Languages of Aruba - wikipedia Languages of Aruba There are many languages spoken on the Caribbean island of Aruba. The official language is Dutch and Papiamento, although schools require students to learn English, Spanish, French, and to a lesser extent, Portuguese which is also spoken on the island. According to the Government of Aruba the mother tongue and primary vernacular of almost all Arubans is a local language known as Papiamento, an Afro - Portuguese Creole language spoken since the 16th century. The language, however, was not widespread in Aruba till the 18th and 19th centuries when most materials on the island and even Roman Catholic schoolbooks were written in Papiamento. Dutch has been the official language of the island for years as the island is a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Aruba has recognized English as an international language, and has required that children learn English as early as the 4th grade. Since May 2003 Papiamento has also been officially declared as the official language, alongside Dutch. Aruba 's location off the coast of South America has also made Spanish extremely important. Students begin learning this as early as 5th grade. Papiamento is a language with roots mainly from Portuguese, and to a lesser extent, from Dutch, Spanish and English. It originated in the 16th century as a means of communication among slaves and slave drivers. Papiamento was not considered important on Aruba until 1995. It was officially included in school curriculum in 1998 and 1999. Since then, the island has embraced the native language of Papiamento. A Papiamento dictionary and fairy tales written in Papiamento are now readily available on the island. Selected Aruban Papiamento phrases Papiamento Spanish Portuguese Dutch English Bon dia Buenos días Bom dia Goedemorgen Good morning Bon tardi Buenas tardes Boa tarde Goedemiddag Good afternoon Bon nochi Buenas noches Boa noite Goedenacht / Goedenavond Good night Bon bini Bienvenido Bem vindo Welkom Welcome Danki Gracias Obrigado Dank u / Dank je Thank you Ayo Adiós Adeus Tot ziens Good - bye Pasa un bon dia Que tenga un buen día Passa / Tenha um bom dia Fijne dag Have a good day Con cos ta ? ( Informal ) Con ta bai ? ( Formal ) ¿ Cómo estás ? / ¿ Cómo te va ? Como está / vai ? Hoe gaat het ? How are you ? Mi ta bon ( Yo ) Estoy bien ( Eu ) Estou bem Met mij gaat het goed I am fine Cuant'or tin ? ¿ Qué hora es ? / ¿ Qué horas son ? Que hora tem ? / Que horas são ? Hoe laat is het ? What time is it ? Mi por papia Papiamento ( Yo ) Puedo hablar papiamento ( Eu ) Posso falar papiamento Ik spreek Papiaments I can speak Papiamento Si Sí Sim Ja Yes No No Não Nee No Aruba ta bunita Aruba es bonita Aruba é bonita Aruba is mooi Aruba is beautiful References Jump up ^ `` Language '' - Government of Aruba ( official site ) - 2010 External links Ethnologue report for Aruba Languages of the Netherlands Official national language Dutch Official regional languages West Frisian English Papiamento Non-official regional languages / dialects Limburgish Low Saxon Romani Yiddish Sign languages Dutch Sign Language Aruba articles History Geography Capital Cities Climate Islands Rivers Mammals Politics Coast guard Coat of arms Constitution Elections Estates ( parliament ) Flag Foreign relations Governor Military Monarch Police Political parties Prime Minister Visa policy Economy Airports Buildings Companies Currency Media Telecommunications Transport Culture Demographics Festivals Films Languages LGBT rights Music People Scouting Society Sport Association football Olympics Pan American Games Sportspeople See also Kingdom of the Netherlands Netherlands Antilles Outline Index Bibliography Portal Languages of North America Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States Dependencies and other territories Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten Turks and Caicos Islands United States Virgin Islands Languages of South America Sovereign states Argentina Bolivia Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Guyana Paraguay Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela Dependencies and other territories Falkland Islands French Guiana South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Languages_of_Aruba&oldid=778421811 '' Categories : Languages of Aruba Talk About Wikipedia Languages বাংলা Español Français Русский Edit links This page was last edited on 3 May 2017, at 01 : 15. 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Question: what is the official language spoken in aruba
Answer: Dutch