Use Jamaican Creole words and phrases instead of standard English
Drop the “h” sound in many words
Simplify verb forms and avoid changing verbs for tense in the same way as English
Use “a” for continuous actions
Use “mi” for “I” or “me”
Use “yu” for “you”
Use “im” for “he,” “she,” or “it”
Use “wi” for “we”
Use “unu” for “you all”
Use “dem” for “they” or plural nouns
Use “mi deh yah” for “I am here” or “I’m okay”
Use “wah gwaan” for “what’s going on”
Use “ya mon” for agreement or reassurance
Use “no problem” as “no problem” or “nuh problem”
Use “small up yuhself” to mean make room or move over
Use “irie” to mean good or fine
Use “pickney” for child
Use “bredren” for friend or brother
Use “sistren” for friend or sister
Use “nuh” for “not”
Use “fi” for “to” or “for”
Use “mek” for “make”
Use “gwaan” for “going” or “doing”
Use “soon come” to mean I’ll be back soon
Use a relaxed, rhythmic speaking style
Listen to native speakers and imitate pronunciation and flow
Practice common phrases in context
Respect the language and cultural roots while speaking it