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Thursday, May 16, 2013

Si m' te konnen toujou dèyè. Is this like the English saying 'only the past has 20/20 vision'?

I am not too familiar with this English saying.
This expression is about regret.  It says something like "regret always comes after the fact"
Literally it says --"If I knew" is always after the fact--

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4 comments:

  1. This saying also speaks of regret. Often when someome makes a bad decision, they look back on their decision and say, If only I would have done this...If only I would have said that...

    The 20/20 vision part of the saying refers to having perfect vision. These numbers indicate perfect vision when you get an eye exam.

    So the saying means that it is only in looking backward that you can see a situation perfectly. But when you are in the moment, your vision is not perfect, therefore the decisions you make will sometimes not be perfect, so there is no need to regret them.

    I hope I explained it well enough. I just wish I could have explained it in Kreyol. :)

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    1. Yes, I understand it now. Thanks :)

      In that case it's the exact same idea as the Creole expression.

      Mèsi ankò.
      Kenbe la.

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  2. I'm sorry. The saying is 'only hindsight has 20/20 vision'. I wrote it wrong. :(

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    1. Dakò :)

      But I like your first comment ...a lot, because it describes what "Si'm te konnen toujou dèyè means".

      Sometimes we use this expression as a warning. For example, someone might say:

      "Ou gen sèlman dizuitan. Pa abandone etid ou pou w al marye. Si w fè sa, w'a tonbe nan 'si'm te konnen'."
      You're only eighteen. Don't abandon your studies to get married. If you do that, you'll fall into regret.

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