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Jamaican Patois for beginners
Ten steps from zero to your first real conversation. Each step is a short guide with examples, and every word links to its dictionary entry.
Read the beginner's guide
What to learn first and how to practise.
Greet people
Wah gwaan, mawnin, and the replies that go with them.
Learn the 100 most useful words
The core vocabulary behind most everyday sentences.
Get the sounds right
Vowels, dropped 'th' and the rhythm of Patois.
Master the pronouns
Mi, yuh, im, wi, unnu, dem: the building blocks.
Talk about past, present and future
A, did, a go: tense without changing the verb.
Ask questions and say no
Nuh, cyaan, neva, and the question words.
Have your first conversation
A full dialogue for meeting someone new.
Pick up everyday expressions
The sayings that make you sound natural.
Sound natural
Rhythm, register and avoiding 'tourist Patois'.
More for beginners
How long does it take to learn Jamaican Patois?
For an English speaker, the basics (greetings, pronouns, the main grammar words) take days to weeks.
How to learn Jamaican Patois on your own
You can learn a lot of Patois alone if you combine three things: a grammar foundation (pronouns, tense markers, negation), a daily habit of…
Test yourself
The beginner quiz uses the same questions as the free Bare Essentials lesson in the app.