Talk Like a Pirate Tutorial

Ahoy mateys! Talk Like a Pirate Day is soon to be upon us. If ye don't want to look like a landlubber, read on to improve your seafarin' lingo.

First, let's practice our three Rs. Not those three Rs! These ones: ARRR. Yer voice needs to be nice and low and gruff. Make yer face as frightening as ye can. Shout it loud, shout it proud. But maybe not in a movie theatre…

As for basics, prepare to forget yer ingrained grammar laws. Drop your Gs and your Vs. Use "be" instead of are/am/is. Possession is nine tenths of the law, so insert "me" when referring to any object you own (me dog, me gold, me ship). "No" means no, but "aye" means yes. Don't say "with" with the "th", but wi'out it.

If ye really want to sell it, keep that mean face and low, gravelly voice. Add an eyepatch, because no one messes with a scalawag in an eyepatch, and stare down yer enemies. Show yer grimy teeth. Make grand hand gestures. And believe yer a Pirate at heart, because ye certainly arrr.

Here be a few scholarly resources to learn yerself more Pirate speak.

Get yer info straight from the parrot's mouth at the official International Talk Like a Pirate Day, opens a new window site.

WikiHow, opens a new window will gladly school yer slimy brains wi' a visual tutorial in Pirate lingo.

Yer vocab will rightly improve after readin' this glossary on the Talk Like a Pirate Day UK, opens a new window site.

Time for some sea shanties? Mashable, opens a new window made ye a piratey playlist.

When yer well-versed in Pirate, be sure to change yer Facebook language settin' to English Pirate.

Lastly, find a place teeming wi' scurvy ship rats and they'll be respectin' ye as their captain in no time!