Bajan Dialect

The official language of Barbados is English. In informal settings, you will often hear Bajan, which is an English-based Barbadian Creole, a dialect of the language that linguists classify as broken English.

Bajan is a colorful and expressive dialect that is enjoyable to listen to, and many visitors consider it an essential element of a holiday to Barbados. Bajan uses English words with African syntax, and speakers have an accent best described as a combination of African and British.

The unusual sentence structure and fast-paced speech that is common among natives can make Bajan language hard to understand too many English speakers, even if they’re familiar with the words being used.

When in Barbados, it is important to remember that Bajans do know English, and you can speak to them just as you would any other native speaker. They will understand you.

If you attempt to imitate their accent or speak slowly so that they can understand you, the gesture may be construed as insulting.

Locals also tend to be very understanding of the differences between traditional English language and Bajan dialect, and will be happy to repeat themselves if you have trouble understanding them the first time around.

They take it easy, are super friendly and helpful - not necessarily smiling, but always nice

a Bajan - a Barbadian, what people lucky enough to be from Barbados like to call ourselves, and what everyone else in the world wants to be

a Cutter - a sandwich made from authentic Bajan salt bread
e.g., a Ham cutter means a Ham sandwich

a halfa idiot - a really stupid person

a Johnny - an idiot (rather offensive)
e.g., “He’s a real johnny!”

a piece’uh idiot - a really stupid, senseless person

Arite den - said when in agreement with something
e.g., “Arite den you know de ting” (yeah, true), also has other uses like “Arite den I gine hear ya lata.” (Ok, I’ll hear you later.)

Back chat - an insolent response from a child to an adult

Bad talk someone - to say negative things about someone behind the person’s back

Bad-behave - naughty, wicked (of a child)
e.g., “He so bad-behave.” (He is so naughty, wicked.)

Baje - a shortened form of “Bajan”

Barrifle - a lot
e.g., “You talking a barrifle o’nonsense.” (You are talking a lot of nonsense.)

Bashment! - Cool!

Bashy - used to describe something that’s cool.
e.g., “Your car look so bashy!”

Bassa-bassa - commotion, fight

Bim - a nickname for Barbados

Boek - exclamation

Bout - about

Bozie - A typical sentence ending
e.g., “Not me bozie!” (Not me at all!)

Bruggadung - the sound of a fall

Cawblema! - Wow! Oh Goodness! (anything like that)

Cha! - an interjection meaning a variety of things from surprise to delight
e.g., “Cha, dat fella look so good!” “Cha, in hey hot as hell!” “Cha, you hear dat new tune!”

Cheese-on-bread! - An expression showing astonishment
e.g., “Cheese-on-bread dat fella look good denn!”

Cuhdear - meaning “awww, how sad,” “poor thing,” or anything like that

Dat - that

De - the

De belly – diarrhea
e.g., “Dat shrimp salad geh me de belly.” (That shrimp salad gave me diarrhea.)

De rock - affectionate nickname for Barbados

De tarmack tite - everything is good between us

Dem - them
e.g., “Dem fellas just fail.” (Those guys don’t look good.), “Dat new album by X just fail.” (That new album by X doesn’t sound good.)

Denn - Another typical sentence ending
e.g., “You he look hot denn.”

Doin’ Dixie - if you’re the life of the party you’ll definitely be “doin’ dixie! Having a real good time and dancing up a storm.

Don’t watch na face - don’t worry about it

Don’t watch nain - don’t worry about it

‘En - does not, do not, is not, are not
e.g., “I’en going there.” (I am not going there.)

Evah - every

Evahsince - a while ago
e.g., “I did callin’ you evah since.”

Fella - a guy
e.g., “Dem fellas just fail.” (Those guys don’t look good)

Fronthouse - the living room in one’s home

Gap - not a space between your teeth, but rather the Bajan way of saying “street”
e.g., “I gine up the gap ‘lil bit.” (I’m going up the street for a while.)

Gear - used to describe expensive, brand name clothing

Gipsy - too inquisitive about everyone’s business
e.g., “Cha, you so gipsy.”

Guh long - Go ahead
e.g., “Guh long and marry he nuh!” (Go ahead and marry him!)

Gully-boar - person with no class

Hard - to describe just about anything good

Hardears - naughty (of a child)
e.g., “Da l’il boy so hardears.” (That little boy is so naughty.)

Hear - use at the end of the sentence for emphasis
e.g., “Dem teachers does geh yuh nuff homework hear.”

I’ain - I’m not
e.g., “I’ain kay.” (I don’t care.)

I’ain bout dat - when you are not too keen on something
e.g., “I’ain bout gettin’ in nuh trouble.” (I’m not in the mood to get into trouble, I’m not in for getting into trouble etc...)

Ingrunt - to be ignorant, hot headed - Interjection
e.g., “What de shite!”

Jenkins - a somewhat uncomplimentary term to refer to the psychiatric hospital at Blackrock, St Michael

Jobbie - faeces

Juk - has multiple meanings, can be either a noun or a verb.

Kadooment - fun and good times, the name of Barbados’ biggest carnival, always held the first Monday in August

Larde - meaning Lord, usually follows “Oh”
e.g., “Oh Larde!”

Lickorish - greedy when it comes to food

Mainguhs or maingers - mangoes

Malicious - extremely inquisitive

Mini moke - a small, open car that’s perfect for getting from beach to beach in Barbados

Miss ting - when you don’t know a woman’s name
e.g., “I mean Miss Ting dat live up de road.”

Mob-o-ton - a lot of
e.g., “Boy, dem teachers does geh ya uh mob-o-ton homework, hear.” (Those teachers give so much homework.)

Nanny - Typically used to describe something nasty or absolutely disgusting

Newscarrier - to be someone who is spiteful and who goes around spreading rumours about people

Not to be nuh way - normally said before saying something that might be hurtful or might offend someone
e.g., “Not to be nuh way, but he real stupid.” (I don’t mean to be rude but he’s really stupid.)

Nuh - used at the end of a sentence for emphasis. It normally is used for encouragement e.g., “Guh long and buy de ring nuh!” (Go ahead and buy the ring!)

Nuhbody - nobody, no one

Nuttin/nain - nothing

Officious - extremely rude

Old year’s night - New Year’s Eve

Pooch licker - someone who kisses up to people

Pompasettin’ - you’ll definitely be doing this (showing off) if you’ve been drinking rum

Pon - on
e.g., “It pon de table.” (It’s on the table.) “I gine pon Satduh.” (I’m going on Saturday..)

Poor great - (adv) someone on the lower end of the social scale who pretends to be of a higher class.
e.g., “She does act real poor great.”

Poppit - an idiot
e.g., “Ya poppit!” (You idiot!)

Ram/ram off - full to the max
e.g., “Dat van jes ram off.” (That van is full to the max.)

Rangate - another expression of astonishment
e.g., “Oh rangate I’en revise for that test!”

Rasshole - a curse word normally used as an expression
e.g., “What de rasshole!”

Rumbustuous - the word coined in Barbados which probably described the way settlers felt after a few shots of rum - in very good spirits (no pun intended) and full of life

Safe - meaning “that’s cool with me.”

Sain - something

Salad - a popular school game played by trying to kick a foil-ball through someone’s feet

Saucey - to be hot or fresh

Scotch - in Bajan slang the word “scotch” is used when you want someone to move around so you could get a seat.
e.g., “Geh me a scotch dey s.o” (Used like this, it is considered rather impolite.)
The more polite form would be “May I have a scotch please?”
Other examples are “Try’an scotch’on dey so.” “You want a scotch?”

Site - I get where you’re coming from

Stepney - spare tire, you probably won’t hear anywhere else

Stupse - is probably what the Brits call “sucking one’s teeth.” It is done when you want to show disapproval at something and it can be considered fairly rude.

Sukka-bubby - kool-aid

Tearhead - a person with a bad temper

Thiefin’ - dishonest, to be a thief
e.g., “Dem politicians jes so thiefin’!”

Tight - used as an adjective to mean “cool.”
e.g., “He does dress so tight!”

To ‘gree wid s.o. - to be on speaking terms with someone

To back stab - to talk about one’s friends negatively behind their backs

To be a pooch licker - to be someone who sucks up to people

To be dangerous - to be disloyal to one’s friends

To be fagged out - to be very tired

To be mekking sport - to be kidding, joking
e.g., “You mekking bare sport!”

To be on a stuggle - to be difficult or stupid
e.g., “Maths pon a serious struggle.”

To be own way - to like having things one’s way

To be righteous - to be fair
e.g., “Dat just ain’t righteous.” (That is just not fair.)

To be two mouted - to be a disloyal person

To big up someone - to give someone a shout out or to shout off someone

To chat up someone - to flatter someone

To cuss and carry on - to quarrel in a rather raucous or low class way
e.g., “Dat woman jes cuss and carry on bad bad bad in de people store hear.” (That woman just quarrel so bad in the store.)

To fail - to be “not cutting it,” used to express a shortcoming of someone or something.
e.g., “Dem fellas just fail.” (Those guys don’t look good.) “Dat new album by X just fail.” (That new album by X doesn’t sound good.)

To flam - to flirt

To get bound - to get constipated

To get kill off - to get dissed

To get wash in licks - to get beaten up really badly
e.g., “De man jes wash he in licks.” (The man beat him up really badly.)

To gree back wid sumbody - to get back on speaking terms with somebody

To have poxy feet - to have feet full of black spots and scars

To kill off someone - to diss someone

To mek - to make

To mek mock sport at someone - to ridicule someone

To onfair sumbody - to be unfair to someone

To pelt - to throw
e.g., “Pelt de ball cross hey.” (Throw the ball here.)

To pelt waist - to wuk-up

To pitch a slap in sumbody face - to slap someone in the face

To pooch lick - to suck up to someone, to kiss up to someone

To reason that - to think/decide that

To run a lot ah mout - to talk big

To run a lot of talk - to talk big

To skin one’s behind at someone - used as an insult. It is when you bend over with your butt facing the person with the meaning “kiss my a*s”. It is considered rather offensive and low class.

To skin one’s teet - to laugh
e.g., “She always skinning she teet at some ting or de other.” (She is always laughing at something.)

To sociate wid sumbody - to associate with someone, to be on speaking terms with someone

To study - can sometimes mean “to think about sh*t” to be “deep in thought”
e.g., “Wha’ you studyin?” What are you thinking about?

To thief - to steal
e.g., “He went’an tief my mainguhs.” (He stole my mangoes.)

To wuk up - a popular dance here that involves rotating your hips in a sexual manner

Unmarley - extremely rude, unmannerly

Wait - wait has a variety of usages. It can be used in much the same way as “by the way.”
e.g., “Wait, you hear bout dat dub fete dis Satduh?” (“By the way, did you hear about that dub fete this Saturday?”)
It can also be used to express surprise.
“Wait! Wuh goin on hey?”

Wassy - to be vulgar (of a person)
e.g., “She does walk so wassy.” (She walks in such a vulgar manner.)

Wha’/Wuh - what

Whaloss! - normally means “oh my goodness”

Wuh looka look do nuh - used when shocked or astonished at something

Wuh looka my crosses - older Bajans use this when astonished at something

Wuh um is? - What is it?

Wukkin’ up - a high energy, gyrating dance that could probably get you arrested most places outside the Caribbean

Wunnuh - means “You” in the plural form

You - This word has various usages. It is a popular way to start a sentence especially if you want to attract the speaker’s attention to something.
e.g., “You!”
It can be used to express surprise, astonishment
e.g., “You, dat shirt look so good!”

ZR - a form of public transportation (small white van), sometimes referred to as a "reggae van" because of the tendency to play reggae music at maximum volume

Bajan Breeze Guest House
Harts Gap, Christ Church, Barbados, West Indies
Phone: (246) 429 9608

http://www.bajanbreeze.com