Exercise 53 - How do you say this in Haitian Creole?

What is the Haitian creole expression you're looking for? Thanks for asking!

Take a quiz on Common Haitian Creole expressions.  See how you do.  Here is the link:
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First of all, how do you say "how do you say" in Haitian Creole?
How do you say... in Haitian Creole? - kòman ou di...an Kreyòl??
How do you say...in Haitian Creole? - Kijan ou di... an Kreyòl?

1. How do you say A LOT ON MY PLATE
a lot on my plate - anpil sou do m
I got a lot on my plate - m gen anpil sou do m
he's got a lot on his plate - li gen anpil sou do l

2. How do you say ADD FUEL TO FIRE
add fuel to fire - met abse sou klou

3. How do you say AGAINST ALL ODDS
against all odds - malgre tout

4. How do you say AHEAD OF THE GAME
ahead of the game - gentan byen lwen

5. How do you say ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE
all hell broke loose - tout satan lage chèn

6. How do you say AROUND THE CLOCK
around the clock - lajounen kou lannwit
24/7 - vennkat sou vennkat

7. How do you say AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
asap - osito ke posib

8. How do you say ASKING FOR TROUBLE
asking for trouble - chache zo grann ou

9. How do you say - BACK TO SQUARE ONE
back to square one - retounen a zero

10. How do you say BACKED INTO A CORNER
backed into a corner - kore nan yon kwen
he backed me into a corner - li kore m nan yon kwen
they backed him into a corner - yo kore li nan yon kwen

11. How do you say BALLS (courage, manliness, nerves)
balls - kran, gason sou ou, nen nan figi w
you got to have balls to ride the HULK at Universal Studios.
Fòk ou gen kran pou monte HULK la.
You got balls showing your face here after what you did!
Ou gen gason sou ou pou vini la aprè sa ou te fè a!

12. How do you say BE ON THE LOOKOUT
be on the lookout - mete sou pinnga, mete an gad
You should be on the lookout tonight - Mete w sou pinga w aswè a
Nadi needs to be on the lookout - Nadi bezwen mete l an gad

13. How do you say BEHIND SOMEONE'S BACK
behind someone's back - dèyè do
behind my back - dèyè do m
behind her back - dèyè do li

14. How do you say BEHIND THE TIMES (OLD-FASHIONED)
behind the times - pa a la mòd

15. How do you say BETTER LATE THAN NEVER/BETTER ONE THING THAN ANOTHER
better late than never - pito sa pase malgre sa

16. How do you say BITE YOUR TONGUE
bite your tongue - mande Bondye padon

17. How do you say IN BROAD DAY LIGHT
in broad day light - nan gwo la jounen

18. How do you say BY WORD OF MOUTH
by word of mouth - nan radyo dyòl

19. How do you say CALL IT QUITS
call it quits - kite sa, kraze sa
we called it quits - nou kite sa

20. How do you say CHEAP
cheap - di, chich, wòklò
she's cheap - li di


21. How do you say CONDOM
condom - kapòt, gan lanmou, pwoteksyon, protèj


22. How do you say CONGRATULATIONS
congratulations! - felisitasyon!
congratulations! - bravo!
congratulations! - Mè konpliman!

23. How do you say CHEATING
cheating - pa chat, bay zoklo

24. How do you say COST AN ARM AND A LEG (a hiked-up price, expensive)
an arm and a leg - tèt nèg (literally means a negro's head)
That thing cost me an arm and a leg! - bagay sa koute tèt nèg!

25. How do you say I DARE YOU, I CHALLENGE YOU
I dare you - m defann ou, men kwa manman m men kwa papa m vin pile l"
Men kwa manmam m, men kwa papa m, vin pile l" is more of a daring challenge. It literally means, "here's my mother's cross and here's my father's cross, come and step on it (if you can)"

26. How do you say DO YOUR BEST
do your best - fè tout sa w kapab

27. How do you say DOWN IN THE DAMPS
down in the damps - pa nan san
I am down in the damps - m pa nan san m
he's down in the damps - li pa nan san l

28. How do you say DOWN TO EARTH
down to earth - san fason

29. How do you say DOZING OFF
dozing off - kabicha

30. How do you say DRUNK
drunk - sou, plen tafya
she's drunk - li sou
you're drunk - ou plen tafya

31. How do you say A DRUNK
a drunk - tafyatè, wiskimann, kaka kleren
he's a drunk - li s'on tafyatè

32. How do you say ESCAPES ME
escapes me - chape m

33. How do you say EASY AS PIE
easy as pie - fasil tankon dlo
easy as pie - dlololo

34. How do you say EASY DOES IT
easy does it - pran san w

35. How do you say EVERY NOW AND THEN
every now and then - detanzantan

36. How do you say EXCUSE ME
excuse me - eskize m

37. How do you say FACE TO FACE
face to face - je nan je, bab pou bab

38. How do you say FIREWORKS
fireworks - fe datifis

38/5.  How do you say YOU'RE FIRED!
you're fired! - m revoke w
I got fired - yo revoke m
She got fired - yo revoke li
IBM fired me - IBM revoke m

39. How do you say FOR THE TIME BEING
for the time being - pou le moman

40. How do you say FREELOADER
freeloader - woulibè, opotinis

41. How do you say FROM NOW ON
from now on - koumanse kounye a

42. How do you say GET TO THE POINT
get to the point - di sa wap di a

42.5.  How do you say GET WELL
get well - pòte w byen
43. How do you say GUT FEELING
gut feeling - presantiman

44. How do you say HAVE FUN?
Fun - plezi, anmizman, banbòch
Let's have fun! - An nou anmize nou
Have fun! - Anmize ou byen!, or Pran plezi ou! anmize kò w!
Banbòch is used to translate fun in Haitian Creole if you mean clubbing, drinking, dancing the night out, etc... could also mean sexual fun.
They had fun all night - Yo banboche tout nan nwit.

45. How do you say HAPPY HOLIDAYS
happy holidays - Pase yon bon sezon fèt. (Literally: Have a good holiday season)
New Year's Eve - (31 Desanm) tranteyen desanm, vèy jou de lan
We're going to church on New Year's Eve - Nou pral legliz la vèy jou de lan.
We're going to watch the fireworks on New Year's Eve - Nou pral gade fe datifis tranteyen desanm.
-Happy New Year! - Bònn Ane!
-Thank you, same to you - Mèsi, a ou menm tou.
(if you're going to wish Happy New Year to a Haitian, you might as well add these words to your "wish": prosperity, longevity. It's customary to wish a Haitian prosperity and longevity every New Year)
You'd say: Bònn Ane! pwosperite ak lonjevite pou ou ak tout fanmi ou.
New Year's  day is also Haiti's Independence Day.
If you want to wish them Happy Independence Day!, you'd say: Bònn fèt lendepandans!

January 1st is not just the first day of the New Year for Haitians. It is also their Independence day. Haitians, then slaves brought from different parts of Africa to replace the indians, revolted against the French. Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who led the revolt, became the first president of the very first black republic. It was january 1st, 1804.
The customary food for Haitians on January 1st is squash soup.
Squash soup was one of the french delicacies that the slaves were not allowed to have before 1804.

Easter - Pak
Happy Easter! - Bònn fèt pak!

Happy Valentine's Day! - Bònn fèt Sent valanten! or Bònn fèt Valanten!

How do you say HAPPY BIRTHDAY
birthday - fèt, anivèsè
Happy birthday! - Bònn fèt!

46. How do you say HANG IN THERE
hang in there - kenbe la

47. How do you say MY HANDS ARE TIED
my hands are tied - de pye m nan yon grenn soulye

48. How do you say HARD AS ROCK
hard as rock - rèd tankou ke makak (literally means, "as stiff as a monkey's tail"

49. How do you say HATS OFF
hats off - chapo ba, ochan, bravo, konpliman,felisitasyon
You did great, hats off to you! - ou byen fè, chapo ba!

50.How do you say HAVE A HEART TO HEART
have a heart to heart - gen yon tèt a tèt

51. How do you say HIT THE ROOF
hit the roof - deklannche

52.  How do you say HONEYMOON
honeymoon - lin de myèl
We're going to Bora Bora for our honeymoon - Nou prale Bora Bora pou lin de myèl nou


53. How do you say I MISS YOU
I miss you - m sonje w

54. How do you say IN ANY CASE
in any case - antouka

55. How do you say GO THROUGH THE HOOPS
go through the hoops - pase nan je zegwi

56. How do you say IF IT WEREN"T FOR
if it weren't for - si se pat pou

57. How do you say IF I WERE YOU
if I were you - si m te ou
if i were you i would forget about it - si m te ou m ta bliye sa

58.How do you say IMPOTENT / ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION
impotent - fè bèk atè, pa gen apeti, enpotans
Do you have ED? - Eske ou fè bèk atè fasil?
Doctors, most Haitians would be uneasy talking to you about their sexual woes or experience. They will not look at you in the eye when talking on that subject. So, get the clue if he keeps saying, "I have no appetite..." when you think you got all the "gastro" stuff covered.

59. How do you say JUNK FOOD
junk food - fridòdòy, tyanpan

60. How do yo say JUST IN CASE
just in case - si an ka, si toutfwa

61. How do you say JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME
just in the nick of time - jis a tan

62. How do you say KEEP AN EYE ON
keep an eye on - voye je sou

63. How do you say KLUTZ, KNUCKLEHEAD, NOT SO BRIGHT
klutz - bègwè, bouki, kannannan, krebete, egare

64. How do you say LIKE FATHER LIKE SON
like father like son - tèl pè tèl fis

65. How do you say LITTLE BY LITTLE
little by little - tikal pa tikal, tikras pa tikras, piti a piti
Little by little we'll get there - Tikal pa tikal na rive

66. How do you say MAKE LOVE
make love - fè lanmou, fè bagay

67. How do you say MAKE UP YOUR MIND
make up your mind - pran desizyon w

 68. How do you say MERRY CHRISTMAS
christmas -nowèl or nwèl
Christmas eve - vennkat desanm, la vèy nwèl
Merry Christmas! - Jwaye Nowèl!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! - Jwaye Nowèl e bònn ane!

69. How do you say NAG
nag - plenyen, rablabla, babye, bougonnen, wounouwounou
she nags and nags all day - lap wounouwounou tout la jounen

70. How do you say NEGLIGENT, DISORGANIZED
negligent - vaykevay
He dresses negligently - li abiye vaykevay

71. How do you say NEVER MIND
never mind - ou pa bezwen okipe w, kite sa, bliye sa

72. How do you say ONCE UPON A TIME
once upon a time - vwala se te yon fwa
You may also start telling a tale by saying:
"*tim tim? Bwa sèch! ...vwala se te yon fwa" or
"*Krik? krak! ...vwala se te yon fwa"
*Note: the teller will say, "Tim tim? or Krik?" meaning (Are you ready?)
The listeners will answer, "Bwa sèch! or krak!" meaning (yes, we're ready!)
After they answer, "yes, we're ready!", then the teller will continue on and say, "vwala se te you fwa...the princess and the frog... etc...)


73. How do you say PAIN IN THE BUTT (non vulgar terms)
Pain in the butt - pongongon
She's a pain in the butt, she's a pest - Li se on pongongon

74. How do you say PENIS (non vulgar terms)
penis - gigit, grenn, pijon, pipich, ti koulout, yoyo

75. How do you say PUT ON THE SPOT (also OUT OF COMFORT ZONE)
put on the spot - jennen
you put me on the spot - ou jennen-m
I hate it when you put me on the spot like that - m rayi sa lè w jennen m konsa.

76. How do you say ROGUE
rogue - kowonpi, sankoutya, sanmanman

77. How do you say RAPE
rape (noun) - kadejak, vyòl, dappiyanp
to rape (verb) - vyole, fè kadejak, fè dappiyanp
were you raped? - Eske yo fè kadejak sou ou?
She raped me - li vyole m
Did he rape you? - Eske li fè kadejak sou ou?

78. How do you say SANTA CLAUS
santa claus- Tonton Nwèl
(Tonton Nwèl literally means "Uncle Noel")

79. How do you say SCREW LOOSE
screw loose - dejwe
She's got a screw loose - li dejwe


80. How do you say SEE YOU LATER
see you later - na wè pita, na wè

81. How do you say SPOILED ROTTEN, GO BAD
spoiled rotten - gate
The marriage went bad, they called it quits. - Maryaj la gate,yo kite sa.

82. How do you say SEXY.
Sexy (woman) - anfòm, byen kanpe, anpenpan
Sexy (man) - bo gason, bòzò, anfòm, byen kanpe
hooking up - fè zafè
They hooked up - Yo fè zafè

83. How do you say SEXY MOVES
sexy move - bwasay, bay yayad, gouyad, bay payèt
she was dancing sexily - li tap bay yayad

84. How do you say SLEEK (smooth, insincere, suspiciously suave)
sleek - mètdam, rizyèz

85. How do you say SPLIT
split - vole gagè, krazerak, fann kann, pran bwa
Salma Hayek saw the snake, she split! - Salma Hayèk wè koulèv la, li krazerak!
The prison doors fell, the prisonners split! - Pòt prizon yo tonbe, prizonye yo vole gagè!

86. How do you say STEER CLEAR OF
steer clear of - rete lwen, pa pwoche

87. How do you say SWEETHEART/ GIRLFRIEND / SWEETIE
sweetheart - boubout, menaj, doudou, kòkòt, cheri, chouboulout


88. How do you say RUCKUS
ruckus - woywoy, dezòd, kalanmplanm, deblozay
what's all that ruckus?! - Ki woywoy sa?!
88.25 How do you say TAKE CARE / TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
take care - pran swen w
take care of yourself - pran swen tèt ou

88.5.  How do you say THANK YOU AND YOU'RE WELCOME
thank you! - mèsi!
you're welcome! - padekwa!
(Note that to use the welcome  as in "Welcome to my home!"  you would use the translation, "Byenveni lakay mwen!"  In this case the translation for welcome is byenveni.

89. How do you say TROUBLE
trouble - pwoblèm, zen, ka, traka, tchouboum
I'm in trouble - M nan traka
you're in trouble - ou nan ka

He got me in trouble - Li lage m nan zen
I got in trouble - m tonbe nan tchouboum

90. How do you say TURN ON(light up)
turn on - limen
turn on the light - limen limyè a


91. What about TURN ON(to excite), how do you say it?
turn on - mete sou sa
he turned me on - li mete m sou sa
you turn me on - ou mete m sou sa

92. How do you say UNDER THE TABLE
under the table - anba tab

93. How do you say VAGINA (non vulgar terms)
vagina - bòtbòt, foufoun, chòbòlòt,chouchoun, kòkòt, vajen

93.5. How do you say HAPPY VALENTINES' DAY 
Valentines' Day - Fèt Sent valanten
Happy Valentines' Day! - bònn fè sent valanten! or Bònn fèt Valanten!
I love you - M renmen w
I miss you - M sonje w
I'm in love with you - M damou pou ou
My little sweetheart - ti boubout mwen, ti kòkòt mwen

94. How do you say WASTE YOUR BREATH
waste your breath - pèdi tan

95. How do you say WATCH OUT / BE CAREFUL
Be careful! - Atansyon!
Watch out! - Atansyon!

96. How do you say YOU ASK FOR IT
you asked for it - se sa w tap chache
he asked for it - se sa li tap chache


97. How do you say YOU POOR THING! (indicating sympathy)
you poor thing! - podyab!

98. How do you say YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW
you reap what you sow - sa w simen se sa w wè

99. How do you say ZERO IN ON
zero in on - preske rive

100. How do you say ZIP IT (non vulgar terms)
zip it - pe bouch ou, pe la