To talk about family in Patois, you need a handful of words (madda, faada, granny, bredda, sista, pickney) and one grammar trick: put the owner before the person, as in mi madda ("my mother") or Rohan sista ("Rohan's sister"). The rest is manners. Family talk in Jamaica tends to be warm, loud and full of respect for elders.
The first dialogue is adapted from Sunday Dinna a Aunty Yard, a Story Mode scenario in the Patois Pal app. Aunty Merle's rice and peas is legendary, and she will not accept an empty plate.
Dialogue 1: Sunday dinner at Aunty's yard
Aunty Merle: Eh-eh! Look who finally reach! Come een, come een — yuh too stranger. How long yuh nuh come look fi yuh aunty? Well, well! Look who finally arrived! Come in, come in — you're such a stranger. How long since you came to see your aunty?
You: Aunty! Mi miss yuh bad. Aunty! I missed you so much.
Aunty Merle: Mi miss yuh too, mi love. Guh say howdy to yuh Uncle Roy pon di verandah, an mine di pickney dem — dem a run up an dung like dem mad. I missed you too, my love. Go say hello to your Uncle Roy on the verandah, and watch out for the children — they're running up and down like they're crazy.
You: Aright, Aunty. Mi see di pickney dem a play outta door. Alright, Aunty. I see the children playing outside.
Aunty Merle: Dinna soon ready! Mi cook rice an peas, oxtail, fry plantain, an mi famous rundown. But first — beg yuh help mi set di table, nuh? Dinner's nearly ready! I cooked rice and peas, oxtail, fried plantain and my famous rundown. But first — could you help me set the table, please?
You: Of course, Aunty. Mi wi gi yuh a hand right now. Of course, Aunty. I'll give you a hand right now.
Aunty Merle: Everybody! Come a di table! Stop di labrish an come before di food get cold! … Yuh plate look empty aready. Mek mi gi yuh more oxtail. Yuh too maga! Everybody! Come to the table! Stop the gossiping and come before the food gets cold! … Your plate looks empty already. Let me give you more oxtail. You're too skinny!
You: Aunty, mi belly full — mi cyaan nyam nuh more! Aunty, I'm full — I can't eat any more!
Aunty Merle: Aright, aright, mi wi pack up some fi yuh carry home. Yuh know seh yah so a always yuh home, mi love. Alright, alright, I'll pack some up for you to take home. You know this will always be your home, my love.
You: Tanks, Aunty, mi love yuh. Mi a come back next Sunday. Thanks, Aunty, I love you. I'm coming back next Sunday.
Dialogue 2: The neighbour asks about your people
On your way out, Aunty's neighbour, Mr Brown, stops you at the gate.
Mr Brown: Evenin! Yuh a Merle niece? Evening! Are you Merle's niece?
You: Evenin, Mr Brown. Yes — Aunty Merle a mi madda sista. Evening, Mr Brown. Yes — Aunty Merle is my mother's sister.
Mr Brown: Mi did know! Yuh look jus like yuh madda. Weh shi deh now? I knew it! You look just like your mother. Where is she now?
You: Shi deh a foreign. Shi live a Toronto wid mi faada. She's abroad. She lives in Toronto with my father.
Mr Brown: An yuh granny? And your grandmother?
You: Granny live a country. Mi a go look fi har next week. Granny lives in the country. I'm going to visit her next week.
Mr Brown: Tell har mi seh hello. Family a everyting, yuh done know. Tell her I said hello. Family is everything, you already know.
You: Mi wi tell har. Walk good, Mr Brown. I'll tell her. Take care, Mr Brown.
Key phrases
Family words
| Patois | English | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| madda, mumma | mother, mum | Mumma is the more affectionate, everyday form. |
| faada, puppa | father, dad | Puppa is the familiar form. |
| granny | grandmother | The story also uses granfaada and Grandpa for grandfather. |
| bredda, sista | brother, sister | Also used for close friends and in church. |
| pickney | child, children | Di pickney dem = the children. |
| Aunty, Uncle, Cousin | aunt, uncle, cousin | Often used as titles: Aunty Merle, Uncle Roy. |
Grammar that family talk depends on
- Owner first: mi madda (my mother), Aunty yard (Aunty's home), mi madda sista (my mother's sister). No apostrophe-s; the order does the job.
- Dem after a noun makes it plural: di pickney dem, mi cousin dem. Before a noun, dem means "their": dem pickney is "their children".
- Fi for "mine, yours": A fi mi granny dat ("That's my granny"). Fi mi, fi yuh, fi wi, fi dem.
- Asking whose: A who fah pickney dat? ("Whose child is that?") A classic question at any gathering.
- Look fi — "visit, check on": Mi a go look fi har. Aunty uses it too: How long yuh nuh come look fi yuh aunty?
Phrases you'll hear at a family gathering
- Say howdy — "say hello". You're expected to greet each relative, especially the elders.
- Dat pickney deh a grow fast eeh! — "That child is growing so fast!" What aunties say at every gathering.
- Stop di labrish — "stop the gossiping". Labrish is chat and gossip.
- Yuh too maga! — "you're too skinny!" The headword is spelled mawga. From an aunty it's affection, usually followed by more food.
- Foreign — anywhere overseas: Cousin a come from foreign. Country — the countryside, as opposed to town: Granny live a country.
- Mi belly full, mi cyaan nyam nuh more — "I'm full, I can't eat any more". Expect to be offered more anyway.
Usage and etiquette
- Greet every elder. Arriving and heading straight for the food without saying hello to the uncle on the verandah is a classic way to get talked about. Mine yuh manners in front a company.
- Use titles. Call older relatives and family friends Aunty, Uncle, Miss, Mr or Mrs, as the family does. Don't use bare first names for elders unless invited.
- Help without being asked twice. Setting the table, washing plates, carrying food: offering is part of being family.
- Turning down food: do it warmly. Mi belly full is polite; refusing outright or criticising the cooking is not. Taking a plate home is normal.
- Teasing about weight or looks (yuh too maga, yuh look jus like yuh faada) is common from relatives and usually affectionate. It isn't your place to say it to someone else's family as a newcomer.
- Baby madda (child's mother, usually an ex-partner) is everyday Patois, but depending on tone it can sound dismissive. Use it carefully, and not about someone's family to their face.
- Don't pry. Questions like Weh yuh madda deh? are friendly from a neighbour who knows the family. From a stranger, keep family questions general.
Try it
- Tell someone, in Patois, that your mother lives abroad with your father.
- Aunty asks you to help set the table. How do you say "Of course, I'll give you a hand right now"?
- How would you ask whose child is running around the yard?
For more on pronouns and possession, see Patois pronouns, and browse the family and people words in the dictionary.
Questions people ask
How do I say 'my brothers and sisters' in Patois?
Mi bredda dem an mi sista dem, or simply mi bredda an sista dem. Adding dem after a noun makes it plural, so you don't need an -s ending.
Is Aunty only for real aunts?
No. Aunty and Uncle are often used for older women and men who are close to the family, such as neighbours or parents' friends, as a respectful and affectionate title. Follow what the family itself calls them.