“I come to you” means “I am here.” (More likely to imply a specific purpose, a request, an expectation.)Ĭountry : tribal or traditional. “I come to see you” is the equivalent of “Hello.” “I go come” means “I will go now and return.” “I’m coming to go” means “I am leaving now.” (e.g., “Here is cold water to cool your heart.”) A common expression borrowed from local African languages and custom.Ĭome : “I’m coming” may mean “I’m going.”
“I will chunk this rock at you.” (I will throw this rock at you.) “I will chunk you.” (I will hit you.) “He chunk me in the head.” (He hit my head.)Ĭold water : a gift to soothe ruffled feelings, to appease anger, or to ask forgiveness. “What is the chee-chee-polay” (what’s the latest gossip), or “Da just CCP” (that’s just gossip).Ĭhunk : to throw to hit. “Carry me.” (Take me.)Ĭhee-Chee-Polay (or just “CCP”) – Refers to gossip. I am no liar.) “I can do that.” (I will do that.)Ĭarry : take convey. “I cannot eat that.” (I don’t or won’t eat that”.) “I cannot lie.” (I do not lie. (e.g., “woman’s business” “man’s business”)Ĭan : do will. “The hunter has gone into the bush.” (The hunter is in the forest.) “My daughter has just come from the bush.” (My daughter has just been released from secret society.)īusiness : matters concerns. “A snake burned him.” “He was burned by a bee.”īush : forest secret society groves. This is known in the literature on agriculture as “slash and burn.” It appears that the burning off of the previous year’s growth destroys the seed of undesirable plants, discourages harmful insects, and provides a degree of natural fertilization to the soil.īurned : bit stung. (see also “cousin” “same-parent” “bra” and “ba”)īurn farm or burn bush : after cutting the bush (or “brushing”-clearing the undergrowth and cutting cutting down trees-a standard part of farming in the interior is to burn the dried debris. “I bot up with him in the market” (I ran into him in the market).īrother : may refer to any male relative or ward of the family who is of one’s own generation. “He knows plenty book” (He has gone to college or studied extensively).īossman : Anyone who is the head of something.īot up with : Met up with. “He knows book” (He is literate.) Still commonly used in the interior. “That woman got belly” (That woman is pregnant.) Also standard term for stomach.īe so : Let it be as it is! Or, “Is that so?”īook : to know book literate.
“I have to be behind you all the time!” (I have to be after you constantly to make you do it.) “He is running behind me to get some money” (He is nagging me for money.) “He is running behind that woman” (He is chasing after that woman.)īelly : pregnant. “I beg you” (Pleaded) “I begged him” (I pleaded with him.) “He came to me with a beg” (He came to make a request of me.) Many times they will tell you they will hold your foot, that is a very humble type of a beg.īehind : to run behind, or to be behind one nag keep after insist. “I can’t do that again” (I don’t do that any more.) “She was here again” (She was here already.) “She is here again” (She is still here.) “Has she come again?” (Has she come yet?)īeg : solicit plead a request.
#Learn pidgin english free
Please speak as much Liberian English as possible! The more you practice, the more local folks will understand you! And feel free to ask lots of questions, most people are happy to help you learn to speak “goo English”.Īgain : still yet, already. For example, the question “When did you take the exam?” becomes “What time you took the exam?”. Word order is often quite different as well, so that question sentences are phrased differently than in standard English. At the end of a word, “th” is often pronounced as an “F” (i.e., ‘truth’ becomes “truf”, and “Ruth” becomes “roof”). “Th” is often pronounced like a “T”, and so “think” becomes “tink”, and “Thank You” becomes “tank you”. Pronunciation tends to drop the final consonant of words ending in consonants, so that “Jared” sounds just like “Jerry”. It has some archaic American expressions held over from the “pioneers” of the 1800s (like “vexed” for angry), but also has some British and other diverse expressions. Liberian English is quite distinct from British or American usage.
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