What it teaches
Patois Pal teaches the Patois Jamaicans speak every day: greetings and small talk, then real situations like dating, work, travel and family, then the grammar that lets you build your own sentences. The courses run in seasons:
| Season | Name | What's inside |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Bare Essentials | Greetings, replies and the words you need on day one. |
| Season 1 | The Originals | Island Conversations and Cuss Words. |
| Season 2 | Real Life | Dating & Linkups, Work & Hustle, Travel & Road, Family & Yard. |
| Season 3 | Talk Like a Yardie | People & Pronouns, Time & Tenses, Build a Sentence, Questions & Negations. |
| Season 4 | Big Occasion | Christmas & Grand Market, Easter & Bun, Independence & Carnival, Weddings & Big Days. |
How lessons work
Each lesson mixes four modes: Translate, Fill in the Blank, Interpret and Speed Round, plus sentence building in the grammar season. Every answer comes with a short explanation, and the app keeps the questions you missed for review.
Games and stories
Story Mode puts your own cut-paper avatar in eight real Jamaican places: Miss Pearl Shop, Airport Arrival, a route taxi to Half Way Tree, History Class, Hellshire fish fry, Ochi Beach, Granny's yard and Independence Fest. Each person talks to you in Patois and you pick your reply. Places open in order as you level up, there's a free challenge every day, and chat stories cover the rest of life, from texting a new link to Sunday dinner at Aunty's. Survival Mode gives you one life. Jamaican Dominoes pits you against AI opponents who talk trash in Patois. See learning through games.
Translator, dictionary and culture
The AI translator handles English to Patois and back, with notes on slang (one free translation a day, unlimited with Pro). The dictionary is searchable, organised by category and has pronunciation audio. The Culture tab covers Jamaican history, dishes with recipes, and places to visit. Much of it is on this site too: the dictionary, history and recipes.
Built for a daily habit
There's a daily phrase, streaks, a Daily Challenge and reminders. You climb twelve ranks from Foreigner to Living Legend, earn new clothes for your avatar as you level (the flag tee, a Reggae Boyz jersey, a bandana dress), and Living Legends can prestige for a gold star and the Legend crown. Flash Cards bring back the words you miss until they stick.
What makes it different
- It's about Jamaica, not a generic course with Patois bolted on. The lessons, stories, culture and humour are Jamaican throughout.
- It explains the grammar. Patois has rules, and the app teaches them instead of having you memorise phrases.
- It's honest about real speech, including slang and cuss words, with notes on when not to use them.
Pricing
Free to download, with Bare Essentials, the daily phrase and one AI translation a day included. Buy any season outright and keep it forever, or subscribe to Patois Pal Pro for every current and future season plus unlimited translation. Prices are shown in the App Store for your country.
Questions people ask
Is Patois Pal free?
Patois Pal is free to download on iPhone and iPad, and the Bare Essentials lesson, the daily phrase and one AI translation a day are free. Seasons can be bought once and kept, or Patois Pal Pro unlocks every current and future season plus unlimited AI translation.
Who is Patois Pal for?
Anyone who wants to understand or speak Jamaican Patois: people with Jamaican family who want to connect with it, partners and friends of Jamaicans, travellers, music fans, and anyone curious about the language.
Is Patois Pal on Android?
Patois Pal is available on iPhone and iPad from the App Store.
Does Patois Pal have audio?
Yes. The dictionary and the word of the day have pronunciation audio. The current clips are computer-generated voices, not recordings of native speakers.