In a recent weekly column titled “Asina bon…, nos Papiamento ta…?”, Bon Dia Aruba revisited persistent grammatical and spelling errors in written and spoken Papiamento. Published as a follow-up to the May 30, 2026 edition, the piece aims to clarify common linguistic confusions that frequently reappear in local publications and daily communication.
The column specifically addressed the misuse of the word “paso” instead of the full term “pasobra.” The writers noted that while abbreviations are common in speech, using “paso”—which traditionally means a step—in place of “pasobra” creates confusion in writing. As Papiamento in Aruba does not utilize written accents to distinguish pronunciation, the article advises writing “pasobra” to maintain clarity.
Another frequent error highlighted involves the distinction between the noun and verb forms. The column observed that “prueba,” which is a noun, is often used incorrectly as a verb. To provide clarity, the writers recommend using the verb forms “probar” or “purba” when describing an action, while reserving “prueba” for the noun.
The discussion also touched upon conjugation rules regarding the verb “tin.” The column reminded readers that auxiliary verbs such as “tin,” “sa,” and “por” do not use the progressive marker “ta” in the present tense.
