Jersey French - Jèrriais

Standard Jersey French vocabulary, numerals and quotations for comparison with other languages


Although Jersey and Guernsey are both part of the Channel Islands, speakers of either Jersey French or Guernsey French don't find the other language easy to understand. It is also perhaps surprising to find that on islands as small as these, there are dialect variations in each of the languages. Local people can often tell which part of the island a speaker is from by their accent.

1. fréthe    brother        1. oui    yes        1. Combein qu’ch’est?    How much is that?
2. soeu    sister        2. nânnîn    no        2.   
3. fis    son        3. s’i’ vouos pliaît    please        3. Comprendre    To understand
4. fil’ye    daughter        4. mèrcie    thank you        4. Jé comprends    I understand
5. péthe    father                  5. Jé n’comprends pon    I don’t understand
6. méthe    mother        1. dînmanche    Sunday        6.   
          2. lundi    Monday        7.   
1. èrnouvé    spring        3. mardi    Tuesday          
2. êté    summer        4. mêcrédi    Wednesday        1. j’sis    I am
3. automne    autumn        5. jeudi    Thursday        2. tu’es    you are (informal)
4. hivé    winter        6. vendrédi    Friday        ous êtes    you are (formal)
          7. san’mdi    Saturday        3. il est    he is
1. j’va    horse                  oulle est    she is
2. tchian    dog        1. ville    town          
3. cat    cat        2. village    village        1. j’sommes    we are
4. vaque    cow        3. rue    street        2. ous êtes    you are
5. boeu    bull        4. place    square          
6. couochon    pig        5. pont    bridge        3. i’ sont    they are (msc.)
7. mouton    sheep        6. maîson    house        i’ sont    they are (fem.)
8. loup    wolf        7. gardîn    garden          
9. souothis    mouse        8. églyise    church          
10. ouaîsé    bird        9. êcole    school        1. un, ieune    one (msc., fem.)
11. ouaie    goose        10. stâtion    station        2. deux    two
12. paîsson    fish                  3. trais    three
                    4. quat’    four
1. pain    bread        1. nièr    black        5. chînq    five
2. pomme    apple        2. blianc    white        6. six    six
3. nouaix    nut        3. bliu    blue        7. sept    seven
4. sé    salt        4. vèrt    green        8. huit    eight
5. paîvre    pepper        5. jaune    yellow        9. neuf    nine
6. myi    honey        6. rouoge    red        10. dgix    ten
7. lait    milk                  11. onze    eleven
8. beurre    butter        1. vaie    to see        12. douze    twelve
9. fronmage    cheese        2. ouï    to hear        13. treize    thirteen
10. ieau    water        3. mangi    to eat        20. vîngt    twenty
11. vîn    wine        4. béthe    to drink        30. trente    thirty
12. biéthe    beer        5. chanter    to sing        100. chent    a hundred
                      
1. montangne    mountain        1. nom    name        1. main    hand
2. mé    sea        2. êcrithe    to write        2. pid    foot
3. lac    lake        3. livre    book        3. tchoeu    heart
4. riviéthe    river        4. pâler    to speak        4. sang    blood
5. vièr    old        5. jour    day        5. tête    head
6. nouvé    new        6. niet    night        6. yi    eye
7. navithe    ship        7. sémaine    week        7. ouothelle    ear
8. train    train        8. mais    month        8. dent    tooth
9. beusse    bus        9. an    year        9. j’veux    hair
10. havre    harbor        10. et    and        10. dormi    to sleep
                      
1. janvyi    January        7. juilet    July        1. solé    sun
2. févri    February        8. août    August        2. leune    moon
3. mar    March        9. septembre    September        3. êtaile    star
4. avri    April        10. octobre    October        4. vent    wind
5. mai    May        11. novembre    November        5. plyie    rain
6. juîn    June        12. dézembre    December        6. né    snow
                    7. gliaiche    ice
1. fraid    cold        1. caud    hot        8. feu    fire
2. p’tit    small        2. grand    large        9. pièrre    stone
3. maigre    thin        3. êpais    thick        10. argent    silver
4. su    sour        4. doux    sweet          
                      
1. bouoche    mouth        1. donner    to give        1. sourd    deaf
2. langue    tongue        2. acater    to buy        2. parfond    deep
3. mot    word        3. s’assiéthe    to sit        3. pliein    full
4. langage    language        4. liéthe    to read        4. janne    young
5. flieur    flower        5. marchi    market        5. bouon    good
6. savon    soap        6. porte    door        6. rouai    king


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Car Dgieu aimait tant l’monde qu’i’ donnit san seul Fis, à seule fîn qu’touos les cheins tchi craient en li n’péthissent pon, mais qu’il aient la vie êtèrnelle.

For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3,16

* * * * * * * *

9. Nouotre péthe, tch’es dans les cieux, qué Tan nom sait saint. 10. Tan règne veinge, Ta volanté sait faite sus la tèrre comme au ciel. 11. Donne-nous aniet nouot’ pain dé touos les jours 12. et pardonne-nous nouos péchés, comme j’pardonnons ès cheins tchi nouos ont offensés; 13. et né nouos laîsse pon tchaie dans la tentâtion. Mais d’livre-nous du ma.

9 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Matthew 6

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Jersey French is spoken in:

Saint Hélyi - St Helier - Saint-Hélier
Saint Aubîn - St Aubin - Saint-Aubin
Gouôrray - Gorey - Gouray
Saint Cliément - St Clement - Saint-Clément
Saint Saûveur - St Saviour - Saint-Sauveur


Some Approximate Pronunciations

As in French, the final consonant in a word is usually not pronounced. This can sometimes include words ending in -e. For example, tête is pronounced rather like tay.

Jersey French as in is pronounced as in UK English
a cape o cop
ai paithe e men
c(e)-, c(i)- cèrtain, cidre s seven sisters
ch achies sh shield
dg dgèrre j jest
ê tête ay day
g(e)-, g(i)- gens, gigot si vision
h- houmme, hâvre [silent] or h honour, harbour
i + vowel iun y young
î sapîn ay day
j janne si vision
qu branque k donkey
r rein, brise [faintly trilled] Scots Rabbie Burns
tch tchi ch cheese
th étha th heather
z gâzette z zebra


My other websites:
Languages of the World
New Nutshell
Christianity in a Nutshell

My wife's websites:
Meaning of Life
Bits



I wanted to share with you why I think Christianity is such a great religion. A person who lives to 70 has a life of 613,200 hours. Christianity promises that the next life will be in ideal surroundings with friendly, happy people. There will be perfect health and no crime. Of course you’re free to reject it.

Isn’t it worth, though, spending at least part of one of your 613,200 hours just checking it out. Then if you reject it, at least you’ll have made an informed decision. Is it just possible that your world view could be wrong and Christianity might actually be true? Where would that leave you if you choose to turn down the offer of eternal life?


These are some of my wife's thoughts and ideas:



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