In Jamaica, as with any other country, knowing how to greet someone is very important. In this lesson, I’ll introduce you to the different ways of greeting people like a Jamaican. The type of greetings used may vary with age or social status. But unless I’ve indicated otherwise, those listed below can be used in almost any situation. As I had stated before, Jamaicans do in fact speak English, so a simple “Hello” or “How are you doing” is ok and will easily be understood. However, greeting a Jamaican in Jamaican Patois will usually make your conversation a lot smoother.
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- “Wah gwaan „
- English Translation: What’s going on or What’s up
- Definition Pronounced as “waa gwaan”, the literal translation is “what’s going on” but when used as a greeting, it can also mean “What’s up”. Different variation of “Wah gwaan” may be used but they all have the same meaning. These include; wah deh gwaan, whatta gwaan or waguan (pronounced wa-goo-ahn).
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Example Sentences
(Patois) Wah gwaan wid yuh todeh?
(English) What’s going on with you today?
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- “ Whap'am „
- English Translation: What’s happening or what happened
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Example Sentences
(Patois) Whap’am, everything irie?
(English) What’s happening, is everything ok?
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- “ Wadup „
- English Translation: What’s up?
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Example Sentences
(Patois) Wadup wid yuh bredda todeh?
(English) What’s up with your brother today?
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- “ Everyting criss? „
- English Translation: Is everything ok?
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Example Sentences
(Patois) Wah gwaan, everything criss?
(English) What’s going on, is everything ok?
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- “ Weh yuh ah deal wid „
- English Translation: What are you up to?
- Definition The literal translation is “what are you dealing with” but when used as a greeting, it means “what are you up to?”. The shorter version of “weh yuh ah deal wid” is “weh yaw deal wid”.
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Example Sentences
(Patois) Weh yuh a deal wid? Mi waah touch di road likkle more; yuh deh cum?
(English) What are you up to? I want to go out later; are you coming?
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- “ Weh yuh ah seh „
- English Translation: How are you doing?
- Definition The literal translation is “what are you saying” but when used as a greeting, it means “how are you doing?”. The shorter version of “weh yuh ah seh” is “weh yaw seh”.
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Example Sentences
(Patois)Weh yuh a seh? Mi neva si yuh yestideh
(English) How are you doing? I didn’t see you yesterday
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- “ Weh yuh deh pan „
- English Translation: What are you up to?
- Definition The literal translation is “what are you on” but when used as a greeting, it means “what are you up to?”.
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Example Sentences
(Patois) Mi borin, wah yuh deh pan todeh?
(English) I’m bored, what are you up to today?
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- “ How yuh stay? „
- English Translation: How are you?
- Definition The literal translation is “what’s your status” but when used as a greeting, it means “how are you?”.
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Example Sentences
(Patois) How yuh stay? Mi haven seen yuh in a while
(English) How are you? I haven’t seen you in a while
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- “ Yow „
- English Translation: Hey
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Example Sentences
(Patois) Yow, wah time yuh did seh yuh a cum?
(English) Hey, what time did you say you were coming?
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- “ Yuh Gud? „
- English Translation: Are you good / Are you ok
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Example Sentences
(Patois) Yuh Gud? Mi deh call yuh fram chewsday
(English) Are you ok? I’ve been calling you from Tuesday
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- “ Hail up „
- English Translation: Hi or Hello
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Example Sentences
(Patois) Wah mek yuh neva hail up Mark wen yuh pass him?
(English) Why didn’t you say hi to Mark when you passed him?
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