We continue our celebration of the Jèrriais language on the run up to European Day of Languages
Telling people a bit about yourself in Jèrriais
Entouor mé
Marianne Coutanche explains how to talk about where you live and were you were born in Jèrriais.
Learn some conversational phrases to tell people a bit more about yourself in Jèrriais.
The verb ‘to live’ in Jèrriais is d’meuther. Tell people you live in Jersey using the simple phrase Jé d’meuthe en Jèrri. To find out where someone else lives, ask the question Où’est qu’tu d’meuthes?
To say where you were born, use the phrase J’fus né en Jèrri, meaning ‘I was born in Jersey’. Just as in French, the Jèrriais language uses masculine and feminine forms. So, to tell someone you are a Jersey person, you would say J’sis Jèrriais if you are a man or J’sis Jèrriaise if you are a woman.
To identify as a Jersey person you don’t need to have been born here. That’s the beauty of learning Jèrriais. The language belongs to us all. It is something all Islanders can enjoy and learn from.
Learn more and hear how the above phrases are pronounced alongside a variety of different countries and nationalities via a new series of online lessons. Lesson 2 is online now. Visit Marianne’s website: www.jerriaisstories.online
