Patois pronouns are simpler than English ones. Each pronoun has one form, and its job (subject, object or possessive) comes from its position in the sentence. Mi is "I" in Mi hungry, "me" in Come wid mi, and "my" in Mi phone dead. Patois also has something English lacks: a separate plural "you", unnu.
The full set
| Patois | Subject | Object | Possessive | Standalone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mi | I | me | my | fi mi (mine) |
| yuh | you (one) | you | your | fi yuh (yours) |
| im / him | he (often she) | him (often her) | his (often her) | fi im |
| shi | she | — | — | — |
| it | it | it | — | — |
| wi | we | us | our | fi wi (ours) |
| unnu | you all | you all | your (plural) | fi unnu (yours) |
| dem | they | them | their | fi dem (theirs) |
The dashes for shi mark the usual pattern, not a hard rule. Shi is mostly a subject pronoun, and for "her" speakers often use im (or English her). Spellings vary: yuh is also written yu, unnu also unu or oonu.
One form, three jobs
Wi live a Kingston.
We live in Kingston.
Gi wi di key dem.
Give us the keys.
Wi granny live a country.
Our grandmother lives in the country.
The rule is position. Before a verb, the pronoun is the subject. After a verb or preposition, it's the object. Before a noun, it's the possessive. Joined with an ("and"), pronouns still don't change: Mi an yuh a go cook ("You and I are going to cook").
yuh or unnu? One person or more
Yuh is strictly singular. If you're speaking to a group, use unnu:
Yuh look tired.
You look tired. (one person)
Unnu fi hurry up.
You all need to hurry up.
Unnu food ready.
Your (plural) food is ready.
Unnu is usually traced to Igbo unu, which also means "you" (plural). It's one of the clearest West African contributions to Patois grammar.
im, him, shi: gender is optional
Patois often doesn't mark gender. Im can mean he, him, his, she, her or hers, and context tells you which:
Gi it to im.
Give it to her. (or him)
Im bag deh pon di table.
Her bag is on the table. (or his)
Shi exists and is common when the speaker wants to mark a woman as the subject: Shi a mi sista ("She's my sister"). Him and im are interchangeable; you'll hear both.
dem: "they" and the plural marker
Dem has two jobs, and position tells them apart:
- As a pronoun: they, them, their. Dem a come tomorrow ("They're coming tomorrow"). Tell dem mi seh hello ("Tell them I said hello").
- After a noun, it makes the noun plural. Di dog dem ("the dogs"), di ooman dem ("the women"), di teacha dem ("the teachers").
Dem fren deh outside.
Their friends are outside.
Di fren dem deh outside.
The friends are outside.
The plural dem also turns up in phrases like dem time deh ("back then"), as in Wi ben a live a Portmore dem time deh ("We were living in Portmore back then").
Possession with fi: mine, yours, ours
For a possessive that stands on its own, put fi in front of the pronoun. The same pattern works for every pronoun, so there's nothing to memorize.
Da book deh a fi mi.
That book is mine.
A fi yuh dis?
Is this yours?
Dis yard a fi unnu.
This yard belongs to you all.
Fi yuh bigga dan fi mi.
Yours is bigger than mine.
Fi plus a pronoun can also come before a noun to stress ownership: A fi wi house dis ("This is OUR house"), A fi yuh business dat ("That's your business"). The question "whose" uses the same idea: A who fah phone dis? ("Whose phone is this?"). Fah is a variant of fi.
Emphasis: a mi, mi self
To stress who did something, put a before the pronoun at the start of the sentence:
A mi do it.
It's me who did it.
A unnu a mek di noise.
It's you all making the noise.
Don't confuse it with the progressive. A im bruk di cup means "It was HIM who broke the cup", while Im a bruk di cup means "He's breaking the cup". Self after a pronoun also adds emphasis: Mi self si it ("I myself saw it"). For "yourselves" you'll hear forms like yuhselves, as in the route-taxi line Small up yuhselves ("Squeeze up, all of you").
Rasta usage: I and I
Rastafari speech reworks pronouns for spiritual reasons. I replaces mi, which some Rastafari regard as diminishing, and I and I (also written I-n-I) can mean "I", "we" or "you and I" together, expressing unity between people and with God. You'll hear it in roots reggae and in greetings like yes I. It's Rasta usage, not everyday Patois, so use it only if it reflects who you are.
Quick reference
- Before a verb: subject (mi go, I go).
- After a verb: object (call mi, call me).
- Before a noun: possessive (mi yard, my home).
- fi + pronoun: standalone possessive (fi mi, mine).
- Noun + dem: plural (di pickney dem, the children).
- a + pronoun at the start: emphasis (a mi, it's me).
Questions people ask
What does unnu mean?
Unnu is the plural 'you', like 'you all', 'y'all' or 'you lot'. Use it to talk to more than one person: Unnu hear mi? means 'Do you all hear me?'. It's usually traced to Igbo unu. You'll also see it spelled unu or oonu.
How do you say 'my' in Patois?
Use mi in front of the noun: mi madda (my mother), mi phone (my phone). For 'mine' on its own, use fi mi: Da book deh a fi mi (That book is mine).
Is it im or him?
Both are common. Im is the broad Patois form, and him is heard constantly too, often from the same speakers. They mean the same thing.
Why is dem after a noun?
After a noun, dem marks the plural: di pickney dem means 'the children'. Before a noun, dem means 'their': dem fren is 'their friends', and di fren dem is 'the friends'.