Numbers

Numbers are one of the few corners where Patois and English stay close. What changes is the sound, not the word.

PatoisCassidy-JLUEnglish
A fi mi datA fi mi datthat one is MINE
baby-faadabiebi-faadafather of one's child
baby-maddabiebi-madamother of one's child
boundarybounjricricket boundary (four/six)
dat dehdat dethat one there
dis yadis yathis one here
drawjraaone's turn to collect the pardna pot
fusfosfirst
nine-nightnain-naitnine nights of wake gatherings
nomonomuoonly (two nomo lef)
one-onewan-wanone at a time
Sunday clothesSonde kluozone's church best
tousantouzanthousand
two-treetuu-chriia few, two or three

The second column is Cassidy-JLU, the systematic spelling. It is worth reading across the two columns rather than down one — the difference between them is the sound.

Every word here is taught somewhere in the course, in the lesson it belongs to, with audio and a pronunciation check. The full vocabulary is here, grouped by parish.

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Practise it — the app, the drills and the pronunciation check →