Money in Saint Lucian Kwéyòl: Coins, Notes and Paying
The money words of Saint Lucian Kwéyòl: paying, change, wallet, the old coin names like dé sou and sengo, the five and twenty dollar notes, and words for rich, poor, cheap and dear.
By Nigel Shomari Nicholas, founder of Jwé Kwéyòl
Money comes up every day: at the shop, on the bus, at the market and when someone owes you a few dollars. Here are the money words you need in Saint Lucian Kwéyòl, from the everyday ones to the old coin names that grandparents still use.
Money and paying
Start with these. You will hear them at every shop counter and every bus stop.
| Kwéyòl | English |
|---|---|
| lajan | money |
| dòla | dollar |
| goud | dollar |
| péyé | to pay |
| dépansé | to spend |
| lanmonné | change |
| pòtfèy | wallet |
| bank | bank |
| kwédi | credit |
| kòfò | strongbox |
| ti lòvyè salé | savings |
| lajan kontan | free |
Old coin names
These are the traditional names for small change, and you will still hear them, especially from older people. They count in sou, half a cent, and chlen, the old shilling of 24 cents: dé sou (two sou) is one cent, and yon chlen dé sou (a shilling and two sou) is twenty five cents. Five cents can be said two ways.
| Kwéyòl | English |
|---|---|
| sou | farthing |
| dé sou | 1 cent |
| kat sou | 2 cents |
| dégo | 4 cents |
| katnwè | 5 cents |
| dégo dé sou | 5 cents |
| sengo | 10 cents |
| chlen | shilling, 24 cents |
| yon chlen dé sou | 25 cents |
| dé chlen kat sou | 50 cents |
How the old coins add up
Old money was counted in two units: the sou, half a cent, and the chlen, a shilling of 24 cents. Put them together with the numbers (yon, dé, twa, kat, sis, ywit) and you can say any amount the old way. Every quarter is a number of shillings plus a few sou.
| Amount | Kwéyòl | Literally |
|---|---|---|
| ½ cent | yon sou | one sou |
| 1 cent | dé sou | two sou |
| 2 cents | kat sou | four sou |
| 24 cents | yon chlen | one shilling |
| 25 cents | yon chlen dé sou | one shilling, two sou |
| 48 cents | dé chlen | two shillings |
| 50 cents | dé chlen kat sou | two shillings, four sou |
| 72 cents | twa chlen | three shillings |
| 75 cents | twa chlen sis sou | three shillings, six sou |
| 96 cents | kat chlen | four shillings |
| $1 | kat chlen ywit sou | four shillings, eight sou |
Notes
Two banknotes have their own names. Everything else is simply counted in dòla.
| Kwéyòl | English |
|---|---|
| byébank | 5 dollar bill |
| papyé ven | 20 dollar bill |
Jwé Kwéyòl goud notes
Goud is another word for dollar, as in the dictionary's "I mandé nou dé goud pou lo mango-a" (he asked us for two dollars for the heap of mangoes). In Jwé Kwéyòl games, money comes as these notes. Say each one: the number, then goud.
Spend them in Laplas, the market bargaining game, and in Errands.
Rich and poor
Words for having money, and for not having it.
| Kwéyòl | English |
|---|---|
| wich | rich |
| wicha | rich person |
| gwantini | rich person |
| wichès | riches |
| pòv | poor |
| maléwé | poor |
| lokatè | poor person |
| debantjè | bankrupt |
Saying you're broke
Fonn means to melt, and it also means broke: your money has melted away. Fonn plat is flat broke. Saint Lucians also say Mwen sèk, I'm dry: no money at all. Mal can mean poor as well as bad, and maléwé means poor, or a poor person. Find more words like these, with more than one meaning, in Pawòl-la ni an chay sans.
Cheap and dear
Handy for any market: is it a bargain, or too much?
| Kwéyòl | English |
|---|---|
| bonmaché | cheap |
| chè | expensive |
| chis | stingy |
Where these words come from
Most words here are from the Saint Lucian Kwéyòl Dictionary, including sou, chlen, dé sou and yon chlen dé sou. The other coin names and some of the money talk aren't in the dictionary, so they were added by Jwé Kwéyòl from a native speaker. If your family uses a different name for a coin, we would love to hear it.
Practise with money
In Errands, MaMa sends you to the shop and Mr. John asks for the bus fare in Kwéyòl: count out the right money from your wallet. The numbers lesson helps you understand every price.