Glossary of Creole expressions on Saint Martin : Practical

Practical info on Saint Martin: Glossary of Creole expressions

Dutch is the official language of Sint Maarten, and French that of Saint Martin. English, however, has been imposed on the island for a very long time regardless of the island’s French state, due to the presence of British colonists in the past, and the fact that English-speaking islands have welcomed Saint Martin’s workforce for a great number of years.

This linguistic and cultural peculiarity accounts for the fact that Saint Martin is the only French department where English is the inhabitants’ mother tongue. French comes a meagre second after English, despite the presence of mainlanders, and Dutch is slowly becoming extinct, as less and less people from the Netherlands choose the island as their home.

Immigration from Haiti, Dominica, Saint Domingue, metropolitan France and Guadeloupe and Martinique has triggered certain linguistic changes since the beginning of the 80s, however. English, French, Spanish and Creole are spoken everywhere, and this mumbo-jumbo of languages tends to cause problems in school, as certain pupils who speak a great variety of languages sometimes find themselves in the uncomfortable situation of not mastering any one of them to a really high level. Below you will find a small glossary of Creole expressions, originating from Martinique and Guadeloupe, which may be of some help to you on this island of a thousand tongues.

Glossary of Creole expressions

Mésyé zé dam bonjou ! : Ladies and gentlemen, good morning/ good afternoon !
Bonjou : Good morning/ good afternoon.
Bonswa : Good evening
Ba mwen… : Can I have…
Doudou : Dear/ darling
Sa ou fé ? : How are you ?
Sa ka maché : Fine.
Si ou plé : Please
Ka ki là ? : Who is there ?
Ka sa yé ? : What’s that ?
Resté la, an ka vin ! : Stay there, I’m coming !
Tanzantan : Sometimes, from time to time
I pa bon : It’s bad
Annou ay ! : Let’s go !
Gidé mwen : Guide me.
Lagé-i ! : Let them go.
Sèk-sèk : Small glass of pure rum.
Ti-bo : A kiss
Vini : Come
Z’oreille : White
Bagail la chô : It’s very hot !
Mi plisi ! : What a pleasure !
An pa tini pwen lajan : I have no money.
Ki moun ki di ou sa ? : Who told you that ?
Mwen aimé ou doudou : I love you dear.
Pani problem : No problem.
Tiembè raid, pa moli ! : Hold on !
Fait bon i bon memm ! : It’s really excellent !
An nou zouké ô swé a : Let’s go dancing tonight.
Ki laj a ou ? or Ki laj ou ka fè ? : How old are you ?
An kay fè on ti poz : I’m going to take a rest.
An nou pran on lagout : Let’s have a glass of rum.
Es ou tandé sa mwen di ou ? : Did you hear what I said ?
Ba mwen an CRS souplé : Can I have a rum punch (lemon, rhum, sugar) please.
Fréquenté chien, ou ka trapé pice : If we mix with bad people, we will get into trouble.
Fok ou mimyin pou apprend nagé : You need to have suffered to learn to come to the surface.
Sa ki pa bon pou zwa pa bon pou kan na : Don’t do to others what you wouldn’t like them to do to you.