Amwaz (plant lan, zèb la tou) se wormwood an Angle.
Monday, July 14, 2014
pye fey amwaz . Ki jan pou mwen di sa an angle tanpri, mesi
Friday, July 11, 2014
The best translation for the following verse: I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 Will be leading a class of children for Vacation Bible School, and usually try to put the Kreyol words to music! Thanks for your help.
Dakò :)
“I have told you
these things, so that in me you may have peace.
In this world you
will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Mwen di nou bagay sa yo dekwa pou nou gen lapè nan mwen.
Nan monn sa nou va genyen pwoblèm. Men pran kouraj! Monn nan
deja pèdi devan m.”
John 16:33
Jan 16:33
Jan sèz(16) vèsè tranntwa(33)
Thursday, July 10, 2014
I'm currently tracing my ancestry back (it's SO exciting!) and I've discovered that Martinique and Guadeloupe are two of the MANY places it traces back to. ^_^ I just found out about "Kreyol Gwadloupeyen" and "Kreyol Matnik." As far as learning the languages goes, will learning "Kreyol Ayisyen" help with these other two Creoles OR should I pursue those languages separately like you told me about French? OR are the three languages so similar I don't have to learn these two other Creoles at all?
You might be able to get the gist of the conversation or hear a word or two (or a sentence or two) when listening to some "mostly French-based" Creole languages if you were to speak Haitian Creole fluently, but you do have to specifically learn that Creole language separately in order to benefit from it.
Kenbe la tande!
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Kenbe la tande!
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Kisa sa a vle di? "Lamenm". Tankou sa a: "Lamenm, li bliye tout bagay."
It means “immediately, right away, on the spot”
Lamenm
Lapoula
Latou
Menm kote a
Soulechan
Imedyatman
Tousuit
Are all used about the same way.
Lamenm, li bliye tout
bagay.
She/he forgot
everything immediately
Lè’l pran kiyè enpi l reyalize li te cho anpil, lamenm li jete l atè.
When she grabbed the
spoon and she realized it was very hot she dropped it immediately
Fanm nante touche rad Jezi, e li te geri lamenm.
The woman touched Jesus' robe and she was healed on the spot.
God bless you. I'm puertorican, I took basic creole lesson my question is is it ok "10 liv yo" or I can omit the "yo'" because of the number and say 10 liv. mesi anpil.
It depends.
If you’re talking about ten particular (ten specific books),
then yes add “yo”
Pa egzanp:
Eske w te achte dis
liv yo m te mande w achte a.
Did you buy the ten
books I asked you to buy.
So we’re talking about ten particular books that I had asked
ou to buy.
Li te boule tout dis
liv yo.
He burned all ten books.
Or if we’re being non-specific we omit “yo”.
Pa egzanp:
M bezwen dis liv.
Mwen t’achte dis liv
nan libreri a.
Magazen sa a pote dis
liv sèlman.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
What does "kekette" mean? My friend has the name "kekette" in her call log.
It’s a female name (Kekette or Kèkèt),
usually a nickname given to females named Kettie, Ketya, Kettia, Ketly, etc….
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English WordsYears ago I spent a summer in Verrettes. We enjoyed eating bunches of a round little green fruit that I can't remember the name of. In asking around, people have told me it was called Kenep but that did not ring a bell for me and I wondered if you would know if it has different names in different parts of the country... Thanks much.
Yes,
we call it kenèp indeed, it has a
hard skin that you break gently with your teeth and a large seed inside that is
covered with light yellow sweet natural jelly.
kenèp can be soaked in alcoholic drinks such as kleren for a sweet tartish taste.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
kenèp can be soaked in alcoholic drinks such as kleren for a sweet tartish taste.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
What does "Anwo pa desann, anba pa monte" mean? Thank you.
Anwo pa moute, anba pa
desann
Nothing’s moving (as if at a standstill).
We also say:
Anwo pa moute, anba pa
desann, Ti Mari rete rèd
Anwo pa moute, anba
pa desann, Ti Mari rete tennfas
Or
Anwo pa moute, anba pa
desann, nan mitan rete rèd
(same meaning)
A somewhat literal meaning would be “nothing moving up
there, nothing moving down here and it’s also stiff in the middle :)
When can I use "nan" or "a" after a sentence? Like, depi famn nan kite m nan, m pa t ka dòmi byen, or like, pwoteje ou kont jwisè yo ki deyò a? Or, se sa m vlè a? When can I use them and what are the rules?
You will have to know the rules for the definite articles.
Here’s a couple of links:
The definite articles a, an, la, lan, nanThere are some good exercises there especially toward the bottom. Let me know if that helped after you've gone through it. Thanks
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Taking public transportation in Haiti is horrible.the body odor is unbearable especially if you’re in for a long haul.
Yeah I see what you mean, the smell of farmers going home
after they sweated in the market selling their merchandise, the smell of
teachers and students going home after they’ve been in a non-air-conditioned
classroom the whole day, the smell of produce, live chickens and mud on people shoes, and if
it’s in the afternoon, the smell of burning garbage in the streets and don’t
forget the smell of spicy foods cooking in the street corners , God I miss that
:)
Eske m pwononse sa kòrèk? Eske m di sa bon? Are these proper translations of “Did I pronounce that correctly?” and “Did I say that right?” Are there better ways of asking this?
The first one is correct.
In the second sentence I’d say “byen” instead of “bon”.
Eske m di sa byen? – Did I say this correctly?
Eske m byen di l? – Did I say it correctly?
Eske m byen pale? – Am I right?
Men wi, ou di l byen. – Certainly you said it well.
Men wi ou kòrèk. – Yes you are correct.
Wi ou byen pale. – Yes you’re right
Sunday, July 6, 2014
As you know, I have to start my Creole lessons over. But do you think I should learn French simultaneously or at least pursue French at some point since Haitians also speak it? Would learning French help me with the Creole at all or vice versa?
No, that would not be a good reason to learn French. French and Haitian Creole are two very
different languages – the grammar and spellings are totally different. Learning French will not help you to learn Haitian
Creole any better. You’ve been doing well
so far. So keep at it :)
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Friday, July 4, 2014
I'm not sure what this word is, it sounded like "gremyel" or something like that, it seemed like a word for a person who is a failure or loser, or someone who can't do anything right.
Sounds like “grimèl” to me.
Do they say “grimèl chode!”?
Is the word directed at females?
Thursday, July 3, 2014
I love the song "Ayiti Cheri", but there are so many expressions that are unfamiliar to me. For example what is the meaning of AYITI TOMA please? Or what's a MARABOU or a GRIFONN KREYOL? or a KAYIMIT?
Ayiti Toma is the African name of Haiti, meaning “this land is mine”.
Also
you will sometimes hear Ayiti Kiskeya, which “Kiskeya” is Haiti’s Indian name
Grifòn refers to a dark-skinned Haitian woman born possibly of a light and
dark-skinned individual.
Marabou is a dark-skinned woman with flawless skin, luxuriant hair and beautiful
teeth that is rooted in violaceous gums
Kayimit is a fruit with skin dark violet in color. Looks like plum.
Haitians
sometimes say “po kayimit” which means “refined and vibrant dark skin”
All are considered beautiful.
How do you say promote? and How do you say "expect" in creole and what does temwen mean?
1.Promote
– pwomote, bay jarèt, jarete, bay piston,
or pistonnen
egzanp: Lè misye te nan lekòl medsin tout moun nan
katye a te ba l bon jarèt paske yo te konnen li ta pral itil yo yon jou.
2. Temwen – witness
a. Mwen
se yon temwen
– I am a witness.
b. Ou
dwe sèvi m temwen.
You
must serve as a witness to me.
Be
my witness
c. Se
pou Bondye sèvi n temwen
… – May God be a witness …
d. Yo
te mande m sèvi kòm temwen
… - They asked me to be a witness to …..
3. Expect – atann (pronominal verb)
e. Mwen
te atann mwen a sa.
– I was expecting this.
f. Mwen
pa’t atann mwen a sa.
– I was not expecting this.
g. Nou
pa’t atann nou a sa ditou. – We were not expecting that at
all.
h. Nou
tout te chita ansanm enpi li parèt sou nou sanzatann (san-z-atann).
We
were all sitting together and she showed up unexpectedly.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Can you please post the lyrics to this song that says, "Pouki move jou yo fe nou doute?"
Pouki move jou yo fè nou doute
Jezi mande pou nou pa enkyete
Nou se yon ras eli
Nou se yon pèp aki
Se nou Bondye chwazi pou temwen’l
Pandan n’ap avanse leve men ou anlè
Chante glwa a lanyo Bondye a
Valè moun ki mouri nan tout fanmi nou yo
Se nou Bondye chwazi pou temwen
Eske nou pa konnen nou se yon pèp espesyal
Se nou Bondye chwazi pou temwen
Valè moun ki dejwe nan tout fanmi nou yo
Se nou bondye chwazi pou temwen’l
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
Yo pa gen anyen aswe a vini demen swa pito
Yo
pa gen anyen aswè a. Vini demen swa pito.
They
don’t have anything tonight. Come tomorrow night instead
A few translations please ...
english to creole translation:
assume – sipoze, imajinen
stop
the car – kanpe machin
nan
excited – eksite, anlè anlè, antyoutyout,
sou sa
bald - chòv
spot - tach
callus – kò, zonyon
flood - inondasyon
sand - sab
creole
to english:
deprime - depressed
exprime – to express
lanjèz – malicious and backbiting woman
debouyèz - resourceful
foke – fuck up, insane, crazy
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English WordsKi sa li signifye le w di “bay yon moun kou an angle” e ki sa "ou se libate"signifye an angle?
Your second word is selibatè – single
Ou
selibatè? (Eske w selibatè?) – Are you single?
Your first word
“bay kou” means “to punch, to hit”
1. Bay
yon moun kou – to
hit someone
2. Li te ban m kou. – He hit me
3. Mwen te ba l kou. – I hit him.
You also use bay
kou (actually “bay kout …”) when
you strike with any object (tangible or not):
4. Bay
kou
– to punch, to strike, to hit someone
Li te ban mwen yon kou nan vant. – He hit me in the stomach
5. Bay
kout pwen – to strike
with the fist
Li ban m yon kout pwen. – She punched me with her fist.
6. Bay
kout pye – to kick with the feet
Li ban m yon kout pye. – She kicked me.
7. Bay
kout baton – to hit with
a club
kout
baton – a strike of
the club
Polis
la bay misye san (100) kout baton.-
The police officer hit the man with the club 100 times
8. Bay
kout sentiwon
– to hit with the belt
kout
sentiwon
– strike of the belt
Papa
m ban mwen 15 kout sentiwon.
– My father hit me with the belt 15 times.
9. Bay
kout dan(or mòde) – to bite
yon
kout dan–
a bite
Chen
an te bay pitit la yon kout dan. The dog bit the child.
Mesye
a bay pòm la yon gwo kout dan enpi tout dan l tonbe. – The man took a big bite out of
the apple and all his teeth fell out.
10. Bay
kout kouto
– to stab with a knife
11. Kout
manchèt – to stab with
a machete
12. Kout
chèz – to hit with
the chair
13. Kout
sandal – to hit with
sandals
Etc….
14. Kout
tèt is different. This expression means a "repeated bump of the
head when one’s trying to fall asleep, especially if they are sitting down."
Bay
kout tèt
– to bump one’s head repeatedly a a result of falling asleep
Pandan
misyonè a t’ap bay mesaj la tout moun ta ri paske
yo te kapab wè pastè legliz t’ap
bay kout tèt sou chè a.-
While the missionary was delivering the sermon everyone was
laughing because
they could see the church pastor falling asleep
on the pulpit.
Li
te sipoze etidye, men se kout tèt l’ap bay sou biwo li. - He was supposed to study, but
he’s falling asleep at his desk.
15. Bay
kout men
– to assist, to support, to sponsor
Kout
men – assistance,
help
Ban’m
yon kout men tanpri.
– help me please
Ban’m
yon kout men ak valiz la. Li lou anpil.
– Help me with the bag. It’s heavy.
16. Kout
lang – malicious gossip
Menm
si yo ba w kout lang pa okipe yo. Kwè nan tèt ou. Pa kite sa yo di deranje w. -
Even if they spread
malicious gossip about you don’t worry about it. Believe in yourself. Don’t let
what they say about you get to you.
17. Kout
pitit – when a women
try to pass another man’s child as the child of a man she’s already with.
Pitit
sa a pa sanble avè w ditou. Sanble madanm ou ba w yon kout pitit.- This child does not look like you
at all. Your wife lied to you.
18. Kout
je - a scornful look
Lè
fanm nan te antre nan legliz la tout moun t’ap koupe l kout je. Kongregasyon an
te bliye ke yo menm tou yo se pechè. - When the woman entered the church everyone
was looking down at her. The
congregation had forgotten that they also are sinners.
19. Kout
entelijan (or Kou entelijan)
– to outsmart someone
Machann
nan fè yon kou entelijan ak touris la. Misye vann fanm nan yon fo tablo pou
anpil lajan.-
The seller tricked the tourist. He sold her
a fake painting for a lot of money.
20. Kout
pa konprann
– to pretend to be naïve about something
Pa
vin ban’m okenn kout pa konprann la a. Ou konnen trè byen sa k’ap pase.
- Don’t play dumb with me you know very well what’s going on?
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Bonjou, my wife is asking, what can be the opposite of "pa gendwa"---"it is good when you do that"--- for our granddaughter. Mesi
You may use "gen
dwa" or "mèt (don’t use with
negatives)"
gen dwa - may, to be allowed, to be permitted
pa gen dwa - may not, to not be allowed, to not be permitted
mèt - may, to be allowed, to be permitted
Do not use "pa" after "mèt" for these instances. There are circumstances where you can use "pa" after "mèt", but this is not one of them.
Here are some examples:
1. Ou
gen dwa vini si w vle. – You
may come if you want.
2. Nou gen dwa fè sa n vle. – You may do as you please.
3. Ou mèt vini. – you may come.
4. Nou mèt manje kounye a. - You may eat now.
5. Ou mèt jwe ak jwèt ou yo lè'w fin fè devwa w. - You may play with your toys when
you've done your homework.
6. Ou mèt rele'm vin chache w lè klas ou fini. - You may call me to pick you up when your class is over.
7. Ou
mèt antre. – you
may enter. You may come in
But
you would say
8. Ou pa gen dwa antre – You may not come in.
9. Ou
mèt ale. – You
may go.
But
you would say
10. Ou pa gen dwa ale nan sinema avèk vagabond sa a. – You may not go to the movies with this jerk.
11. Ou
mèt ale nan kizin nan men ou pa gen dwa antre nan chanm mwen, se refij prive m.
You
may go into the kitchen but you may not go in my room, that’s my private
refuge.
You
may use “gen dwa” like this:
12. M
gen dwa pa’t wè l.
I
may not have seen it.
13. Li
pale avè w men li gen dwa pa renmen w.
She
talks to you but she may not like ou.
In
this example, do not put “pa” after “gen dwa”.
If you do the meaning of the sentence would change
14. Li
di w li renmen w, men li gen dwa pa di l nan fason ou panse a.
She
says she likes you but she may not mean it in the way you think.
15. Li gen dwa te di sa kòm zanmi.
She may have said it in friendship.
16. Nou
gen kèk tan nou pa wè l. Li gen dwa te kite peyi a. Li gen dwa te marye. Li gen
dwa pa nan kad nou. Oubyen li menm gen
dwa mouri.
We
haven’t seen her in some time. She may have left the country. She may have gotten married. She may not want to have anything to do with
us. Or she may even be dead.
alez alez???
Alèz – laid back, at ease, comfortable
1.
Mete
w alèz.
Relax
Loosen
up
Take
it easy
Make
yourself at home
2.
Tanpri mete w alèz avè l.
Please ease up on him.
3.
M
mete m alèz.
I’m
laid back.
I
loosened up.
4.
Li te mete l alèz.
He kicked back and relaxed
5.
Ayisyen renmen etranje ki mete yo alèz ak tout kalite moun.
Haitians love foreigners who are comfortable with all types of people.
Expression: alèz
kou Blèz ki chita sou chèz san pinèz – to be contented,
pleased, very comfortable, well-off, on cloud nine
6.
Misye genyen nan lotri a, kounye a li alèz kou Blèz
ki chita sou chèz san pinèz.
He won the lottery now he's on cloud nine.
7.
M
te mete m alèz avè l, m pa konn poukisa li pa’t alèz avè m.
I
was at ease with him I do not know why he was uneasy with me.
8.
Eske
w alèz? – Are you
comfortable?
9.
Wi m' alèz mèsi.
Yes I'm comfortable thanks.
Your other question:
Franchman – Frankly
Franchman
ou fè m fache.
Pou
di w laverite ou fè m fache.
To
tell you the truth you make me mad
In a text I saw the following sentence: Ou te ka konte .......
In a text I saw the following sentence:
Ou te ka konte sou li san onz
wa (san n pa bliye wa nan peyi Afrik yo)
this shows that in some case, when there is a sentence with san
there is also a negation pa in it.
I would like to understand when you can have the negation pa in a
sentence that start with san and when you do not have it.
Also, is it possible to put the past te in the above sentence ??
like below ?
Ou te ka konte sou li san onz
wa (san n pa TE bliye wa
nan peyi Afrik yo)
Can you say
Fok nou pati san n pa fè brui
Fok nou te pati san n pat fè brui
Mèsi anpil
Does the sentence have to start with “san”?
I guess you can say WHAT WILL HAPPEN with the “lack
of….”. Example:
1.
San
ou mwen pèdi.
Mwen
pèdi
san ou.
I’m
lost without you.
2.
San
tretman doktè mwen ta gentan mouri.
Mwen
ta gentan mouri
san tretman doktè.
I
would have already died without medical treatment.
Or you could say WHAT WILL NOT HAPPEN with the “lack
of…..”
3.
San
ou mwen pa konn sa m ta fè.
Mwen
pa konn sa m ta fè
san ou.
I
don’t know what I would do without you.
4.
San
lalwa pa gen la libète.
Pa
gen libète
san lalwa.
“Without
laws there’s no freedom”
5.
Here’s how I would translate the last two sentences:
Fok
nou pati san n pa fè brui. – We
should leave without making noise
Fok
nou te pati san n pa’t fè brui. – We
should have left without making any noise
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
I am familiar with 'mouri' (to die), but I am unfamiliar with 'al bwachat'. Could you give me a bit more information on this expression (i.e. its etymology)?
I am not 100% sure.
Other than Al bwachat
or al bwa chat and mouri, other commonly used Creole
expression for “to die” are:
trepase
Li trepase a minwi
tapan. – He died at the stroke of
midnight.
Mezanmi! Ede'm. M'ap trepase. - Help me, I'm dying.
ale nan Peyi san
chapo
Manman nou kite n. L’al
nan peyi san chapo. – Our mom has
left us. She died.
fè vwèl pou peyi san
chapo
Kamyon an frape misye,
li voye l al fè vwèl pou peyi san chapo. – The truck hit him and sent him to his death
kase kòd
Kon minwi sonnen beng
malad la kase kòd. - At the stroke of
midnight, he kicked the bucket.
rann dènye souf –
to give one’s last breath
Li rann dènye souf li.
– He gave his last breath
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English WordsThis Creole expression (I don’t exactly know how to write it, but I did get the exact translation), it says “he died for his eyes or for one’s eyes”. Do you know the meaning?
Bwa ki nan main ou se ave l ou pouse chien. What’s the meaning please?
This expression basically means to “use your own
resources/knowledge/ skills to your benefit” or “use what’s you got to get what you want”
You’ll hear different version of the same expression
depending on the circumstances:
Here are some of them with literal tanslation:
Baton
ki nan men w se avè l ou pouse chen. - The rod that’s in your hand you use
it to push dogs away
Bwa
ki nan men w se ak li ou pouse chen. - The
wood that’s in your hand you use it to push dogs away
Baton
ki nan men w se ak li ou pare kou. - The
rod in your hand you use it to block a punch
Baton
ki nan men se ak li ou bay kou. - The
rod in your hand you use it to beat (someone)
What does this saying mean: "Pa kite double six mouri nan main'w?"
This expression means
Doubsis – doube-six
Doubsis mouri nan men
(yon moun).
(Someone) whose youth is past.
It’s become too late
for (someone) to marry.
Pa kite doubsis mouri
nan men w.
Don’t let time pass
until it’s too late to marry.
Don’t become an old
maid.
Doubsis ap mouri nan
men w.
You’ll become an old
maid.
Pitit fi Papouch la
ap fè enteresant, li pa vle marye ak Ayisyen. Li panse l twò bon pou nèg peyi
l. Lò doubsis mouri nan men l li va mary nenpòt
avadra.
Papouch’s daughter is
being cocky she doesn’t want to marry a Haitian. She thinks she’s too good for
a man from her country. Once it becomes too late for her to marry, she’ll take
any vagabond.
Another similar expression is "Fè dan zòrèy" which literally means "to grow wisdom tooth". It can be translated as "being no spring chicken"
M’ap aprann kreyòl men m pa pale byen. Eske m di sa kòrèk?
Wi, ou di l byen e ou ekri l byen tou :)
Kontinye konsa enpi kenbe la
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Kontinye konsa enpi kenbe la
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Creole approximation of "touchy-feely"?
Touchy-feely - siseptib, sansib alagachet
Ending a letter in Haitian Creole
Mandaly!!
Ki kote ou ye? M'espere tout bagay anfòm. Nou sonje ou anpil la!
Enben, si ou te ale an vakans, bon vwayaj! (:
(O.o, Kijan ou fèmen yon lèt?)
Bondye beni ou,
Mwen la.
Tout bagay anfòm grasadye.
Mwen t’ap fatige tèt mwen ap fè anpil monte
desann, ap travay, ap vwayaje tou. Eskize m, mwen te neglije blòg la pou yon
moman. Mwen retounen lakay mwen kounye
a. Mwen mennen tèt mwen ba w (I’m all yours).
Bondye beni ou tou.
********************
Lè
ou fin ekri yon lèt ou kapab ekri:
At
the end of a letter you may write:
Sensèman…
or Avèk senserite
- Sincerely
Avèk
tout senserite – Sincerely yours
Avèk
respè … Respectfully
Avèk
tout respè – Respectfully yours
Mèsi
davans – Thanks in advance
Avèk
lanmou … With love
Souwè
or Tout souwè - Best regards
Tout
bon souwè – Wishing you the best
Mwen
pa ka tann pou m rankontre w - I am looking forward to meeting you
M’espere
tande w byento – I hope to hear from you soon
Anpil
lanmou – Lots of love
Anpil
beze – Lots of kisses
Anpil
mèsi – Many thanks
A
la pwochèn - Until next time
Zanmi
ou - Your friend
Pi
bon zanmi ou – Your best friend
Pran
swen tèt ou – Take care, Be well, Take care of yourself
Fè
miyò – Be well
Kenbe
la - Hang in there
Na
wè byento – See you soon
Akolad
– Hugs
Yon
salitasyon pou tout moun – Greetings to all
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
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