In Pignon there are many cactus plants and hedge bushes. What is the creole word for cactus?

Cactus – rakèt

The ones that look like chandeliers, we call kandelab. Some people say kandelam.

In my childhood home in Arcahaie, Haiti our house was fenced with “kandelab” trees, I would say, about 4 to 5 inches tall.  My aunt would periodically trim them.  When the branches are cut, a white sticky and milky liquid pours out.  We used that liquid at times as paper glue J

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

Can you explain ‘pran yon kal nan soley’

Pran yon kal – take a beating

Bay yon kal – to give a beating

Kal, from “kale” – to beat , to whip

 Pran yon kal nan solèy – to take a beating from the sun (it’s figurative)

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

This is not a question, put here is a nice lecture given in slow Haitian Creole for beginners to listen to for listening comprehension.

This is not a question, put here is a nice lecture given in slow
Haitian Creole for beginners to listen to for listening comprehension.
The Creole starts at around 6 minutes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpXc7ylYwYk

-TiWil


 Yves Dejean's (Or Iv Dejan's) FIU lecture in writing for those that need it.
Thanks TiWil.
-Mandaly

********************************

Lecture starts at 6:18


Mwen sipoze tout moun ki la yo konprann Kreyòl.
M’ap eseye pale dousman, mwen p’ap pale vit.
Si nou pa konprann, m ta kontan nou leve men nou,
nou di m nou pa konprann pou m ka repete pawòl la,
Oubyen pou m di de twa mo Angle

 Men nou mande m fè koze a an Kreyòl
Se pou sa m’ap fè l an Kreyòl
Si yo te mande m fè l an Angle m t’ap fè l an angle.

Men, ann komanse:
Mwen vle pale nou de yon problèm ki enpòtan anpil pou Ayiti
Se enpòtans lang kreyòl pèp Ayisyen an pou edikasyon lekòl Annayiti.

Nou kab konnen, kòm mwen wè nou se moun  ki enterese nan pwoblèm Ayiti, 
nou kab konnen jiskounye a lang lekòl Annayiti se Franse.

Lontan menm menm menm, yo te pini timoun ki pale Kreyòl lekòl.
Kounye a yo preske pa fè sa, men yo fè l toujou wi sèten kote.
Men tanzantan gen pwofesè ki bay ti esplikasyon an kreyòl
M’ap kòmanse avèk pwoblèm enpòtans lang kreyòl la
Si mwen pa pale ase klè, fè’m yon siy
Nou pa bezwen pè, entewonp mwen si pawòl mwen pa klè
E si nou pa fin konprann jan m pale a.
M’eseye pale dousman.

Continue reading at this link: The Politics of Language: Haitian Creole and the Educational System in Haiti

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

what does the kreyol expression "fanm se yon grenn banann" vle di? Also what does "fanm se yon boutik ki ranpli ak yon boutey vid" mean? the second expression is a french quote translated into kreyol btw. Mesi anpil Mandaly!

"Fanm se yon grenn bannann”
(I have to laugh at that one :)
Women are diverse.   They are all kinds and shapes … and fulfilling in different ways

I haven’t heard the second one (about boutèy) … not in French. In Haitian Creole tales, it would have meant beauty in diversity, but I’m not sure it’s the same with the French expression.

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

When "bèl" is used to describe a film, does it mean "good" or does it have a more literal meaning of "aesthetically pleasing"?

Generally, yon bèl fim is a film with all the elements…. having a good script, being enjoyable to watch, ….a good product.

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

I am having a tattoo done. Would “Live : Laugh : Love” be...”ap viv (or just viv): ri: renmen”Thanks!

Just “viv” is ok.

"Viv – Ri – Renmen" is just perfect.

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

Nouvel nan bon ti manmit

Nan bon ti mamit
Accurate, concrete

We say mamit or manmit

Nouvel nan bon ti manmit
Accurate or trusted news

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

Abse mete sou klou

abse mete sou klou (sometimes we say apse instead of abse; and sometimes we say met instead of mete) - to add insult to injury; a bad situation has become worse.

We say:
Se apse met sou klou (literally an abscess on top of a  blister)
Se abse mete sou klou (literally an abscess on top of a  blister)
Se klou sou maklouklou (literally a blister on top of a hydrocele)

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

What is pase nan je zegwi and also what’s bakoulou?

"Pase nan je zegwi" (lit. to go through the eye of a needle) – to go/jump through hoops,  to go through a difficult situation
egzanp:

Bòs mwen ap fè m pase nan je zegwi.

Se nan je zegwi m’ap pase nan travay la.

Bakoulou is a charlatan, a con artist who does not do well with the ladies.

  

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

Madanm. I keep hearing "fi a" ak "fi an" in conversations. Which form of this is more prevalent?

Bonswa Mesye Rachal,

Yes you are right.  “fi a” is more prevalent. Some people from certain regions tend use nasal vowels especially with words ending in “i” ….zanmi, fanmi, mi, fi, etc …..

And one of the reasons for this is they’ll do that if the preceding syllable has a nasal  sound like fanmi, zanmi, kanni, ranni, etc…..

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

what is pe kou?

I'm not sure. It's very hard to figure it out when taken out of its context.  Maybe you can send the sentence it was used in. thanks.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

What is fanm masay? Is their work voodoo related?

Sounds like a masseuse.
A fanm masay may perform some sort of ceremony before she massages you (anvan li rale w).  Usually they work on things like sprained ankle, displaced joints, back alignments, etc....
I had once sprained my ankle, and my dad took me to a 'fanm masay'.  First of all he was a man.  So maybe we should say 'gason masay'.  The man did do a few things before he started working on my foot.  He burned three pebbles in some ashes along with a sour orange.  He took the first pebble and drew a cross on my foot and threw that first pebble over his left shoulder, he did the same thing with the second pebble and threw that over his right shoulder. The third pebble, he threw over his head after he drew the third cross on my foot.  At the time I was thinking "Whoa! did my dad see that!?"  My dad was a pastor and preached against vodou all the time.  But he was right there watching and said nothing.  So I guessed it is just something they do. At last the man cut the hot baked orange in half, poured some oil on my foot and started pulling on my foot.  The orange was very hot and my foot hurt really bad, I was screaming.  I must have fainted 'cause I sincerely don't remember what happened after that.  I don't remember having the pain after that either.

These people don't go to massage school but the good ones are said to have that unusual gift of knowing how to fix you 'straight' again.  I do believe that they learn what they do from a 'master masseuse' or something :) There aren't too many of them.

My haitian girlfriend misreads the things that I say a lot. Quite often it may be a simple gesture or a sentence that gets reworded into the opposite of what it is. Does that have to do with haitan culture?

You think it's possible that a specific group of people or culture tend to misinterpret spoken words and SIMPLE gestures? That's unlikely.  It's true that some cultures understand some gestures differently, but it sounds like you and your girl  may be "out of sync" ...I may be wrong about this :-\

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

Mwen ap mande kesyon mwen nan Creole. koubyen tan mwen pral fe pou aprann lang Haitien Creole an?

Dapre sa m remake, chak moun ki ap aprann lang lan gen pwòp rezon pa yo.  Genyen se misyonè yo ye, genyen se nan zafè lasante y’ap travay, gen moun se kontra travay yo pral ranpli Ayiti, e genyen tou se zafè menaj yo y’ap regle. Donk m panse rezon ki fè ou aprann lang lan se li menm ki va detèminen  valè tan w’ap envesti pou metrize lang lan tou.  Resous ou genyen a dispozisyon ou kapab deside valè tan li va pran pou w soti depi “A” rive jiska “Z”.

Pafwa, yon moun poze kalite kesyon sa a (yo bezwen konnen konbyen tan l’ap pran yo pou pale Kreyòl), paske yo petèt te panse li t’ap pran yo mwens tan, ou byen yo gen dwa koumanse dekouraje paske yo pase anpil tan ap aprann, enpi lang yo lou toujou.  Si se sitiyasyon w sa, li ka byen bon pou chanje metòd w’ap aprann nan.  Chache mete tèt ou nan anviwònman ki ap pi enteresan pou ou – Antoure tèt ou nèt ak lang Kreyòl la.  Keseswa se jounal, televizyon, radyo, zanmi, legliz, kondisip travay, liv, etc….  Kwè m si w vle, anvan w bat je w, n’ap batize w AYISYEN :)

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

Is there another name for fried plantains other than banan frit?

fried plantains - bannann fri oubyen bannann peze

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

Science fiction lovers

If you love science fiction, do take the time to visit Escape Pod - The story featured this week, Into the Breach, is written by the author Malon Edwards and narrated by yours truly.  The story's got everything, action, drama, ....and a 'little bit' of H. Creole.
Here's a link: Into The Breach

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

pye sa m te manje m pa’t ba w

"pye sa m te manje m pa’t ba w" is an expression that's Haitians use to say that they were running for their lives. I guess it means something like feet don't fail me now.

When we use this expression, we say:
Lè mwen wè koulèv la, mwen di, "pye sa m te manje m pa't ba w!".  Mwen kouri ale. - When I saw the snake I said, "Feet don't fail me now!".  I ran.
But if you wanted to break this down, you'll have:
Pye, sa mwen te manje mwen pa te ba ou. (not in a contracted form)
Pye, sa'm te manje m pa't ba'w. (the expression)
Feet, what did I eat and I didn't share with you.
Basically, asking your feet not to fail you.  You've taken good care of your feet, feeding it well.  Now you need to run for your life.

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

I have a few questions from church yesterday. What is otonde lamizik? Maybe something like syncopate? Does griyen dan mean to laugh? Does it mean anything else? What is dyak, or maybe it's djak? The woman used it in referring to receiving prayer for healing. Thanks!

“otonde lamizik” (or “au ton de la musique” in French) – to the pitch/tune of the music

Dyak – deacon

Yes, “griyen dan” means to laugh, to laugh satirically, to joke or clown around

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

can you explain the meaning behind fet an kwaf?

Kwaf – caul

Fèt ak kwaf – to be born with a caul over one’s head and face

Such a person is considered to be lucky in life. They are very intuitive.  In the region I’m from, they say these people can see ghosts or sense things that others can’t

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

"tout jwet se jwet kochet pa ladan’l" when can you use this?

Tout jwèt se jwèt kòchèt pa ladan’l – Everything is funny (or everything is a game) until someone starts breaking the law.  Or No dirty trick.  Or Roguishness is not part of the game.

You can use it to say that things have gone too far, that things are turning ugly.

 

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

please what does Sa m we pa ka pale mean?I see this a lot. thanks

Sa’m wè m pa ka pale (I'm not sure if translating this literally will make any sense…) - I was shocked (rendered speechless) by what I saw. (either because  of shock, astonishment, or sheer terror and awe)

Haitians may recount a story and they’ll say: Mezanmi! Sa m wè m pa ka pale! (Man! I can’t express through words what I saw)

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

Hi can you provide some examples on how to use the word ‘blanch’ when it means empty? Thanks for all you do.

The Haitian Creole word blanch translates white (female).  It's not used for all feminine words, just a few.  You can always say BLAN instead of BLANCH:
cheve blan or cheve blanch
yon fanm blanch
dan blan or dan blanch


Blanch –lacking, barren, vacant, devoid of ….

1. Nou manje diri a blanch – We ate the rice plain. (the rice lacks rich meat sauces, legumes, bean sauces, etc….)

      Now if we do say diri blan it means white rice.

2. Lari a blanch, pa gen okenn moun deyò a. – The streets are vacant, there’s no one outside.

3. M pase yon nuit blanch yèswa. - I had a sleepless night last night.

4. Ban m kay la blanch tanpri. - Vacate the house please.

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

how do you say:Jesus died on the cross to forgive us for our sins. this is a gift,totally free.

Jezi te mouri sou lakwa pou l te padone nou pou peche nou yo.  Sa se yon kado, konplètman gratis.

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

I am trying earnestly to learn Haitian Creole as the people of Haiti have stolen my very heart and soul. I go on mission trips 6 times a year and am finding it very hard to understand and learn the language. Where do you suggest starting?

Awesome :)  Haiti does grow on you, doesn’t it? I’m glad you’ve found love and attachment there.

An introductory Haitian Creole language class is highly recommended. It’s a great environment for you to practice listening and speaking. Many people try to learn H. Creole on their own because Haitian Creole language classes are not as available as ESOL, Spanish, French, Italian, etc…. And some people are successful at learning independently using all the resources they can.  Learning on your own has one down side though, you don’t get to practice the speaking part as much as you’d like to.  You understand every written and spoken word but speaking the language is a big challenge.

Isn’t it just discouraging when you think, Ok I’m ready.  I can handle a basic conversation In Haitian Creole.  I KNOW I CAN!  I have done it in my head many many times.  And then you approach this native guy and say one sentence, like Bonjou, kijan ou ye?  hoping that he notices your obvious accent and would reply with a slow paced response just like the conversations that you’ve practiced on the audio tapes and CDs, but no!  The native throws at you one long sentence spoken at a million miles per second, all the words bunched up together, and you’re very sure that he must have spoken a full paragraph. You smile and shake your head pretending to agree with whatever he’s saying, but really you are scanning the string of words coming out of his mouth looking for a familiar sound, but NOTHING!   At last you are grateful that you had learned this sentence (just in case):  Speak more slowly please! (I used that a lot when I was learning English); ¡Hable más lento, por favor! (I’ve actually had to pull that out of my Spanish language repertoire once in a while) and Pale pi dousman tanpri! (you’ll say to the natifnatal guy) and he might take time to enunciate and you’ll learn that all he replied was Bonjou, mwen byen e ou menm?   

If you cannot physically get to a class, try online group classes (Haitihub.com is a good place to start.  Their online program might be for you). If that’s not an option try books for beginners WITH audio.  If you do try books with audio, you’ll additionally need to practice with someone who speaks the language.  Listening to spoken Creole is as important as speaking it.  Listen to Haitian Creole radio programs, broadcast news, Youtube videos, songs, etc…  At first you might not hear anything that you understand, but little by little you’ll pick up words, then sentences, then expressions, and etc… Reading Haitian Creole is helpful too.  Begin with books of Haitian Creole tales or stories for kids, most likely written with elementary grammar. Some people find the audio part of this blog very helpful as they get to listen to H. Creole dialogues while you read them – and you can download and listen to them as many times as you need so you’ll actually hear some of those dialogues in conversations when you’re around  H. Creole speaking people.

If anyone has anything to add, any foreigner who’s been there,  who has either started with classes or on their own – please feel free to comment – you might be able to help our friend start on the right foot.  Mèsi anpil anpil.

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

Hello Can you get the lyrics for Emeline Michel Flanm or rodrigue Milien confessions? Either one would be great. Thank you

Pèsonn pa vle kwè se vre
Fwa sa m damou tou bon vre
Mwen t’ap jwe lago kache
Kache pa vle di kase
Pèsonn pa kwè, men se vre
Kounye a m damou tout bon vre
Nou tou pre, je nan je, kè m kase
Tout moun di sa k pral pase (M tou konn sa k pral pase)
Mwen jwenn yon zanmi
Dous tankou yon mango mi
Lannuit nou  pou n jemi
M pa sa dòmi
Nou met joure, n met kraze, n met brize
Lè kòk ap chante, n’a fèk kare ap danse
 
Lanmou se flanm ki klere devan m
Lanmou se kan’m, se sa m vle defann
Lanmou se zam  ki fè m santi m fanm
Lanmou se san m
 
Chak fwa tankou premye fwa
Chak fwa tankou denyè fwa
Lanmou nou se tout pou tout
Nou pa ka mize nan wout
Kò nou mare, swè koule, n depale
Kòk ap chante nou fèk kare ap danse
 
Wi lanmou se flanm ki klere devan m
Wi lanmou se zam ki fè m santi’m fanm

Wi lanmou se pa’m, wi lanmou se san m

Wi mwen jwenn yon nonm, nou vle ret ansanm

Wi lanmou, wi lanmou

 

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

M pa konn si w tande chante a ayisyen rele "Istwa Asefi" men m pa ka komprann kisa non sa siyifye. Eske w ka ede m?

Men wi m kapab ede w ti cheri a :)

The meaning of her name “Asefi” may have nothing to do with the song.  But it’s a somewhat common name in the countryside of Haiti meaning “no more girls”.  A parent may give a girl child that name when they intend to have no more girls (I don’t know how it’s possible :)

For boys the name might be “Aselom” (That’s it, no more boys!)

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

In your recent audio post you translated lefini as ‘afterwards’. Shouldn’t it be translated as ‘at the end’ instead?

“Lèfini” (sometimes you may see it as “lòfini”, it may also be written as two words “lè fini”) basically translates afterwards, after that, and then, then

1.

I am going to rest first and then I’ll take my shower. - M pral repoze anvan lèfini m’a pran beny mwen.

2.

Do your homework first, and then you can play. - Fè devwa w anvan, lèfini ou ka jwe.

3.

What you’re doing isn’t right. You spent all your paycheck in one day and then you want me to share my earnings with you. - Sa w fè a pa bon. Ou depanse tout chèk ou nan yon sèl jounen an lèfini ou vle pou m separe salè mwen avèk ou.

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

Making 'Haitian' Egg Sandwich (Audio)

Download this audio at this link:
http://limanecasimi.audioacrobat.com/download/fb8585bd-fc8e-ed18-22d8-d7c60474131a.mp3

Click on this link to listen.  Thanks

http://www.audioacrobat.com/play/WFZ8S4pS

Bòs Litreille, sa w’ap fè la a?

Bòs Litreille what are you doing?

 

M’ap chache zouti pou’m ka fè manje

I’m looking for tools so I can cook.

 

Ki kalite manje ou pral kuit ak zouti sa yo?

What kind of food will you cook with these tools?

 

 M ta renmen fè yon sandwich ze.

 I’d like to make an egg sandwich.

 

E sa pou fè mato sa a?

And what is this hammer for?

 

 Mato a se pou m ka kase ze a.

 The hammer is so that I can break the egg.

 

 O non bòs Litreille se pa konsa ou fè manje. Rale pwelon w, te’m montre w kijan ou fè sandwich ze.

 Oh no bòs Litreille that’s not how you cook.  Pull out you frying pan, let me show you how to make egg sandwich.

 

Dakò

Ok

 

 Premyèman ou chofe pwelon an, enpi lage yon ti bè ladan l.

 First you heat up the pan, then you add (drop) a little butter in it.

 

Dakò

Ok

 

 Dezyèmman, pran yon bòl.  Kase ze a sou arebò bòl la. Bat ze a  byen bat.

 Secondly take a bowl.  Break the egg over the rim of the bowl. Beat the egg really well.

 

 Ak kisa pou m bat ze a menm?

 With what should I break the egg exactly?

 

 Ou gen dwa itilize yon batèz oubyen on fouchèt.

 You may use an egg beater or a fork.

 

 Kisa pou m fè apre sa?

 What should I do after that?

 

Apre sa ou gen dwa sote yon ti zonyon nan bè a, ansanm ak ti moso tomat, ti konkonm, ti piman, aransò…

You may sauté a little onion in the butter, together with little pieces of tomatoes, some cucumbers, some peppers, herring...

 

 Aransò tou?

 Herring also?

 

 Men wi!  Se pa ze Ayisyen w’ap fè?
Of course!  Isn't it Haitian eggs you are making?

 Of course! Aren't you making Haitian eggs? 

 

Lèfini, lage ze a nan pwelon an.  Li pa’p pran w plis ke 3 minit pou'l pare.
Afterwards, drop the eggs into the frying pan.  It will not take more that 3 minutes to be ready.

Pandanstan sa a m’ap chofe pen m.
In the mean time I’ll heat up my bread.

Se sa.  E men ni!  Sandwich ou pare.
That's right,  And there it is!  Your sandwich is ready.

 Hmmmm Ala bon!
 Hmmmm How good!

 Bòs Litreille, ban m fè yon ti goute non!
 Bòs Litreille, let me have a taste, wont you?!

Dakò. M’ap pran mwatye, m’ap ba w mwatye
Sure. I’ll take half, I ‘ll give you half.

 Mèsi . Hmmmm ala sandwich gou!    Ou gen kafe bòs Litreille?
 Thank you.  Hmmm! What tasty sandwich!  Do you have coffee bòs Litreille?

Non m pa genyen men m kapap bouyi enpe.  Kisa m bezwen pou m fè kafe a la? Yon pwelon ak yon chalimo?
No I don’t but I can boil some.  What do I need to make the  coffee?  A frying pan and a blow torch?

O Non, ou pa bezwen tout sa. Ou sèlman bezwen yon kafetyè, enpe dlo, enpe kafe, e petèt yon ti lèt ak  sik.
No you don’t need all that.  You only need a coffee pot, some water, some coffee and maybe some milk and sugar.

Enben vin al fè kafe a.
Well let's go make the coffee.

Track: TANBOU NOU by Zenglen

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

Sa pou w fè m? - Sa pou w fè gode a?

Asking "What do you want of .....",, "What do you want with ..."?

Kisa pou w fè m?
or
Sa pou w fè m?
What do you want of me?
What do you need me for?

A lot of the times when someone calls your name.....
Janjan! (Johnjohn! :)
You answer ...
Plètil! (Yes!)
The person might yell out....
Vin jwenn mwen! (Come to me!)
And you will say...
Sa pou w fè m? (What do you need me for?)
It's a popular way to answer when someone calls on you ....even the Lord :)

Like Moses said unto the Lord :)
Sa pou m fè m Senyè?
What do you want of me Lord?

Your friend asks you for $100.00... you say..
Sa pou w fè lajan an?
What do you need the money for?

Or she asks you to borrow your car... and you say...
Sa pou w fè machin nan?
What do you need the car for?

Or you see your kid carrying a big hammer and heading for your piggy bank.... you say
Sa pou w fè gwo mato sa a?
What you going to do with this big hammer?



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

Hello! I'm looking for the lyrics to Tout sa ou di Segne. I would greatly appreciate it if you told me. Thanks

Tout sa ou di senyè
Pa genyen manti
Pawòl ou se verite
 
Tout sa ki te ekri
sa w te anonse
Yo tout nèt se verite
 
Se vre ou toujou la , lè genyen traka
Ou pa fè kòm si w pa la
Se vre w toujou kenbe tout pwomès ou fè
Zafè w se bagay serye

Aleluila! Aleluila!

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

how do you say mongrel in kreyol?

mongrel - bata

"bata" is also Haitian Creole for illegitimate child

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

Hi can you explain 'san' in 'poze san w'? why 'san', why not 'tan'?Same goes for 'pran san w' which means 'take your time', it seems to me it might as well be 'pran tan w'.Can you also give a couple of examples. mesi.

Yes you’re right.  It might make better sense for you if we said “pran tan ou ” instead of “pran san w or poze san w – relax, take your time, pace yourself” which is the correct expression, and we do sometimes. 

But when using this expression I’d like you to think more about your core, your foundation, your nanm... relaxing, unwinding.  San does literally translate blood, and that’s what we do mean:  Pran san w…poze san w… cool your blood, cool it…..to someone whose blood is, perhaps, “boiling”, someone who’s too excited, too anxious, …twò antyoutyout.

Some examples how you use it:

1. Poze san w non!  Sa’w genyen ou antyoutyout konsa? - Calm down! Why are you so juiced up?

2. Se te premye fwa l t’ap fè lanmou.  Mennaj li di l, “Poze san w cheri, ou pa bezwen prese”. - It was his first time making love.  His girlfriend said to him, “Take your time honey, you don’t need to rush."

3. M konnen l fò l te pran nan mera.  Li pa’t vle poze san l.  Li te twò cho devan bann nan. - I knew she was bound to run into trouble. She didn’t want to take her time.  She was too antsy.

4. Poze san w pitit. Twò prese pa fè jou louvri. – Relax child. Being in a hurry does not make the day start any sooner. (second part translated literally)

5. N’ap poze san n.  N’ap tann. Delivrans nou ap vini yon jou kanmenm. – We’ll pace ourselves.  We’ll wait. Our deliverance will come one day for sure.

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

Mandalay, what is "nou marye tanbou nou"?

marye tanbou nou - lit. to marry our drums, ....to harmonize our drums (to make music)

This may be literal or not (depending on what you're reading). 
Nou marye tanbou nou.
We harmonized our drums to make music.
or
We joined forces
or
We gather, cooperate, and band together

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

What is koupe pye in this sentence? depi lo sa a m fe seman pou m koupe pye m la.

Koupe pye – to stop frequenting a place, to avoid going somewhere anymore

1. Depi m te tande nouvèl la  m te koupe pye nan legliz sa nèt. - Since I heard the news  I stopped going to that church.

2. Tanndat m koupe pye lakay vwazin nan, poukisa w’ap mande m nouvèl li? - I stopped going to the neighbor’s house a long time ago, why are you asking me about her?

Your sentence:

3. Depi lò sa a (Or depi lè sa a) m fè sèman pou m koupe pye m la . –

Since then I swore to never set foot there.

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

what does rankin and devine mean?

rankin - resentment
devine - to guess

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

Kisa vle di FLANKE exactly nan Angle? Esplike? Eske ou kapab itilize li nan yon fraz?

Flanke can translate to give (more like “to frickin give”), to wham, to bang, to slam, to drop, to slap. 

Saying flanke indicates some anger, impatience, upset, … also indicates movement that’s done with a wham! a blow! or a strike! It does not indicate kindness.

Men kèk egzanp:

1.

Flanke m lapè m!  - (literally) Give me my peace (This may really mean Shut up! Or Leave me alone!)

2.

Flanke jwèt videyo a de kote enpi vin ede m. – Put the video game aside and come help me. (again, using “flanke”here indicates some impatience or a little anger)

3.

Li flanke pitit la atè a pou l sa joure m. – She drop the child on the ground so she can curse at me

4

Li flanke m yon kout baton. – She hit me with a club.

5.

Li flanke mesye a yon kalòt. – She slapped the guy.

6.

Al flanke dèyè w yon kote! – (literally) Go put your butt somewhere!  / Go sit down!

7.

Savon an koute $2.  M te ba w $5 donk flanke m monnen m! - The soap costs $2.  I gave you $5 so give me my change.

8.

Misye t’ap fè vitès.  De polis rete l enpi yo flanke l yon kontravansyon. – He was speeding.  Two police officers stopped him and gave him a ticket.

9.

Madanm nan t’ap fè gwo eskandal nan kay la.  Mari a rele lapolis, li fè yo flanke madanm nan nan prizon. – The wife was making a big fuss in the house.  The husband called the police and had them put the wife in jail.

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

just returned from an visit to an orphanage and want to take some pics back when I go in May, how do you say, “It was so great to meet you my young friend. God loves you and will be with you until I return. Your friend, …”

 “It was so great to meet you my young friend.  God loves you and will be with you until I return. Your friend, …” – Se te yon gran plezi pou m te rankontre w jenn zanmi mwen.   Bondye renmen ou e Li va avè w jouk tan m retounen.  Zanmi ou, …”

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

Eske veb 'fwase' dwe toujou gen (genyen?) yon pronoun pou suiv li?

Non, pa tout tan.  Ou kapab di:

1.        Sa li fè a te fwase m anpil.

What he did hurt me a lot.

 

2.       Mwe te fwase anpil.

I was very hurt.

 

3.       M te fwase.

I was hurt.

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

Is alapwochen French or Creole?

À la prochaine is French. 
Pwochèn fwa is H. Creole
 Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

I can use konsa to say about, almost?

Yes, “about, approximately, around….”

Y’ap koumanse a witè konsa. – They’ll begin at about 8:00.

N’ap sòti bò zòn apremidi konsa. – We’ll go out around the afternoon.

Te ka genyen yon santèn moun konsa anndan an. – There could have been approximately a hundred person inside.

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

What is the different between: atoufe, chime, detrake, malfekte, rakete, magouye, vole, and eskamote?

What is the different between: atoufe, chime, detrake, malfekte, rakete, magouye, vole, and eskamote?

Atoufè (mechan) – mischievous person

chimè (sovaj) – cruel, heartless person

detrake (fou) – crazy, demented person

malfektè (lougawou) – evil person

raketè (vòlè, piyajè) – racketeer, pirate

magouyè (manigansè, tronpè) – imposter, sham

vòlè (dwèt long, chat mawon) – burglar, crook

eskamotè (tripotèz) – scandalous, backbiting

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

Hello Mandaly, Did I ask you questions about punctuation in Haitian creole? I feel like I did but let me know if you did or did not. If did you received the questions, could you explain them in great detail

Yes, you will find them in the Haitian Creole language just like you find them in French...  a period at the end of a statement; a question mark at the end of a question; commas to connect words, clauses, lists, you may see apostrophes or dashes with contractions such as manman'l, l'ap, se manje li-a; you will find the hyphen with names a lot of times like in Mari-Lwiz, Jan-Mak, or Jan-Pòl; etc...

periods - pwen, pwen final

question mark - pwen entèwogasyon
exclamation points - pwen esklamasyon
comma- vigil
hyphen - trèdinyon
dash – tirè
semicolon – pwen vigil
colon – de pwen
apostrophes - apostwòf
quotation marks - gimè; (quote … end quote – ant gimè, nan mitan gimè)
parentheses – parantèz,  (in parentheses – ouvè parantèz … fèmen parantèz)
commercial at- awobaz
ellipsis -  pwen sispansyon
pipe – ba vetikal
forward slash - ba oblik
backslash - ba oblik envès
brackets ([...]) -  kwochè
brackets ({...})  - akolad

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