my grandfather and grandmother told me, and big storms always come, but we never saw if one came to fall. So, today I am telling this to my friend so he can take this story with him as a remembrance.