Mandaly before I ask my question, I wanted to say thank you for your help with the keryol leaflets last month. My Haiti trip would have lacked something without it. Now with the word TOUPISAN, does it go before or after bondye? is it toupisan bondye or bondye toupisan? powerful God?

No problem :)
It's Bondye toupisan all powerful God.

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

Thanks so much for your work to make this website! Mesi anpil! I would like to ask if there are any rules for stress in terms of where the stress falls on individual words or sentences. In other words, if I want to speak more naturally, where should I put the accent when I speak? I haven't listened to much spoken Kreyol yet, so I'm sure I'll learn more as a listen more. Thanks again for you time and work, Lisa

Hi Lisa,
It would be extremely hard to answer this question in just a few lines, as you know each word is different. I would recommend that you find a way to practice what you have learn so far. Though practicing conversations with someone who knows the language well is the best way to achieve fluency, you may start by listening to Haitian radio program, watching Creole TV programs, sitting in in gatherings where Creole is spoken. If you do this, you might find a way to exchange words with peple who speak the langauge. Best of luck :)

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

Bonswa! Eske kek moun ka ekspikem kisa vle di "U fem nan yon lot vi"? Mesi

It means 'you put me in another life'.
It's more like: 'You gave me a new perspective on life'. It's about happpiness.

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

Hello, everyone. I am seeking some information regarding Kanaval (both in Haiti and around the world). Any help would be greatly appreciated:

 Hello, everyone. I am seeking some information regarding Kanaval (both in Haiti and around the world). Any help would be greatly appreciated: 

I recently got into a discussion with a group of people about the history behind carnival (not just in Haiti, but throughout the West Indies). One woman believed that carnival was a Catholic celebration with roots in European history. I was told a different story from a Haitian friend of mine (I am not Haitian). His understanding was that although Catholic figures are portrayed during the celebration, they historically represented figures from Voudou and African traditions, more so as a way for African, Taino, and other indigenous people to disguise their beliefs from their abusers/colonizers and that the suffering that the enslaved had to endure was so taxing physically and mentally that the slave captors allowed one day out of the year for the enslaved to experience freedom.... One day out of the year where the enslaved could drink alcohol, sing, dance naked in the street, anything goes.... So that is the celebration that we know as carnival today. Basically, it is a celebration of freedom. Another woman from the Virgin Islands believed that no slaves were allowed to participate in the street parades until 1838, but did have their own parties in their backyard and have mini carnivals. Then once slavery was abolished they used it as a celebration of freedom.

There is a lot of mixed information out there and I was just wondering if anyone could shed some light on this for me. Mesi anpil!

Mandaly says: In Haiti, it is a little different. One cannot talk about kanaval without mentioning rara which is the true celebration of freedom of expression that continues way into the night after kanaval. In rara, people file the streets after kanaval playing bamboos, cans, tanbou, whistles, the whip, singing, and dancing. It has its roots from the days of slavery that led to the Haitian revolution. Any such gathering was done at night, like the one where Boukman, a slave, a oungan, had the gatherers drink blood and made a pact to revolt.
Kanaval, to me, is about celebrating our culture and music. The tradition I remember as a child, at kanaval time,  was men totally covered in molasses, only wearing dry banana leaves to cover their loins and head, running into the streets every year.

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

Tanpri, is there a Haitian proverb that would be the equivalent of this scripture Eklezyas 4:6: “Li pi bon pou yon moun pran yon ti repo olye l plede ap travay di e li kontinye ap kouri dèyè van.”

I can think of 3 proverbs that are within the lines of this verse:

Anvi tout, pèdi tout
Zwazo ki chante pa gra
or even
Anbisyon touye rat

They all could mean that working hard doesn't usually gives you the results hoped for.

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

I love your blog!!! How do you say Let's have fun?? An nou gen.........? Mesi

Thank you :)

Let's have fun - An nou pran plezi nou. or Ann anmize nou.

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