"The leaders of the parish" = "Chèf pawas yo" or "Chèf pawas la"? (Not "the leader of the parishes" nor "the leader of the parish" nor "the leaders of the parishes".) I'm looking for a rule or strategy that will work with any similar phrase (e.g. "the keys of the kingdom", "the principles of the lesson").

I see what you mean, it's hard to determine whether the first or the second word is plural in Creole when we say:
1. the leaders of the parish - chèf pawas yo
2. the principles of the lesson - prensip leson yo
3. the keys of the kingdom - kle wayòm yo
4. the students of the chemistry class - elèv klas chimi yo
5. the workers of the store - travayè magazen yo

If it is important for you to differentiate which is plural, then you can say
1. chèf yo nan pawas la
2. prensip yo pou leson an
3. kle yo pou wayòm nan
4. elèv yo nan klas chimi an
5. travayè yo nan magazen an

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