Patois shows time with a marker in front of the verb, not by changing the verb. The verb eat stays eat whether the eating is happening now, happened yesterday or is planned for tonight. The marker carries the time: mi a eat (I'm eating), mi did eat (I ate), mi a go eat (I'm going to eat), mi done eat (I've finished eating). Learn five markers and how they stack, and you've covered most of the Patois tense system.
The markers at a glance
| Marker | Meaning | Patois | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| (none) | habit, state, or past from context | Shi sell fruit a market | She sells fruit at the market |
| a | in progress | Shi a cook dinna | She's cooking dinner |
| did | past | Wi did buy di ticket dem | We bought the tickets |
| ben (en, wen) | past | Shi ben live a Mobay long time | She lived in Montego Bay a long time ago |
| a go / ago | future, intention | Dem a go come next week | They'll come next week |
| done | completed | Granny done cook di food | Granny has finished cooking |
| soon | about to, shortly | Di show soon start | The show is about to start |
Markers sit directly before the verb, after the subject and any negator.
No marker: the bare verb
A verb with no marker is not "wrong" or "missing" anything. It has three common readings.
Habits and routines
Mi eat callaloo every mawnin.
I eat callaloo every morning.
Wi go a church every Sunday.
We go to church every Sunday.
States: know, love, want, like
Verbs describing a state (rather than an action) take the bare form for the present, even when the state has lasted a long time:
Wi know one anodda long time.
We've known each other for a long time.
Mi love yuh.
I love you.
Past events, when context makes it clear
In everyday talk, the bare form of an action verb often reports something that already happened, especially with a time word or in a story:
Im come jus now.
He came just now.
Wi si dem a di shop.
We saw them at the shop.
Dem tell mi seh di party cancel.
They told me the party was cancelled.
So a bare action verb can mean "does regularly" or "did", and context decides. When you want to make the past unmistakable, use did.
a: happening now
A before a verb works like English "is ...-ing":
Di baby a sleep.
The baby is sleeping.
Mi a learn patois.
I'm learning Patois.
Rain a fall.
It's raining.
The contrast with the bare verb matters: Im work a di bank means he works there, while Im a work means he's working right now.
did and ben: the past
Did is the most common past marker. The verb after it stays bare, so "bought" is did buy and "ate" is did eat.
Mi did go a town yesterday.
I went to town yesterday.
Im did eat all a di rice.
He ate all the rice.
Because adjectives act like verbs in Patois, did also puts a description in the past, where English needs "was" or "were":
Mi did sick las week.
I was sick last week.
Di party did sweet.
The party was great.
Ben (also en or wen) does the same job. It's the older form, and how often you hear it depends on region and generation: Im ben know di answer ("He knew the answer").
a go: the future
A go (often written ago) works like "going to" or "will":
Mi a go si yuh soon.
I'll see you soon.
Rain a go fall soon.
The rain is going to fall soon.
Keep a go together right before the verb. Plain a on its own means "now", so Dem a win reports what's happening and Dem a go win predicts. Don't confuse this marker with a go a, meaning "going to (a place)": in Mi a go a town ("I'm going to town"), go is the actual verb.
You'll also hear wi for "will", as in Mi wi think bout it ("I'll think about it") and Everyting wi work out. Don't mix it up with the pronoun wi ("we"); position tells them apart.
soon: about to happen
Soon right before a bare verb marks the near future: Wi soon reach ("We'll be there soon"), Mi soon come ("I'll be there shortly"). The famous soon come comes from this pattern, and it's known for being flexible about time.
done: finished
Done before a verb says the action is complete, like English "have finished" or "already":
Mi done eat.
I've finished eating.
Di bus done lef aready.
The bus has already left.
Adding aready ("already") is common and doubles the sense of finality.
Stacking markers
Markers combine in a fixed order, with the past marker first:
| Combination | Meaning | Example | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| did a | was/were doing | Dem did a eat when mi come | They were eating when I came |
| ben a | was/were doing | Wi ben a live a Portmore dem time deh | We were living in Portmore back then |
| did a go | was going to | Mi did a go call yuh | I was going to call you |
| did done | had already | Mi did done cook when dem reach | I had already cooked when they arrived |
Mi did a tink bout yuh.
I was thinking about you.
Negative versions
Each marker has a negative partner. Here's the short version, and the negation guide has the full rules:
- nuh + bare verb: Wi nuh nyam pork ("We don't eat pork").
- neva for the past: Mi neva si im ("I didn't see him").
- naw (nuh + a) for "not doing" or "won't": Im naw go ("He isn't going").
- naw go for the negative future: Mi naw go do dat again ("I won't do that again").
Common mistakes
- Mi did went → Mi did go. After a marker, use the bare verb.
- Mi a eating → Mi a eat. The marker replaces "-ing".
- Mi a go for "I go every day" → Mi go every day. Habits take the bare verb.
- Mi a know → Mi know. State verbs don't usually take a.
Questions people ask
How do you say the past tense in Patois?
Put did (or ben) before the unchanged verb: Mi did go a town yesterday means 'I went to town yesterday'. In casual speech the bare verb often does the same job when a time word makes the past clear: Im come jus now ('He came just now').
Is it ago or a go?
Both spellings are common for the same future marker, meaning 'going to'. This site follows the app and usually writes a go: Mi a go buy a car ('I'm going to buy a car').
What's the difference between mi eat and mi a eat?
Mi a eat means 'I'm eating' right now. Mi eat on its own describes a habit ('I eat it regularly'), or a past event if the context points there.
What does done mean before a verb?
It marks a finished action: Mi done eat means 'I've finished eating'. Dem done nyam means 'They've finished eating'.