Learn Mauritian Creole Online with the Vocabo Chrome Extension
Master Vocabulary While You Browse — Free, No Sign-Up
Master Mauritian Creole vocabulary while browsing the web. Free Chrome extension for language learners. Mauritian Creole is spoken by estimated 1.1-1.3 million people. It is the everyday first language of most of Mauritius regardless of ancestry, spoken alongside English and French, and it opens up the island's humor, sega music and daily life in a way that formal French or English does not.
249+ Languages
Learn Spanish, Japanese, Arabic, and 249+ other languages powered by Google Translate.
Completely Free
No premium tiers, no subscriptions, no ads. Language learning should be accessible to everyone.
No Sign Up!
Install and start learning immediately. Your vocabulary stays on your device for complete privacy.
About Mauritian Creole
Mauritian Creole often writes French-derived words as they are actually pronounced rather than with French spelling, so French la maison ('the house') became a single word, lakaz, fusing the old French article onto the front of the noun.
Also known as: Kreol Morisien, Morisien, Mauritian Creole French
Speakers
estimated 1.1-1.3 million
Language Family
French-based creole (Bourbonnais / Indian Ocean Creole)
Writing System
Latin alphabet, in a phonemic spelling standardized in 2011 as the Lortograf Kreol Morisien
Difficulty
Medium
Spoken in
Why Learn Mauritian Creole?
It is the everyday first language of most of Mauritius regardless of ancestry, spoken alongside English and French, and it opens up the island's humor, sega music and daily life in a way that formal French or English does not.
Common Mauritian Creole Words
Start your Mauritian Creole journey with these essential words and phrases.
Bonzour
Hello
bon-ZOOR
Mersi
Thank you
mehr-SEE
Wi
Yes
wee
Non
No
nohn
Dilo
Water
dee-LOH
Dipin
Bread
dee-PEN
Kamarad
Friend
kah-mah-RAD
Lamour
Love
lah-MOOR
Lakaz
House
lah-KAZ
Soley
Sun
soh-LAY
Zour
Day
zoor
Morisien
Mauritian Creole (the language's own name)
moh-ree-SYEN
History of Mauritian Creole
Mauritian Creole developed on the previously uninhabited island during French colonization starting in 1715, as enslaved Africans and Malagasy people brought to work sugar plantations built a shared language from French vocabulary mixed with African, Malagasy and other input languages. By the 1770s the creole was already established as the main language among the enslaved population. After the British took control in 1810 and slavery ended in 1835, indentured laborers from India added Bhojpuri and other South Asian influences to the language and the culture around it. Mauritian Creole is now the most widely spoken first language on the island even though French and English remain the main languages of government and formal education.
Is Mauritian Creole Hard to Learn?
Most Mauritian Creole vocabulary comes directly from 18th-century French, so it looks approachable to anyone who already knows some French, though English speakers without French background have to learn that vocabulary layer from scratch. The grammar is simpler than French in some ways, since verbs do not conjugate for person or tense and instead use separate particles (ti for past, pe for ongoing action, fin for completed action), but the definite article la attaches after the noun instead of before it, which takes some getting used to.
Learning Mauritian Creole Online: FAQ
Can I learn Mauritian Creole online for free?
Yes — Vocabo is a free Chrome extension that teaches you Mauritian Creole vocabulary while you browse the web. It replaces words and short phrases on pages you already read with their Mauritian Creole equivalents, so you pick up vocabulary passively — no sign-up, no ads, and no daily lesson grind.
Is Mauritian Creole on Duolingo?
No — Duolingo doesn't currently offer a Mauritian Creole course for English speakers. You can still learn Mauritian Creole online for free: Vocabo supports Mauritian Creole and builds your vocabulary naturally while you browse.
Similar Languages to Mauritian Creole
If you're interested in Mauritian Creole, you might also want to explore these related languages:
Start Learning Mauritian Creole Today
Install Vocabo and begin building your Mauritian Creole vocabulary while browsing the web. No sign-up required!
Add to Chrome