The long a (aa) sounds like the “a” in the English word “car,” or the word “last” using British pronunciation. The long i (ii) sounds like the “ee” in the English word “meet. " The long u (uu) sounds like the “oo” in the English word “boot. "
The short a sounds like the “a” in the English word “at. " The short e sounds like the “e” in the English word “egg. " The short i sounds like the “i” in the English word “give. " The short o sounds like the “o” in the English word “done. " The short u sounds like the “u” in the English word “put. "
An ai sounds like the “uy” in the English word “buy. " An ie makes a yeh sound, similar to the “ie” in the French word “pied. " An ou sounds like the “ou” in the English word “round. " A uo sounds like the “uo” in the English word “duo. "
Ch is pronounced like the “ch” in the English word “church. " The only time the letter “c” is used in Jamaican Patois is with a “ch. " The rest of the time, it is replaced with “k. " The letter k only produces a hard sound, as in the English word “kick. " The consonant combination kw replaces the letters “qu” and sounds like the “qu” in the English word “quick. " The letter “q” is not part of the Jamaican Patois alphabet. The letter h is used as an aspirate, meaning you exhale a puff of air as you say it. It is used before words that begin with a vowel, especially when the previous word ended with a vowel. However, it is optional and not used in some Patois dialects. The combination hn indicates that the preceding vowel sound should be nasalized.
Other ways to say “hello” include “ello,” “hail up,” or simply “gud day. " If you’re traveling in Jamaica, it’s a good idea to say this only if the other person says it to you first. If they say “hello” or “hi” to you, say the same back. It might seem condescending to use this greeting if you are clearly a foreigner.
Gud mawnin: good morning Gud evenling: good evening Gud nite: goodnight
Wat a guh dung?: literally “what’s going down?” How yuh stay?: literally “how’s your status?” Howdeedo?: “how do you do?” (more common among older people)
“Everyting criss” “Everyting cook an curry” “All fruits ripe” “Mi deh yah” “Everyting cris n curri” “Mi irie”
If you want to ask the person where they’re from, say “Frah wha pawt yuh deh?” If the other person asks you this question, respond “Mi deh” followed by the name of the place where you’re from.
Jus a word: “excuse me” Beg yuh pass: “excuse me” (when you need to get through or past someone, as in a crowd) A beg yuh: “please” Hush: “sorry” Tanks: “thank you”
Another common expression when parting ways in Jamaica is “walk good. " While this is more or less English, it’s used to mean “take care. " This expression is most commonly said to someone who is traveling a longer distance. [8] X Research source
First person: “mi” (singular) or “wi” (plural) Second person: “yu” (singular) or “unu” (plural) Third person: “‘im” (singular) or “dem” (plural)
For example, if you wanted to say “I run,” you would say “mi run. " In English, if you wanted to say “he runs,” the verb form changes. However, in Jamaican Patois, you would simply say “im run. "
Older, urban, or highly educated speakers of Jamaican Patois may use “did” instead of “ben” to indicate past tense. It would also be put before the verb, for example, “Wa di inglish stuor did niem agen?” (“What was the English store called again?”)
Even though “nuff” evolved from the English word “enough,” in this context it means “many” or “a lot. " For example, if you had several bunches of bananas, you might say you had “nuff banana. "
A refers to being in a state or condition. For example, to say “I am a boy,” you would say “mi a bwai. " De refers to the place where you’re located. For example, to say “I am in Kingston,” you would say “mi de a Kingston. " Note that the “a” here is not the verb, but a particle used to mean “in. "
For example, you might say “mi naa du notn” to mean “I’m not doing anything. "
For example, “priti” means “pretty. " “Priti-priti” would mean the thing described was very pretty or exceptionally pretty. Verbs are doubled the same way as adjectives. For example, the word “linga” means “linger. " However, if you said somebody was “linga-linga,” it would imply that they’d been dawdling or hanging around for a long time or an inappropriate length of time.
Some Jamaicans, particularly upper- and middle-class native islanders, consider Patois to be bad English or evidence that the speaker isn’t well-educated. If you start speaking to them in Patois, they may be offended because you’ve inferred they are lower class or not well-educated.
If you approach someone with respect and acknowledge that Jamaican Patois is a language, they’ll likely be happy to help you with your grammar and pronunciation. Even if they aren’t interested in helping you, they won’t be offended that you want to learn more about their language and their culture.
If you’re visiting Jamaica, travel away from the more touristy areas if you want to speak Jamaican Patois. In more rural areas, you’re more likely to find people who speak Patois and don’t have any qualms about practicing with you.
If you are practicing your Jamaican Patois and someone calls you out, explain that you are learning the language. If they remain skeptical or believe that you’re being culturally insensitive, it might help to explain your passion for or interest in the language or talk about the finer points of grammar and pronunciation that you’ve learned.
