Bonjou! Learn to Speak Haitian Creole

Bonjou! ...Mèsi! ...E Orevwa! Search for English or Haitian Creole words translation. Also search the whole site for expressions, idioms and grammar rules. And ask questions about the language in the ASK QUESTIONS HERE section.

Most requested translations added here for your convenience: I love you → Mwen renmen w. I miss you → Mwen sonje w. My love!Lanmou mwen!

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

What is a unique name for a Haitian Creole female?

When it comes to names, what's unique to me might not be unique to you... Especially since we have different backgrounds (it seems).
It looks like you are asking about UNCOMMON HAITIAN CREOLE PROPER NAMES for a girl.  Is that right?
Unique names in Haiti tend to not be of Haitian origins.  But then again some Haitians parents do name their kids after ...events in their lives.
Here are a few unique Haitian Creole girl's names (some are my friends') that you might be surprised to hear:
Irmide
Dazimèn
Wandaline
Sia (this name literally means 'the saw')
Poukisa ( literally  'why')
Timizè (literally 'little misery')
Nadiyo (literally 'we'll tell them')
Selavi (literally 'That's life')
Tifiyèt  (literally ' little girl')
Dòmita (literally 'sleep late')
Krazebwa (literally 'break wood')

I don't think I could ever forgive my parents if they gave me  the last name on the list :)
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

How do you say "take for granted" in Creole. For example, don't take it for granted that I'll always pay for your education (even if you get bad grades).

take for granted
pran pou sèten
konsidere kòm sèten
sipoze
kwè

Don't take for granted that I will pay for your education.
Pa konsidere lefè m'ap peye pou etid ou a kòm yon bagay ki sèten.


Don't think that I'll continue to pay for your education even when you get bad grades.
Pa panse mwen pral kontinye peye pou etid ou menm lè ou fè move nòt.

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

how to say i want to be your friend

I want to be your friend.
Mwen vle fè zanmi ak ou.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Monday, July 30, 2012

kijan pou m di: I don't care and He doesn't care ann kreyol? mesi.

I don't care.
Kite mele'm.
Sa pa gade'm.
Sa pa regade'm.
And if you're really pissed:
Ki te mele bouda'm.
Mwen pa bay yon mèd. (vulgar)


He doesn't care.
Ki te mele'l.
Sa pa gade'l.
Sa pa regade'l.

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Please, what does "wè pa wè, vle pa vle" mean? Mèsi davans pou repons-w.

Wè pa wè  → whether we see you or not, whether you show up or not, whether you come or not
Example:
Wè pa wè, legliz la ap koumanse a 7:00 PM.
Whether you show up or not church will start at 7:00 PM


Wè pa wè, otobis la ap kite a 9:00 pil.
Whether you here or not, the bus will leave a 9:00 sharp.


vle pa vle → whether you want it or not, whether you like it or not
Example:
Vle pa vle ou pral nan vakans avè nou.
Like it or not, you're going on vacation with us.


Vle pa vle, se nan lekòl sa a ou prale.
Like it or not, this is the school you will attend.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

How would you say: "when we go to see the mothers and the babies...we are saving lives" Mesi!

When we go to see the mothers and babies.... We're saving lives
Lè nou ale wè manman ak bebe yo.... Se lavi n'ap sove.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

How do you say, "I saw you talk to the cop. What did he say?"

Mwen wè ou t'ap pale ak polis la.  Kisa li te di?
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

How do you say, "He is counting on you?"

Konte sou
to count on, to rely upon, to have faith in, to trust


He is counting on you.
He relying on you.
Li konte sou sou ou.


He's putting his faith n you.
He's trusting you
He's waiting on you.
L'ap konte sou ou.


You may count on him.
You may trust him.
Ou mèt konte sou li.


Can I count on him?
Eske m'ka konte sou li?

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Sunday, July 29, 2012

What (in Creole)

What → Kisa, Sa, or Ki


'What' can be translated in Creole as KISA:
What is that?
Kisa sa ye?


'What' can be translated as SA:
What is that?
Sa sa ye?
or
I don't know what he wants.
Mwen pa konnen sa li vle.


Or 'What' can be translated as KI:
What day is it?
Ki jou li ye?


Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

how do you say beautiful soul in creole

Well, out of context, beautiful soul will literally be bèl nanm in Creole.  But this might changed based on what you are trying to say.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

I've used up all of my emotional energy. Now I'm not sad anymore, just tired. (in Creole)

Mwen fin itilize tout enèji emosyonèl mwen.  Mwen pa tris ankò, mwen jis fatige.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

How do you say "free" in creole?

free (as in not in captivity) → lib


Mwen lib pou'm di sa mwen vle.
I'm free to say whatever I want.


Nou tout lib.
We're all free.




free (as in not costing a penny) → gratis


Tout bagay sa yo gratis.
All these things are for free.


Nanpwen moun k'ap fè sa pou ou pou gratis.
No one will do that for you for nothing.

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Mandaly, how is the verb 'to be' specifically used in these expressions: Be patient, Be happy or Be blessed. Speaking to a congregation I want to say, "Be happy in the Lord!" The translation I got was "Ou dwe kontan nan Senyè a!", but i don't want to say "You must be happy...". I want to say "Be happy..."

I see...
These sentences comes across as either an advice, an encouragement, or a benediction....
In that case you would say:

1. Be happy in the Lord.
    Se pou nou kontan nan Senyè a. (nou is plural as it seems that you're speaking to a crowd)


2. Be patient.
    Se pou ou pasyan. (singular)
    Se pou nou pasyan. (plural) 
    or you can also say:
    Se pou'w pasyante.
    Se pou nou pasyante.

3. Be blessed. (blessed by God, right?)
    Se pou Bondye beni'w. (singular)
    Se pou Bondye beni nou (plural)
    or you may rephrase this:
    Se pou'w jwenn benediction. (May you find blessing.)

other examples (using Se pou....)

4. Be there before 9 PM.
    Se pou nou la anvan nevè di swa.


5. Be kind to them.
    Se pou'w fè jantiyès avèk yo.


6. 'Be quick, but don't hurry'
    'Se pou'w rapid, men pa prese'
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

What does TiFi mean

naturalization in creol

Saturday, July 28, 2012

out pa we yo


Did you mean: 
Ou pa't wè yo (You didn't see them)
or
Ou pa't wè yo? (Didn't you see them?)

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Helpless and desperate, I go to the feet of God trembling, begging Him to heal my papa. I wait in tears for my God to act. (in Creole)

San defans e san espwa, mwen ale tout an tranblan nan pye Bondye, m'ap sipliye Li pou'l geri papa mwen.  M'ap tann, avèk lanm nan zye mwen, pou Bondye mwen an aji.
or
Afebli e detèmine mwen ale tout an tranblan nan pye Bondye, m'ap sipliye Li pou'l geri papa mwen.  M'ap tann, avèk lanm nan zye mwen, pou Bondye mwen an aji.

Hope your papa feels better :)
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words




.

When I see my papa in pain a deep fear weighs so heavy it nearly crushes my lungs. But there’s nothing I can do. How can I tame my heart after I’ve allowed it to love my papa with such a wild and extravagant love? (in Creole)

Lè mwen wè papa mwen anba doulè, yon laperèz pwofon si tèlman peze byen lou sou mwen, li preske pete poumon'm.  Men nanpwen anyen mwen kapab fè.  Kijan mwen ka donte kè mwen, apre mwen fin kite li renmen papa mwen avèk yon lanmou ki si natirèl e si ekstravagan?
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words


Bad things in life come, I’ll get discouraged, but then I move on. But the thought of losing my papa is more than a bad thing. When my papa is sick my soul feels torn and my whole world comes to a stop. (in Creole)

Move bagay nan lavi sa va rive, mwen ka byen vin dekouraje, men mwen va kontinye kenbe la.  Lè papa mwen malad, mwen santi nanm mwen dechire e tout linivè mwen sispann fonksyonen.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words


I know I should know this, but could you translate: "you give it to me" (the statement), and "give it to me" (the command)? I can't remember the proper order for the pronouns.

You give it to me. (the statement)
Ou ban mwen li.


Give it to me. (The command)
Ban mwen li.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

how do you say, "do you want me to turn on/off the lights?"

Do you want me to turn on the light?
Eske ou vle'm limen limyè a?


Do you want me to turn off the light?
Eske ou vle'm etenn limyè a?

See links for Turn on  / turn off
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

I'm so excited about what God is doing and would love to share with you in our next skype session.

Mwen kontan anpil pou tout sa Bondye ap fè, e mwen ta renmen pataje sa avèk ou pwochèn fwa nou pale sou Skype.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Creole plural of miracle

mirak → miracle or miracles


God makes miracles
Bondye fè mirak.
Bondye konn fè mirak.


Jesus made a lot of miracles.
Jezi te fè anpil mirak.


When indicating a plural noun in Haitian Creole, we add the article yo as in mirak yo the miracles, only when the noun is specified.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

i like you just the way you are (Creole)

I like you just the way you are.
Mwen renmen ou jan ou ye a
or
Mwen renmen ou egzakteman jan ou ye a.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Friday, July 27, 2012

how to say 'You are special."

You are special.
Ou espesyal.


You are a special person.
Ou se yon moun espesyal.


You matter.
Ou konsekan.
Ou konte.
Ou enpòtan.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

mwen manke l 'tèlman

yeah... Someone's trying to say: I miss him/her so much.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

how do u say theres my wife

There's my wife.
Men madanm mwen.


Here I am.
Men mwen.


There they are.
Men yo.


Here it is.
Men li.
Sometimes you will hear:  Men ni.


There they come.
Men y'ap vini.


See more on There it goes


Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Does this sentance make sense? "Akoz de Bondye renmen nou, li te voye Jezikri sou te a pou nou." Or is "paske Bondye renmen nou, li te voye Jezikri sou te a pou nou." OR is "poutet lanmou Bondye pou nou, li te voye Jezikri sou te a pou nou," better?

The second one is the overall BEST one.
Paske Bondye renmen nou, Li te voye Jezikri sou tè a pou nou.

The third one is also correct.  But if you can find a way not to use ...pou nou twice in that sentence, it would flow better.
Poutèt lanmou Bondye pou nou, Li te voye Jezikri sou tè a pou nou.
Maybe you can have it as:
Poutèt lanmou Bondye pou nou Li te voye Jezikri sou tè a.

The first one can remediated if we phrase it like this:
Akoz lanmou Bondye pou nou Li te voye Jezikri sou tè a.

Kout chapo!
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

In your opinion, what is/are the best book/s for learning Kreyol. Also, what is the best pocket/small dictionary?

I do take frequent trips to Miami's Haitian bookstores.  The Libreri Mapou owned by Mr Mapou in Miami along with EducaVision have a great collection of Creole learning books.  The most complete book I've come upon so far is Ann Pale Kreyòl An Introductory Course in Haitian Creole by Albert Valdman.

The problem with the small pocket Haitian Creole → English pocket dictionaries that I know is that they are missing a lot of the English language high frequency words and Creole's mostly used words in conversation.
Wally Turnbull's Creole Made Easy Creole learning book happens to have a better selection of words in its glossary than these pocket dictionaries.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

how do you spell signature in creole?

What is the opposite of twòp, meaning "few" or "too few"?

The oposite of twòp (too much) can be twò piti, ensifizan or pa ase (too little, insufficient, or not enough)
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

what does this mean "gro tet" and "ti tet"

gwo tèt → big head
ti tèt → big head


Some school children may be called gwo tèt if they being bullied.
Some peole may be called ti tèt if they have trouble learning or retaining what they learn.

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Ou se Anyo a, e w'se kris la ??

Ou se Anyo a, e ou se Kris la.
You are the Lamb, and you are the Christ.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Kit se Ayisyen kit se etranje k'ap aprann Kreyòl, yo pa ka fè li san yo pa konnen istwa peyi a. Sa ou panse?

What does this mean" Twòp filè, la pa bon pou ou"?

You know, my aunt used to say that all the time.
She'd say, "Sa fè'l difisil pou pran desizyon."
I wonder if there's any truth to that.


Twòp filè pa bon pou ou.
Too many suitors is not good for you.


suitors (as in a man who courts a woman)
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Eske te asosi bon pour medam yo ki ansent?

Ah! ou poze mwen yon gwo kesyon.
Men mwen pa kapab di'w ni wi ni non.
Li ta pi bon pou yon doktè ki lisansye reponn kesyon sa a.

Anpil moun Ayiti, ak anpil Ayisyen k'ap viv nan peyi Etazini itilize plant sa a pou anpil maladi.
Men si yon fanm ansent, pi gwo pwoteksyon li te kapab bay bebe a, se kite yon doktè pran desizyon sou ki remèd li dwe pran ak remèd li pa kapab pran.

Dakò zanmi :)
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Remind me or Give me a reminder (in Creole)

Remind me.
Raple'm.
Fè'm sonje.


Remind me to call your mom and thank her.
Fè'm sonje pou'm rele manman'w pou'm remèsye'l.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Hello, from all the chess players out here, how do you say CHECKMATE in Creole?

Checkmate! → Defèt!, Ou pèdi!, Ou bannann!, Ou chire!

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

What is KOUT in front of a Creole word? I see it a lot. It's confusing to me 'cause I always thought that KOUT meant SHORT in English. I made a list of the ones I've stumbled on so far: kout zekle, kout fil, kout chapo, & kout pye... And none of these make any sense as SHORT .... Mèsi!

First of all the main word in Creole is kou (from French Coup) which means a blow, a punch, a strike of, a gesture
And when you place it in front of these words, it becomes kout (from French Coup de ...)

There are many Haitian Creole expressions made with the word kout:

1. Kout chapo → tribute, ovation
Ex:
Kout chapo pou ou!
Congratulations!

2. Kout fil → phone call
Ex:
Ban'm yon kout fil pita.
Give me a phone call me later.

3. Kout pye → a kick
Ex:
Li te ban'm yon kout pye.
She kicked me.

4. Kout pye → a short visit, a visit
Ex:
Pandan n te Ayiti, nou te pwofite fè yon ti kout pye Sendomeng.
While we were in Haiti, we took the opportunity to make a short trip to Santo Domingo.

5. Kout pwen → punch
Li te bay pitit la yon kout pwen nan tèt.
He punched the child in the head.

6. Kout men → help, support
Ex:
Ban'm yon kout men ak valiz yo. Yo twò lou.
Give me a hand with the bags.  They're too heavy.

7. Kout lang → slander, lie
Ex:
Li te kite travay la paske yo te fè twòp kout lang sou li.
She left the job because they told too many lies on her.

8. Kout loray / kout loraj → a strike of thunder
    Kout zeklè → lightning strike
Ex: 
Chak kout loray e chak kout zeklè ki te fèt, syèl la te klere tankou yon abdenwèl.
Each thunder and lightning strike lit up the sky like a christmas tree.

9. Kout zam → shotgun
    Kout fizi → shotgun
Ex:
Nou tande kout zam chak swa nan katye sa a.
We hear gunshots every night in this neighborhood.

10. Kout kouto → a stab (of a knife)
    Kout ponya → a stab
Ex:
Li te resevwa yon kout kouto nan batay la.
He got stabbed in the fight.

11. Kout ba → deception
Ex:
Nou te fè misye konfyans.  Men li te ban nou kout ba.
We trusted the man.  But he deceived us.

12. Kout je → a haughty look
Ex:
Mwen pa konn sa'm fè Rachel.  Lè'm te wè li nan magazen an, li pa't pale avè'm, li te koupe'm kout je.
I don't know what I did to Rachel.  When I saw her at the store, she didn't talk to me, she gave me a dirty look.

13. Kout pitit → to try and pass one man's conceived child for another's
Ex:
Yo te divòse paske madanm li te ba'l yon kout pitit.
They got divorced because his wife conceived a child for another man and tried to pass the child as his.

14. Kout baton → a beating (with a club)
Ex:
Misye te pran yon bann kout baton.
The guy got beaten with a club.

15. Kout tèt → head nodding (when falling asleep)
Ex:
Ou dwe gen dòmi.  Mwen wè w'ap bay kout tèt.
You must be sleepy.  I see you're nodding your head.

16. Kout dan → a bite
Ex:
Li te bay mesye a yon kout dan nan bra li.
She bit the man in the arm.

17. Kout wòch → lapidation, stoning
Ex:
Yo te touye'l ak kout wòch.
They stoned him to death.

18. Kout zong → a pinch ( with the fingernails), scratches
Ex:
Lapolis te retire timoun nan nan kay la, lè yo te wè kout zong yo nan do li.
The police removed the child from the home when they saw the fingernail marks on his back.

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

How do you say "produce"?

To produce (verb) fabrike, donnen (to yield), pwodui (carry, accrue), founi (furnish)
Pwodui (noun) is Haitian Creole for product
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

"Me koze papa" please translate

Men koze papa! translates the English expression There it goes!, There it is!
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

lyrics to amen in haitian creole

The only 'Amen' songs I know in Creole have just about two words in their lyrics:  Amèn and Alelouya (and some words Ad Lib).  Is that the Amen song your're talking about?
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

how many words are there in the creole language?

Oh my!   I cannot answer that :-\
If you do find the answer to that one, please let me know what it is :).
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Just confirming that "Where's mine" is translated as "Kote pa mwen" is that right?

Wi.  Se sa.

Where's mine?
Kote pa mwen?
Kote pa mwen an?
Kote pa'm? (contracted)
or 
Kote pa'm nan?


and if you really want to get technical, you can also translate it in Creole as:
Kot pa'm nan?
Kot pa mwen an?
Kot pa'm?
Kot pa'm nan ye?
Kibò pa'm nan ye?


All of these 9 translations can be  used to say Where's mine?
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Can you write down and translate the chorus of Nan Nannan by Zin? Mesi!

Ah yes.... forbidden song from my pastor father when I was young :)

Nannan in Haitian Creole can mean core, center, essence, the meaty part of a coconut, the pith.  Sometimes, nannan yon fanm may refer to the fleshy insides of a female's vagina.  So, this song is sexually suggestive.

Kote'l nou vle li? Nan nannan (Where do we want it? In the nannan)
Kote'l renmen'l? Nan nannan (Where does she like it? In the nannan)
Kote'l pi bon? Nan nannan (Where is it better?  In the nannan)
Kote'l pi dous? Nan nannan (Where is it sweeter? In the nannan.)
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Praise the Lord! (in Creole?)

What do they call the guys at the Port Au Prince airport who help you with your luggage? Bouretye?

Oh no... I would not call them that.  They might find it offensive.
If you don't want to say Mesye, please say pòtè
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

We all know that...

We all know that.
Nou tout konn sa.


We all know that this is a lie
Nou tout konnen sa se yon manti


We all know that "Beauty doesn't mean healthy"
Nou tout konnen "Gwo dada pa vle di lasante"


We all know how you like music.
Nou tout konnen jan ou renmen mizik.
Nou tout konnen kouman ou renmen mizik.




Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Jesus loves me and Jesus loves you

Jesus loves me. → Jezi renmen mwen or Jezi renmen'm
Jesus loves you. → Jezi renmen ou or Jezi renmen'w


common Creole names for God/Jesus
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

I saw "li te vin gen" in a Haitian newspaper. it seems to mean "he became." But do you need the "gen" or does "vin" also work? And how is "vin" different from "vini"? Thanks!

Li te vin gen (or Li te vin genyen) → He/She came to own, He/She came to possess, He/She came to have

Yes, for this expression we will need both vin and gen to indicate something that one did not yet have in the past, but came to acquire it..
Ex:
1. Mwen t'ap pral nan magazen an, men mwen pa't ale ankò paske mwen te vin gen yon maltèt.
2. Apre yo te marye, yo te vin gen twa pitit.
3. Apre paran li yo te mouri, li te vin gen anpil lajan.

VIN is a short form of VINI
It means to come, to become, to attain, to reach
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

thirteen / thirteenth

Monday, July 23, 2012

"Ap" or "Ape"

ap or ape is an indicator for the progressive forms, it's also used to mark the future tense.

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Konn Vs. Konnen




Downloadable link for this audio: 
 

To listen to audio, please click on the play button and follow along :)


 

Bonjou Mezanmi!  Kouman nou ye?


Konn to know, to know how to, sometimes, to be used to

Konn → to know 
1. Mwen konn moun sa yo.
    Mwen konnen moun sa yo.
    I know these people

2. Ou pa konn sa'w vle.
    Ou pa konnen sa'w vle.
    You don't know what you want.


Konn → to know how to
3. Ti dam sa a konn danse trè byen.
    This woman knows how to dance very well.


4. Eske ou konn pale Kreyòl?
    Do you know how to speak Creole?


5. Eske ou konn naje?
    Do you know how to swim?


DO YOU KNOW HOW TO questions link

Konn → used to, to be in the habit of
6. Yo konn kite pòt yo ouvè.  Se sa'k fè vòlè vòlè yo.
    They're in the habit of leaving their door open.  That's why a burglar burglarized them.
    They're in the habit of leaving their door open.  That's why they got robbed.


7. Lè'm te piti, mwen te konn goumen ak zanmi'm yo.
    When I was small, I used to fight with my friends.


8. Mwen te konn pale avè'l.  Men kounye a nou pa pale ankò.
    I used to talk to her.  But now we don't talk anymore.




Konn → sometimes, habitually


GEN or GENYEN translate there is or there are


9.   Gen bèt nan dlo a. There are bugs in the water.


10. Konn gen bèt nan dlo a.  Sometimes there are bugs in the water.


11. Konn gen amizman nan legliz la le mèkredi.
      Sometimes there's entertainment in the church on Wednesdays.


12. Konn gen yon mesye ki vin wè li nan apremidi.
      Sometimes there's a man that comes to see her in the afternoon.


13. Konn pa gen ase manje nan kay la.
      Sometimes there's not enough food in the house


Other impersonal verbs or expressions such as: to rain, to snow, to be cold/hot. to be impossible, to be necessary, to be be better/best/bad/worse


14. Nan sezon lete a, li konn fè lapli pou twa jou swivi swivi.
      In the summer, it sometimes rains three days in a row.


15.  Leswa, li konn enposib pou'm dòmi.
      At night, it is sometimes impossible for me to sleep.


16.  Pafwa, li konn pi bon pou fè silans.
       Sometimes, it's sometimes better to remain silent.


17. Gendefwa, li konn nesesè pou bay yon ti manti :-\
      Sometimes, it's sometimes necessary to give a little lie.


Eh byen, mezanmi, m'ape di nou mèsi anpil deske nou t'ap koute.
M'espere nou va pase yon bon jounen. Orevwa e n'a wè ankò.


Sountrack: Jezi la Pou Toujou by Adonai
Lyrics
Kèk fwa nou jwenn tristès nan lavi nou
Kèk fwa kè nou gen gwo fado tou
Men nou kab konnen nenpòt sa'k rive'n
Jezi la pou toujou


Lè'n nan mitan pwoblèm lavi sa
Chaje ak travay, ak fado lou
Nou gen konfò nan Jezi sovè a
Jezi la pou toujou


Nanpwen fado ke Jezi pa ka pote
Nanpwen tristès ke li pa't genyen tou
Malgre jou yo ka bay lajwa ou tristès
Jezi la pou toujou


Lè n'ap mache nan bèl wout isiba
Konsa gen montay difisil tou
Nan pwomès Bondye, nou jwenn asirans
Jezi la pou toujou


M'avèk ou toujou pawòl la di nou
'Dye pa manke reponn priyè nou
Konfye ou nan pawòl li, pwomès li
Jezi la pou toujou


Jezi la...
Li toujou la..
Li p'ap janmen kite'w...


Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Do you know how to .....?

1. Eske ou konn kondui?
   Eske ou konn kondwi?
   Do you know how to drive?


2. Eske ou konn fè manje?
   Do you know how to cook?


3. Eske ou konn jwe mizik?
   Do you know how to play music?


4. Eske ou konn jwe jwèt sa a?
   Do you know how to play this game?


5. Eske ou konn lapriyè?
   Do you know how to pray?


6. Eske ou konn danse?
    Do you know how to dance?


7. Eske ou konn kijan sa rele?
   Do you what this is called?


8. Eske ou konn kouman pou pwoteje tèt ou?
   Do you know how to protect yourself?


9. Eske ou konn kouman sa a mache?
    Do you know how this works?


10. Eske ou konnen kouman pou'w itilize li?
      Do you know how to use it?
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Sunday, July 22, 2012

how to say respectfully yours.

Respectfully yours
Avèk respè
or
Avèk anpil respè
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Can you tell me why I can't say 'MWEN TA RENMEN FE LI CHEMEN MWEN' for 'I would like to do it my way'? please. Thanks.

I think it's because you're translating the English word way as path or road in this sentence.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

hello, what is 'every body dies but not every body lives'

Hi.  Before I translate this, I think I need to understand this.  You are saying 'Everyone will die, no one will live' ....Is that right?  That would be different from the way you have it ...literally

Everybody dies, but not everybody lives.
Tout moun mouri, men se pa tout moun ki viv.


Everyone will die, no one will live (as in no one will be alive)
Tout moun ap mouri, pa gen moun k'ap viv.


Everyone will die, no one will live (as in no one will survive)
Tout moun ap mouri, pagen moun k'ap chape.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Can you help me with some martial arts words in Kreyol?: Kick Punch Low Block High Block Front Kick Side Kick Knife-hand strike Thanks!

kick → kout pye
Punch → kout pwen
low block → bloke anba
high block → bloke anwo
front kick → kout pye devan
side kick → kout pye sou kote
knife-hand strike I'm not familiar with the Creole term for that one, the best suggestions I could find are men an kouto or  Sab de men.

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

hello i want to know what does Eske ou te Kreye fanm lan jis pou m 'Konsa mean?

That sounds like something straight out of the bible or a sermon :)

Eske ou te kreye fanm lan jis pou mwen?
Did you create the woman just for me?
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Have you arrived there safely? (Creole)

Have you arrived there safely?
Eske ou te rive an byen? (singular)
or
Eske ou te rive la an byen? (singular)


Did you get there safely?
Eske nou te rive an byen? (plural)
Eske nou te rive la an byen? (plural)
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Mandaly, do you know the song "Fe mwen gras Senye?" It's on youtube. I LOVE this song, but can't understand all the lyrics in Creole. Could you please write the for me?


Titled AWOZE"M ?

Malgre fwa nou nan Bondye
In spite of our faith in God
Lennmi an vle fè nou doute
The enemy wants to make us doubt
Li simen move grenn nan mitan’n,  pou’n pa grandi
He sows bad seeds among us,  so we don’t grow
Ann woule nan pye Bondye
Let’s roll at the feet of God
Yon jou nou va pot fwi
One day we will produce fruits

Genyen asirans pou tout moun ki nan Bondye
There’s assurance for everyone who’s in God
Li vrè,  lavi sa pa ka fè nou pè anyen
It’s true, this life should not have us running scared
Bagay sa yo se pou de jou yo egziste
Those things will only last a couple of days
Mèt jaden an gen pou l vini sekle’l
The one in charge of the garden will come to weed it out

Tout semans sa yo ki pa pwofite grandi
All the seeds that did not grow
Yon jou Bondye ap vini pou’l separe yo
One day God will come to put them apart
Tout sa ki anpeche semans lan pwogrese
All these that prevent the harvest to progress
Li va mete dife sou yo
He will burn them

Fè mwen gras senyè
Have pity on me / Give me your grace Lord
Pou’m pa yon livrè
So that I’m not one who spoil the harvest
Ede’m pou m toujou rete kote ou
Help me to stay near you
Awoze’m Senyè ak Sentespri ou
Irrigate me Lord with your Holy Spirit
Bon move tan
Good & bad times
Fè’m bay bon fwi
Make me produce good fruits

M’pap janm bliye parabòl  talan yo
I cannot forget the parable of the talents
Ke sevitè a, li te pataje an twa (3)
That the servant, he divided in three
Premye a te jwenn senk (5), e li te fè yo tounen dis (10)
The first one received five, and turned them into ten
Dezyèm nan te jwenn de (2), e li te fè yo tounen kat (4)
The second one received two, and he turned them into four
Twazyèm nan sèlman youn, e pa’l la te rete menm jan
The third one got one, but his remained the same

Men sevitè a te vin kase tèt tounen
But the servant returned
Premye a te jwenn yon bon rekonpans nan men’l
The first one was compensated
Dezyèm nan te  vin parèt e l’te satisfè
The second had satisfying results
E twazyèm nan te soti wont
And the third one was put to shame


Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

I got a letter from Haitian friend containing the words 'sepoul' and 'nef' (I don't think he meant the number nine). Any ideas? Thanks!

nèfnew
tou nèf → brand new
ex:
soulye nèf → new shoes
kay nèf → new house

Se pou 'lHe/She must or May he/she or Let him/she

Se pou'l rete lakay ou.
He/ She must stay at your house.


Se pou'l ba ou tout lajan an.
He/She must give you all the money.


Se pou'l rete avèk ou.
May he/she stay with you.
Let him stay with you.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

'I was very happy to help you build your house, but I cannot keep giving you money for every expense you have.'

I was very happy to help you build your house, but I cannot keep giving you money for every expense you have.
Mwen te trè kontan pou ede'w bati kay ou a, men mwen pa ka kontinye ap ba'w lajan pou nenpòt ti depans ou bezwen fè.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

I'm learning Kreyol & every program spells words differently. Is there not a government recognized, official spelling for words? Don't the Haitian schools teach a standard spelling? If so, is there a website with the correct spellings? Thanks so much! :)

Yes there is a standard spelling based on notes and letters sent to all the schools in Haiti in the1980's by the Depatman Edikasyon Nasyonal (National Education Department). And these standards have been taught in Haiti's Primary/Elementary classes since Haitian students were being introduced to Haitian Creole as an official language.

In the recommendations made by the Haitian educational department it is acceptable to continue to have words with two or more different spellings such as gerizon or lagerizon for healing; otèl or lotèl for hotel; sante or lasante for health; etc...


Sometimes different regions may speak a word differently such as ponko, poko, pako for not yet; ide, ede, ride, ende for to help; etc...  That's acceptable.

Or a French-derived expression might be written two different acceptable ways such as: salamanje or sal a manje for dining room; maltèt, malotèt, tètfèmal, or tèt fè mal for headache


You will also find that Haitians have the options of using a dash, apostophe, or nothing at all when using contractions.  And the biggest thing of all, I believe there's still a debate on whether to call the language Kreyòl or Ayisyen.

Most Haitian Creole documents that I find online are pretty much following the guidelines of the new Òtograf Kreyòl.  But you must remember that although every Haitian speaks Creole only a very very small percentage have learned how to write Creole (as of now).

So a good Haitian Creole dictionary would definitely give you an alternative spelling for a word if it exists.  Fequière Vilsaint and Jean Evens Berret's English - Haitian Creole Haitian Creole - English Word to Word Dictionary (although not a complete dictionary) does that. Raphael G. Urciolo and Jean Targète's Haitian Creole - English Dictionary does a very good job at that too (this dictionary might not be available, I have not been able to find it anywhere).
And, the following Wikipedia site, written in Creole, is a good resource for the correct usage and spelling of Haitian Creole: http://ht.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lengwistik_kreyòl_ayisyen

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

I'm African, but the little kids at the orphanage in Haiti call me blanc because I'm a foreigner. How do I say "I'm not white. I'm black like you"?

I find this a little funny :)

Are you light-skinned?
You know, my brother's barber of more than 17 years is nicknamed 'blan'.  He's not white.  He's 100% Haitian with just a little lighter skin than me.  All his clients, including me, call him 'blan'.  I don't even know his real name.  And I know of at least two more Haitians nicknamed 'blan' because of their light skin.
I also know of two Haitians women nicknamed 'grimèl' after their light skin.  And it doesn't stop there.  Scores of Haitians I know are nicknamed after a physical feature that they have (and I'm pretty sure this doesn't just happen in Haiti).  We Haitians can be so politically incorrect :)

So, if you are light-skinned, it might not be a 'foreigner' issue, it might be a skin color issue.
I hope telling the kids that might help them to see you as a "moun nwa", but they might not see it that way.

I'm not white.  I'm black like you.
Mwen pa blan.  Mwen se yon moun nwa menm jan avè w.

Hello,I have a question. How would you write the word "Beloved" as an endearment? Thank you.

beloved → byenneme (pronounced byen-nay-may), literally well-loved


The Haitian Creole byenneme is from the French bien-aimé (masculine), or bien-aimée (feminine).


This word is also a common proper name in Haiti (First or Last name).
People in church also commonly address each other as byenneme.
You will hear:
Frè byenneme mwen → my beloved brother
Sè byenneme mwen → my beloved sister
or simply
Byenneme → beloved (brother or sister) in Christ.


You will also hear:
Ou se pitit byenneme mwen. → You are my beloved child.
Ou se pitit fi byenneme mwen. → You are my beloved daughter.
Ou se pitit gason byenneme mwen. → You are my beloved son.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Friday, July 20, 2012

Mandaly, mwen mande kèk ayisyen yon kesyon, mwen te di yo 'Si lakay vwazen ou pran dife, kisa ou dwe fè?' Men mwen te sezi paske tout ayisyen di yo pral rete nan lakay yo pou yo sove lakay yo. Poukisa li se konsa?

So you've asked some Haitians this question, "If your neighbor's house catches fire, what should you do?"  And all them answered they would stay in their OWN home to try and save it.  Is that right?
Well, I have no idea why they answered that way.
I think that you were expecting them to say that they'd leave their home and run to safety?

Perhaps they're thinking that their neighbor's house is a straw house (yon kay pay) and theirs is a concrete house (yon kay beton).
Perhaps when you ask this question next time, you could specify that Everyone lives in a straw house, then suddenly the neighbor's house catches on fire, what would you do....  If you put it that way, I'm pretty sure no one would want to stay home :)

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

I'm trying to translate " on purpose" or "deliberately". Is "Espreseman" ok?

deliberately → eksprè, entansyonèlman
I rarely hear 'ekspreseman'

She left me here on purpose.
Li fè eksprè, li kite'm la.


She purposely stepped on my toe.
Li fè eksprè, li pile zòtèy mwen.


They purposely left their homework at home.
Yo fè eksprè, yo kite devwa yo lakay yo


I did not hit him on purpose.
Mwen pa't frape li entansyonèlman.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Mwen pral pase dis jou Ayiti pou premye fwa depi venntwa zan..

Bon vwayaj e bòn chans.
Ayiti jodi pa Ayiti lontan.... malerezman.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Where are the songs (in Creole)

Where are the songs?
Kote chante yo?


songs (noun) → chan, chante, chanson, kantik, refren, kè
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Would 'rale kò la' be the same as 'Excuse me' when you ask someone to clear the way so you can get through...

Rale kò'w or Rale kò'w la, or Rale kò nou! (plural)
literally:  Remove your body
means Clear the way!
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Mandaly, I have asked you many times about the F word and you've ignored my questions. I'm not trying to be rude. I work with some Haitians and sometimes they throw a word at me and I can tell they're cursing me out. Now my Haitian dictionary may have the F word on the Creole side but they don't have it on the English side. And if I knew the Creole spelling I would look it up. Thanks.

First of all when you ask a question on Formspring, they flag all "English" hate words which means I do not get to  see it in my list of questions.  I have an option to either 'show'  or 'delete' a flagged question.  I usually delete flagged questions if I don't feel like being flustered.  Formspring is so good that they even flag any question that has the word 'hate' in it :).  Once, I 'opened' a flagged question, and the 'asker' just wanted to know how to say 'hate' in Creole :)
Now back to your question...
to fuck literally translates as konyen in Creole
but the equivalent (not literal translation) of F... you! (as was asked on Formspring) in Creole would be Lanmèd!, Nan mèd!, Lanmyann!, Lakwann!, Laba!, Laba pou ou!,  Vouzan!; and  Ale vouzan!, Ale'w vouzan!, or  Ale'w laba (go to hell)!
Perhaps you could google any of these words and see what you get.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

koman yo di 'sol' an angle?

Eske ou vle di sòl (nòt mizik la), oubyen sòl (sifas atè a)?

sòl (nòt mizik la) se menm bagay an Angle.  Ameriken yo di Sol oubyen G clef.

sòl (sifas atè a):  Ou kapab di the ground, the floor, oubyen soil tankou nan fraz sa a: We're on American soilNou sou tè Ameriken.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

where can i print a free haitian dictionary ? any suggestions ?

I knew of two sites that had a Creole - English dictionary, which you possibly could have printed, but I googled them today and their URL is no longer valid. I'm pretty sure there are some free dictionaries available online, which you can print.  When you find it, please come back and share your info with us.  Thanks.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

How can someone who's been adopted from haiti go back and help the people?

It is good that you were adopted from Haiti.  It is good that you want to help Haiti, too.  How do you want to help?  What skills do you want to volunteer?  Are you fluent in Haitian Creole?  Do you want to serve as an interpreter?  Are you an electrician? Maybe you're in environmental health sciences?   There are many professional organizations seeking volunteers with specific skills to travel to Haiti.  You can do a little research online to find which organization is looking for people with your skills.  Or you can travel with a church group and give a hand helping with construction, Evangelisation, and many other stuffs.  Whatever you choose to do, be sure your heart is in it.  It takes a special person to to be a volunteer
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Thursday, July 19, 2012

fe pa se sis twa

Is this the correct spelling?  The words in this arrangement don't make much sense to me.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

"Mwen ta renmen aprann pale Kreyol pi bon" oubyen "Mwen ta renmen aprann pale Kreyol pi byen" Ki youn plis korek?

The second one is correct.
Mwen ta renmen aprann pale Kreyòl pi byen.

By the way :)  Which one is correct? Kilès ki kòrèk?
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

which is better to say, "kite'm an repo!", "Sispann anniye'm!", or "Dekole'w nan dengonn mwen!"

That depends on how pissed you are.
But if you said the last one to me, I'd definitely leave you alone :)
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

sorry for saying such a word

Sorry for saying such a word
Eskize'm deske mwen te di yon mo konsa.


Sorry for what I said.
Eskize'm pou sa mwen te di a.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

in....

in → nan, anndan, andedan
into → anndan, andedan

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

How do you say nausea (as noun) in Creole? Is there another word other than 'kè plen'?

I'm trying to say 'Although you are small you can accomplish big things" , Does 'kwake' sound right for 'although'? thanks!

Yes, it does.
although → kwake, byenke, malgre

Although you are small, you can accomplish big things.
Kwake ou piti, ou kapab akonpli gran bagay.

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Mandalie, men yon kesyon pèsonèl pou ou; Ki kote ou te lekòl Ayiti?

Klas segondè oubyen elemantè?

Klas elemantè - mwen te pase nan Soeurs Salesiennes nan Kafou ak Ecole Saint Joseph de Cluny nan Arcahaie.
Klas segondè - Collège Louis Joseph Janvier nan Wane
Apre sa m'te kite Ayiti.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

"What kind" of / What type of .....

What kind ... → Ki kalite, kijan de
What type of ... → Ki tip de


What kind of a person is he?
Ki kalite moun li ye?
Kijan de moun li ye?


What type of work do you do?
Ki kalite travay ou fè?
Ki tip de travay ou fè?


What kind of books do you sell?
Ki kalite liv ou vann?
Kijan de liv ou vann?


What kind of dog do you have?
Ki kalite chen ou genyen?
Kijan de chen ou genyen?


What type of bug is this?
Ki tip de bèt sa ye?
Ki kalite bèt sa ye?


What kind of drink would you like?
Ki kalite bweson ou ta renmen?

What type of personality do you have?
Ki tip pèsonalite ou genyen?

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

what does "Mwen mwen" mean, i thought it "I" in creole. both of them together mean what?

I think you're talking about mwen menm, not mwen mwen. Am I right?
You've probably seen it in phrases such as:
Se mwen menm - It's me.
mwen menm avèk li - me and him/her or He/she and I
Kanta pou mwen menm... → As for me ...
etc...

Mwen menm can translate I or me.  See this link: Mwen menm
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

what is "hell" in Creole?

hell is lanfè in Creole
But, you cannot use that in expressions such as:  What the hell...
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

What time should we meet? (Creole)

What time should we meet?
A ki lè nou dwe rankontre?


What time should we congregate?
A ki lè nou dwe reyini? 
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

How do you speak creole?

"The time has come to say goodbye". Is it "lè a vini" or "lè a rive"

It could be both.
Lè a rive pou nou di orevwa.
Lè a vini pou nou di babay
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

What's the matter?

What's the matter? is translated the same way as What's wrong? (click to see link)


What's the matter? (Are you ok?)
What's wrong? (Are you all right?)
Sa ou genyen?


What's the matter with you?
What the hell is wrong with you?
S'ak pase'w?
S'ak pase'w la?
Ki pwoblèm ou?


What the hell is wrong me?
Sa k'ap pase'm la?


What the F... is wrong with you?
S'ak frenk pase'w la? (vulgar)
S'ak fout pase'w la? (vulgar)


What the hell is wrong with you tonight?
S'ak pase'w aswè a la?
Ki pwoblèm ou aswè a?


What the hell is wrong with these people?
S'ak pase moun sa yo la?
Ki pwoblèm moun sa yo?


See link on WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?
See link on WHAT"S WRONG?
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

I'm going to get it.

get is mostly translated as pran, resevwa, or gen (genyen) in Creole

Go get this for me.
Al pran sa pou mwen.
or 
Go get it for me.
Al pran li pou mwen.


I'm going to get it. (I'm going to go fetch it)
Mwen pral pran li.


I'm going to get it. (I'm going to receive it)
Mwen pral resevwa li.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Please differentiate anvi and vle. Thanks.

vle → to want
anvi → to wish, to long for, to desire, to want, to 'feel like'


M'anvi wè'w.
I wish to see you.
I miss you.


M'anvi al lakay mwen.
I wish I could go home.
I miss home.


M'anvi bwè dlo.
I'm thirsty.


M'anvi al pipi.
I have to go pee.




Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Did you have any visitors over the weekend?

visitors (guests) can be translated as envite, vizitè, or etranje

1. Did you have any visitors over the weekend?
    Eske ou te gen vizitè nan wikenn nan?

2. Where did they stay?
    Ki kite yo te desann?

desann (or fè ladesant) can also mean to stay temporarily.
example:
3. While I'm in Haiti, I'll stay at my brother's house.
    Pandan m Ayiti, m'ap desann lakay frè m nan.
    Pandan m Ayiti, m'ap fè ladesant lakay frè mwen an.

also, 
bay ladesant  → accomodate a guest, to receive someone as guest temporarily.

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Monday, July 16, 2012

what does bel bagay mean?

Bèl bagay! (or Bèl koze!)
Awesome!
Great!

Bèl bagay! is stating that something is Awesome!, Great!, or Wonderful!

You might hear:  Se bèl bagay! or Se gwo koze!  or Se bèl koze!
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

how do u say this in creole?--- im bored i want to have some fun ??

I'm bored.  I want to have some fun.
Mwen annuiye.  M'anvi distrè'm.
Mwen anniye.  Mwen anvi al distrè'm.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

you ugly monkey?

There are no eraser powerful enough to erase some words you say.
There are no magic pills to undo some hurt.

Pawòl ki rete nan kè pa janm gate zanmitay.
Words that remain in the heart never spoil a friendship.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

how to make acsent grave?

Aksan grav?   e aksan grav (è)?  a aksan grav (à)? or o aksan grav (ò)?

I don't know what kind of operating system you have.  You could google foreign language characters and you'll find what works with your comp system.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

how do you say "I wish you were out here." in creole?

I wish you were here.
Mwen swete ou te ka la. (I wish you could be here)
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

'Mwen la. M'ap gade"

"Mwen la. M'ap gade." is what some Haitians will answer when you ask them "How are you? / How are you doing?

Mwen la. M'ap gade.
I'm there. I'm looking.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

"I'm by myself." Best way to say it..

Sunday, July 15, 2012

....my family .... (various circumstances)

My family's doing well thanks to God
Fanmi'm trè byen grasadye.


How's your family?
Kijan fanmi ou ye?


When will you see your family?
Kilè w'a wè fanmi'w?


Don't you miss your family?
Eske ou pa sonje fanmi'w?


I'll bring my family with me too.
M'ap mennen fanmi'm avè'm tou


When will I meet your family?
Kilè mwen va fè konesans ak fanmi'w?


You should let your family know about this as soon as possible.
Ou dwe kite fanmi'w konnen sa osito ke posib.


As soon as possible plito ke posib, leplito ke posib, osito ke posib
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

And one more question, I would say "She looks mad" as "Li gade fache."?

You would say Sanble li fache (it seems that she's mad)
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

I know you've discussed how to say 'ABOUT'. Let me ask you how best to say "Talk about what you know." Thanks!

hot????

Where is it best to start? (Creole)

Where is it best to start?
Ki pi bon kote pou koumanse?
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

chez le notaire

How do you say I took you with all your flaws I wish you could have done the same

I took you with all your flaws.  I wish you could have done the same.
Mwen te asepte'w ak tout mès ou yo. Mwen swete ou te kapab fè menm nan.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Friday, July 13, 2012

When is it proper to use "sa" vs. "sa a". Is "sa a" only used when it appears at the end of the sentence?

Sa a = demonstrative indicator (sa) +  the definite article (a)
We say sa a when it's used as a demonstrative adjective or a pronoun to identify a specific person or thing.  It may very well be translated as this one or that one.

Sa a is used for singular demonstrative adjectives
this car - machin sa a
this book - liv sa a
that person - moun sa a

In the plural form, the singular definite article "a" will turn into the plural definite article "yo"
these cars - machin sa yo
these books - liv sa yo
those people - moun sa yo

Sa a is also used for singular demonstrative subject pronouns.
Sa a pi bon - This one is better
Sa a pa mi - That one is not ripe
Sa a te tonbe nan dlo.  Li mouye. - This one fell in the water. It's wet.

In the plural form, the singular definite article "a" will turn into the plural definite article "yo"
Sa yo pi bon - These are better
Sa yo pa mi - Those are not ripe.
Sa yo te tonbe nan dlo. Yo mouye. - These fell in the water.  They are wet.


Sa a is also used for singular demonstrative object pronouns
Mwen vle sa a. - I want that one.
Kite sa a pou mwen. - Leave this one for me.
Mwen pa renmen sa a. - I don't like that one.

In the plural form, the singular definite article "a" will turn into the plural definite article "yo"
Mwen vle sa yo.  I want those ones.
Kite sa yo pou mwen. - Leave these for me.
Mwen pa renmen sa yo. - I don't like those.


Sometimes, we do write negligibly and you don't see the article "a" in our sentences.
example:
We write:
Kisa sa vle di?
instead of
Kisa sa a vle di?
What does this one mean? / What does that mean?

We also write:
Kisa sa ye? instead of Kisa sa a ye?
Sere sa pou mwen instead of Sere sa a pou mwen.
etc...
and that is ok.


Here are the ircumstances, below, when we should use Sa instead of Sa a:
When sa is contracted down from kisa, and it translates what, which, whatever, whichever,
We DO NOT / CANNOT write Sa a.

examples:
Sa ou genyen?
Kisa ou genyen? 
What's wrong?

Sa ou bezwen?
Kisa ou bezwen?
What do you need?

Sa'w panse?
Kisa'w panse?
What do you think?

Sa sa a vle di?
Kisa sa a vle di
What does that mean?

Sa ou vle, mwen vle tou.
Whatever you want, I want too.

Sa ou fè a pa bon.
The thing that you did is not good.
What you did is not good.


Also, when sa translates It is, it's, this is, that is, that (unspecific)

How's it going?
Kouman sa ap mache?

Sa fè'm mal.
It pains me.
It hurts me.

Si sa pa mache, nou nan ka.
If that doesn't work, we're in deep trouble.

Pa fè sa.
Don't do that.

It's weird. /This is strange.
Sa dwòl.

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

How do you say "I'm so happy to hear from you!"

I'm so happy to hear from you!
Mwen si tèlman kontan tande'w!
or 
Mwen si tèlman kontan pran nouvèl ou! (I'm so happy to have news of you!)
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

What does "bilan" mean as in "Bilan Vwayaj Prezidan Michel Joseph Martelly apre vizit li nan "

Bilan would be end-result, conclusion, introspection, review, assessment, evaluation, statement
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Sorry for the repeat -- I have a Q about the 't' sound in words like 'timoun' and 'piti'. It sounds a little "cute" to me in recordings, perhaps the proper word is "palatalized"? It reminds me of the way "tse tse fly" is pronounced. Is this normal?

Hi :)

Yes it is normal when "t" is placed in front "i", "in", "im" and "y", as in:
soutyen (brassiers)
kretyen (Christian)
soti (to go out)
senti (waist)
tetin (baby's feeding bottle's nipple)
viktim (victim)
etc...

But you'll find that it doesn't happen when "t" is placed before the other vowels a, à, an, e, è, en, o, ò, on, ou as in:
reta (tardiness)
soutàn (cassok)
pantan (startled)
rete (to stay)
vètè (earthworm)
maten (morning)
manto (coat)
(at fault)
manton (chin)
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words