If you’re a big “Game of Thrones” fan like me, you know how frustrating it is when you wish there were some sort of dictionary for when Khaleesi or Arya speak their secret Game of Thrones languages, aka Dothraki and High Valyrian. I feel like I know nothing. *sigh*
Sure, you can look up some of the words on fandom pages, but really, the most important thing to know is how to ask what’s for dinner and if there’s more wine, right? You probably won’t find that on Wikipedia.
David. J. Peterson, who created both the Dothraki and High Valeryian languages for “Game of Thrones,” recently stopped by to teach Spoon HQ how to say some of our most used phrases.
Tbh, I’m still not sure how you get this job of creating new languages, but it sounds pretty dope. Peterson is a linguist who also recently partnered with Canada Dry on creating a new language to better define the word busy and how busy people are. I mean, yes, we are always busy, usually watching GoT then taking a day to analyze everything single thing from an episode.
It should come as no surprise that we asked Peterson mostly about phrases having to do with food, because, yeah, food is awesome. Here are six useful phrases in both the Dothraki language (spoken by people like Khaleesi, Khal Drogo, and the Dothraki people) and High Valyrian (spoken by Arya Stark, the Faceless Man, and also Khaleesi, because she’s a total badass).
Dothraki
May I Have Some More?
Azhas anhaan alikh!
Tyrion Lannister has definitely said this off-screen when it comes to his wine, or being Tyrion, he would skip the question and just pour himself a cup or two (or the whole bottle).
You could probably use this at your next tailgate, because yes, you know you would like some more buffalo chicken dip.
What’s For Dinner?
Fini she givasof?
Imagine a young Khal Drogo asking his mother this; that’s the cutest. I ask myself this all the time when I look in my fridge. The answer, however, generally isn’t as feast-worthy.
I’m Full, Thank You.
Anha rah adakh nakhaan.
I could just see the usual stern look on Joffrey’s face as he refuses to eat any more food. I mean, he can’t possibly ruin his physique. I probably won’t use this phrase too much because I never stop eating, but hey, I guess it’s nice to know.
High Valeryian
Is There More Wine?
Tolior averilla ilza?
Honestly, I think this is the most important phrase that GoT fans should know because wine is like a staple in their diets (Tyrion and Cersei are great examples of this). If we ever want to act like a Westerosi (or I guess a typical college student at a pregame), this is a necessity in our vocabulary.
This is Delicious.
Bisy ēngenkēgrie issa.
I could just picture little Daenerys Stormborn, future Mother of Dragons, finishing her plate and saying this to her mother after a nice supper. Unfortunately we can’t all be Khaleesi, but we can still say this to our moms because their cooking is always delicious.
What’s For Dessert?
Skoros hae lōtintyrry amāzīlza?
Arya and Bran Stark have probably said these words before to their mother in the first few seasons before she (*spoiler*) was killed. I can’t imagine what kind of desserts they had in those days…
I’m sure you can use these six common “Game of Thrones” phrases to impress your friends. I’ll definitely be saying “Tolior averilla ilza?” more often because I’m a sucker for wine. Now all I need to learn is how to make this blackberry wine.