Q&A for How to Speak Jamaican

Patois is surprisingly easy to pick up. I advise you to listen to audiotapes of Miss Lou, a famous Jamaican poet. Also, listen to music in patois, and practice reading Jamaican patois. Focus on your accent and over time, your vocabulary will enhance itself.

That is a distinct possibility, yes. I would suggest only doing this around friends/people you know won't be offended.

Bottom as in your but is Buttox. You pronounce it as butt-ox. Bottom as in high and low is Bottom. You pronounce it as bat-um.

"Jamaican" is not a language. In Jamaica, we speak a dialect called "patois." which is a mixture of English, Spanish and various African languages. You might tell the girl, "Eh gal! You did know seh dat mi did like you, right?"

To get the hang of the accent, I would advise you to listen to music in patois, listen to tapes of Miss Lou (a famous poet). Also, familiarize yourself with Jamaican proverbs. The pronunciation is hard to get at first, but you will succeed! Try talking to yourself in the mirror and recording yourself on your phone and critiquing yourself. "Oh, you're going to be so proud" would translate as "Oh, yuh gwaan be so proud mi sey!" You would say it as "O yuuu gwan be so proud me say."

You can simply say, "Mi nuh like yuh." Also, Jamaican is not a language, we speak Patois.

It doesn't matter what they think! As long as you enjoy it that's fine. Just carry on doing what you like to do and learn to just ignore those sorts of people.

Jamaicans speak English, so to say hello, they simply say, "Hello" or "Hi." However, because of their thick accents, the way they say it can make it sound like they're speaking another language. For example, if a Jamaican tells you "Waa Gwaan?" What they're saying is "What's going on?" Similarly, if they say "Ello" they're just saying "Hello."

"Mi deh yah" is a common response to the question, "Wah Gwaan?" Which means essentially "How are you doing?" It translates literally as "I am here" and is similar to saying, "I'm good" or "I'm fine." It's an informal response used to reply that everything is okay with you.

When Jamaicans are parting ways, they'll often say "mi gaan" to each other, which translates to, "I'm gone." It's a common way to say goodbye. You can also say "likkle more" or "likkle more den," which translates roughly to, "I'll see you later."