Most of a real conversation is short replies: "yes", "got it", "really?", "never mind", "thanks". In Patois those are Yeah man, Seen, Fi true?, Nuh badda and Respect, along with a few others in this guide. Learn them and you can stay in a conversation even when you only catch half of it.
The first dialogue is adapted from First Day Pon Di Job, a Story Mode scenario in the Patois Pal app where you start work on Mas Desmond's construction crew. Many of the other lines come from the Island Conversations and Bare Essentials lessons.
Dialogue 1: First day on the job
Mas Desmond: Suh yuh a di new yute? Aright. Roun yah wi work hard. Yuh ready fi work? So you're the new young man? Alright. Round here we work hard. Are you ready to work?
You: Yes, boss, mi ready fi work hard. Yes, boss, I'm ready to work hard.
Mas Desmond: Good good. See di block dem deh? Mi need yuh fi move dem guh roun di back. Good, good. See those blocks there? I need you to move them round to the back.
You: Mi deh pon it right now, boss. I'm on it right now, boss.
Mas Desmond: Yuh a good worker, mi nah lie. Lunch time now. Yuh a come? You're a good worker, I won't lie. It's lunchtime now. Are you coming?
You: Yes, boss, mi waan nyam some good food. Yes, boss, I want to eat some good food.
Mas Desmond: Yuh dun know seh Friday a pay day. Welcome to di crew, mi yute. You already know Friday is payday. Welcome to the crew, young man.
You: Tanks, boss. Mi wi see yuh bright an early tomorrow. Thanks, boss. I'll see you bright and early tomorrow.
Dialogue 2: Making plans with a friend
Rohan: Wi link up a six? Shall we meet at six?
You: Seen. Got it.
Rohan: Andre seh him a come too. Andre says he's coming too.
You: Fi true? Him did seh him busy. Really? He said he was busy.
Rohan: Mi nuh know. Bwoy, mi did figet di ice. I don't know. Oh man, I forgot the ice.
You: Nuh badda — mi wi buy some pon di way. Never mind — I'll buy some on the way.
Rohan: Respect! Nuh reach late, yuh zimi? Thanks! Don't be late, you get me?
You: Dun know. Likkle more. Of course. See you later.
Key phrases
Yes, agreed, got it
- Yeah man / Ya mon — "yes, of course". Used with everybody, not only men.
- Seen and Zeen — "understood, agreed". The standard reply to a plan: Wi link up a six. Seen.
- Dun know — "of course, you already know". Mas Desmond uses it inside a sentence: Yuh dun know seh Friday a pay day.
- Mi agree wid yuh — "I agree with you". Dat mek sense — "that makes sense".
- Mi deh pon it — "I'm on it". The go-to reply to a task.
- Say nuh more — "say no more", happy to do it.
No, not sure, never mind
- Mi nuh know — "I don't know". Nuh before a verb makes it negative.
- Mi wi think bout it — "I'll think about it". A soft way to avoid a yes.
- Nah man — "no, man", a firm or playful no. Nah also works inside sentences: mi nah lie, "I won't lie".
- Nuh badda — "never mind, don't bother". It can also mean "don't bother me", so tone matters.
- It nuh matta — "it doesn't matter". Nuh worry yuhself — "don't worry about it".
Surprise and sympathy
- Fi true? — "really?" As a statement, fi true means "for real, truly".
- Bwoy! — an exclamation, like "oh man!" or "wow!". It isn't addressed to a boy.
- A suh it go — "that's how it goes", for things you can't change.
- Mi hear yuh — "I hear you", sympathetic acknowledgement.
Thanks and appreciation
- Respect — "thanks, much appreciated". Also a hello and a goodbye.
- Big up — praise or a shout-out: Big up yuhself! ("well done!").
- Tanks / Give tanks — "thanks". Give tanks is literally "give thanks".
Checking the other person understood
- Yuh zimi? — "you get me?", from yuh see mi. Zeen? as a question means "understood?".
Usage and etiquette
- Add a title for elders and bosses. Yes, boss, Yes, Miss Cherry, Tanks, Aunty. A bare seen or dun know to an elder can sound too casual.
- Short isn't rude. Seen on its own is a complete, friendly reply between peers. You don't need to pad it.
- Tone carries the meaning. Nuh badda said warmly is "never mind"; said sharply, it's "leave me alone". The same goes for gweh ("go away"), which can be playful or serious.
- Don't reply with a kiss teet. Kiss teet (sucking your teeth) as an answer is dismissive and, to an elder, disrespectful.
- Mix it up. Answering everything with ya mon sounds like an impression rather than a conversation. See speaking Patois naturally.
Try it
- Your friend says Wi link up a seven. Give a one-word reply that means "got it".
- Your boss asks you to move some blocks. How do you say you're on it?
- Someone apologises for forgetting something small. Tell them it doesn't matter.
More set phrases are collected in common Jamaican expressions and the questions and responses section of the dictionary.
Questions people ask
Is Seen the same as Zeen?
Yes, in most uses. Both mean 'understood' or 'agreed', and zeen is a variant of seen. Some people use zeen more as a casual 'cool, got it'. Either works as a reply when someone makes a plan.
Can I say Ya mon to anyone?
Yeah man is an everyday yes, used with men and women alike. The Ya mon spelling is the one on souvenirs, and saying it constantly can sound like a tourist impression. Use it naturally, mixed with other replies, and use yes plus a title with elders.