Fi
/ FEE /Quick answer: Fi (pronounced FEE) is ‘to’ or ‘for’ — and the possessive ‘mine/yours’.
What does Fi mean?
Fi is one of the hardest-working words in Patois. It means ‘to’ (‘mi waan fi go’ — I want to go), ‘for’ (‘a fi yuh’ — it’s for you), ‘should’ (‘yuh fi come’ — you should come), and makes possessives (‘a fi mi’ — it’s mine).
Where does Fi come from?
It comes from English ‘for’, but Patois uses it far more widely, with grammar influenced by West African languages.
How to use Fi
Possessives: fi-mi (mine), fi-yuh (yours), fi-him (his), fi-har (hers), fi-wi (ours), fi-dem (theirs).
| Jamaican Patois | English |
|---|---|
| Mi waan fi go home. | I want to go home. |
| A fi mi own dat. | That one is mine. |
| Yuh fi come early. | You should come early. |
Other spellings
Because Patois is mostly spoken, spellings vary. You may also see: fu.
Related Patois words
Fi-wi · Fi-yuh · Yuh fi · Waan fi
Frequently asked
What does ‘a fi mi’ mean?
It’s mine.
What does ‘yuh fi’ mean?
You should.
Look up more words in the Jamaican Patois Dictionary, or see Fi in the dictionary.