expressions Patois words

25 entries

• A so it go A resigned statement meaning 'that's how it is' or 'such is life', used to accept an unfor…
• Big tings a gwaan Literally 'big things are happening', used to announce that good progress, success, or imp…
• Bwoy Literally 'boy', but frequently used as an exclamatory filler expressing emphasis, surpris…
• Cho An exclamation of dismissal, mild annoyance, impatience or disbelief — roughly 'come on', …
• Everyting criss A phrase confirming that everything is fine, sorted, or looking good. Stronger and more st…
• Fi real Means 'for real', 'truly', or 'genuinely'. Used both to affirm the seriousness of a statem…
• Gwaan so Literally 'go on so' or 'goes on so,' used to affirm that something is correct, is how thi…
• Hol on A request to wait a moment or pause; also used to express surprise or to challenge somethi…
• Lawd have mercy An exclamation of shock, distress, exasperation, or sometimes awe. It calls on God for mer…
• Mi cyaan bada Means 'I can't be bothered' or 'I can't deal with it', expressing weariness, reluctance, o…
• Mi deh pon it Means 'I am on it' or 'I'm handling it right now' — an assurance that a task is actively b…
• Mi nah lie An emphatic assertion of truthfulness, roughly 'I'm not lying' or 'honestly', used to unde…
• Mi nuh know A statement of not knowing something, equivalent to 'I don't know'. Beyond literal ignoran…
• Mi seh Literally 'I say', but chiefly used as an emphatic discourse opener to introduce a stateme…
• Mi swear An emphatic assertion that one is telling the truth, equal to 'I swear' or 'I promise'. It…
• Mind yuh business A sharp instruction to stop meddling in someone else's affairs; carries the same meaning a…
• Nuh badda A directive meaning 'don't bother' or 'don't even try it', used to warn someone off an act…
• Nuh mek mi vex A warning telling someone to stop pushing you before you lose your temper; stronger and mo…
• Nuh true A tag question or agreement-seeker meaning 'isn't that so?' or 'right?'. It invites the li…
• Same way An expression of agreement or affirmation meaning 'exactly', 'likewise', or 'that's right'…
• Tek time An instruction to go slowly, be careful, or handle something gently; broader than English …
• Tek weh yuhself A blunt command telling someone to leave, clear off, or remove themselves from a place or …
• Wah do yuh Means 'what's wrong with you?' or 'what's the matter with you?'. Depending on tone it rang…
• Wah mek An interrogative meaning 'why' or 'what makes it so', literally 'what makes'. Unlike the p…
• Yuh see mi A conversational tag meaning 'you understand me?' or 'you know what I mean?', used to seek…