LEARN JÈRRIAIS A course for

absolute beginners
ENTOUOR MÉ La deuxième léçon
Lesson learning objectives

To be able to say where you live and ask others where they live

To be able to say your nationality and what language you speak

To introduce the question words où est qu’ (where) and tchi qu’ (which)

To introduce the verb d’meuthe (to live) in the present tense
 Granmaithe

Où’ est qu’ tu d’meuthes? How to say the question word

‘where’ in Jèrriais

Où’ est qu’ tu d’meuthes?

Where do you live?

You are also very likely to come across the

Verb d’meuther (to live) following alternative ways of saying ‘where’:

Ioù qu’ tu d’meuthes? (Where do you live?)

jé d’meuthe I live

tu d’meuthes you live Éyou? (Where?)

i’ d’meuthe he lives

ou d’meuthe she lives

jé d’meuthons we live
Granmaithe
ou d’meuthez you live (plural)
In Jèrriais the word for I is the same as the word for we. The
i’ d’meuthent they live word for both personal pronouns is Jé (short form J’).
 Granmaithe

As in French, all nouns (things, people,

Jé d’meuthe en Jèrri places) in Jèrriais are either masculine or

feminine.

I live in Jersey

Jé d’meuthe en Angliétèrre I live in England

I’ d’meuthe en Êcosse He lives in Scotland

Ou d’meuthe au Pays d’Galles She lives in Wales

Jé d’meuthons ès Îsles d’la Manche We live in the Channel Islands

Granmaithe The masculine/feminine rule does not apply when talking about the
Channel Islands. For each of the islands use the preposition en:
How to say in a country:
en Jèrri in Jersey
When talking about feminine countries use the preposition en en Dgèrnésy in Guernsey

When talking about masculine countries use the preposition au en Auregny in Alderney
en Sèr in Sark
When talking about a country that is referred to in the plural use the preposition ès
en Hèrme in Herm
Jé d’meuthe à Ste Mathie
I live in St Mary Granmaithe

How to say in a parish:

When talking about towns, cities

and parishes use the preposition
à:

à St Jean
à St Hélyi
à St Cliément
à Grouville

Jèrri a douze pâraisses.

Jersey has twelve parishes.

 Granmaithe

Où’ est qu’ tu fus né(e)? The additional e is added to the

word né when referring to a
feminine subject.
Where were you born?
For example, I am female so I
would write:

J’fus née en Jèrri

J’fus né(e) en Jèrri I was born in Jersey

J’fus né(e) en Angliétèrre I was born in England

Tu fus né(e) en Irelande You were born in Ireland

I’fut né en Polongne He was born in Poland

Ou fut née au Portûnga She was born in Portugal

Click here for more…

 Pronunciation tips…

l followed by i and another

Dé tchi nâtionalité qu’ tu’es? vowel makes a y sound:

Cliément
What nationality are you?
Angliais

J’sis Jèrriais(e) I am a Jersey person

J’sis Angliais / Angliaîche I am English

J’sis Portûndgais(e) I am Portuguese

J’sis Polonnais(e) I am Polish

Granmaithe

Again, the endings of the adjectives above change according to whether you are referring to a male or female subject.

Click here for more…

 Tchi langue qu’ tu pâles?
What language do you speak?

Jé pâle lé Jèrriais I speak Jèrriais

Jé pâle l’Angliais I speak English

Jé pâle lé Portûndgais I speak Portuguese

Jé pâle lé Polonnais I speak Polish

Pronunciation tips…

A letter with a circumflex makes a long sound.

pâle Click here for more…

📘 Liéthe
Read the following and answer the questions:

Bouônjour, man nom est Matchi. 1. Where was Matthew born?

Jé d’meuthe en Jèrri á St Hèlyi.
2. What nationality is Matthew?
J’sis Angliais. J’fus né en
Angliétèrre. Jé pâle lé Jèrriais et
3. Where does Matthew live?
l’Angliais. 4. What languages can Matthew speak?

Click here for the answers…

👂🏼
Listen to the short monologue and answer the questions:
Êcouter
Monologue

1. What nationality is Daisy (Mèrgot)?

2. Where does Daisy live?
3. What languages does she speak?

Click here for the answers…

Click here for the transcript…

 Say the following en Jèrriais...
Pâler
1. Hello, my name is…
2. Where do you live? (To someone you know.)
3. I live in Jersey in St Ouën.
4. Where were you born? (To someone you know.)
5. I was born in England.
6. I am a Jersey person. (Remember to use masculine or feminine.)
7. What language do you speak?
8. I speak English and Portuguese.
Click here for the answers…
🖋 Êcrithe
Write the answers to the following questions en Jèrriais:

1. Tch’ est qu’ est tan nom?

2. Où’ est qu’ tu d’meuthes?

3. Où’ est qu’ tu fus né(e)?

4. Dé tchi nâtionalité qu’ tu’es?

5. Tchi langue qu’ tu pâles?

Click here for the answers…

🔤 Vocabulaithe
où’ est qu’ where lé Pays d’Galles Wales
ioù qu’ where la Polongne Poland
éyou where lé Portûnga Portugal
tchi, tchil, tchille which, who la Romanie Romania
d’meuther to live les Îles d’la Manche Channel Islands
jé d’meuthe I live Jèrri Jersey
en/au in Jersey/in a Dgèrnésy Guernsey
country Auregny Alderney
à in a Sèr Sark
parish/town/city Hèrme Herm
ès in a place (plural) pâraisse Parish
l’Angliétèrre England St Brélade St Brelade
l’Êcosse Scotland St Cliément St Clement
🔤 Vocabulaithe
Grouville Grouville Angliais/Angliaîche English
St Hèlyi St Helier Êcossais(e) Scottish
St Jean St John Français(e) French
St Louothains St Lawrence Gallouais(e) Welsh
St Martîn St Martin l’Irlandais(e) Irish
Ste Mathie St Mary Jèrriais(e) from Jersey
St Ouën St Ouen Polonnais(e) Polish
St Pièrre St Peter Portûndgais(e) Portuguese
St Saûveur St Saviour Romain(e) Romanian
La Trinneté Trinity langue language
né(e) born pâle speak
jé fus né(e) I was born jé pâle I speak
nâtionalité nationality
Liéthe: Answers
1. Matthew was born in England.
2. He is English.
3. He lives in Jersey in the parish of St Helier.
4. He can speak Jèrriais and English.

Go back…
Êcouter: Answers

1. Daisy is Welsh.
2. She lives in Jersey in the parish of St Lawrence.
3. She can speak English, Welsh and Jèrriais.

Go back…
Êcouter: Transcript

Bouônjour. Man nom est Mèrgo et j’sis

Gallouaise. Jé d’meuthe en Jèrri à St
Louothains. Jé pâle l’Angliais, lé
Gallouais et lé Jèrriais etout.

Go back…
Pâler: Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. Masculine Feminine
7.
8.

Go back…
Êcrithe: Answers

1. Man nom est.....

2. Jé d’meuthe en….. à…..
3. J’fus né(e) en…..
4. J’sis…..
5. Jé pâle…..

Go back…
 Good manners!
When speaking to a new acquaintance or elder it is polite to use the second person plural:

Où’ est qu’ tu d’meuthes? → Où’ est qu’ ou d’meuthez? Where do you live?

Où’ est qu’ tu fus né(e) → Où’ est qu’ ou fûtes né(e)? Where were you born?

Dé tchi nâtionalité qu’ tu’es? → Dé tchi nâtionalité qu’ ous êtes? What nationality are you?

Tchi langue qu’ tu pâles? → Tchi langue qu’ ou pâlez? What language do you speak?

Go back…
Où’ est qu’ tu fus né(e)?
J’fus né(e) en Êcosse I was born in Scotland

J’fus né(e) au Pays d’Galles I was born in Wales

Tu fus né(e) en France You were born in France

Tu fus né(e) en Roumanie You were born in Romania

I’ fut né ès Êtats Unis He was born in the United States

Ou fut née en Italie She was born in Italy

Go back…
Dé tchi nâtionalité qu’ tu’es?

J’sis Êcossais(e) I am Scottish

J’sis Gallouais(e) I am Welsh

J’sis Irlandais(e) I am Irish

J’sis Français(e) I am French

J’sis Italien(ne) I am Italian

J’sis Roumain(e) I am Romanian

Go back…
Tchi langue qu’ tu pâles?

Jé pâle lé Gaélique I speak Gaelic

Jé pâle lé Gallouais I speak Welsh

Jé pâle I’Irlandais I speak Irish

Jé pâle lé Français I speak French

Jé pâle l’Italien I speak Italian

Jé pâle lé Roumain I speak Romanian

Go back…