since my go-to website for trigedasleng shut down (rip), i decided to include an entire chapter dedicated to the language!
(update: 2 june 2019 i found a new website that's similar to the one i used. it's called trigedasleng.net and has a dictionary, grammar rules, translations, & more!)
all of this information is from the several pages of the 100 wiki website dedicated to discussing trigedasleng. although it may seem overwhelming at first, i promise that, as you use it more often in your story, you may not even need to use a reference anymore!
WHAT IS IT?
trigedasleng is hailed from a heavily-accented version of the english language and was created by the grounders so that the mountain men wouldn't be able to understand them. its development was also influenced by a code-system that was developed shortly after the first praimfaya (nuclear apocalypse).
NOTABLE PHRASES
Your fight is over: Yu gonplei ste odon
My fight is over: Ai gonplei ste odon
Our fight isn't over: Oso gonplei nou ste odon.
Blood must have blood!: Jus drein jus daun.
May we meet again: Mebi oso na hit choda op nodotaim.
I'm Octavia of the Sky People, and I seek safe passage: Ai laik Okteivia kom Skaikru en ai gaf gouthru klir
The dead are gone; the living are hungry: Stedaunon don gon we; kikon ste enti.
Stay strong: Ste yuj
Get knocked down, get back up: Ge smak daun, gyon op nodotaim.
We fight together: Oso throu daun ogeda.
Love is weakness: Hodnes laik kwelnes.
I love you. Goodbye: Ai hod yu in. Leidon.
All of me, for all of us: Omon gon oson.
IMPORTANT WORDS
Commander: Heda
Commander of Death: Wanheda
Red Queen: Blodreina
Death from Above: Skairipa
Nightblood: Natblida
Flamekeeper: Fleimkepa
Sky People: Skaikru
Ice Nation: Azgeda
Woods Clan: Trikru
Boat People: Floukru
First Commander: Pramheda
Fight: Gonplei
King: Haihefa
Mountain Men: Maunon
City of Light: Soncha Kapa
Death Wave: Praimfaya
Teacher: Seda
NAMES
Abby - Abi
Clarke - Klark
Finn - Fin
Bellamy - Belomi
Octavia - Okteivia
Raven - Reivon
Blake - Bleik
Jasper - Jaspa
Monty - Monti
Murphy - Mofi
Ethan - Ithon
Lexa - Leksa
Gustus - Gostos
Anya - Onya
Lincoln - Linkon
Nyko - Naikou
Niylah - Naila
Tomac - Tomak
Artigas - Adigas
CLANS
Coalition - Kongeda
Woods Clan - Trikru / Trigedakru
Boat People - Floukru / Floudonkru
Ice Nation - Azgeda / Azgedakru
Desert Clan - Sankru / Sangedakru
Lake People - Podakru
Delphi Clan - Delfikru
Glowing Forest - Trishana / Trishanakru
Plains Riders - Ingranrona /Ingranronakru
Blue Cliff Clan - Ouskejon Kru
Shallow Valley - Louwoda Kliron Kru
Rock Line - Boudalankru
Broadleaf - Yujleda
Sky People - Skaikru
Mountain Men - Maunon
PRONOUNS
ai = "I/me" from English "I"
yu = "you" from English "you"
em = "he/she/it" from English "him" or "them"
osir = "we/us" (excludes the listener) from English "us-here"
oso = "we/us" (includes the listener) from English "us-all"
yumi = "you-and-me/you-and-I" from English "you-me"
yo = "you (plural)/you all/y'all" from English "you-all"
emo = "they/them/the" from English "them-all"
NOUNS
People/Places:
Army/unit of warriors: gonakru
Body: medo
Child: goufa or yongon
Typically, goufa refers to any child. Yongon is used to refer to one's own child, or the child of a particular person. While the two are technically interchangeable, it is more common for someone to use yongon to refer to their own offspring.
City of Light: Soncha Kapa; Sonchageda/Sonchgeda
Coalition/alliance: kongeda
Commander: heda
Commander of Death: Wanheda
English (language): Gonasleng
Father: nontu
After the nuclear fallout, surviving Grounders didn't want to tip off scouts from enemy tribes (or Mountain Men) about the identities of their leaders, which in clans tended to be mothers and fathers, so they called their leaders "number one" and "number two", which eventually came to mean "mother" and "father" respectively. Over time, these codenames were slurred to nomon and nontu.
Fight: gonplei
Flame Keeper: Fleimkepa
Forest: trimani
Friend: lukot
Girl: gada
Gorilla: pauna
Healer: fisa
Ice: az
Joined/entwined: teina
Knife: swis
Language: sleng
Life: sonraun
Lunch: sanch
Mother: nomon
Mount Weather: Maun-de
Mountain Men: Maunon
Murderer: ripa
Passage: gouthru
People: kru
Prisoner: honon
Queen: Haiplana
Raccoon: snacha
Raiding party: veida tro
Rider: hosa
Second (a warrior's apprentice) & second (ordinal): seken
Sky: skai
Sky People: Skaikru
Soul: Keryon. From "carry on"
Shadow: Trikova
Warrior: gona
Tunnel: sobwe
Many or most of the tunnels that the Reapers hide in are abandoned subway tunnels.
Things:
Number: noma
Blood: jus
Events:
Fall (season): fotam
Never: nowe
Nightblood: Natblida
Outsider/outcast: splita
Over/done/finished: odon
Spring: sprintam
Storm: skaikrasha
Summer: Sontam
Winter: wintam
ADJECTIVES/ADVERBS
Strong: yuj
Weakness: kwelnes
Tree People: Trigedakru
The Woods Clan is known as Trigeda; the Tree People (people of the Woods Clan) may also be called Trikru.
Tree People's Language: Trigedasleng
Shallow:"louwoda"
Far: "lowe"
World: houd
Worthless/foolish: branwoda
In the years after the nuclear apocalypse, the basic needs of finding drinking water clean enough for human consumption were often hard to meet. "Brown water" was a generic term for water which was not suitable for drinking. Over time, the meaning was extended to include anything worthless. It is now used as an insult as well, and can be used as a noun to mean "fool".
Safe: klir
Lying: spichen
Hidden: stelt
Black: Nat
Night: nat
Enough: pleni
daun ste pleni = "that is enough"
em pleni! = "enough!" (as a command)
Then: den
CONJUNCTIONS
And: en
Again: nodotaim
But: ba
Before: fou
Because, for: kos
But, except: sef
Or: ou
After: pas
If...then: taim...taimm
VERBS
Be: laik or ste
ai laik Okteivia = "I am Octavia"
yu laik kom Trigeda = "You are from the Woods Clan"
ste is from "stay" and is used with adjectives (as a stative copula) and verb phrases (as a progressive marker).
yu ste kwelen = "you are weak"
emo ste hon em op = "they are finding him"
"Be" (figuratively or metaphorically): bilaik
bilaik is from "be like" and has many, many different uses
as a copula, it is used to mean "to be in a figurative way" or "to be, for all intents and purposes"
ai bilaik ticha "I am a teacher, for all intents and purposes", versus ai laik ticha "I am a teacher"
Tell: tel...op
bilaik yu don tel ai op otaim = "like you have always told me"
Help: sis...au
sis em au = "help him"
Protect: shil...op
Den dula yu dula en shil ai op. = "Then do your duty/job and protect me."
Want/need/seek: gaf...in
ai gaf sen em in = "I need to hear it"
Fall behind: drag...raun
Leave behind: ban...au
Taim yu drag raun, taim yu ge ban au. = "If you fall behind, then you get left behind"
Quiet/Be quiet: shof...op
shof op has gone through "amelioration" and has lost the offensiveness of its Modern English ancestor
Love: hod...in
ai hod yu in = "I love you"
Wait/stop: hod...op
hod op! = "Wait!"
Attack: jomp...op
Jomp em op en yu jomp ai op. = "Attack her, and you attack me."
Strike/attack en masse: zog...raun
den oso na zog raun kom trikova = "then, we strike from the shadows"
Find: hon...op
ai don hon em op = "I found him"
Locate: lok...op
Fall: slip...daun
em slip daun kom skai = "he fell from the sky" (note: the past tense auxiliary don has been left out, most likely by mistake)
Hear: sen...in
ai don sen in chit bilaik ai gaf sen in = "I've heard what I needed to hear."
Take: jak...op
Skaikru don jak ething op kom ai = "Sky People took everything from me"
Go to/stay near/be near: kamp...raun
osir na kamp raun ona tri = "we will stay in the trees"
Pull away/draw away: pul...we
pul em we gon emo honon = "draw them away from their prisoners"
Free: breik...au
breik em au = "free him"
Die: wan...op
nau yu na wan op = "now you will die"
Kill : frag...op
teik ai frag em op = "let me kill her"
Cut: kot...op
'kot em op = "cut him"
Beg/Plead = "beja...daun"
"Ai ste beja yu daun, hop op" "I'm begging you, stop"
Speak (for): shish...op
Beja. Hod op. Teik ai chich op gon emo = "Please. Wait. Let me speak for them"
Leave: gon...we or bants
Osir na gon we or osir na bants = "we will leave"
Eat: choj...op
ai don choj ai sanch op = "I ate my lunch"
Watch: ai...op
Wash: "wada...Klin"
Go back: bak...op
Accuse: finga...au
Burn: fleim...au
Look for: lufa...au
Enter: min...op
Owe: ouyon...klin
Execute: put...daun
Retreat: rowe...op
Decide: sad...in
Send: sen...op
Begin: stot...au
Bind: tai...op
Think: vout...in
Forgive: wigod...op
Trick: ponk...klin
Follow: mafta...op
Happen/Become: kom...au
Save: kep...klin
Aquire: hon...in
Pass on: gyon...klin
PREPOSITIONS
From, of, until, with: kom
ai laik Okteivia kom Skaikru = "I am Octavia of the Sky People"
Against, at, because, for, on, to, upon: gon
Ai laik Heda. Non na throu daun gon ai. = I am the Commander. No one's gonna fight for me.
Regarding, about: hashta
...Gouthru klir hashta yu soujon, kom taim oso fali kom daun gon graun-de. = "Safe passage on your travels until our final journey to the ground."
Until: na kom, kom taim
On, under, into (locative): ona
Teik em set raun ona tri. = "Put him on the tree."
Near, around, next to: raun
Without: thau
IMAGES TO SAVE
i did not create these (credit to m-rphy on tumblr) but i figures that these are more reader-friendly and easily screenshot-able!
(just a reminder that requests are open on the "requests" chapter of this book! you can discuss tips you want me to write about or even rants you want me to include)