Random Jamaican Patois for the day
Babymadda (pronounced b-yay-bee mah-dah)
Meaning: Baby’s mother.
Example: Ah Donovan babymadda dat?
Translation: Is that Donovan’s baby’s mother?
Random Jamaican Patois for the day - Phrased edition
Hurry kum up (pronounced huh-ri koo-m up)
Meaning: A person who’s inexperienced but pretending to be well versed on something.
Example: Ah wah do dah likkle hurry kum up gyal deh doah?! Ah who shi a tell bout pickney?!
Translation: What wrong with this inexperienced girl?! Who is she telling about children?!
Random Jamaian Patois for the day - Request edition
Lick (pronounced li-k)
Meaning 1: hit, punch, slap, bounce, or given some sort of blow.
Example: Di bwoy get a lick inna ‘im face.
Translation: The boy was hit in his face.
Meaning 2: to pass tongue over
Example: If yuh ramp wid puppy ‘im lick yuh face.
Literal translation: If you play with a puppy he’ll pass his tongue over your face.
Translation: If you are too friendly/nice to someone they’ll go beyond their bounds with you (i.e do something their not supposed to).
N.B. This is a popular Jamaican proverb.
Random Jamaican Patois for the day.
Smaddy (pronounced s-mad-di)
Meaning: Somebody
Example: Ah smaddy tell mi weh e deh.
Translation: Somebody told me where it is.
Random Jamaican Patois for the day.
Pappyshow (pronounced papi-sh-wo)
Meaning: Dummy, joke, joker, buffoon.
Example: Pappyshow have dem own a gang.
Translation: People who are stupid always have other stupid people to be friends with.
N.B. A commonly used Jamaican proverb. Often repeated whenever someone is making an ass out of themselves.
Random Jamaican Patois for the day.
Yah (pronounced like the ‘yah’ in ‘Yahweh’)
Meaning: Here
Example: Come yah nuh.
Translation: Come here, won’t you?
Random Jamaican Patois for the day.
Dutty (pronounced duh-tee)
Meaning: Dirty
Example: Di dutty bwoy slap mi pan mi batty an mi nuh know ‘im.
Translation: The dirty boy slapped me on my bottom and I don’t know him.
N.B. “Dutty” is being used to insult or like a mild expletive and not to show the actual state of one’s appearance.
Random Jamaican Patois for the day.
Galang (pronounced gah-lang)
Meaning 1: Go
Example: Galang go call Missa Blacks nuh bwoy.
Translation: Go and call Mr. Blacks boy/won’t you go and call Mr. Blacks boy?!
Meaning 2: Keep on, continue.
Example: Galang stwoan di dawg.
Translation: Keep on throwing stones at the dog.
Grace Jones ya’ll. A super talented and eccentric Jamaican who was apparently role model for Madonna and Lady Gaga.
Random Jamaican Patois for the day.
How to pluralize in Patois?
1. Add “dem” after the subject.
Example: Di bwoy dem bad e si.
Translation: The boys are so bad.
2. Use the word twice.
Example: Shi manny manny eeh.
Translation: She has a lot of men.
N.B. The first option is used more often as the second option doesn’t lend itself to many subjects.
