The auxiliary verb “dey” is used when talking about events that are currently happening. Here are a few example sentences to demonstrate the construction of sentences in the present continuous tense in Pidgin:
- My brother dey cook. (My brother is cooking)
- I no fit hear you. I dey for market. (I can’t hear you. I am at a market)
- Her mama dey drive. (Her mother is driving)
- The mechanic dey try fix the car. (The auto mechanic is trying to repair the car)
Note
Since “dey” is also used in simple present tense sentence constructions, one has to consider the context around a sentence containing “dey” to tell whether the speaker/writer is attempting to speak in the present continous tense or in the simple present tense.
Negating the Present Continuous Tense
The adverb “no” is used to negate present continuous tense sentences. Here is the negation of the examples provided above:
- My brother no dey cook. (My brother is not cooking)
- I dey hear you. I no dey for market. (I can hear you. I am not at a market)
- Her mama no dey drive. (Her mother is not driving)
- The mechanic no dey try fix the car. (The auto mechanic is not trying to repair the car)