soon come

Jamaican Creole

Jamaican Creole phrasebook

This entry is part of the phrasebook project, which presents criteria for inclusion based on utility, simplicity and commonness.

Etymology

Literally, "be there soon" or "return soon." See usage notes.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /suːn kʌm/
• Hyphenation: soon‧come

Phrase

soon come

1. Ellipsis of mi soon come; (literal) I'll be right back; I'll be there soon.

   Mi lef mi billfol' a yard. Mi a guh fi it now. Soon come.

   I left my wallet at home. I'm going to go get it. I'll be right back.

   A: Mi tink se yuh did seh yuh a come a 5 o'clock. B: Soon come. Soon come.

   I thought you said you were coming at 5 o'clock. I'll be there soon.

2. one day, some day (used to evade responsibility)

   MISS P: Painter, yuh nuh seh yuh woulda come look pon mi wall fi mi? PAINTER: Soon come, Miss P. Soon come.

   MISS P: Painter, didn't you say you were going to take a look at my wall? PAINTER: One day, Miss P. One day.

   • [2018, Paul Wright, “When soon never came”, in The Jamaica Gleaner‎^[1] (in English):

     “Nowhere to turn. No plan. Begging bowl in hand would not do. Not this time. Corporate Jamaica and other sponsors wanted a plan. There was none, hence "soon come" became the irritating response to the future of Tappa. […] ”]

Usage notes

While "soon come" literally means "be right back", in practice, "soon" means any duration between now and never.