A VISITORS GUIDE TO ST.

LUCIA PATOIS, including quick phrases, basic grammar, 400-word vocabulary, 28 old-time proverbs by Mary W. Toynbee

with the assistance of the St. Lucia Tourist Board

1969

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.

PRONUNCIATION NOUNS ARTICLES PRONOUNS VERBS PREPOSITIONS ADJECTIVES COMPARISONS ADVERBS NEGATIVES CONNECTIVES INTERROGATIVES NUMBERS AND QUANTIFIERS TIME MONEY SPICE WORDS ANATOMY PROVERBS QUICK PHRASES

3 6 7 8 10 13 14 16 17 18 20 22 24 26 28 29 30 31 33

PRONUNCIATION Vowels Oral Vowels: a i o ou ay as in as in as in as in as in as in as in as in English example cat let grey green pawn robe rule high Patois example chat (cat) pl (shovel) souly (shoe) liv (book) kn (horn) zo (bone) klou (nail) manmay (child)

Nasal Vowels: an as in en as in on as in Semi-vowels: w as in y as in

dan (tooth) pen (bread) pon (bridge)

worry yule

wat (rat) yonn (one), byen, chyen, ayen, faiyaya

Consonants The following are similar to their English equivalents (c, j, q and x are not used): b d f g (as in girl) h k l m n p r s t v z These are different from the English: ch as in show chapo (hat) dj as in jump djp (wasp) j as in garage jip (skirt) tj as in church tj (heart) ng as in lanng (tongue)

en e.g.

sen saint pen bread ten thyme

enn e.g.

senn seine penn pain venn vein chenn chain

enm e.g.

menm same (also mm) tenm stamp kawenm Lent

an e.g.

san blood, without tan time, weather chan field, song

ann e.g.

pann to hang kann cane wann to return vann to sell

anm e.g.

fanm woman lanm blade chanm room, bedroom flanm flame

n e.g. on e.g.

pn pan

son sound pon bridge non no, name won round

onn e.g.

ponn to lay (eggs) yonn one

tonn to mow, ton onm e.g.

bonm tin, container wonm rum tonm grave konkonm cucumber

NOUNS

A noun has only one form, whether subject or object, singular or plural.

e.g.

Chat-la w mwen. Mwen w chat-la. Mwen w s chat-la.

= = =

The cat sees me. I see the cat. I see the cats.

Some common nouns: man woman boy girl husband wife child fellow people dog cat bird cockroach house bed hat banana coconut town market money mountain sea St. Lucia thing darling nom fam gason ti fi mawi madam mamay boug moun chyen chat jiby wavt kay kouch chapo fig koko vil laplas lajan mn lam Sent Lisi bagay doudou

ARTICLES

There are 5 articles: an a, an la, a, lan, an, nan the; s the

e.g.

an kouch (also yon kouch) kouch-la s kouch-la bouch-la koko-a nonm-lan pen-an machin-nan

= = = = = = = =

a bed the bed the beds the mouth the coconut the man the bread the machine

a an lan nan la

after oral vowels; e.g. pch-a; tifi-a after nasal vowels; e.g. gason-an; lajan-an after m; e.g. fanm-lan; nonm-lan after n after oral consonants; e.g., lkl-la, timanmay-la; fidjay-la; twk-la

Note 1:

on and s precede their noun, whereas la follows.

Note 2:

a plural noun with s is usually followed by la as well.

Note 3:

-la often becomes a after nouns ending in a vowel.

Thus, Singular boug-la kay-la mamay-la chapo-a gason-a = = = = = the fellow the house the child the hat the boy s boug-la s kay-la s mamay-la s chapo-a s gason-a = = = = = Plural the fellows the houses the children the hats the boys

PRONOUNS

There are 6 personal pronouns: mwen I, me, my u you, your i (li) he, she, it nou zt yo we, us, our you (plural), your they, them, their

Note 1:

These pronouns keep the same form whether subject, object or possessive. Thus, mwen = I, me, my e.g. I* m mwen. Mwen m i. Chapo-ou = = = He (or she) likes me. I like him (or her). your hat

Note 2: e.g.

When showing possession, the pronoun follows its noun. Papa-i = her (or his) father

Note 3: e.g. but,

i often becomes li, especially after words ending in a consonant: Yo w i Yo bat li. = = They see him (or her). They hit him (or her).

Note 4:

In rapid speech, the object pronoun may be almost swallowed by its verb. But its there! e.g. Yo w i.

* Remember, in Patois, i is pronounced ee!!

More Pronouns 1. sa = this, that, what

Note: sa becomes sa-la (or sa-a) when a particular thing is being pointed out: e.g. Sa bon. = That is good. This one is my hat.

Sa-la s chapo-mwen. = 2.

sa-mwen = mine sa-ou = yours sa-li = his, hers etc.

e.g.

Mwen ba yo sa-yo.

I gave them theirs.

3. k-mwen = myself k-mwen = yourself k-mwen = himself, herself etc.

e.g.

Nou lav k-nu.

We washed ourselves.

Note: This form of -self is reflexive: where one does something to oneself. When used just for emphasis, the correct word is menm. e.g. Mwen f i mwen-menm. = I did it myself.

VERBS

A verb has only one form, regardless of person or number.

Tenses are indicated by auxiliary words: ka = incomplete, continuing action (present) t = completed action (past) kay * = anticipated action (future)

e.g.

Mwen ka al. Mwen t al. Mwen kay al.

= = =

I am going. I had gone. I will go.

Note 1: e.g.

The verb used alone suggests completed or a one-shot action: Atjlman mwen al. Y mwen al. = = Now I go. Yesterday I went.

Note 2: e.g.

These auxiliaries may be combined to indicate greater subtlety of tense: Mwen t ka al. = I was going (or I used to go).

* Remember, ay is pronounced like high!

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Some Common Verbs: ask believe buy come drink eat give go (to) have know like listen to look at make, do need say see speak take want e.g. mand kw acht vini bw manj ba (bay) al ni sav, knt m kout gad f bizwen di w pal pwan vl = = = = I will ask him. Listen to the man! He needs money. Do you speak Patois?

Mwen kay mand i. Kout nom-la! I bizwen lajan. Ou pal patwa?

Note 3:

it is, he is, they are, etc.

= s (past tense = st) = = That is my boy. Yesterday was Christmas.

e.g.

Sa s gason-mwen. Y st Nwl.

Note 4: e.g.

However, s is often omitted. Nu malad. = We (are) sick.

Note 5: e.g.

S at the end of a sentence becomes y. Mwen sav ki moun ou y. = I know who you are.

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Note 6:

There is, there are

i ni la ni

Note 7: e.g.

The imperative is expressed by a verb with no subject. Al! Ba mwen i! = = Go! Give it to me!

Note 8: e.g.

Lets (do something) = annou + verb. Annou mach an vil. = Lets walk to town.

Note 9: e.g.

To have to (do something) Ou ni pou vini.

= =

ni pou + verb You have to come.

Note 10: e.g.

Can, may, know how I sa pal patwa.

= =

sa She can speak Patois.

Note 11:

The passive is formed either (1) as if it were active, or (2) by using an impersonal yo. (1) Ou kay tjou, or (2) Yo kay tjou ou. = = You will be killed. They will kill you.

e.g.

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PREPOSITIONS asou anho anl an nan dan andidan ant anpami b dw dy duvan anmitan pw pa d jik Also: apw a ba (bay) dpi pi, vk magw pandan san, son on top of above on in into within inside between among by, about outside behind before in the middle near through, by from, out of to, until

after in, at, to for since with despite during without

Some examples: an kay-la anl mn-nan apw ou asou tab-la anpami jan ba li b lam b nv vk lamou magw tout pandan simn pas pw bout-la jik mnwit

= = = = = = = = = = = = =

in the house on top of the Morne after you on the table among friends for him beside the sea about 9 oclock with love in spite of everything during last week near the end until midnight

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ADJECTIVES

An adjective has only one form, and it usually follows its noun.

e.g.

an nonm ho an fanm ho moun ho

= = =

a tall man a tall woman tall people

Note 1:

Exception:

The following common adjectives go BEFORE their noun: = = = = = = = = = a little girl a big boy a bad dog a good cat a long road a young chicken an old goat a pretty island a large town

an ti fi an gwan gason an mov chyen an bon chat an lonng chimen an jenn poul on vy kabwit an bl ilt an gwo vil

But remember, the REST go AFTER!

Note 2:

Adjectives stand next to their noun, while articles and possessives go outside: e.g. s vy fanm ld-la = the old, ugly women

Note 3:

Adjectives sometimes occur in the following form: an nonm ki las (a man who is tired) = a tired man

Note 4: e.g.

Nenpt (or nept) = anything, anyone at all Nenpt moun-a sa f sa Ki ls ou ka vl? Nenpt. = = = Anyone can do that. Which one do you want? Anyone. (It doesnt matter.)

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Note 5:

e.g.

cold hot hungry thirsty weak strong dirty clean easy difficult glad miserable right left pleasant interesting important tired lazy annoying crazy black blue brown green white yellow red

Nouns may also be qualified by other nouns which follow directly AFTER them and which show such relationships as possession, source, type, purpose, etc. tt gason-a = the boys head lapt bwa-a = the wooden door glo lawivy = river water on py mango = a mango tree on pany fig = a basket of bananas Some More Adjectives fwt cho fen swf fb f sal nt fasil difisil kontan mizwab dwt gch agwyab entwsan enptan las fenyan anbtan fou nw bl kako vt blan jn rouj

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COMPARISONS

Comparisons are made by putting pli (more) or mwen (less) before the quality being compared. Than is expressed by pas.

e.g.

Mwen pli gwan pas ou.

I am bigger than you.

Note 1: e.g.

Pli is sometimes omitted. I bl pas ss-i. = She is prettier than her sister.

Note 2:

Comparison of equals or the same uses: menm kon e.g. = as, like = I am as tall as my mother.

Mwen ho menm kon manman-mwen.

Note 3:

The superlative is formed the same as the comparative and must be deduced from the context: e.g. Ou pli entlijan pas tut lzt-la. = You are the most intelligent of all (the others).

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ADVERBS

Adverbs tell HOW e.g. byen mal vit dousman well badly quickly slowly

WHEN

e.g.

janmen souvan toujou y jodia dmen atjlman tal bonn ta

never often always yesterday today tomorrow now soon early late

WHERE

e.g.

isi-a la toupatou pys kot pw lwen

here there everywhere nowhere near far

Note 1: e.g.

Many of the prepositions can be used alone as adverbs: Mwen antw andidan kay-la. Mwen antw andidan. = = I went inside the house. I went inside.

Note 2:

Very may be indicated by repeating the word to be stressed, or by on chay (a lot).

e.g.

Mwen fwt fwt. Mwen fwt on chay!

= =

I am very cold!

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NEGATIVES

A sentence is made negative by putting pa directly before the verb.

e.g. Exception: e.g.

Nou pa ni i. pa follows the verb s. S pa sa mwen.

We do not have it.

It is not mine.

Note 1: e.g.

Ma is sometimes expressed used to express Mwen pa (I not). Ma kay vini w ou. = I will not come to see you.

Note 2: e.g.

Pk = not yet. Manman-mwen pk manj. = My mother has not yet eaten.

Note 3: e.g.

Mk = I not yet. Mk kay acht i. = I will not buy it yet.

Note 4: e.g.

Pys = no, none (usually used with pa) Pys chyen pa kay md ou. = No dog will bite you.

Note 5: e.g.

Psonn = no-one (also usually with pa) Psonn pa pal. Yo pa w psonn. = = No-one spoke. They saw no-one.

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Note 6: e.g.

Ayen = nothing (also with pa) Nou pa ni ayen pou ba ou. = We have nothing to give you.

Note 7: e.g.

Jamen = never Ma* jamen w sa avan. (*Remember, ma = mwen pa.) = I never saw that before.

Note 8: e.g.

Ni ni = neither nor I pa ni ni diwi ni pen. = He has neither rice nor bread.

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CONNECTIVES

Various connecting words may be used to make more interesting sentences.

For example: 1) vk, k, pi = and e.g. Madam pi Misy I ka vini pi i ka al. 2) m = but e.g. Mwen vl f i, m mwen pa sa.= I want to do it, but I cant. = = Mr. and Mrs. He comes and goes.

3) ben, ouben = or e.g. Al, ben mwen kay kwiy polis-la. = Go away, or Ill call the police!

4) ki = which, that, who e.g. Mwen konnt gason-a ki vini. = I know the boy who came.

More:

Ki is omitted if the word it refers to serves as object of the clause.

Compare: I know the boy (whom) you like.

5) pis, pas = because, since e.g. Nou m ou pis ou tlman bon. = We like you because you are so good.

6) si = if e.g. Mwen sa al bal-la si mwen ni on bl had. I could go to the ball if I had a pretty dress.

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7) l = when e.g. L ou ka vini, kit chyen-ou lakay-ou. When you come, leave your dog at home.

8) magw = although e.g. Magw ou hayi i, i pa kay kit ou. Although you hate him, he will not leave you.

9) pou = in order to e.g. Yo di mwen sa pou f mwen p. They told me that in order to scare me.

10) kon sa = as soon as, when e.g. Kon sa i w yo, i kouwi. = As soon as she saw them, she ran.

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INTERROGATIVES

Questions are asked either: 1) by the tone of voice, or 2) with an introductory question word.

Thus, 1) Ou konpwann sa mwen di? or 2) s ou konpwann?

= =

You understand what I said? Do you understand?

Some Question Words: 1) s = Do ? (Is it that?) e.g. s ou m naj? = Do you like to swim?

2) Ki ls = Which ? e.g. Ki ls bagay ou vl? = Which thing do you want?

3) Ki sa = What ? e.g. Ki sa ki* wiv ou? = Whats the matter with you?

(* For this use of ki, see Connectives, example 4.)

4) Ki moun = Who, Whom ? (literally, Which person?) e.g. Ki moun ki manj mango-mwen? = Who ate my mangoes?

5) Ki kot, Kot, Ko = Where ? (literally, Which place?) e.g. Ko ou t y? = Where were you?

6) Ki l, ki tan = When ? (literally, Which time?)

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e.g.

Ki tan lkl kay kumans?

When will school begin?

7) Ki manny, kouman = How ? (literally, Which manner?) e.g. Ki manny ou f sa? = How did you do that?

8) Pou ki, poutji = Why ? (literally, For what?) e.g. Poutji i pa ka twavay? = Why isnt he working?

9) Konmen = How much, how many ? e.g. Konmen s-papay-la ka kout? = How much do the pawpaws cost?

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NUMBERS AND QUANTIFIERS 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 1000 NOTE: nt yonn d (dz) twa (twaz) kat (katw) senk sis (siz) st wit nf (nv) dis (diz) wonz douz twz katz kenz sz dist dizwit diznf ven (vent) vent--yon vennd twant kawant senkant swasant swasanndis katwven katwvendis san (sant) mil The alternative forms tend to be used before words beginning with a vowel.

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Some Quantity Words: None Some, several Much, many, a lot Pys s-jiby-a pa sa vol. = None of the birds can fly. I will need several elephants. A lot of people will like that.

Mwen kay biswen plizy lfan.= On chay moun kay m sa-a. = Bokou I pa ni as pou manj. =

Enough

He doesnt have enough to eat. They have too much to eat. Your shoes are too big. Is everyone satisfied?

Too much Too (adverbial) All, every

Yo ni twp pou manj. Souly-ou two gwo. s tout moun kontan?

= = =

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TIME Ki l i y?

I senk .

I twaz demi.

I yon ka apw st .

I yon ka pou katw .

I dis minit apw diz .

I ven minit pou midi (ben mnwit).

****** S mwa-a: Janvy Fvwy Mas Avwi M Jen Jiy Aou/Awou Sptanm ktb Novanm Dsanm

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S jou-a Dimanch Lendi Madi Mkwdi Jdi Vandwdi Samdi nou al lgliz nou al lkl nou lav s had-la nou pas s had-la nou ntway kay-la nou twap py nou al laplas ay dpans tout lajan-nou!

L lajoun Bonmaten Midi Apw midi Sw Lanwit Mnwit nou kay al twavay nou kay manj on chay nou kay naj lanm nou kay dans, kay bw nou kay dmi an kouch-nou nou kay jwnn doudou-nou

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MONEY D sou Kat sou Yon chlen Yon pon 1 cent 2 cents 24/25 cents 1 pound/$5

A TRIP TO MARKET Konmen i kout? zowanj papay mango fig sitwo ksl bwa-pen bannann jmu dachin blanjnn diwi pwson

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SPICE WORDS Eben, als e.g. = Well Ou pa m sa? Eben, ki-sa ou kay f? You dont like that? Well, what are you going to do?

Tann! e.g.

= Hear! Misy-a m, tann! The man is dead, do you hear!

Awa! e.g.

= No! Awa! Sa pa sa! No! That cant be!

Mi ! e.g.

= See ! What a ! Mi yon bl kot! What a pretty place!

On? e.g.

= Eh? Ou pa ka kout mwen, on? You arent listening to me, eh?

Bondy e.g.

= God Bondy, mwen fen! Good Lord, Im hungry!

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AN ANATOMY LESSON Tt N Bouch Tj Chiv Zy Zowy Kou Bwa Lamen Dwt Jounou Janm Py Talon hand finger knee leg foot heel head nose mouth heart hair eye ear neck

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PROVERBS (freely rendered) 1) Kout koutla an glo pa ni mak. The stroke of a cutlass in water leaves no mark. Jou ou abiy s pa jou ou ka jwnn blm-ou. The day you dress up is not the day you will meet your mother-in-law. Bf douvan ka bw glo nt The early bird catches the worm. Sa souwi a di an ftay kay pa sa i ka di at. What the mouse says in the ceiling is not what he says on the floor. Wavt pa ni padnn douvan poul. Cockroach has no pardon in front of the chicken. L chat pa la, wat ka bay bal. When the cats away, the mice begin to play. Sa ki ft an fnw ka pawt an klt. What is done in the dark will appear in the light. S pou dmi an poulay poul pou sav si poul ka wonfl. One has to sleep in the chickn coop to know if the chickens snore. Vy kanawi ka f bon bouyon. Old pots make good soup. Bon tj kwab bay kwab mal do. Crabs good heart gave Crab a bad back. Wch ki at ka mand an glo; sa ki an glo ka mand at. Rocks on the land ask to be in the water; those in the water ask to be on the land. Zandoli sav ki py-bwa i ka mont. Zandoli knows which tree to climb. Ou dy kon d talon. Youre as far behind as two heels. L bab kamawad-ou pwi dif, pwan glo wouz sa-ou. When your friends beard catches fire, sprinkle water on your own. Chyen pa ka f chat.

2)

3)

4)

5)

6)

7)

8)

9)

10)

11)

12)

13)

14)

15)

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Cat cannot make dog. 16) Do-mwen laj ou sa maw zanimo-ou asou ii. My back is so broad, you can tether your animals on it. Sa ki end machand chouval gwo bouden, pa ka end py. He who helps to price a big-bellied horse wont help to pay for it. Kabwit bay bal; mouton sou. When Goat throws a party, Sheep gets drunk. Kot pak-la ba, s la bf ka sot. Where the fence is low, the cow will jump. Piti hach ka bat gwo bwa. Little axes cut big trees. Bon van; bon kouwan; lam bl; navidj! Good wind; good current; calm sea; lets sail! La ni pli bl anba labay. There are prettier things under the tub. Pli ou an hanyon, pli chyen ka hal ou. The more ragged your are, the more the dogs tug at you. Avan zaboka t ka mi, makak t ka swen ich-li. Before the zaboca ever got ripe, Monkey knew how to feed her young. Dy do s an lt pyi. Out of sight, out of mind. On batiman koul pa ka anpch on lot navidj. A sunken ship wont prevent anothers sailing. Ou viw manj kaka-ou. Youll eat your words. Sa zy pa w, tj pa ka f mal. What the eyes dont see wont hurt the heart.

17)

18)

19)

20)

21)

22)

23)

24)

25)

26)

27)

28)

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QUICK PHRASES

Bonjou! Sou pl. Msi. Padonn. Ki l i y? Mwen pdi. Kot mwen? Ki bl pi! Sa entwsan! Mwen cho k las. Kot pwvit-la? s din pw? Mwen vl on bw.

Good morning! Hello! Please. Thank you. Excuse me. Sorry. What time is it? Im lost. Where am I? What a lovely country! How interesting! Im hot and tired. Wheres the restroom? Is dinner ready? I want a drink.

Annou al lakay-nou. Lets go home. Mwen ka al. Bonsw. Im going. Goodbye. Good evening.

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