Sunday, March 30, 2014

When can you use 2 menms like ‘li menm menm”? is it the same as using it three times like “Li menm menm menm”?

Sometimes two menm’s may be the same as three menm’s  as in the following examples:

Two menm’s usually translates “as for …”

Ou menm menm…. / Ou menm menm menm – as for you
As in
1. Ou menm menm kilè w’ap koumanse chache yon travay?
    As for you, when will you start looking for a job?
 
2. Rosie menm menm pa konnen li pa sipoze soti ak mennaj bon zanmi li?
    As for Rosie, doesn’t she know she’s not supposed to date her best friend’s boyfriend?
 
3. Nou menm menm, nou panse se sou jwèt li ye.  Nou pa’t kwè l te serye.
   As for us, we thought he was playing.  We didn’t think he was serious.
 
And other times, it may indicate an objection:

Someone might say:
4. You stole my car! - Ou vòlè machin mwen!
And you would answer:
  Me?! Why would I want your old ugly car? -Mwen menm menm?!  Poukisa pou m ta vle  vye machin lèd ou a?
 

Other times it indicates certitude.
5. Eske se mesye sa a ki te frape w la?  Wi se li menm menm.
     Was this the man that hit you? Yes it is him indeed.

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

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