How do you write happy in Creole

happy - kontan

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

Hello, Please help me with this. How is the word twouve used when it begins a sentence. For example: Twouve, te vin gen yon gwo grangou nan peyi a, apre premye gwo grangou ki te genyen nan epòk Abraram nan

We say twouve, vin twouve ke or twouve ke - it so happens that, it happens that or incidentally

Madanm nan te voye toude timoun yo lekòl la san dejene. Twouve ke m te gen yon ti monnen nan pòch mwen, mwen te tou achte de (2) wayal ba yo.
The women sent both kids to school without breakfast. Incidentally I had some change in my pocket, so I bought them 2 wayal.

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

What is a common or colloquial name for farmers? Is there a common name or phrase used to describe farmers or those involved in agriculture? A sort of collective name?

Most Haitians would say abitan. In more cultivated environment educated people would say  kiltivatè or agrikiltè

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

Is there any good better version of gospel song Jéricho miray la kraze because I can't find any?

You must be asking about a better 'audio' version.
I haven't come across a professionally recorded version yet.


Jeriko miray la kraze (3 fwa)
nanpwen miray Jezi p ap kraze

Ad lib
Miray peche
Nanpwen miray Jezi p ap
Miray pwoblèm
Nanpwen miray Jezi p ap kraze

Gen yon men ki frape nan pòt la (2 fwa)
O O Senyè
Gen yon men ki frape nan pòt la

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Hi Mandaly, are the terms moute kabann and pran kabann interchangeable? also, what is pran sak?

moute kabann (ale kouche) - to go to bed
pran kabann - to be confined to bed because of illness, depression or some type of suffering
pran sak - to pray on sackcloth

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

Hi I learned about FE MANTI (lying) and BAY MANTI(to tell a lie), but what is NAN MANTI?

It also means to be lying, to be full of lies

To tell a lie
Fè manti
bay manti
nan manti ak
also:
benyen ak manti (use when there's an object)
sometimes:
benyen anba manti (use when there's an object)

examples
1.
He lies.
Li manti
Li nan manti
Li fè manti

2.
He lied to everyone.
Li bay tout moun manti.
Li benyen tout moun anba manti.
Li benyen tout moun ak manti.

3.
You lied to me.
Ou ban m manti.

4.
I can't lie.
M pa ka fè manti
M pa ka bay manti

5.
I cannot lie to you.
M pa ka ba w manti.

6.
So and so is lying to me.
Entèl nan manti avèk mwen.

7.
You're lying to yourself.
Ou nan manti ak tèt ou.

8.
Mwen pa fouti di m renmen w. Mwen pa ka nan manti ak tèt mwen.
I cannot say that I love you. I can't lie to myself.

9.
To lie about someone
Fè manti sou yon moun.
Bay manti sou yon moun

10.
You lied about me.
Ou te fè manti sou mwen.



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

Mandy, is there an expression in creole equivalent to "counting your chickens before they hatched"? thanks

Yes. It's Pa konte ze nan vant poul

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

Eske w konn gou bouch ou?

konnen gou bouch ou
or
konn gou bouch ou
know/taste/mouth/your
To know what's good for you
To know what's you want
To know how to choose for your own interest.

1.
Eske w konn gou bouch ou?  
Do you know what's good for you? 
Do you know what you like?
Do you know what you want?

2.
Nou konn gou bouch nou. Nou konn sa nou vle.
We know what's good for us. We know what we want.

3.
Nan zafè chwazi gason, gen anpil fanm ki pa konn gou bouch yo.
When it comes to choosing a man, many women do not know what they want.

When Joan's family met her husband for the first time. they saw that he was a simple, homely man with no future, no money, and no ambitions......
Everyone said, "Joan pa konn gou bouch li"
How would you translate the Creole sentence that everyone said?

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

Mèsi anpil pou enfòmasyon ki nan blog ou a. Èske genyen diferans ant "lapriyè" ak "priyè"? Mwen kwè pa gen okenn diferans ant mo sa yo. Èske mwen korèk? M konnen vèb la se "priye". E, ki sa ou t ap di sou "lespri" ak "espri"? Èske gen diferans?

Bonswa!

Wi. Sa w di a se sa. Pa gen diferans ant mo priyè ak lapriyè ki vle di envokasyon onswa rekèt

Pa gen diferans, nonplis, ant mo espri ak lespri ki vle di konpreyansyon, entelijans, onswa zonbi. 

Men gen de sikonstans nan lang lan kote li fè plis sans pou itilize youn sèlman. Yon egzanp: Li se moun lespri (ki vle di: Li edike) Mwen pa kwè w ap jwenn moun ki va di: Li se moun espri.

Kòm ou dwe deja konnen, se atik franse a (le, la, les, l’) ki fè yon sèl avèk mo kreyòl la ki vin ba ou, kòmkwa, yon prefiks nan mo a.

Lòt egzanp konsa, se: espwa onswa lespwa; delivrans onswa ladelivrans; kranp onswa lakranp; rezon onswa larezon; etsetera…

Dakò, mèsi. W a kenbe la.

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

I'm doing some research on Haitian tea leaves. I wanted to know the uses and benefits for te may-lese and te pho-bazin (sp)?

For your research it would be beneficial to talk to a Haitian doktè fèy (medicine man). You’ll learn a lot from them.There are also two books, about leaves and herbs from Haiti, that you could check out: Plant ak Pyebwa Tè DAyiti by François Severin and Les plantes et Les Legumes D’Haiti qui Guerissent by Arsène Pierre Noël

I only know about some leaves because my mom grows some of them. She can make tea for every type of ailments you can think of. Her mother was the same too. I am always surprised that she has a stash of so many varieties of leaves at home.

My mom has used fèy melis for treating migraines, cramps, and gas. It’s also used for calming effects, nervousness, insomnia and nightmares.

She has primarily used Fonbazen for gas, stomach problems, intestinal worms, and cramps. But she says it can be used for “cleaning” the stomach and flushing the kidneys.   The boiled leaves can be uses in a compress (on the forehead or the temporal area) for treating headaches, nausea, and vertigo.

She has also boiled the leaves in a large cooking pot with water and used them for baths.

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

Kijan ou di clothesline? Where is the clothesline to dry your clothes? Do you need more clothespins?

clothesline - liy
We dry our clothes on the clothesline - Nou mete rad nou seche sou liy lan.
Where is the clothesline to dry your clothes - Kote liy pou tann rad yo ye?
Do you need more clothespins? - Eske w bezwen plis pens pou tann rad yo?

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

Though the campaign was not fully funded, Etsy is still sending 160 prints to the students in Haiti. Here is the whole collection. check it out!

Way to go Etsy! Beautiful!

I love all of them :)

Haitian Creole Wall Art - One for You, One for a Student in Haiti!! 

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

Mandalay I love banane peze with pikliz. My friend showed me how to make it while I was in Haiti. How do you call the utensil used to flatten the plantain? Do you have any idea where I can buy it?

Yum yum!

It’s called pèz bannann in Haitian Creole.

Haitians are not the only one who makes bannann peze. Google tostonera or even plantain smasher, and you will find it online.

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

What are some phrases or songs or rhymes that teachers use to get the attention of children in a group? I know in English we use phrases like "1-2-3 all eyes on me!" and the children respond "1-2 eyes on you!". Are there any that you know of? Thank you!

There are no phrases or rhymes that we use in that sense, that I know of (in Creole).

There's one is French where you start singing, "Un petit silence s'il vous plait, il faut ecouter." and then all the kids yell out "Silence!!!" This little rhyme is translated as "A little silence please, you must listen. Silence!!!"

But if you wanted to divert their attention by giving them a riddle, you'll say 'Krik?!" and they'll answer 'Krak!!!"
or you'll say "Tim Tim?!" they'll answer "Bwa sèch!!"
They'll be expecting a riddle after that :)


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

Are there any good grammar books of the Haitian Creole language, and good dictionaries that you would recommend? Could you mention some names of good grammarians that we can trust to learn about modern Haitian Creole grammar? By the way, thank you very much for all the articles, they are a source of help for all those learning Haitian Creole! Keep your good work. Thank you.

The best and most complete 'grammar' book would be Ann pale kreyòl by Albert Valdman (with the audio CDs). It's a little bit pricey, but worth it.
The best dictionary so far is the one by Féquière Vilsaint.

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

How do you say- "it was worth it"

It was worth it - Sa te vo lapenn.
It's not worth it (not worth the trouble) - Sa pa vo lapenn.
Was it worth it - Eske sa te vo lapenn.



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

How do you speak the years in Kreyol, for example 1776? Is it disèt swasanndis sis, or do you have to use mil somewhere? What about 2015?

We use mil....

1776 - mil sèt san swasannsèz
2015 - de mil kenz
2010 - de mil dis
1500 - mil senk san

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

Ki sa "pou ti krik ti krak" vle di ? Men fraz m te wè a : "Li te konn fache pou ti krik ti krak." Kòman ou t ap tradui sa ?

pou ti krik ti krak - for no useful reason, for any reason at all

Li te konn fache pou ti krik ti krak - He/She used to get angry for no reason at all.

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

Why do you say "sa pa gade m sa"? can I just say "sa pa gade m" without the 'sa' at the end?

Yes you can.

Sa pa gade m sa
or
Sa pa gade m.
I don't care.

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

Hi Mandaly, can you tell me if these two Haitian proverbs mean the same thing: “Bef a bout ke se bondye ki pouse mouch pou li” and “se met ko ki veye ko”? thanks

Hi.

No, these proverbs have different meaning. They’re not the same.

“Bèf bout ke se Bondye ki pouse mouch pou li” means something like God helps people that have deficiencies or limitations.

The second proverb “Se mèt kò ki veye kò” means You watch out for own self. Don’t expect others to care for your well being.  This proverb is in the same category as another Haitian Creole proverb Chak koukouy klere pou je yo Each person looks out for his own interest

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

What does this mean in English? poukisa ou vle efase r la

Poukisa ou vle efase r la? - Why do you want to erase/remove the letter 'r'?

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

Bonjou Mandaly, Toudabò, mèsi anpil pou blog ou! Blog ou ap ede m’ anpil anpil pandan mwen ap aprann krèyol. Men, mwen gen yon keyson .....

You said:

"Bonjou Mandaly, 
Toudabò, mèsi anpil
pou blog ou! Blog ou ap ede m’ anpil anpil pandan mwen ap aprann krèyol. Men,
mwen gen yon keyson pou w. Mwen konnen ou pa itilize mo a « nan » ak mo yo kòm
«lakay » e « lekòl » paske mo a gen yon « la » ou byen « le » nan yo. Poukisa ou
pa itilize nan sitiyason sa yo ? Mwen panse mwen konfonn ak ki jan ou itilize
prepozisyon yo lè ou vle di «at, to, in »? Si ou ka eksplike sa a pou mwen, mwen
pral anpil kontan. Mèsi anpil ! P.S. Mwen regrèt pou gramè mwen. Mwen ap aprann
krèyol pou sèlman kèk semèn. Si ou te resevwa keyson sa a, souplè ban m’ yon 
lyen pou yon repons. Mèsi!"

Mandaly says:

Bonjou zanmi!

For someone who's been learning Creole for just a few weeks, you're doing amazingly well. I encourage you to continue learning Creole. I hope to hear from you again ... in Creole :)

Here are a few links of posts with explanations of how to translate sentences from English to H. Creole, when they have the prepositions “at, to, in”:

http://sweetcoconuts.blogspot.com/2011/06/prepositions-at-to-on-in.html

http://sweetcoconuts.blogspot.com/2011/11/nou-te-ale-nan-konse-ye-nou-ale-lekol.html

http://sweetcoconuts.blogspot.com/2011/10/nan.html

http://sweetcoconuts.blogspot.com/2014/01/to-as-in-destination-i-am-walking-to-my.html

http://sweetcoconuts.blogspot.com/2011/12/i-see-that-sometimes-word-is-translated.html

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

Mandaly, There is a H.Creole phrase that describes something building up a little at a time or slowly happening over time that sounds like "Au fe y a mezi". Do you know it? And what is its origin?

Hi, it's from the French expression au fur et à mesure which means gradually.

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

what does "na repale" mean? It is not in any book or translate tool.

repale - to talk again.

N a repale. - We'll talk again.

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

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

Hey Mandie, would the word "nan-nan" be a good term to translate "...the central theme"? I see that Haitians use it mainly to talk about food.

Do you mean nannan? 

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

Mwen pral fe yon kout bravoute,depi 15 ans mwen renmen li. Mwen ekri anpl poem pou li.Mwen pral file on dame.yo di tout brav nan simitye. Mwen pral fe yon kout Capois Lamort. Mwen vle ekri li nan blog sa pou l ka we li. Eske ou kapab pibliye poem mwen?

Bonjou zanmi, mwen resevwa kesyon ou plizyè fwa , men mwen pa te resevwa powèm ou an. Sanble ou vle fè yon deklarayon piblik pou yon fanm. 

Kenz (15) an se pa de (2) jou. Si w ap file yon fanm, file l pou w fini ak sa! M pa kwè medam yo renmen gason ki pa gen aksyon sou yo. 

Selon sa m konprann, ou toujou ekri powèm pou li, men ou poko janm file l dirèkteman?

Premyèman, file yon fanm pa gen kesyon brav ladan l. Sèlsi ta genyen yon obstak kòmkwa fanmi l pa ta dakò, pa gen “Kapwa Lamò” nan koze konsa.  

Mwen swete w bòn chans :)

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