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1.

SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT

Sentences in Jamaican Patois are built like English sentences in that, there is a subject, a predicate (or verb), and
an object. However, there is no subject-verb agreement in Jamaican Patois. The verb does not change with the
subject. Let us look at the table below.

Jamaican Creole

Standard English

Mi run

I run

im run

he runs

shi run

she runs

Wi run

We run

Dem run

They run

Unu run

You all run

eyah run

it runs

Yu run

You run

2. Formation of Plurals

One common method of forming plurals in standard English is by adding 's' or; 'es' to the end of a
word. (e.g. toy-toys, class- classes etc..)
However, in Jamaican Patois a word can be pluralized by adding 'dem' to the end word or, inserting
'nuff' or a number at the beginning of the word.

Jamaican Creole

Standard English

Plate dem

Plates

Baby dem

Babies

Pen dem

Pens

Teacha dem

Teachers

Book dem

Books

Nuff banana

Many bananas

Ten bwoy

Ten boys

NOTE: In Jamaican Patois, the letters '-s' or '-es' do not necessarily denote plurality as is shown in the
examples below:
Jamaican Creole

Standard English

Waan shoes

A shoe

Waan drinks

A drink

3. USE OF PRONOUNS

In Jamaican Patois:

There is no differentiation in the use of pronouns to show gender. The pronoun 'im'
can mean both or either 'he' or 'she'.

There is no distinction between subject and object.

Jamaican Creole

Standard English

Female - im frack look gud

Her frock (dress) looks good

Male - im fada gaan

His father is gone

Subject - mi a guh

I am going

Object - come fi mi

Come for me

Denoting a 'person' in Jamaican Patois differs from Standard English in the following ways:
Jamaican Creole

Standard English

Person Speaking (first person)

Mi or 'wi

'I' or 'we'

Person being spoken to (second person)

'yu' or'unu'

'you' or 'you all'

Person being spoken about (third person)

im or dem

he /she or them

There are no possessive pronouns in the Jamaican Patois such as your, her, his, its, ours and theirs,
for example:
Jamaican Creole

Standard English

Fi mi backle

My bottle

Fi yu backle

Your bottle

Fi dem backle

Their bottle

4. USE OF THE COPULA

The copula is a connecting word; for example, in Jamaican Patois the copula is the letter 'a' which is
used for the particle as well as for the continuous tense.

For example:
Jamaican Creole

Standard English

Im a run

He is running

Im a guh fi it

He is going for it

Mi a teacha

I am a teacher

5. USE OF REPETITION/REDUPLICATION

In Jamaican Patois:
Repetition is used for degrees of comparison as well as emphasis; for example, using Jamaican Patois
to talk about how big a child has become:
Jamaican Creole

Standard English

Di bwoy big, eeh!

The boy has grown

Fi real, im big-big!

For real, he is very big

A true! Him get big-big

It is true, he has gotten big

Repetition is also used for emphasis or to increase intensity or number; for example:

Jamaican Creole

Literal Translation

Standard English

A tru tru

Its true true

It is very true

Yuh mus cum tideh-

You must come today

It is important that you come

tideh

today

today

Some words form by reduplication show character traits, for example:


Jamaican Creole

Standard English

nyami-nyami

greedy

Chakka-chakka

Untidy

fenkeh-fenkeh

Weak, poor

6. USE OF DOUBLE NEGATIVES

In Standard English it is never acceptable to use double negatives such as 'nobody does not'.
However, in Jamaican Patois double negatives are accepted.

Jamaican Creole

Literal Translation

Standard English

Mi nuh have nun

I dont have none

I don't have any

Shi don't have nothing

She doesnt have nothing

She doesn't have anything

Dem don't live dere nuh

They dont live there no

They don't live there any

more

more

more

Mi nah guh.nuh weh

I am not going no where

I am not going anywhere

Jamaican Creole

Literal Translation

Standard English

Nobady neva seem

Nobody never saw him

Nobody saw him

Nobody doesnt lives over


Nobady nuh live ova deh

there

Nobody lives over there

7. COMPOUND WORDS

Compound words are commonly used in Jamaican Creole; for example:

Jamaican Creole

Literal Translation

Standard English

Han miggle

Hand middle

The palm (of your hand)

Hiez-ole

Ear hole

The ear or the auditory passage

Bwoy Pickney

Boy Child

A Young boy

Foot battam

Foot bottom

The sole (of your foot)

Nose-ole

Nose hole

Nostril

Yeye-Wata

Eye Water

Tears

Yeye-ball

Eye ball

Eye

8. Tense

Unlike Standard English, in the Jamaican Creole, the verb does not change. Instead a new word is
introduced and placed in front of the verb; for example:

Present Tense:
Jamaican Creole

Standard English

Mi guh

I am going

Di ooman a guh a town

The woman is going to town

Im a cum

He is coming

Mi a cum

I am coming

Past Tense:

Jamaican Creole

Standard English

Mi did guh

I went

Di ooman did guh a town

The woman went to town

Im did cum

He came

Mi did cum

I came

In Jamaican Creole, past tense is formed by using one of the following three words: 'en', 'ben' and 'did',
whereas in Standard English the verb is changed or "e" or "ed" is added ; for example, collectcollected, run-ran, buy-bought, etc

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