Bonjou! Learn to Speak Haitian Creole

Bonjou! ...Mèsi! ...E Orevwa! Search for English or Haitian Creole words translation. Also search the whole site for expressions, idioms and grammar rules. And ask questions about the language in the ASK QUESTIONS HERE section.

Most requested translations added here for your convenience: I love you → Mwen renmen w. I miss you → Mwen sonje w. My love!Lanmou mwen!

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Once when I asked a father how long his child had had a particular condition, he told me "depi li fet, depi li tombe a ter". Is "tombe a ter" used generally for an idiom meaning birth, or was I just listening to a really colorful speaker? Mesi!

We do not generally use the term tonbe atè in reference to humans. This father might have been a farmer.
We use the term mete atè (to give birth to animals, such as a cow giving birth).
So people may say something like:
Manman bèf la met atè jodi a.
The cow gave birth today.
and subsequeltly:
Depi bèf la tonbe atè li leve kanpe l mache.
Once the little cow is born it gets up and walks.

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I blessed the Lord for you guys. Peace be with you all.

Friday, May 29, 2015

I learned that the word "clever" from a Haitian dictionary means "madre", which I never heard before, but I know it means "malen" as well. I also just learned from your previous post that "clever" also means "je kale". What do you think of them and what are other words for "clever"? Also, what are specific words for "cleverness" and "smartness" respectively?

All these Creole words you cited are synonymous to the word clever, but they have different meanings.
One can be clever as in resourceful, or clever as in cunning, or clever as in  wise.

So if you were an interpreter and someone asked you to translate the word clever, you should ask for the context first.

All the following H. Creole words can translate the English word clever
madre, mètdam, malen, rize can mean cunning, sly, crafty, etc...
debouya, degajanresourceful
entelijan, eklere, maton, fò - smart
etc...

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Thursday, May 28, 2015

Can you explain 'se male w' please? se male w si moin pa jwen ou la...

This expression is a warning or cautionary advice
We usually say "se malè w", "malè a ou" or just "malè w"

M ap fè yon sòti pou yon ti moman, se malè w si w kite moun antre nan kay la.
I'm going out for a little while, don't you let anyone in the house.

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How would you say, "I wish you wouldn't take me for granted." Mesi anpil.

take for granted - pran pou restavèk, pran pou timoun ki rete avèk .... trete san konsiderasyon

Example:
I wish you would give more consideration. You take me for granted.
Mwen swete ou ta ban m plis konsiderasyon. Ou pran m pou ti moun ki rete avè w.

I wish you wouldn't take me for granted.
Mwen swete ou pa ta trete m kon moun ki ret avèk ou.
or
Mwwen swete ou ta trete m avèk plis konsiderasyon.

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Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Can you explain rwa pa kouzen , prezidan pa beaupe –

Wa pa kouzen , prezidan pa bòpè, an expression that describes someone who’s pretentious, indifferent, self-sufficient …or at least thinks that he is.


Example:
Kote wè Jean-Marie ye la, depi l te fin genyen $2500 nan lotri a wa pa kouzen l, prezidan pa bòpè l.
You see this Jean-Marie guy? Since he won $2500 in the lottery he's been very indifferent.

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"pyeskeseswa, kelkelanswa, kelkeseswa, kelkilanswa...": Which ones do not mean the same and what meaning they carry in different contexts?

These indefinite pronouns can be translated as no one, whoever, or anyone

Kèlkelanswawhoever, whatever, no one, anyone

1. Kèlkelanswa sa ki pase a m ap toujou renmen w. - Whatever happens I’ll always love you.
In number one it means whatever

2. Kèlkelanswa moun ki frape a pa louvri pòt la. – (whoever knocks on the door, do not open) Do not open the door no matter who comes knocking.
In number 2, it means whoever

3. Mwen p ap desann tèt devan kèlkelanswa moun nan. – I will not submit to anyone.
In number three, it can translate "anyone", "no one" or "whoever"

More examples:
kèlkeseswa, kèlkilanswa , kikseswa (or kikeseswa) -  nobody, anybody, whoever

4. kèlkilanswa moun ki vle goumen avè m, m ap fout kale l. – Whoever wants to fight with me, I’ll beat the hell out of him.

I’ll use the same sentence from #3 with "kikeseswa".
5. Mwen p ap desann tèt mwen devan kikeseswa. – I submit to no one.

I’ll let you figure out the next sentence:
6. Tout moun gen pou mouri, kèlklanswa ras li ye a, fò l pase anba tè kanmenm.

pèkseswa,  pyèskeseswa – usually used with negative sentences: no one, anyone

Let’s that same sentence again:
7. Mwen p ap desann tèt mwen devan pèkseswa. - I will not submit to no one.

Keseswa – whoever, whatever, be it….,
8. Mwen p ap desann tèt mwen devan keseswa moun nan, keseswa prezidan, keseswa pap, kèlkilanswa moun nan li ye a!
I will submit before no one, whether it’s the president or the pope, whoever it may be!


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Hello, I know that hot flashes mean "boufe chalè" in creole. What I want to know is how to translate "to have hot flashes". I have the possible verbal expressions: Fè boufe chalè, gen boufe chalè, or pran boufe chalè. Which of these is correct or are all three can be used to express that meaning or is there another expression? Also, is there another way of say hot flashes and are there verbal expressions that accompany them?

It’s gen boufe chalè

You might also hear: chalè granmoun nan (only used between friends, sometimes jokingly) - You should not use this expression with someone you barely know: Chalè granmoun nan monte w.

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Tuesday, May 26, 2015

BYEN JWENN BYEN KONTRE

byen jwenn byen kontre - to compete with someone equal in strength or ability, to have met your match.
Joe mande Wilfrid goumen. Se byen jwenn byen kontre. 
Joe provoked Wilfrid into a fight. He's met his match in Wilfrid.

Kite yo vin atake m avè zam yo non! Mwen menm ak yo se byen jwenn byen kontre!
Let them come at me with their weapons! They've certainly met their match in me!

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Ann fè sa! Is that the correct way to say "Let's do this!" or is there a better way to say that in Creole?

Yes, it is the correct way.

Ann fè sa!
or
An nou fè sa!

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Monday, May 25, 2015

Si Bondye krache nan men w, eske se benediction ouben malediction?

Krache Bondye , sa vle di benediksyon.
Yon moun gen dwa ap pase yon move moman enpi..... konsa konsa Bondye krache nan men yo ... ki vle di ke sitiyasyon gen dwa vin amelyore enpe.

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Hey Mandy, did you remember to send Kalve song 'Ou mèt KONTE SOULI'? mèsi

https://plus.google.com/112582004390447685562/posts/L6u9JCvZDDQ

Lè w an sante, ou gen anpil lajan
Lè sa va byen, ou gen anpil zanmi
Kote w pase, se onè ak respè
Tout moun renmen w, lavi a parèt bèl

Men lè w malad, lè ou pedi travay
Lè pa gen kòb, ou pa enteresan
Lè ou fin granmoun, lè jenès ou ale
Tou moun kite w, tou moun abandone w

Refrain
Men gen yon bon zanmi
non li se Jezi Kri
Depi lontan l ap chache fè zanmi avè ou
Se yon zanmi fidèl
Ki p ap abandone w
Nan moman difisil ou mèt konte sou li.

Si ou twouble, si gen anpil pwoblèm
Avan w fè lèd, fè w  ti koze avè l
Li gen sekrè, se pa youn palèlè
Ou pa bezwen wont,ou mèt koze avè l

Refrain
Li ze youn bon zanmi, se youn zanmi fidèl
Li p ap tronpe w, ou mèt konte sou li
Nan moment difisil, wa wè li toujou la
Li p ap tronpe, ou mèt konte sou li

Si yo trayi w, si lanmò menase w
Si w an danje, rele li l ap vini
Si kè ou tris, si w santi w dezole
Si w santi w sèl, ou mèt konte sou li

Refrain
Men genyen yon bon zanmi
non li se Jezi Kri
Depi lontan l ap chache fè zanmi avè ou
Se yon zanmi fidèl
Li p ap abandone w
Nan moman difisil ou mèt konte sou li.

Lè timoun yo malad…… ou mèt konte sou li

Doktè pa bay espwa…… ou mèt konte sou li

Lè bagay yo tou nwa…… ou mèt konte sou li


Lavi ap malmennen w….. ou mèt konte sou li


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When I was 17 I went to Haiti on a mission trip. We sang "Come and go with me to my Father's House" in Creole. I am teaching this to my three year olds in preschool, but don't know how to write the words to the song In Creole. can you help me? The words are something like Mwe ve alles la lachai pappamwe gayuh jwa, jwa jwa and La pa gayuh peshay Can you help me? Please?

Tout bagay va byen
Lakay Papa mwen *(3 fwa)
Tout bagay va byen lakay Papa mwen
Genyen jwa, jwa, jwa

Pa va gen peche
Lakay Papa mwen (3 fwa)
Pa va gen peche lakay Papa mwen.
Genyen jwa, jwa, jwa

Mwen vle ale la
Lakay Papa mwen (3 fwa)
Mwen vle ale la lakay Papa mwen
Genyen jwa, jwa, jwa

Eske w vle ale
Lakay Papa mwen? (3 fwa)
Eske w vle ale Lakay Papa mwen?
Genyen Jwa, jwa, jwa.

Some people say "nan kay Papa mwen“ instead of "lakay Papa mwen
There’s no big difference between the two.
One says at my Father’s house

The other says in my father’s house.

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Thursday, May 21, 2015

Mandlay, I understand that bonjan is a modifier.what does it mean in BONJAN VAN? and can I use it as in BONJAN MOUN DEBYEN? How else can i use it?thanks.

You can say bon jan or bon kalite which means good, legit, real,...

bon jan moun debyen??? .... I don't know about that. I would just say moun debyen.

bon jan van - a nice breeze
ex; Li chita anba pye mapou a l ap pran bon jan van

bon jan konpa - good music, lively konpa
ex: Gwoup la te byen frape. Yo pa t jwe mizik etranje. Yo te lage bon jan konpa sou nou. Nou te danse nèt!

bon jan presyon - relentless pressure or intimidation
Lè bòs la koumanse mete bon jan presyon sou ou  se kite w va kite travay la.

Bon jan fromaj - the good cheese
Restoran sa a se bon jan fwomaj la yo sèvi. Lè w ap manje la se koupe dwèt!

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Monday, May 18, 2015

Can you clarify something about the use of the word depi? I understand that besides “since” it also means ALL? I saw it written somewhere. Can you provide some examples? Thanks

Depi, conj., usage: once, whenever, since, as soon as, as long as, from ….every, all

1. Situations where it can translate every or all:
Ti Djo t ap fè dezòd. Li lage bòl diri a atè a. Se pa ti fache manman l te fache. Li fè misye ranmase depi se grenn diri ki te tonbe atè a.
Ti Djo was misbehaving. He spilled the bowl of rice on the ground. His mother was really angry. He made him pick every grain of rice off the floor.
So,
ranmase depi se grenn diri
pick up every grain of rice

2. whenever, if
Depi se misye ki pale tout moun anbranl.
Whenever he speaks everyone is motivated.

3. once
Depi lapli tonbe ou dejà konnen pral gen inondasyon.
Once it rains you know that there will be flood.

4. As long as, if
Depi se ou ki di sa m ap kwè.
I’ll believe it if you say so.

5. since
Depi m fèt mwen poko janm wè yon bagay konsa.
I have never seen such a thing in my life.

6. From … to
Tout moun alawonnbadè depi sa k pi granmoun rive sou sa k pi piti dwe prezante.
Everybody everywhere from the oldest to the youngest must be present.

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Sunday, May 17, 2015

Mandy I was told I can also use the word bwa for "drink". so I could say mwen vle bwa dlo. Is that correct?

Not in H. Creole. I haven't used this term like that.
You can say 'bwason' for 'beverage'. otherwise it's bwè as in mwen vle bwè dlo.

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How do you say Flag day and Haitian Flag day?

Flag Day - Fèt Drapo, jou Fèt Drapo
Haitian Flag Day - Fèt Drapo Ayisyen, jou Fèt Drapo Ayisyen

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"I transferred schools because the professors in my old school were constantly boring me by teaching the class the same concepts everyday".

Don't you just hate when teachers do that? :)

There it is:
Mwen te chanje lekòl paske pwofesè nan lekòl m te ye a te fè m dezenterese nan klas la afòs li t ap anseye menm matyè a chak jou.

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Mandaly, with Haitian Flag Day approaching it’s nice to hear of all the preparations being made for the celebration. Will you be celebrating in Haiti or in the USA?

Hi. I’ll be in the US. It’s definitely a privilege to commemorate Haitian Flag day in a foreign land. It’s a great experience. Although I’ve lived in the US for some years and feel at home there, I’m always surprised to be overcome by this wave of pride when I see my country’s flag erected on foreign soil. The emotions range from feeling patriotic, and then that of belonging and then euphoria when all I see before me is the colors and symbol that unites us as a people and smell our food and hear our music. The ambience is unreal! I’m pretty sure other Haitians have done it; just losing themselves in the ambiance, blinking really quickly to be transported back home for a few seconds. Celebrating Haitian Flag Day together, whether it’s in Florida, Massachusetts, New York, Canada or France is a great reminder of who we are, how far we’ve come as a Haitian people and the work that lies ahead in order to make Haiti a successful country.
L'union Fait La Force

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Can you translate that for me. i m not able to get a good translation from mdevice. 'jan l di sa a se komsi li ta vle pase m nan ten ten' thanks.

'jan l di sa a se komsi li ta vle pase m nan ten ten'
He/she said it in a way as if to make fun of me.

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How to say be good

Tuesday, May 12, 2015

Mandaly,how would you say, "Whenever I hear your name, I get butterflies in my tummy out of desire for you"? Mesi anpil

Hmmm.... butterflies (excitement, nervousness, anxiety, fear, concern)

'I get butterflies in my tummy....'
Kè m cho (I'm excited)
Mwen eksite (I'm excited)
Kè m bat fò (I'm excited)
Kè m sou biskèt (I got the jitters)
Chèdepoul leve sou mwen (I get goosebumps)
Mwen sou tansyon (I'm nervous)
Mwen gen anksyete (I'm nervous)
Mwen enkyete (I'm anxious)

"Whenever I hear your name, I get butterflies in my tummy out of desire for you"
"Depi m tande non w kè m tonbe bat fò tèlman mwen anvi w."

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"pyeskeseswa, kelkelanswa, kelkeseswa, kelkilanswa, keseswa", can you tell me which is it?

Which is it?....
It could be any one of them? It depends on how you want to use them.
They do not all mean the same.

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Mandalay, is kanpekin a beer or is it a fruit smoothie like the Haitian papay juice? How do you make it?

Kanpekin is a drink, an aphrodisiac.
I couldn't tell you how to make one cause I haven't mixed one yet.

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Please, nominate today for a Public Choice Awards:

Monday, May 11, 2015

mwen te etone we fason ke yo te reyaji pa rapo ak bon relasyo ke nou te genyen ,sa te menm reyaji sou eta santem. (sa li vle di?)

Some typos exist in this sentence. If you were to translate it you would have something like:
I was surprised by the way they reacted, taking into account our good relation, It even affected my health...
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Saturday, May 9, 2015

How would you say, , Mesi Mandaly!

to cross one's mind
you can use these expressions:
sonje
dòmi reve
pase nan lide

It never crossed my mind.
M pa janm dòmi reve sa.
Sa pa janm pase nan lide m
M pa janm sonje sa

As far as your sentence "Do I ever cross your mind?" is concerned, do you you mean to say 'Do you ever think of me?'
If yes, then I'll say
Eske m janm vini nan lide w?
Eske m janm pase nan lide w?

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Thursday, May 7, 2015

Are there any good Haitian creole courses.

Yes there is. FIU, Duke University, UF, UMass, and other universities....
Also some community colleges offer some good courses
And you can find some online too. Check out HaitiHub.com

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Could you please translate: "Long" as in "It was a long trip." "Meaning" as in " I can say the words but they have no meaning." Mesi anpil!

So you mean 'long' as in 'lengthy, slow'?

long - long, pran tan

It was a long trip.
Vwayaj la te long.
Vwayaj la te pran tan.

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Sunday, May 3, 2015

Hello, what are words for this verbal expression "to stand someone up" in creole? For example, "My date stood me up last night."

I have always used 'bay koutba' for that expression :)
bay koutba - to fail or deceive someone
ex: W ap ban m koutba.

Another expression for 'deceiving' or 'lying to someone' is 'woule de bò'
Ex: Poukisa w ap woule m de bò konsa? Ou genlè panse se yon ti moun mwen ye.

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What are words for "roommate"(apartment, hospital, camp, etc)? Also, I had a discussion with my dad;.......

You said:
"what are words for "roommate"(apartment,
hospital, camp, etc)?  
Also, I had a discussion with my dad; he said that the
word "mis" can mean "nurse", nurse aide or assistant, or a female nurse" and
that "enfimye" is use for  "male nurse" and "enfimyè" is used for female nurse.
Of course, we use "nès" for both male and female nurse because of the prevalence
of the english language and because of the haitian diaspora in the United
States. I  am well aware of that one, but I beg to differ with the word "mis"
because I tend to reserve  that for a nurse(male or female). I am not sure what
are words for "nurse assistant" except that I say "mis asistan" or "enfimiye or
enfimyè assistant" or "nès asistan". I am not sure if they are correct. Can you
sort all of this out and also supply the appropriate words for all of them and
then some?"

Mandaly says:

roommate - kolokatè, kolokatris

Your father is right about the word 'mis'. Mis is derived from miss/mistress which is the title for a young woman. I think it might have eased into the H. Creole language as hospital patients (and soldiers) were calling for the nurse "Miss!" at a time when male nurses were not popular yet.
When I was growing up I do recall women saying, "M pral fè mis lè m gran." "Se yon mis ou ye?"
I would prefer to use enfimye or enfimyè for male nurses.

Nurse asistants are called oksilyè, èd swayan.

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How would you say "I have to take an exam" in h.creole and how would you say "I graduated last year". Thanks Mandaly

I have to take an exam.
Mwen dwe pran yon egzamen.
Fòk mwen pran yon egzamen.

I graduated last year.
Mwen te diplome ane pase.
Mwen te pran diplòm mwen lane pase

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