O O! I'm glad you're happy.
1. lidòl (also idòl or zidòl) → idol, beloved
2. Griyo → roasted or fried pork (a Haitian dish)
3. travay adwat agoch → to work very hard, to slave, to labor
4. karapas → shell (of turtles, tortoises, some crustaceans)
5.
Fè yanyan (also fè yan) → to open wide with amazement, envy, lust, etc...
example:
Je'l fè yan lè li te wè pil lajan an.
Her eyes open wide when she saw the pile of money.
6. Zarenyen lanmè → spider crab
7. Gwo chatwouy (also chatwouy, chatrouj) - big squid
8.
Yon gwo bekin ak fouch li ap fonse file kòm yon flonn
Gwo bekin - ray-finned fish
fouch → fork, pointy spine
Gwo bekin ak fouch li (probably a stingray)
fonse → to pounce, to leap at, to attack
file → to speed, to take off
flonn → arrow
Yon gwo bekin ak fouch li ap fonse file kòm yon flonn
A big fish with his spine is taking off like an arrow
9.
Lamayòt → unknown surprise. It could be scary or pleasant.... kind of like a jack-in-a-box. At carnival time, someone may walk around with a big box which containing the lamayòt. People pay money to see what's in the box. If I pay .50 cents to see it, I would either want to be scared or surprised, but most of the time it's disappointing. The last time I paid ten cents to see a lamayòt, I was disappointed, it was just a tiny teddy bear....just sitting there. I could have bought so many candies with that money :)
Yon pi gwo lamayòt
A bigger surprise
10.
Epa (also apa) → how come, I see that, so, used to indicate acknowledgment. It may also be in question form.
Examples:
Apa ou pa ale? (How come you did not go?)
Epa ou pa't rele m yèswa? (How come you didn't call me last night?)
Apa ou te decide rete. (So you decided to stay)
Apa ou vini. (So you came.)
Epa Sandra te Kanadyen. M pa't konn sa. (So Sandra was Canadiean. I did not know that)
So,
Epa w’ ap mache dwat.
You're walking straight.
How come you're walking straight.
I see that you're walking straight.
11.
Li pran mezi ze li te kapab.
He took the measure of eggs that he could.
He took as much eggs as he could.
mezi (measure) can translate as much as, or some people will say all that...
example:
M fè mezi m te kapab.
I did as much as I could.
I did all that I could
Pran mezi ou bezwen.
Take as much as you need.
12.
Lamadlèn → a kind of a big snake.
Lamadlèn te vale ti gason an
The snake swallowed the boy.
13.
Li t al kouche (t al = ta pral???)
Li t'al kouche. = Li te ale kouche.
He went to lie down.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
This is excellent! Thank you! Can you explain the phrase 'adwat agòch' and show to use it?
ReplyDeleteadwat agoch (lit. right left) indicates that something/someone is aimless, furiously and wildly running from right to left (or up and down). Among others, it translates in all directions, everywhere, madly, frantically, abundantly
Delete1. M'ap travay adwat agoch pou m peye bòdwo mwen.
I'm working frantically to pay my bills.
I'm working very hard to pay my bills.
2. Jou vennkat desanm anpil paran deyò toujou, y'ap chache kado adwat agoch pou pitit yo.
On Christmas Eve many parents are still out, they're frantically looking for gifts for their kids.
3. M chache adwat agoch, men m pa't ka jwenn li.
I've looked everywhere, but I couldn't find it.
4. Apre siklòn nan, anpil fwi te tonbe atè a. Te gen mango nan lari a adwat agoch.
After the hurricane, a lot of fruits had fallen to the ground. There was an abundance of mangoes in the streets everywhere.
Mesi anpil anpil!
ReplyDelete