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Friday, April 12, 2013

I have read several verb phrases such as lese-frape, kicking and screaming; chita-tande, talks (political) and voye-rele, to summon. Can you list other common verb phrases such as these?

Yes I can list some.  And you'll also find that these verb-verb combinations are often used as nouns.  Number 8 is my favorite :)

1.
mòde soufle  (lit. to bite, to blow) → to double cross, to betray, being hypocritical 
This comes from the fact that a rat (as it is believed in Haiti) bite and blows if it's biting you, so that you don't feel the bite.  By the time the rat's done with you, you'll have a big hole in that area of your body.

a. Pa fè mesye sa a konfyans. Li se yon mòde soufle. (used as noun here)
    Do not trust this guy.  He's a hypocrite

b. Fanm sa a mòde soufle.  Pa kite li mele nan zafè w.  (used as verb here)
    This woman is a double-crosser.  Don't let her into your business.


2.
mòde lage (lit. to bite, to release/ to let go) → is said when you start something and never finish it

a. Si w'ap mòde lage travay la, ou pa janm fini l, donk yo p'ap janm peye w.
    If you keep starting and stopping the job, you'll never be done, therefore you'll never get paid.

b. Misye p'ap janm reyisi nan lavi a si l'ap pede mòde lage konsa.
    He will never succeed in life if he keeps quitting everything he starts.


3.
kase double (lit. to break, to double up again) → to start over after stopping for a little while

a. Mesye yo te sipann goumen, apre sa yo kase double ankò.
    The guys had stopped fighting, but after a while they started over again.

b. Lapli a te fè yon ti rete, men li kase double pi rèd.
    The rain had stopped a little, but it started again stronger.

4.
pote kole (lit. to carry, to glue/bond) → to get together in support of something

a. An nou pote kole pou nou siprime grangou nan monn nan.
    Let's get together to end famine in the world.

b. N'ap pote kole pou yon demen miyò.
    We're working together for a better tomorrow.


5.
vire tounen (lit. to turn to come back) → from time to time

a. M pa konnen kisa l'ap regle, men vire tounen li nan òdinatè a.
     I don't what he's up to, but from time to time he's on the computer.

b.  Bay menaj ou tan pou l sonje w non!  Mwen remake vire tounen nou nan telefòn, eske nou pa fatige pale?
     Give your girlfriend time to miss you!  I notice that from time to time you guys are on the phone, Aren't you tired of talking with each other?


6.
voye ale (lit. to send, to go) → to dismiss, to fire someone from work

a. Yo te voye elèv yo ale bonè jodi a akoz tanpèt la.
    Today they dismissed the students early because of the storm.

b. Tanpri voye moun yo ale, pa gen manje pou n ba yo ankò.
     Please send the people away, there's no more food to give to them.

7.
chache konnen → (lit. to seek, to know) → to seek to know, to investigate,  to meddle inquisitively, exploration, inquisition

a.  Se nan chache konnen lasyans fè anpil dekouvèt.
     Science has made a lot of discovery through exploration.
    
b.  An nou chache konnen poukisa sa te pase.
     Let's try to find out why this happened.

8.
grate santi → (lit. to scratch to smell) →to procrastinate, to waste time, to be lazy,  to loaf around. 
 I like this one, it reminds of monkeys that are sitting around scratching and smelling their armpits :)

a. Mesye sa a pa janm travay.  Tout lajounen se grate santi.
    This guys never works.  He loafs around all day.

b.  Se pa pou nou rete ap grate santi.  An nou aji.
     Let's not waste time.  Let's act.

9.
lese tonbe → (lit. to let, to fall) → to quit, to drop it

a. Sa k te pase zafè lekòl la?  Ou lese sa tonbe?
     What happened to that school business?  Did you let it go?

b. N'ap lese pwojè a tonbe paske nou pa't jwenn ase sipòtè.
    We're letting the project go because we didn't get enough sponsors.

10.
voye monte → (lit. to send, to go up) → to keep at something, to ramble incessantly especially about things that we may or may not know about; also to give support

a. Gwoup nou an te jwe mizik nan yon ba yèswa.  Nou voye mizik monte tout lannuit lan.
    Our band played music at a bar last night.  We played music all night.

b. Si Hillary Clinton ta vle vin prezidan, yo panse anpil fanm ap voye l monte.
    If Hillary Clinton wants to become president, they think that many women will support her.
    


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