Wednesday, February 13, 2013

O'clock sharp and flat? "I will pick you up at two o'clock sharp." and "Have this report done at seven o'clock flat."

Precise or exact? (at an exact time in Haitian Creole)
We say:
presiz
pil
tapan
egzak
won kon boul

1. M'ap vin chache w a uitè tapan.
    I'll come pick you up at exactly eight o'clock.

2. Li te fè midi won kon boul lè solèy la te fèmen je l, nyaj yo te vin tou nwa, e lapli te tanmen tonbe.
    It had just turned 12:00 on the dot, when the sun stopped shining, the clouds became dark, and it started to rain

3.  Depi l fè setè pil, klòch legliz la pran sonnen.  
     At exactly seven o'clock the bells of the church start ringing.

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

2 comments:

  1. Isn't "chache" used for look for ?
    For pick up, can u use "ranmase" ?

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    Replies
    1. Yes.
      "Chache" or "chèche" means "to look for"
      But we also use it to translate "to pick up" as in "to pick up some one at the airport."
      We do not use "ranmase" to say "to pick up someone" in this case.

      "Ranmase", in Creole, is more about to gather, to collect, to accumulate, to tighten up, ...
      Take a look at these examples:
      Vin chache mwen.
      Come pick me up

      A ki lè w'ap vin chache m jodi a?
      At what time will you pick me up today?

      Mwen nan estasyon bis la. Li fè frèt. Lapli ap tonbe. Enpi li fènwa. Eske w kapab vin chache m tousuit?
      I'm at the bus station. It's cold. It's raining. And it's dark. Can you come pick me up right away?

      There are some more examples at this link: What is to PICK UP in Creole

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