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

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

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

Kèlkelanswa – whoever, 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!